Research into how Angus cattle are being better prepared to cope with northern Australian conditions will be presented at a forum in Emerald next month.
Angus Australia extension officer Brad Hine will deliver a research, development and extension update on Angus in the North at Genetics Australia’s beef forum at Emerald, Queensland on March 11.
Dr Hine said breeders were looking to bring more Angus genetics into northern Australian indicus cattle herds as a way of improving various traits, such as fertility and eating quality.
“Indicus cattle are so well adapted to the environment; our goal is to identify Angus cattle that are also able to perform in that environment,” he said.
His presentation at the forum will outline important EBVs, including research EBVs still under development, to consider when selecting Angus cattle for the northern Australian environment.
“We’re looking at things such as coat type and measures of heat tolerance. For example, Angus Australia currently offers a Research Breeding Value (RBV) for Coat Type and is supporting further research to analyse consistency of feed intake in feedlot animals when exposed to natural variations in climatic conditions.
Dr Hine said there was growing interest in the use of Angus genetics in northern Australia.
“There’s certainly a market for Angus sires in northern Australia and we want to make sure we’re delivering animals that can perform in that environment,” he said.
“Identifying Angus cattle that can perform in Northern environments will provide producers with opportunities to utilise Angus genetics to drive genetic improvement in traits important to their production systems moving forward.
For further infomation on Genetics Australia Beef Forum 2026, click here.
