The Beef CRC has welcomed the launch of a new tool which helps beef producers predict the growth rates of their stock

Better beef more often

The Beef CRC has welcomed the launch of a new tool which helps beef producers predict the growth rates of their stock, months in advance.

The BeefSpecs calculator predicts carcass weight and fat depth for groups of steers. It is designed to take the guesswork out of selecting and managing cattle during a finishing period.

To download the BeefSpecs calculator, click here

To read the full media release, click here

Reducing the time cattle spend in lairage prior to slaughter is unlikely to have a negative impact on tenderness

Reducing lairage time does not spoil beef quality

Reducing the time cattle spend in lairage prior to slaughter is unlikely to have a negative impact on tenderness and eating quality of beef cattle.

A study conducted by the Beef CRC looked at whether shortening the holding time of cattle from 18 to 3 hours reduces the quality of feedlot cattle.

To read the full media release, click here

Cattle subjected to electrical prodding stimulation just prior to slaughter can produce meat with inferior quality.

Time to ditch the electric cattle prodders

Cattle subjected to electrical prodding stimulation just prior to slaughter can produce meat with inferior quality.

The findings come from an experiment conducted by the Beef CRC which looked at the effect on beef eating quality.

Dr Robyn Warner, Department of Primary Industries, Victoria said cattle which suffered acute stress just prior to slaughter produced meat that consumers rated as tougher.

To read the full media release, click here

Determining which cattle will produce tough or tender beef has become easier with the development of new tenderness EBVm.

Breeding tender beef as easy as EBV

The Queensland beef industry has been introduced to a new tool which aims to further improve the consumer satisfaction of beef.

Launched at Brahman week in Rockhampton, trial tenderness marker assisted Estimated Breeding Values (EBVm) should increase the rate of genetic gain in the area of beef tenderness.

To read the full media release, click here

The Beef CRC has discovered a mutated gene in ticks which makes them resistant to some acaricides (pesticides that kill ticks and mites).

Counting the cost of acaricides

Researchers from the Beef CRC have developed a new test which could help producers minimise acaricide resistance in cattle ticks (Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus).

Resistance to acaricides (pesticides that kill ticks and mites) is a huge economic cost to the northern beef industry which already spends about eight million dollars each year in controlling ticks.

To read the full media release, click here

Dr Ala Lew (right) accepts her Smart Women award from the Queensland Minister for Women, Margaret Keech.

Award winning scientist encourages other women to purse research career

A Beef CRC scientist from Queensland has taken out top honours in the Smart Women - Smart State Awards for 2008.

Dr Ala Lew, Principal Research Scientist, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, was presented the Women in the Community/Public Sector – Science award at a gala ceremony held in Brisbane on Tuesday 2 September.

To read the full media release, click here

Beef CRC has forged a new international agreement

International agreement will bring massive benefits to Aussie beef producers

The Beef CRC has forged a new international agreement which aims to give Australian cattle producers significantly greater confidence in new genetic technologies.

The collaboration brings together the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), The US National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium (NBCEC), the University of Guelph (Canada), the University of Alberta, Edmonton (Canada), the US National Beef Cattleman’s Association (NBCA), the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) and the Beef CRC, through its Participants and Supporting Participants.

To read the full media release, click here

America looks to Australia to breed cattle which eat less

America looks to Australia to breed cattle which eat less

The rising cost of grain combined with the pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are the driving factors behind America’s push to breed more feed-efficient cattle.

That’s the message from the Beef CRC’s Robert Herd who has just returned from the annual conference of the American Society of Animal Science in Indianapolis.

To read the full media release, click here.