Spring EPDs Assist Producers with Bull-Buying Decisions

Abstract

"With THR data, we are provided with comparisons among all animals in each contemporary group," said Larry Keenan, RAAA director of breed improvement. "Since EPDs rely on measured variation within a contemporary group, THR provides for reliable EPDs and faster gains in EPD accuracy by ensuring that the variation in the performance of each calf is counted."

As the busy bull-buying season approaches, Red Angus stakeholders are now armed with updated selection tools to assist them in bull battery purchases to enhance their own herds' genetics for longterm productivity and profitability.

The Red Angus Association of America (RAAA) recently released the 2012 Spring EPDs which evaluate traits from calving ease to performance to carcass merit. The suite of numbers includes tools to select cattle with optimum economic relevance such as stayability, heifer pregnancy and maintenance energy requirements.

The Red Angus breed has been dedicated to Total Herd Reporting (THR) for nearly 2 decades, creating an accurate database of Red Angus genetics and, subsequently, EPDs trusted by ranchers.

"With THR data, we are provided with comparisons among all animals in each contemporary group," said Larry Keenan, RAAA director of breed improvement. "Since EPDs rely on measured variation within a contemporary group, THR provides for reliable EPDs and faster gains in EPD accuracy by ensuring that the variation in the performance of each calf is counted."

Since 2010, RAAA has joined forces with the American Simmental Association (ASA) to assess EPDs based on a merged database for growth and carcass traits.

"Our responsibility is to provide commercial producers with the best prediction of an animal's true genetic merit," said Keenan. "Through THR and our collaborated database with ASA, ranchers can rely on Red Angus' selection tools to make the best seedstock purchasing decisions for a sustainable future."

For more information on EPDs, visit the Genetics page on the RAAA website, RedAngus.org. Producers can also access individual animals' EPDs and breed percentiles, or calculate the projected EPDs of specific matings on the website.