Angus vs Hereford

[cbcr]

BUT if we take the four different BIF adjusted EPDs and average them we come up with 54.55, extremely close to the Angus EPD of 54, which is the EPD with the largest pool of data so it should be the most accurate of the four. I am wary of the BIF adjustment factors myself, but seriously a 54 EPD avg with a spread of only 20 pounds is nothing to complain about. In the real world, the stockyard is not going to seperate the 600 lb calves from the 589 pound calves and the 609 lb calves. You can not even eye ball that little bit of difference. I like EPDs, but when we start obsessing over whether a bull has a 54 wt EPD or a 58 weaning wt EPD you are putting waaaayy too much faith in the real world accuracy of any EPD.

Yes, but this was just from 4 different breeds that use this bull. I didn't look up Maine Anjou, Chiangus, Braunvieh, etc. This was just to show that the BIF adjustments aren't fool proof. Where the biggest problem lies is that while the formulas etc. that are used to calculate the EPD's are very similar, each breed again has their own adjustments that they again make to the EPD's. We shouldn't have to try and figure out anything when it comes to an EPD. Look at the dairy industry, USDA calculates the data for all diary breeds. So with this if a dairyman wants to breed a cow of one breed to a bull of another breed he can look at the numbers with no problem, no adjustments have to be made, they are all equal.

We can all agree that cattle are going to be sorted into groups that will sell and bring the most money (hopefully). This process isn't going to care if the calves were sire by a bull with a negative or a positive WW EPD, they are being sorted on their own merits.

But everybody is chasing numbers, look at comments on this forum and I have seen other places too that you are trying to use low birth weight EPD bulls that have a high WW EPD. Numbers are OK but what about functionality? How many of you have posted that you don't care for this breed or that breed because of bad udders or low milk production, bad feet and legs, no rear end or narrow front ends, and the list can go on and on. It has been said before; the castration knives is staying sharp from not being used. But again, some cattle guys just want a cow freshener CHEAP, numbers (EPD's) won't mean anything. If producers were to choose the bulls that they use on their cows wisely and not buy a bull at a sale just because he thinks he has to for whatever reason, then maybe seedstock producers would be more selective in what they keep for bulls.

I've heard it said that many guys continue to use only Angus bulls. The reasons for this are: They don't understand the EPD of the other breeds. They either remember or have heard the horror stories about the calving problem back in the 70's. They think that they won't have any calving problems.

This is great for the Angus industry.