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The Research |
 
Pork Quality Research Summary
Performance Research Summary
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Babcock's commitment to
ongoing genetic improvement is concentrated on the factors with
the greatest impact on profitability such as feed efficiency,
pounds of pork sold, and meat quality. Performance of Babcock
genetics has improved steadily in the past 30 years through the
use of a diversified genetic toolkit. The direction of our genetic
improvement program has been to increase lean gain production
while simultaneously maintaining a high quality product.
Traditionally, genetic improvement was accomplished through
conventional index selection. Today, the combined use of molecular
genetics and conventional index selection can make even larger
strides in genetic improvement.
With the development of molecular
genetic technology and the benefits that this science brings to the arena of
genetic improvement, we made a commitment to your continued
success by investing in state-of-the-art equipment, and created a
DNA laboratory on-site at the Babcock Genomics Center.
Equipment designed for analyzing genetic differences between
animals at the molecular level is employed in our DNA laboratory. By analyzing all animals born in
nucleus herd facilities, marker assisted selection (MAS) results
in the selection of high lean-gain animals that produce the
highest quality pork. The benefits include:
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Quicker analysis of potentially desirable genomic regions
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Increased response to selection procedures
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Faster transfer of improvements to commercial herds
Future research in molecular genetics
will be concentrated on traits with low heritability or those that
are difficult to measure in the live animal. Traits falling into this
category include:
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Feed conversion
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Litter size
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Meat quality, including pH, color, water retention, flavor,
juiciness, taste and tenderness
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Disease resistance
Industry trends and consumer demands
will dictate where and how far to take this research, but our
mission remains constant - TO ALLOW YOU TO BE A LEAST-COST
PRODUCER OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY PORK.
 
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