sure not to overlook the importance of how an animal’s other EPDs will affect your herd. Be sure you are not choosing an animal solely based on a single EPD value, while ignoring how the other values could negate improvements. While it may look good to choose
a bull with an outstanding EPD in one area, he could have an EPD trait in another area that could cost you. It may be a better to choose a bull with a smaller — but still good — EPD in the trait you want if none of his other EPDs will negatively affect your herd.
What are all these numbers? EPDs are expressed in units of mea-
Production traits are expressed through differences
that pertain to growth, such as birth and weaning weights, daily gains and mature size. Maternal EPDs usually measure traits of daughters born to a sire, such as pregnancy probability in fi rst-calf heifers, calving ease, milk and mothering ability. Some EPDs also track physical characteristics such as scrotal circumference, teat shape or udder suspension. Carcass EPDs are important to producers look-
ing to improve the composition and/or quality in offspring, such as marbling scores, carcass weights, fat content and more. Some breed-specifi c EPDs also include values and indexes that pertain to particular production systems and cycles. Some breed associations have also developed
crossbreed adjustment factors that allow values to be compared across breeds, or AB-EPDs. These are provided to assist producers who wish to use more than 1 breed of bull but still prefer to use EPDs to make breeding choices.
Do not let EPDs cost you Be sure to take care that the trait you want to ad-
just does not cost you in other areas. Selection based on higher weaning weight EPD values may get you heavier calves, but that could come at the cost of your feed bill. If you want to make genetic improvements to your herd, make sure that the traits you are select- ing for are the best ones for your bottom line and the current market. While you may be focused on 1 or 2 EPD values, be
100 The Cattleman March 2016
sure for the trait, usually with a plus or minus from the average.
Depending on the particular trait, the variable is a
measure of difference such as weight or percentage of unassisted births when bred to that bull. A breed’s average can be used as a benchmark to
gauge how an individual animal performs when com- pared to other animals. Any changes in a breed’s average will usually be noted in the table, such as for a certain year or within a set of animals born in a certain year. Accuracy is the reliability that can be placed on the
EPD and is charted using positive-negative numbers or percentages. The number of progeny and ancestral records included in the analysis can have an impact on this value. Therefore, a young animal could have a different reliability score when compared to an older, more established animal with a proven history. Interim EPDs are used on young animals when
their performance has yet to be incorporated into of- fi cial evaluations; these numbers are preceded by an “I” [interim]. Similarly, pedigree can infl uence an EPD value, so that will be noted. Each beef cattle breed community that collects data
for EPDs has established their own EPD protocols, data trends and information.
Value and profi t EPDs are a valuable tool that can help improve the
genetics in your herd. With a bit of practice and some careful planning, EPDs can guide your decisions and assist you in improving the value of your work and the investment in your operation.
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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