Dave Warburton recently earned his Structural Soundness Accreditation with ABRI, joining the small group of professionals recognised for their expertise in evaluating key physical traits in beef cattle.
Structural soundness is essential for ensuring long-term productivity and adaptability in cattle. Poor structure can lead to significant financial loss through issues like bull breakdown, reduced conception rates, and steers failing to complete feeding programs. Because these traits are heritable, selecting for structural soundness can drive meaningful genetic progress.
With Dave now accredited, breeders can work with him to collect structural scores, a vital step toward having Claw Set and Foot Angle EBVs published on their animals through BREEDPLAN. Structural EBVs, now available via the ABRI platform, help predict the structural quality of future progeny—giving breeders powerful tools for long-term herd improvement.
To have your structural data accepted by BREEDPLAN, assessments must be done by a registered ABRI Structural Soundness Assessor like Dave.
Well done, Dave! This is a win for the industry and the future of structurally sound, productive herds.
