Independent Angus Australia benchmarking has shown encouraging genetic progress within the Pavey Angus herd, particularly for growth and carcase performance.

The next challenge is to make that progress more balanced.

Our objective is to maintain strong early and finishing growth while continuing to improve carcase weight, eye muscle area and marbling — without simply producing increasingly larger mature cows.

For us, genetic improvement isn't about chasing the highest possible EBV for an individual trait. A breeding female still needs to conceive, calve, raise a good calf and do it efficiently year after year.

A Clearer Breeding Target

We have now developed a more defined internal breeding target for the type of animal we want Pavey Angus to produce.

We're looking for cattle that combine strong but sensible growth, controlled mature size, carcase performance, eye muscle area, marbling, fertility, feed efficiency, structural soundness and quiet temperament.

The next stage of the Pavey Angus program will also include increased use of artificial insemination and embryo transfer, giving us greater opportunity to combine carefully selected outside genetics with females from within our own herd.

The purpose isn't simply to produce more calves. It is to increase our opportunity to identify the exceptional individuals capable of moving the herd forward.

Measure. Select. Improve.

EBVs and genomic information are important tools in making those decisions, but they are only part of the assessment.

The cattle still have to perform in the paddock.

Structure, feet and legs, temperament, fertility, longevity and the ability to function under commercial conditions remain fundamental to our breeding program.

We don't expect every animal to reach our target, and the target itself will continue to evolve as we collect more information and learn from the cattle we produce.

But having a clearly defined destination means every mating can be considered against a simple question:

Does this mating take Pavey Angus closer to the animal we're trying to breed?

We haven't arrived — and that's the point.

Know where you're going. Measure whether you're getting there. Keep improving.

Pavey Angus
Measured genetics. Functional Angus.