Can you help me with Dairy EPD's?

[ranchmom77]

I'm going to be buying either a Jersey or Holstein this month for a nurse cow. The cows I'm looking at are all from the same place and are all due in January. My plan is AI her later with sexed semen for a heifer calf in 2014, but I can't make any sense of the EPD's for the bulls.
http://www.accelgen.com/Holstein Sexed Semen.aspx Can you tell me what each of the sections on top means?
I know my way really well around a beef EPD but can't find any help with internet searches for the dairy ones.

I appreciate any help!
Thanks!

Jamie

 

[Till-Hill]

NM$ is an index like B$ on a angus EPD Net Merit.... FM$ is fluid merit based more on the total fluid production of the cow/bulls progeny... MLK is Milk how much more milk that the average cow she would make. REL is reliability. PRO is protein, Fat is fat in the milk, PTAT is a number based on their conformation, UDC is udder compositite score, FLC is foot and legs compositite. DPR is daughter preg rate, SCS is somatic cell scrore for measuring mastitus in the milk, DCE is daughter calving ease, TPI is total production index, and AAA numbers are some voodoo science bull crap the tell you how to mate your cows.

Hope this helps!

 

[suzorse]

if you click on the bull you get alot more info, this is on the bull Potter
I look at all traits when choosing a bull, feet, legs, udder if the bull has poor udder traits I pass on him, Suzanne

POTTER - 014HO03597
Manfred X Juror
HOUSA000128367894
Keystone Potter EX-90
aAa: 315462 DMS: 345;135

IB/MACE-USA Sire Summary - (08/12)
40560 Daus 6683 Herds
Milk 887 99%R
Protein 10 -0.06
Fat 10 -0.08
Net Merit $398
Fluid Merit $445
Cheese Merit $341


IB/MACE-USA Type Summary - (08/12)
13922 Daus 3569 Herds
PTAT 0.74 99%R TPI 1724
UDC 0.79 FLC 0.47

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Calving Ease CE% Rel Calvings
Service Sire 6% 99% 72097
Daughter 6% 99% 0
Stillbirth SB% Rel Calvings
Service Sire 7.9% 99% 56586
Daughter 4.8% 99% 0

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PL 5.4 99% Milkout > Avg
SCS 2.86 99% Disposition > Avg
DPR 1.3 99%
IB 6.3




Vista-LC Potter 2905 EX-90 EX-90-MS

Weigland Potter Danica EX-90



Information Provided By:

E10890 Penny Lane
Baraboo, WI. 52913 1.800.451.9275 (toll free)608.356.8357 (local & international)[email protected] Holstein/USDA Genomic Linear Profile - August 2012
-3 -2 -1
+1 +2 +3

Stature -0.83 Short
Strength -0.29 Frail
Body Depth -0.20 Shallow
Dairy Form 0.18 Open Rib
Rump Angle -0.14 High Pins
Thurl Width -0.13 Narrow
Rear Leg Set 0.02 Sickle
Rear Leg Rear View 0.59 Straight
Foot Angle 0.30 Steep
Foot & Leg Score 0.59 High
Fore Attachments 1.40 Strong
Rear Udder Height 0.75 High
Rear Udder Width 0.52 Wide
Udder Cleft 0.61 Strong
Udder Depth 0.99 Shallow
Front Teat Placement 0.82 Close
Rear Teat Placement 0.16 Close
Teat Length 1.49 Long











Sildahl Potter Flash Flood VG-86


Sierra-Vista Potter 2845



Repard Gals Potter Bernice EX-90


Elm-Roc Potter Hope VG-85



3rd Lactation: Breitsprecker Potter 314

 

[cow pollinater]

Potter is still around?!
NM is a composite of a few different traits, as is FM. You can better serve your needs by ignoring them both and chosing particular anmals that fit better in certain areas but if you had a big operation and not much time to be picky they're a good tool.
REL is reliability and it can vary quite a bit. Higher is always better but you want to see over 60% before you really trust it. Accelerated is an okay source but a few of the companies have tried to promote unproven sires alongside the proven sires and most of them won't make the cut and prove themselves to be the next potter .
Pro is protien in the milk and Fat is just that. Milk components are easily heritable so if you're planning on making any cheese you'll want to pay close atention here...Buy the jersey if you want to make cheese.
PTAT is Phenotype. Further broken down it's UDC or udder composite, or FLC which is foot and leg composite. You can easily break either one of those composites down and find a sire that will compliment your heifer despite a low composite number.
PL is productive life and it's a dirct measurement of how long the daugters spend in the milking string so fertility, mastitis, lameness will all lower her number... higher is better.
SCS is somatic cell score. Heritability depends on who your talking to but it's between 20-50% heritable. In short you can choose to make better quality milk by choosing a sire that gives daughters with better quality milk. A lower score is better.
TPI is type/production index and it is designed for the dairyman that want's a balance of improved production and phenotype without having to put effort into individual matings.

 

[Son of Butch]

Statisticly for commercial dairys, young sires give more bang for the buck and return a higher
NET profit than proven sires.
While it is true 80% of the young sires when proven will not make an A.I. stud lineup.
66% of them will have a higher proof than 50% of the proven bulls in A.I. lineup from the year they were used.
It the basis of genetic advancement. Each generation will be slightly better. Plus young sire semen is cheaper.
When using unproven bulls it is recommended to never fall in love with an individual bull.
Use him and move on to the next young sire.

Unless you are selling registered breeding stock, young sires have a bigger edge than a Las Vegas casino.
aAa and dms matings are the only mating systems that work with either proven or unproven sires.
By using aAa or dms when using unproven bulls the odds of genetic improvment are increased even more.
The smart money move is to take the $ saved by using young sires and invest it into aAa or dms mating service