The GeneSTAR® Feed Efficiency test can identify up to
a $50 difference in feed cost between animals when ration costs are at
$165/ton,” said Victor Castellon, CEO of Bovigen.
Harahan, La.;
August 15, 2007 – Producers in every sector of the Cattle industry are
facing rising costs, but none that impact the bottom line more than the cost
of feed. To maintain profitability, producers must be able to identify
genetic lines that provide the most feed efficient animals possible. Bovigen
is addressing this ever increasing need with a true technological
breakthrough, the Industry’s first and only DNA test that can identify an
animal’s genetic ability to efficiently convert feed.
“Producers can use
the new GeneSTAR® Feed Efficiency test to identify up to a $50 difference in
feed cost between animals when ration costs are at $165/ton,” said Victor
Castellon, CEO of Bovigen. “Now everyone in the cattle industry has access
to a tool for measuring feed efficiency and for improving the profitability
of cattle production.”
The markers were identified through discovery and
validation work on thousands of cattle focusing on the trait of net feed
intake, sometimes also called residual feed intake or net feed efficiency.
This trait was identified by nutritionists to measure differences between
how much an animal should eat and how much an animal actually eats over a
given period of time and accounting for the calf’s weight, how much it grows
and its composition of bone, muscle and fat. For example, an animal with a
Feed Efficiency GPD® of -3.0 will eat 3 lbs less feed per day than an animal
with a Feed Efficiency GPD® of zero. Over a 150 day feeding period and with
a ration cost of $165/ton, the animal with a -3.0 GPD® will cost $37 less to
feed without sacrificing growth performance or carcass quality.
The new
GeneSTAR® Feed Efficiency test is made up of four markers which together
identify as much as a 15% difference in daily feed consumption with no
affect on other measures like average daily gain, carcass weight, quality
grade or yield grade. An independent study showed that feed efficiency has
six times as much effect on feedyard profitability as average daily gain and
that a twenty percent improvement in efficiency would equal a $65
improvement in profitability. Since Feed costs (grass and purchased feed)
are typically more than half of all costs in a cow calf operation, this test
has wide application across all sectors of the industry.
Starting August
22nd, Bovigen will release the new GeneSTAR® Feed Efficiency panel test. As
in past new marker releases, producers who have tested in the last 30 days
will receive the new information at no additional charge. “Also, we have
continued to work hard on improving our own efficiencies,” added Castellon.
“You can now get our three panel combined test (Feed Efficiency, Quality
Grade and Tenderness) at the same low price as we used to sell only Quality
Grade and Tenderness.” These improved efficiencies are due primarily to our
continued ability to reduce our costs by working exclusively with Sequenom,
Inc.’s (NASDAQ: SQNM) MassARRAY® System for DNA testing. For information,
pricing and additional details, contact Bovigen at 877.BEEF.DNA or visit
www.bovigen.com.
About Bovigen
Bovigen, LLC is a global genetic
technology company. Bovigen is the only USDA certified “Process Verified
Program”, or PVP, genomics company in the world. We promote excellence in
the Beef industry through development, acquisition and commercialization of
genetic tools that empower producers to improve value and positively impact
industry economics. The company’s products include GeneSTAR® Feed
Efficiency, GeneSTAR® Tenderness, GeneSTAR® Quality Grade, SireTRACE®,
SureTRAK®, GPD®, GeneSTAR Elite Tender® and GeneSTAR® Black. For more
information visit www.bovigen.com or call 877.BEEF.DNA
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