Sorting Gate
GeneMax Advantage: A tool to help maximize profitability.
February 24, 2025
In last month’s “Sorting Gate” article, we provided a high-level overview of the exciting enhancements to GeneMax® Advantage™, emphasizing its role as the benchmark for genomic testing in commercial Angus cattle. Now, it’s time to take a closer look.
This month, we’re diving deep into three critical aspects of GeneMax that drive its value for producers: Total Advantage, the Combined Value ($C) dollar value index ($Value), and the return on investment you can achieve by integrating GeneMax into your operation.
Total Advantage evaluates a balance of maternal, feedlot and carcass traits, offering a comprehensive index for overall herd performance. $C, derived from the Angus breed’s $Value system, connects commercial heifers with registered Angus sires, leading to alignment for breeding decisions. Beyond just these tools, GeneMax offers a strong return on investment, helping producers make informed choices that improve genetic potential, increase productivity and boost profitability over time.
By unpacking these differences and showcasing the long-term benefits of investing in GeneMax, we’ll help you understand how this tool can elevate your herd and bring your operation closer to its goals.
GeneMax indexes
Recent updates to the GeneMax Advantage portfolio include the addition of Angus $Values — Beef Value ($B), Grid Value ($G), Feedlot Value ($F), Maternal Value ($M) and $C. These $Values are directly comparable to those of the registered Angus sires that a commercial cow-calf producer is working to select for his individual herd. In addition to $Values, GeneMax Advantage includes the original Advantage indexes: Cow Advantage, Feeder Advantage and Total Advantage.
While more information is powerful, producers often ask, “What index should I use?” The purpose of economic indexes is to simplify breeding decisions by balancing traits that affect costs (like maternal traits) with those that generate revenue (like gain and carcass performance). While there are multiple index options, they are designed to align better with your specific breeding objectives, not add complexity.
For most cow-calf operations, broadly inclusive indexes like $C or Total Advantage make the most sense.
- $C helps select females and sires with genetic merit across maternal, production and carcass traits, offering strong overall economic returns.
- Total Advantage leans more toward maternal traits affecting replacement females while still placing improvement pressure on downstream traits.
Fig. 1 lays out the relative emphasis of Total Advantage vs. $C as it relates to selection. Maternal traits include factors like the number of calves a cow produces and her costs, while growth and efficiency traits focus on calf gains compared to the feed it consumes. The carcass and yield category refers to traits related to the quality and yield of the carcass produced.
Both indexes offer valuable tools for optimizing your herd’s profitability. The right choice depends on your operation’s specific goals. Once the goals are set, stick to the plan and work toward that breeding goal with every selection decision you make. By doing so, you can make more-informed decisions and ensure long-term success for your herd.
Fig. 1: Relative contributions of trait groupings to Combined Value ($C) and Total Advantage index scores
ROI simulation
Selecting replacement heifers using $C or Total Advantage offers significant financial advantages compared to traditional methods. Simulated return-on-investment (ROI) comparisons show an average ROI of $3.40 for every $1 spent on $C testing and $3.23 for Total Advantage, assuming the selected females produce six calves during a 10-year lifespan.
The simulation evaluated a 500-head cow herd with a 92% weaned calf crop and an initial replacement rate of 20%. Producers tested two heifers for every one selected, resulting in 200 tested and 100 retained. At a cost of $28 per head tested, or $56 per retained heifer, this approach demonstrated how genetic progress accumulates over time when using index-based selection.
During a 10-year period, $C testing delivered projected ROIs ranging from $2.57 in the first year to $4.07 in the final year. Total Advantage delivered comparable results, with ROIs ranging from $2.46 to $3.89.
These returns highlight the long-term value of index-based selection, where consistent use ensures the gene pool improves more rapidly than through traditional selection methods.
Beyond the direct financial returns, this strategy supports more informed decisions when purchasing Angus bulls or planning matings, reducing inbreeding risk and improving critical traits like calving ease, docility and hoof soundness. Additionally, the approach allows producers to market excess heifers with documented genetic merit as high-value replacements, rather than selling them as feeder cattle.
Over time, selecting heifers based on $C or Total Advantage provides an additional $30-$32 per calf compared to traditional methods. By focusing on early-born, visually acceptable heifers, producers can maximize their herd’s genetic potential while keeping testing costs manageable.
Investing in genetic testing is more than a cost, it’s a forward-looking strategy that yields measurable, compounding benefits for herd profitability and long-term success.
Why GeneMax Advantage pays off
GeneMax Advantage is a tool to help ranchers pick the best heifers for their herd. It simplifies tough breeding decisions by focusing on what matters most: maternal traits, production and carcass quality. Tools like Total Advantage and $C make it easier to breed cows that bring in more money and keep your operation running strong.
With a return of $3-$4 for every dollar spent, GeneMax isn’t just a cost, it’s an investment — one essential for the industry as it works toward herd rebuilding. Testing helps you pick the right heifers, sell extra ones as high-value replacements, and keep your herd on the path to greater profits and better calves for years to come.
To order or learn more about GeneMAX Advantage, visit our website at www.angus.org/agi/commercial.
Editor’s note: “Sorting Gate” is a regular Angus Beef Bulletin column featuring herd improvement topics for commercial producers using Angus genetics. Kelli Retallick-Riley is president of AGI. Rafael Medeiros is a geneticist for AGI. For additional information on performance programs available through the American Angus Association and AGI, visit https://www.angus.org/agi.
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