SUMMARY

The Nelore Cattle Breeding Program (NCBP) presents the Genetic Evaluation 2000 of young animals, sires and dams, for the eighth consecutive year with information that permits to identify the animals for major genetic value, to be selected as progenitor for next generation.

In the year 1999, the NCBP had an enormous expansion in its data base, due to the join of many herds mainly because of the official support of the Nelore Cattle Breeders Associations from Brazil (NCBA). Therefore, nowadays the base counts with 913,776 weightings, 115,405 scrotal circumference measures and 254,417 recorded animals. This means an increase of 50% in the number of the animals with standardized weights and 35% in the numbers of farms with a genetic evaluation for the last year. Therefore, this year the total number of animals included in the relationship matrix was about 200,738, representing an increase of 31%.

The EPD (Expected Progeny Difference) were predicted for age at first calving calf (IPP), gestation lenght (PG), calf birth weight (PN), mature weight, accumulated productivity (PAC), weight for 120, 365 and 450 days and scrotal circumference for 365 and 450 days.