@conference {40734,
	title = {Selection for beef quality traits},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	volume = {55},
	year = {1995},
	month = {Jan},
	pages = {275-277},
	publisher = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	organization = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	abstract = {Records on 24 146 Angus and 5 632 Hereford carcasses processed at  Manawatu Beef Packers between March 1993 and August 1994 which had  been evaluated for beef marbling standard (BMS), beef fat standard (BFS)  and beef colour standard (BCS) were used to derive overall meat quality  score. Overall meat quality score in the Japanese grading system is  determined by the lowest grade from: semi-objective assessment for BMS,  BFS and BCS; and subjective assessment for meat brightness, firmness and  texture, fat lustre and quality. Subjective measures of meat and fat quality  are not routinely recorded at this plant and therefore overall meat quality  score could only account for the three recorded items. The majority of  Angus and Hereford carcasses (84.0 and 82.9\%) had an overall meat quality  score of 1 (inferior) and no carcasses had score 5 (excellent). This study  reports the effects of selection to improve Japanese overall meat quality  score by single trait improvement of the three meat quality attributes. A  change of one grade in BMS (or BFS) for Angus carcasses decreased the  proportion of score 1 carcasses to 12.8\% (or 74.7\%) and improved overall  meat quality score from an average of 1.17 to 1.96 (or 1.29). A change of  one grade in BMS (or BFS) for Hereford carcasses decreased the proportion  of score 1 carcasses to 16.1\% (or 66.8\%) and changed overall meat quality  score from an average of 1.18 to 1.90 (or 1.35).   Selection based on a well-designed progeny test would take 5 (or 9) years to  improve BMS (or BFS) by one grade. Biological factors introduce a lag of at  least six years from the start of test matings until there can be widespread  harvest of beef animals with improved meat quality. Selection for BMS can  improve overall meat quality score more effectively and more rapidly than  selection for other meat quality traits.  },
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Charteris PL and Garrick DJ and Morris ST and Wright LA}
}
@conference {40010,
	title = {Preliminary investigation into factors affecting lamb growth from birth to weaning on Taranaki hill country},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	volume = {46},
	year = {1986},
	month = {Jan},
	pages = {139-144},
	publisher = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	organization = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	abstract = {The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of the ram on plasma FSH concentrations in progesterone-primed Romney ewes which were: (1) anoestrous; (2) devoid of ovaries; (3) or anoestrous but induced to ovulate by a pulsatile injection regimen of luteinising hormone (LH). The results showed that there was an abrupt fall in the mean FSH levels in anoestrous or LH-pulsed ewes at 1 hour after ram introduction and that this level of suppression (~40\%) was maintained for ~22 hours in anoestrous ewes and for 12 hours in LH-pulsed ewes. Also, an FSH reduction (~20\%) was observed in the ovariectomised ewes. In the anoestrous ewes, the FSH changes were observed without any associated oestrous or ovulatory behaviour. In the LH-pulsed group, all ewes showed oestrus and 75\% produced normal corpora lutea. Collectively, the evidence suggests that when attempts are made to achieve fertile matings in hormone-treated anoestrous ewes, there may be advantages in delaying ram introduction until ~24 hours after progesterone withdrawal.},
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Thomson NA and Mace MJ and Wright LA and Bishell SM}
}
