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Please explain EPDs.
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<blockquote data-quote="Brandonm2" data-source="post: 140076" data-attributes="member: 2095"><p>The best way to evaluate EPDs is to find what the breed average is and work from there. Most Breed association websites have them as do the better AI companies websites. Here is the EPD breakdown for the Hereford breed.....</p><p><a href="http://www.herfnet.com/online/cgi-bin/i4.dll?1=232B21&2=2323&3=56&5=2B3C2B3C3A" target="_blank">http://www.herfnet.com/online/cgi-bin/i ... 2B3C2B3C3A</a></p><p>Top 50% is average and average cattle should work for most people. That is generally a good, safe functional animal. </p><p></p><p>There is a tendency to seek the top 5% or top 1%. Do that WITH care. Average Hereford cattle could use more muscle so a bull in the top 1% for REA is probably a good thing. Ditto with top 1% for marbling. </p><p></p><p>I would be a little scared of top 1% for Backfat. I would rather have cattle that are better than breed average; but if you get TOO lean are we getting hard fleshing cows back on the farm? I really would like to see some female relatives back on the farm (always a good idea) before making a call on how lean to go with a specific bull. Scrotal circumference is directly related to fertility so the higher the number the better there. </p><p></p><p>As has already been mentioned excessive mature cow size is getting to be a real concern. I would NOT just assume that a bull with high weaning wt. and yearling wt. EPDs is big framed out of a big framed 1700 pound cow OR that a bull with average growth EPDs is a moderate framed bull out of an easy fleshing little modest sized cow. IF you are about to spend money on live cattle or semen, call the breeder and ask how big the mama cow is/was (he should know) and what frame score and mature weight the bull is. Even better eyeball a few of a bull's daughters or his mama (if possible) and sisters. Find out if they are the style and size cows you want and you believe they would work in your environment. Take the highest growth numbers you can get out of cows you consider to be ideal.</p><p></p><p>The Milk EPD is another controversial number. Average for a Hereford is +14. I would be wary of anything much lower than that. Unless your environment is really hostile you won't have any problem wintering a Herf with a +14 milk. IF you have no problem with cows getting down during lactation you can get up there with the trait leaders at +28. </p><p></p><p>Maternal calving ease is the relative ease of an animal's daughters. IF you have a lot of calving problems in your herd this is an important number. For me I don't know how reliable that is so it is not a number I worry about a lot. Anything in the Top 80% is fine for me. If this is a particular concern in your herd, find something in the top 40%. </p><p></p><p>Direct calving ease is a big number if you are breeding a bull to heifers. The higher the number the better. If we are not talking about heifers, direct calving ease does not concern me greatly in a Hereford. Anything in the top 65% should be fine. Dittoe with birth weight. A mature cow should be able to handle anything up to a Hereford with a +5.5 (top 85% of the breed). If we are breeding heifers I would rather not go that high. I would try to stay in the top 25% of the breed (+2.5) on a bull that was going to breed a lot of heifers. There is a tendency to seek out the lowest possible birth weight (and Genex has two good bulls at -.7 or less); but there can be a negative effect on growth and muscling if you chase the "calving ease" too hard.</p><p></p><p>Every breed has a different set of EPDs and different strengths and weaknesses. Study your breed, your herd, and your numbers to know what the breed and your herd is capable of and then find the phenotype and genotype cattle that will bring the most to your particular situation.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Brandonm2, post: 140076, member: 2095"] The best way to evaluate EPDs is to find what the breed average is and work from there. Most Breed association websites have them as do the better AI companies websites. Here is the EPD breakdown for the Hereford breed..... [url=http://www.herfnet.com/online/cgi-bin/i4.dll?1=232B21&2=2323&3=56&5=2B3C2B3C3A]http://www.herfnet.com/online/cgi-bin/i ... 2B3C2B3C3A[/url] Top 50% is average and average cattle should work for most people. That is generally a good, safe functional animal. There is a tendency to seek the top 5% or top 1%. Do that WITH care. Average Hereford cattle could use more muscle so a bull in the top 1% for REA is probably a good thing. Ditto with top 1% for marbling. I would be a little scared of top 1% for Backfat. I would rather have cattle that are better than breed average; but if you get TOO lean are we getting hard fleshing cows back on the farm? I really would like to see some female relatives back on the farm (always a good idea) before making a call on how lean to go with a specific bull. Scrotal circumference is directly related to fertility so the higher the number the better there. As has already been mentioned excessive mature cow size is getting to be a real concern. I would NOT just assume that a bull with high weaning wt. and yearling wt. EPDs is big framed out of a big framed 1700 pound cow OR that a bull with average growth EPDs is a moderate framed bull out of an easy fleshing little modest sized cow. IF you are about to spend money on live cattle or semen, call the breeder and ask how big the mama cow is/was (he should know) and what frame score and mature weight the bull is. Even better eyeball a few of a bull's daughters or his mama (if possible) and sisters. Find out if they are the style and size cows you want and you believe they would work in your environment. Take the highest growth numbers you can get out of cows you consider to be ideal. The Milk EPD is another controversial number. Average for a Hereford is +14. I would be wary of anything much lower than that. Unless your environment is really hostile you won't have any problem wintering a Herf with a +14 milk. IF you have no problem with cows getting down during lactation you can get up there with the trait leaders at +28. Maternal calving ease is the relative ease of an animal's daughters. IF you have a lot of calving problems in your herd this is an important number. For me I don't know how reliable that is so it is not a number I worry about a lot. Anything in the Top 80% is fine for me. If this is a particular concern in your herd, find something in the top 40%. Direct calving ease is a big number if you are breeding a bull to heifers. The higher the number the better. If we are not talking about heifers, direct calving ease does not concern me greatly in a Hereford. Anything in the top 65% should be fine. Dittoe with birth weight. A mature cow should be able to handle anything up to a Hereford with a +5.5 (top 85% of the breed). If we are breeding heifers I would rather not go that high. I would try to stay in the top 25% of the breed (+2.5) on a bull that was going to breed a lot of heifers. There is a tendency to seek out the lowest possible birth weight (and Genex has two good bulls at -.7 or less); but there can be a negative effect on growth and muscling if you chase the "calving ease" too hard. Every breed has a different set of EPDs and different strengths and weaknesses. Study your breed, your herd, and your numbers to know what the breed and your herd is capable of and then find the phenotype and genotype cattle that will bring the most to your particular situation. [/QUOTE]
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