Genetics of growth and feed efficiency

The CRC for Cattle and Beef Quality was established in 1993 to identify the genetic and non-genetic factors affecting beef quality and other production traits of economic importance. Providing feed for cattle is the single largest input cost in beef production enterprises. Advances in computing and electronics has allowed the development of reliable automatic feed intake recorders making it easier to measure feed intake, and this in association with increased producer demand for a means of selecting on the basis of efficiency, has led to increased research in feed efficiency. Understanding genetic variation in feed efficiency and providing the tools for genetic improvement in the efficiency of feed utilization can have a major impact on profitability. Progress of research within the CRC, and internationally, for beef cattle feed efficiency has been regularly reviewed and published (Archer et al. 1999; Herd et al. 2003a; Arthur et al. 2004; Arthur and Herd 2005, 2006). This paper summarises the CRC's major contributions to new knowledge and applications for genetic improvement of growth and feed efficiency.