Profit Starts with Reproduction

Functional, easy fleshing, good looking cattle should always be the number one priority! There is a direct correlation between phenotype and fertility. Feminine females that slick off early, are wedged shaped and big bodied tend to be the females that breed first every year and stay a long time. It takes early maturing, masculine bulls to create feminine females.

Cowherd Building Traits

Calving Ease Direct (CED) – predicts the probability of calves being born unassisted out of 2-year-old heifers. CED is a far greater tool than actual birth weights or the BW EPD as it factors in gestation length, calf shape, genomics, and birth weight. There’s no chance of profit without live, healthy calves! CED Breed Average 12.2

Maternal Calving Ease (MCE) – predicts the probability of a bull’s daughter to calve unassisted at two years of age. Heifers need to be able to calve on their own, and unassisted!

MCE Breed Average 6.6

Milk – The milk EPD is important to watch as higher milking females will require more energy and feed! Your milk requirements will vary depending on the type of country you run in and your feed value/feed volume. Milk Breed Average 22.6

Stayability (Stay) - predicts the probability of a bull’s daughter remaining productive until at least six years of age. Why six? Because that’s how long it takes a female to break-even given all the expenses of production. Stay Breed Average 15.3

Birth Weight (BW) – Breed Average 0.4

Weaning Weight (WW) – Breed Average 75.6

Yearling Weight (YW) – Remember pounds aren’t free, it is important not to outgrow your environment! Breed Average 116.4

Marbling (Marb) – Breed Average 0.30

Ribeye Area (REA) – Breed Average 0.66