RaynerAg

30/10/2026

November looks like it will be a big month! I'll be travelling to support the team at Farmwest with several visits. I'll also be delivering an online session which is aimed to help producers wanting to maximise their opportunities with IVF

Small herd. Big breeding goals. What the IVF?

Love your Highlands and want more of those carefully selected genetics?

Join Alastair Rayner from Trans Ova for an online webinar especially for Highland breeders.

We’ll explore what IVF can offer, what causes results to vary and what you can do to give your program the best chance of success — with realistic expectations at every stage.

Thinking about your first collection? Planning another? Bring your questions.

📅 Tuesday 10 November 2026
🕡 6:30 pm WA time
💻 Online via Microsoft Teams

MESSAGE NOW to book your place!

Hosted by Farmwest in partnership with TransOva.

29/10/2026

If you could breed more replacements from your five most productive cows, what difference could that make to your herd?

Think about the cows that consistently get in calf, rear a good calf and maintain their condition under your management and seasonal conditions. How many of your replacement heifers come from those females?

IVF offers an opportunity to produce more calves from selected cows, giving them a greater influence on the next generation and potentially accelerating genetic progress.

The starting point is identifying which cows deserve that opportunity, using performance records and genetic information alongside what you see in the paddock.

Which five would you choose, and why would you choose them?

27/10/2026

My final genetics column for 2026 with Beef Central has just been published.

It’s been a big year. Although the sale season isn’t quite over, I’ve reviewed results from 450 sales across 18 breeds, representing 24,552 bulls. The review highlights a few trends that I’m sure will prompt some discussion.

A huge thanks to Jon, James and the whole Beef Central team for the opportunity to contribute throughout the year. I’m also grateful to the producers across Australia and overseas who have shared their comments and perspectives on the ideas I’ve explored.

Genetics editor Alastair Rayner’s summary across 450 bull sales held so far in 2026 across Australia shows numbers offered were up 3.2pc on last year, clearance lifted almost 2pc to 91.6pc, while the weighted average price rose 43pc to $12,113. ..Read More

22/10/2026

A terrific day today in Wagga Wagga for Cattle Australia Cattle Connect. Great to have PJ Budler from Trans Ova here as a key presenter. Today has been full of learning and connecting with industry.

20/10/2026

When we evaluate success, often we are looking at individual figures such as total head sold; sale weight average etc. These figures often mask what has been happening behind the scenes. In my second last Beef Central for 2026, I've tried to focus on those things that underpin the metrics we use.

This week’s column looks at why year-to-year sales figures on their own can't show whether a herd's genetics are improving. It draws on a new Livestock Science paper on long-term drivers of northern beef performance, and the Bush AgriBusiness Australian Beef Report 2026, then works through where g...

18/10/2026

This weeks RaynerAg Bull of the week comes from Gympie in Qld. This is CEDAR LANE INDIANA 1303 (IVF) (H) from Cedar Lane & Ego Brahmans. I like this bull, and he combines his physcial appearance with a balanced set of genetic traits. He will be Lot 69 at the Gold City Brahman sale, Novemeber 2nd (interfaced with AuctionsPlus)

15/10/2026

Does a smaller cow mean a more profitable herd?

Smaller cows often wean calves weighing a higher percentage of their own bodyweight. There is research to support that observation. But it needs careful interpretation before we turn it into a claim about carrying capacity or profit.

Consider a 450 kg cow weaning a 250 kg calf. That calf represents 56% of her weight. A 650 kg cow weaning a 280 kg calf produces 43% of her weight.

The smaller cow has the higher ratio. The larger cow produces another 30 kg of calf. To decide which is more efficient, we need to know what feed each cow and calf consumed, whether the cow maintained condition and whether she became pregnant again.

A four-year US study by Beck and colleagues illustrates the distinction. Heavier cows weaned heavier calves, but calf weight expressed as a percentage of cow weight declined as cows became heavier. However, cow size did not significantly affect kilograms of calf weaned per hectare or net returns in that experiment.

There is also a trap in assuming that country carrying 100 cows weighing 450 kg will carry only 69 cows weighing 650 kg. Those herds have approximately the same total cow liveweight. That does not establish that they have the same annual feed demand. Milk production, reproductive status, calf requirements and the production environment also matter.

Mature cow size deserves attention because it influences the feed required to maintain the breeding herd. But selecting for smaller cows alone is no guarantee of better returns.

For producers, the useful questions are:
- how many calves do we wean per cow joined
- what do they weigh
- what feed and costs were required
- how reliably do those cows get back in calf?

The aim is cows that consistently meet the reproductive and production targets of the business within the available feedbase. Cow weight is part of that assessment; the percentage of her weight she weans cannot tell the whole story.

Reference: Beck et al. (2016), Journal of Animal Science, 94:1689–1702.

13/10/2026

In this weeks Beef Central genetics column, I've taken a look at the factors that drive weaner weight. The maternal impact is actually something to closely look at, as it's both the cows genetics and then her ability to raise the calf that influence the final weight. There is some good US research and Australian data to consider in this as well.

With next year's calves now on the ground for many commercial cattle and seedstock producers, this week's column looks at what sits behind a weaning weight, how much comes from the calf and how much from the cow, and why a single weight shouldn't be relied on when selecting bulls or keeping heifers....

11/10/2026

This weeks RaynerAg Bull of the week comes from Woonallee Simmentals. This is WOONALLEE STEVE V219 who will be Lot 9 of the Queensland sale this week (15th September). This is a bull wioth some great marbling and yield potential. I love the muscle pattern and length of body this bull has. You can see him at Taroom on the 15th or on line with AuctionsPlus.

06/10/2026

In planning an FTAI program, its importsant not to overlook the role of the back-up bull team. These bulls are just as important. While we all want as many calves from FTAI, some cows won't concieve. However we still need to achieve a high coception rate overall, so good bulls are essentail in your plans. I've looked at this for Beef Central this week.

With some bulls purchased during current spring sales heading into AI collection, a lot of herds will be using FTAI to access those genetics. This week's column looks at the part of the program that often gets less attention: the back-up bulls. It covers measuring AI and natural service pregnancies....