1. Jamie Ward and Geoff Asher AgResearch Deer Industry Conference 2015 Deer Progeny Test 2011-2013 Growth, Venison and Co-products

2. What is the DPT? DPT is an industry-led, central progeny test operated on commercial farms to improve venison production Primary aims: Encourage and improve sire linkage between herds Platform to evaluate BVs across breed types Evaluate new traits for optimization of selection goals Starting point for evaluation of maternal traits Establish a well-phenotyped population for future genomic tools

3. What is the DPT? DPT is an industry-led, central progeny test operated on commercial farms to improve venison production Primary aims: Encourage and improve sire linkage between herds Platform to evaluate BVs across breed types Evaluate new traits for optimization of selection goals Starting point for evaluation of maternal traits Establish a well-phenotyped population for future genomic tools

4. What is the DPT? DPT is an industry-led, central progeny test operated on commercial farms to improve venison production Primary aims: Encourage and improve sire linkage between herds Platform to evaluate BVs across breed types Evaluate new traits for optimization of selection goals Starting point for evaluation of maternal traits Establish a well-phenotyped population for future genomic tools

5. Animal summaries 2417 inseminations across 1581 red hinds over 3 years 35 sires, 24 maternal (5%*), 11 terminal (12%*) 1647 progeny weaned (68% weaned to AI) 950 progeny killed *Percent of total reported sires in DEERSelect sire summaries Dec 2014

6. DPT progeny number summaries 1356 maternal progeny weaned 700 males, 656 females 291 terminal progeny weaned 158 males, 133 females 950 progeny slaughtered Maternal: 673 males Terminal: 151 males, 126 females

7. What are the data & why new traits? Meat & growth > 60 traits CT scanning >11 traits Skins >20 traits Colour stability >20 traits Taste panel (sensory) 5 traits Temperament 5 traits CARLA 2 traits Damsweight, BCS, temperament*

8. Heritability (h 2 ) Heritability (h 2 ): is the proportion of measured trait (phenotypic) variation that can be attributed to genetics alone (i.e. not environment) 0 = No genetic influence on phenotype <0.20 = Low (reproduction) 0.20-0.40 = Moderate (weaning weight) >0.40 = High (antler) 1 = Absolute (coat colour)

9. Co-efficient of variation (CV) Is a measure of percentage of variation around the mean >3% = low 3-10% = moderate >10% = high h 2 combined with CV% indicates potential the genetic opportunities available

10. Key messages The DPT has been very successful in its herd linkage objectives within DEERSelect “Without the DPT there would be no DEERSelect now” The DPT has provided new industry benchmarks The DPT is very large dataset for the deer industry and has no equivalent globally

11. The next 3 talks….. Live-weight traits in the DPT – Jamie Ward Venison and carcass traits in the DPT – Geoff Asher Co-product traits in the DPT – Jamie Ward Questions - Chairperson

12. Live weight in the DPT

13. First we need to deal with this…

14. DEERSelect platforms DPT red sires W12eBVDPT wapiti sires W12eBV +27.2 +1.0 Average +17.4 +0.9 +19.9 Average +10.9 But where is the overlap? What about venison production wapiti crossbred animals?

15. GBreed prediction summaries Terminal sire mean: Elk 78% Terminal progeny mean:Elk 44%, Eastern 16%, English 40% Maternal sire mean: Eastern 55%, English 38% Maternal progeny mean: Eastern 40%, English 51%

16. What is new from DPT for weight? DPT has provided benchmarks around growth performance using a gold standard to separate genetic effects from environment (management) Presenting mean data for sex and sire-type, corrected for: year, herd, mob – a ‘DPT average’…..these should be figures you can relate to

17. Weight traits by sex & sire-type

18. Live weight traits – weaning weight

19. Weaning weight value Weaning weight (WWT): h 2 = 0.38 CV = 10% Average WWT of top 10% of DPT progeny: = 64.9 kg Average WWT of bottom 10% of DPT progeny:= 44.1 kg Difference:= 20.8 kg That is a $73 difference selling weaners at $3.50 per kg

20. Live weight traits – 12 month weight

21. 12 month weight value 12 month weight (W12): h 2 = 0.68 CV = 10% Average W12 of top 10% of DPT progeny: = 116.1 kg Average W12 of bottom 10% of DPT progeny:= 82.8 kg Difference:= 33.3 kg That is $139 difference at $7.60 kg HW

22. Red W12 genetic trends graph

23. Key messages for live weight There are big opportunities for growth and selection on live- weight yet to be captured by many commercial producers Single platform across red and wapiti now is very close because of the DPT (i.e. all breeding values ranked on same scale) Purchase proven sires with breeding values to suit your system

24. Venison and carcass traits

25. Why venison and carcass traits? Venison is the majority income earner for the industry We need to better understand the genetics contributing to our major product With this understanding we can seek to improve our product and better capture improved value of the carcass 3 But also….genetic selection to improve other traits must not be to the detriment of venison

26. Venison and carcass traits Live animal measures– Ultrasound eye muscle area (EMA), X-Ray computed tomography (CT scan)

