The 3rd Young Bull Performance Test (TDTJ), promoted by Embrapa Cerrados (Planaltina-DF), in partnership with ACZP (Association of Planalto Zebu Breeders) and AGCZ (Goiás Association of Zebu Breeders), started in July 2016, it ended in May. Last Friday (09) a technical meeting was held with the creators to publicize the results, evaluate and improve the test.
Holding the TDTJ at Embrapa Cerrados is a way of making the Federal District a reference and protagonist in the national scenario for evaluating young bulls, as well as contributing to the dissemination of quality genetics to Brazilian livestock farmers, especially those in the Central-West region.
58 young bulls of the Nelore breed and 19 of the Guzerá breed participated in the 3rd TDTJ. The animals come from 25 farms in Goiás, São Paulo, Tocantins and Mato Grosso, in addition to the Federal District. Of the Nelore bulls, 12 were classified in the Elite category, 19 in Superior, 14 in Regular and 13 in Inferior. Among the Guzerá breed animals, three were classified as Elite, seven as Superior, seven as Regular and two as Inferior.
The animal ranked first in the Elite category, in the Nelore breed, was the Bacheiro Nelore do Oeste, from Fazenda Buritizinho, in Damianópolis (GO). The bulls classified in second and third place are Agravado FIV FVC and Aguaceiro FIV FVC. Both from Vera Cruz Farm, in Barra do Garças (MT). The three Guzerá breed animals classified as Elite were the bulls Tiete, Tenor S and Tenaz S.
Meeting – Eleven breeders from seven farms in the Federal District and Goiás participated in the meeting that took place last Friday (09). Embrapa Cerrados researcher Eduardo Eifert and technician Marcos Costa spoke about the objectives of the TDTJ and the usefulness of the information obtained in the evaluations carried out during the test for the programs developed by livestock farmers.
This was the second meeting between livestock farmers and Embrapa's technical team. The first was held in February to adapt the test. At the time, the low performance of the animals was noted due to the quality of the pasture. “From that date onwards, we made adjustments to animal supplementation to compensate for the loss of pasture and maintain the weight gain rate. With the changes we made, this problem will no longer occur”, guaranteed coach Marcos Costa.
For livestock farmer Raquel Caputo, the opportunity to follow the evolution of the tests is very important. “Evaluation meetings allow the program to be adapted. It is a new test in the region where some corrections are needed. We need to encourage other creators to participate to strengthen it”, he said. At Fazenda Mineira, in Gama (DF), she raises 77 animals with the aim of selling them as breeding stock.
The result of the final classification of the test was not the most important thing for cattle farmer Luciano Bonfim, from Fazenda Paineiras, located in Trindade (GO). Even without having animals classified in the Elite and Superior categories, he will continue to send his bulls to future tests. “I had four animals in the race and they didn’t do well this year. This result is good for me to see what I can improve on and bring more competitive animals to the next test,” he said.
Test – The 3rd TDTJ included the weight gain test on pasture, lasting 294 days, with 70 days of adaptation and 224 days of effective testing. Throughout the test, the animals were kept in pastures renovated using a Crop-Livestock Integration system, being supplemented only with mineralization appropriate for the animal category and time of year. Animals of both breeds participated in the same handling and evaluation.
The 3rd TDTJ concluded on May 16th, with the sixth and final weighing of the bulls. The animals will participate in the 1st Feed Efficiency Test (in confinement), which will take place in Goiânia (GO), on a date yet to be defined. The priority for places will be for animals classified in the Elite and Superior categories, however, if there is availability and interest from the breeder, animals from other categories will also be able to participate in the test.
Source: Agrolink
