The Commercial Beef Value Series is a collaboration between the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) and Agriland Media Group.
The Commercial Beef Value (CBV) is a tool that gives farmers an insight into the genetic value of animals destined for beef production.
It comprises traits of economic importance to a non-breeding (drystock) farmer, such as carcass weight, conformation and feed intake.
CBV is expressed as a €uro value like the Economic Breeding Index (EBI) and Euro-Star indexes.
The higher the €uro value, the higher the animal’s genetic merit for the traits included. Having the CBV available will help farmers to make more informed decisions when purchasing animals.
Knowing which calf is likely to exhibit good beefing qualities over their lifetime can be difficult when purchasing them at three- to four-weeks-of-age.
The CBV will give farmers an insight into the genetic merit of a calf and will help to put a more accurate value on it.
Why is it important to have CBV to hand?
There can be massive variation in the beef merit of calves even within breeds.
ICBF research has shown that calves bred from higher genetic merit beef bulls have higher carcass weights, better conformation and are more likely to meet factory specifications than calves bred from lower genetic merit beef bulls.
The tables below highlight the importance of having the CBV to hand when purchasing animals.
The data in both tables is based on animals that were finished in 2023, broken down by their CBV.
The table below shows the bottom, top and average CBV by breed.
As farmers rearing calves will have seen all too often in the past, there can be massive variation in the beef merit of calves even within breeds.
Where can I find a Commercial Beef Value?
Only genotyped animals will have a Commercial Beef Value available on mart boards.
If a farmer is purchasing animals privately, the seller can access the CBV information through their HerdPlus account.
Farmers signed up to the ICBF HerdPlus service can access the Commercial Beef Value of their animals through their HerdPlus account.
Under the ‘View Profiles’ dropdown, click on ‘Commercial Beef Value’. This will open a profile which shows all eligible animals with their CBV.
In order for a CBV to generate, the calf must have a recorded sire.
The value aims to give farmers a clearer picture of the genetic beef potential of the calves they are buying.
Buying calves without a sire means you are taking a gamble on their genetic merit potential.
Stay tuned into Agriland for another instalment in the Commercial Beef Value Series with ICBF next week.