27. Venison and carcass traits Carcass – carcass and component weights, dress-out %, meat-to-bone ratios, muscle weights and linear measures, pH, tenderness, colour, drip-loss

28. Venison and carcass traits Venison carcass trait heritability estimates are adjusted for hot carcass weight Main focus primal joints – loins (high value) rear legs (high value) shoulders (low value)

29. Venison traits - whole carcass Pre-slaughter live weight: h 2 = 0.42CV = 10.0% Hot carcass weight:h 2 = 0.49CV = 10.0% Hot dressing-out%:h 2 = 0.44CV = 2.6%

30. Whole carcass traits by sex & sire-type

31. DPT best vs. worst carcass value For hot carcass weight at $7.60/kg Average value of top 10% of DPT progeny= $524 Average value of bottom 10% of DPT progeny= $360 Difference= $164 $164 value from improved selection for live-weight/carcass =19% better or worse than the average carcass @ $442

32. Venison traits – primal joint meat (g) High value loin: h 2 = 0.50CV = 11.7% High value leg:h 2 = 0.36CV = 10.4% Low value shoulder: h 2 = 0.80 CV = 11.3% Total primal meat:h 2 = 0.49CV = 10.5%

33. Venison traits – heritability Striploin weight: h 2 = 0.64 Boned primal shoulder weight:h 2 = 0.80 8 week chilled loin pH: h 2 = 0.19 8 week chilled loin drip-loss:h 2 = 0.19

34. Primal meat trait correlations TraitLoinShoulderRear legTotal primalEMA Loin0.52-0.110.030.420.37 Shoulder-0.200.830.040.530.06 Rear leg-0.120.110.360.740.02 Total primal0.290.680.630.500.20 EMA0.77-0.08-0.060.200.48 Genotypic Phenotypic

35. EMA vs loin correlation 59.5 kg 3.52 kg 57.4kg 4.16kg

36. What is the value proposition? For just increasing loin muscle weight alone….. Increasing loin by 100g p.a. = $1.1 m p.a. increase to export revenues Assuming a biological limit of 800g of added lion weight (based on measured level of variation) = $8.8 m annual benefit …..and that is only one selection trait

37. Challenges Need to ensure trait selection does not compromise the fundamental biology (what is the actual biological limit?) Payment systems would need to reward producers who produce desirable animals/carcasses (what is the cost/benefit?) Need to find good in-line yield predictors (e.g. VIAscan) in order to reward producers

38. Key messages for venison There is a very real opportunity is to use DEERSelect to focus selection on high value primal meat weight over the current total carcass weight (e.g. loin weight) Ultrasound-eye-muscle-area provides a very good measure for breeders to select for more loin and more venison overall We now need to further develop in-line measurement of carcass quality to capture the value added to carcasses through genetics

39. Venison co-product traits

40. Why co-products? Co-products (including skins) are a valuable part of deer industry export returns, they contribute to overall carcass payment For 2007-2011 all co-products averaged 11.4%, which was greater than velvet at 9.1% in export returns In 2011 leather and hides = $25,000,000, co-products = $15,000,000 (Velvet = $30,000,000) There is real value in investigating these components

41. Co-product traits Tails are the most valuable part of a carcass by unit weight with a value range of $0 to$60+ each Pizzles are a less valuable co-product with a value range of $6-$10 each Skins are the other potentially very valuable co-product with a value range of -$20 to $100 each

42. Tail & pizzle traits by sex & sire-type

43. Co-product traits – pizzles Pizzle weight: h 2 = 0.36CV = 16.7% No big difference in pizzle grading almost all in medium grade, no small and few large Top and bottom 10% both valued at $8

44. Co-product traits – tails Tail weight: h 2 = 0.66CV = 22.6% Average tail $ of top 10% of DPT progeny: = $49.60 Average tail $ of bottom 10% of DPT progeny:= $23.60 Difference:= $26.00 Is there value capturing this potential tail opportunity?

45. Co-product traits - skins Skins are a potentially high value product, tanners would pay $100 for top quality skins. Skins were only measured in 2011, quality was good Sire had a significant effect on eight traits notably: tear strength, skin pearl-evenness (grain appearance,) grade and hence value This represents an opportunity but capture is difficult as skins need to be processed in order to grade them

46. Key messages co-products There are opportunities to select for better co-products, particularly heavier tails There are significant sire effects important for skin/leather traits, but measurement currently requires costly skin tanning Rewarding good producers could markedly increase whole carcass value, but this does require new systems

47. Overall opportunities for impacts This is only a small subset of what has been done with the DPT data. With ongoing analysis there will be other opportunities for the industry to capture for traits that add profitability to venison systems: Health traits (e.g. CARLA for parasitism) Behaviour (temperament) Reproductive productivity traits …..and things we have not even thought of yet

48. Partner herds The Steyning Totara Park Wapiti

49. Acknowledgements DPT farmers and farm owners DPT partner herds Funders: DEEResearch, Alliance Group Ltd, Landcorp, AgResearch DPT committee, DEERSelect stakeholders reference group Alliance staff: Makarewa DSP, development team, tasters AgResearch staff: Farm systems, M Wheeler, K Dodds, S Newman