Glossary

[UNDER CONSTRUCTION] This Glossary is derivitive from the 9th Edition of the BIF Guidelines for Uniform Beef Improvement book, which attributed the original work to John Hough, EPD International and Ronnie Silcox, University of Georgia

A

Average daily gain

ADG

Measurement of the average daily body weight change over a specified period of time of an animal on a feed test.

B

Backcross

The mating of a two-breed crossbred individual back to one of its parental breeds. Example: A Hereford-Angus crossbred cow bred back to an Angus bull.

Base pair

The complementary bases found within a DNA molecule. There are four different bases: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G). A always pairs with T, and C always pairs with G. The base sequence ultimately determines the effect of the gene.

Beef carcass data service - A program whereby producers, for a fee, can receive carcass evaluation data on their cattle by using a special carcass data ear tag for their slaughter animals. See county extension director, breed representative, Beef Cattle Improvement Association representative, or area office of USDA meat grading service for information.

Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) - A federation of organizations, businesses, and individuals interested or involved in performance evaluation of beef cattle. It seeks to build confidence of the beef industry in the principles and potentials of performance testing. The purposes of BIF are to achieve utilization of the most efficient and effective performance evaluation methods, uniformity of procedures, development of programs, cooperation among interested entities, and education of its members.

Best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) - A genetic prediction methodology providing the most accurate and precise genetic evaluations possible, given the information and family structure that are available.

Biological type - A group of cattle breeds having similar geographic origin and past selection history and with similar genetic potential for traits of economic importance. British general purpose beef cattle breeds, for example, have genetic potential for moderate growth, muscling, and milk yield; whereas continental European dual-purpose breeds have genetic potential for high milk yield and rapid growth.

Birth weight (BW) - The weight of a calf taken within 24 hours after birth. Heavy birth weights tend to be correlated with calving problems, along with other factors.

Body capacity - A subjective assessment of the feed intake capacity of an individual or breed, typically assessed by visually evaluating body length, body depth, and spring of ribs.

Body condition score - A score on a scale of 1 to 9, reflecting the amount of fat reserves in a cow's body, where 1 = very thin and 9 = extremely fat.

E

Economically relevant trait

ERT

Any trait that is directly associated with income or costs in a specific production system.

I

Indicator trait

Any trait that is not associated with income or costs in a production system but is (genetically) correlated to an economically relevant trait.