Economic Value of Selecting and Marketing Cattle by Leptin Genotype

Jayson L. Lusk ()

Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 2007, vol. 32, issue 02

Abstract: Recent research has identified genetic diversity in the ability of animals to manufacture and recognize leptin, a protein that regulated appetite and weight. This paper determines the economic value of using information on leptin genotype to select and manage beef cattle. Results reveal that the economic value of using genotypic information to sort cattle by optimal endpoint is only about $2/head for steers and $1/head for heifers; however, the value of using genotypic information to optimally select and feed only certain genotypes is $23/head for steers and $28/head for heifers. The difference in per head profit between the best and worst performing genotype is over $28 on the date the cattle were actually marketed and increases to $60 if each genotype is optimally marketed.

Keywords: cattle marketing; days on feed; genetics; growth models; leptin; value of information; Livestock Production/Industries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
View citations in EconPapers

Downloads: (external link)
http://purl.umn.edu/8641 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:jlaare:8641

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics from Western Agricultural Economics Association
Contact information at EDIRC.
Series data maintained by AgEcon Search ().