: <br>: : I've been ultrasounding all yearling bulls and<br>: : heifers for 5 years now. Initially I was doing it<br>: : because I felt I had a ribeye problem in my herd<br>: : and was trying to sort it out (i.e. cull animals<br>: : that did not meet 1" ribeye per hundred weight).<br>: : Of course you have to watch that you don't reduce<br>: : the frame of your animals by selecting only by<br>: : ribeye measurment...you have to look at the<br>: : yearling weight too. So 500 pounders may have a 6"<br>: : ribeye but they are still culled! I use it for<br>: : within herd comparison only, there is too much<br>: : variation yet on who reads it and how the data<br>: : is handled.<br>: : For example, I had a bull on test (calved 3/12/98)<br>: : he had an actual ribeye measurement of 13.5<br>: : (weighed 1118) end of February at the test. I brought<br>: : him home to use here. He was off feed, just<br>: : pasture to condition him. When I ultrasounded the<br>: : heifers and bulls that were kept at home I decided<br>: : to run him through again (I was speculative of that<br>: : high a measurement). Different technician, different<br>: : software. May 7th reading 9.9 actual REA (1032lbs)!<br>: : Well did he lose 4 inches of ribeye? Or is the variation<br>: : that wide. I don't know. But using it for within herd<br>: : I can safely use it because I know the animal. There<br>: : were the same variations in rib fat and IM fat.<br>: : Keep in mind what is important, I had bulls measure<br>: : well but failed their semen test! No I can't get more<br>: : money for them or the heifers but I am improving<br>: : my herd.<p>: Dear Deb,<br>: I'm really sorry to hear about the variation in your ultrasound measurements. Most technicians are good, but a few are not. Please be sure to use only AUP certified technicians. We have passed a very thorough test. Keep on improving your herd - beauty is only skin deep!<p>: Thanks,<br>: Clare <p>Interesting.<br>