Plateau in the EPD race?

[NEFarmwife]

https://www.angus.org/Nce/GeneticTrends.aspx

I'm having trouble seeing this plateau?

I see significant changes in $B and $EN but all others appear to be (at a glance across the board)... changing moderately throughout the years. And slightly more advancement on growth/weight measurements.

But I'm not seeing a plateau.

 

[hornedfrogbbq]

https://www.angus.org/Nce/GeneticTrends.aspx

I'm having trouble seeing this plateau?

I see significant changes in $B and $EN but all others appear to be (at a glance across the board)... changing moderately throughout the years. And slightly more advancement on growth/weight measurements.

But I'm not seeing a plateau.

Ooooo, those are great stats. Just to be clear, I didn't mean the entire herd wasn't continuing to improve. I was focused on the semen providers and on AI specifically. Those bulls offered, it seems to us, have NOT made huge strides in $B lately. In our view, the semen providers seem to be tempering that a bit to make for a more well-rounded animal. You can still go get $200B bulls, as i mention in the original post, but we feel that semen producers listened to feedback from the producers that are their customers and the need to moderate milk.

I don't know what the average $B or $EN or Milk index was for ABS or SS for the last 5 years but i might guess that Milk has come down ...and therefor $EN is a bit better...on average...over their whole semen offering. Maybe it's just me.

 

[LCBulls]

If I understand the $ values correctly, than $B, $W, $F etc are calculated vs the current price of Beef, Feed, etc. So, comparing what they used to be 5 years ago to today is not an apples to apples comparison. I think they reconfigure the formula every year or two?

 

[NEFarmwife]

If I understand the $ values correctly, than $B, $W, $F etc are calculated vs the current price of Beef, Feed, etc. So, comparing what they used to be 5 years ago to today is not an apples to apples comparison. I think they reconfigure the formula every year or two?

I don't know how often they'd recalculate but this is current. If you're a member of AA, you can also do your own $V based on your own costs.


$Feedlot, $Grid, and $Beef Values incorporate available carcass EPDs, converted into economic terms, incorporating industry-relevant components for feedlot performance and carcass merit. These base components used to calculate $Values for any registered animal are:


Feedlot assumptions:
Time on feed 170 Days
Ration cost $240 per dry ton
Fed market $131 per cwt. live


Grid assumptions:
Quality components:
Prime premium (above Choice) $15.00
CAB premium (above Choice) $4.00
Choice-Select spread $11.00
Standard discount $-25.00


Yield components:
YG 1 premium $3.50
YG 2 premium $1.65
YG 3 base $0.00
YG 4 & 5 discount $-12.00
Avg. carcass wt., lb. 861
Heavyweight discount $-23.00

 

[Ebenezer]

If I understand the $ values correctly, than $B, $W, $F etc are calculated vs the current price of Beef, Feed, etc. So, comparing what they used to be 5 years ago to today is not an apples to apples comparison. I think they reconfigure the formula every year or two?

That's what I understand so the indexes account for inflation and market changes. The desired breed changes of the 70's required off type bulls and cows that, from observation, verbal communications and innuendos, were added via infusion of tall and growthy influences from other breeds. If you look at the "big Angus" of the 60's all tied into a closed, linebred program at the Wye herd, you will see a ceiling on those cattle on YW, YH and such which some see as a detriment and others see as a sign of stability. The genetics tell the story rather than the ads and breeders telling the stories! :???:

We are nearly 50 years from the height craze of the Angus fad machine. It could well be, that in 50 years, the population of the entire breed has been sorted, somewhat stabilized and via "bull of the year" breeding has settled near the real ceiling of the average animal in the population or even into the upper limits of usefulness.