5 minute read
Performance Line
by Samantha Cunningham, PhD Geneticist for the North American Limousin Foundation
As consumers, we have a multitude of tools available to help us work “smarter not harder”—smart phones, super stores, meal delivery services, etc. As beef producers, we also have tools that help us make selection decisions more efficiently, to work “smarter not harder”, so to speak. There’s raw data, adjusted data, ratios, EPDs (plus accuracies), economic value indexes and genomics all available to us for decision making and selection. Each of these have merit depending on the situation we find ourselves in—just like the tools in a literal toolbox. We wouldn’t use a screwdriver and a hammer to do the same job, would we?
Which is the best tool for the job? EPDs are the best tool available when considering the value of an animal as a parent. While this is true, we must keep in mind this does not account for differences in production environments; nor does it account for correlation among traits that could lead to unintended changes in one trait while selecting for another. Also, the multiple columns of EPD data we find in sale catalogs can be a bit overwhelming!
Indexes are not new to livestock production, swine and dairy producers have been using them for decades. Economic value indexes are calculated with production situations in mind, and most beef breed associations publish at least one index with their EPDs. Currently, NALF calculates and publishes one index—$MTI (mainstream terminal index).
Economic value indexes allow for multiple trait selection using one number expressed in dollars per animal. Multiple EPD values are each weighed by an economic value to give us that one index value that can help to simplify selection and mating decisions. We interpret index values like EPDs, so the difference between the index values of two bulls would be the expected difference in the average dollar value of progeny when bred to similar cows. It is important to note that accuracy values are not published for indexes, so caution should be used when making decisions involving young
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sires and their index values. The accuracy values for the EPDs used to calculate an index are good indicators of the accuracy of an index. Just like with EPDs, as more records are added for an animal, an index value can change.
Understanding which EPD traits contribute to the index is important. Most breed associations publish definitions and/or fact sheets to help breeders better understand indexes and associated traits. Currently, Limousin breeders and customers have one index available: $MTI (Mainstream Terminal Index). It predicts genetic differences in profit per carcass by combining the potential for and value of postweaning growth, quality grade and yield.
When should you use an index? Which index should you use? It depends. Deciding to implement an index and which one to use will depend entirely on your production goals. If you keep replacements, zeroing in on a terminal index that assumes all offspring are marketed on a grid may not be the best choice; and in this instance, relying on EPDs that relate to maternal traits would be a better option. Conversely, if you have a bull customer that retains calves and later sells them on a grid-based system, encouraging them to use a terminal index, like $MTI, when buying bulls would be a good move.
Important considerations to take when implementing selection indexes: • More money is always better making higher indexes more attractive— these will only hold true if your production environment and management can handle the potential increase. • Like EPDs, indexes should be used for within breed selection only. • Also, like EPDs, bulls with identical figures can be very different phenotypically and have very different build, structure, size, etc.
Use caution. • Placing emphasis on a terminal-focused index could have antagonistic effects on maternal traits and vice versa.
Just like starting a new project and deciding which tools will lend to efficiency and success, understanding the technologies and tools we have available to us as cattle breeders is imperative to reach our production goals. We wouldn’t use a screwdriver and a hammer to do the same job, would we? Nor can we use a flathead or Phillips head screwdriver interchangeably, am I right?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Samantha Cunningham, PhD is an assistant professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University where she teaches undergraduate Animal Science courses with emphasis on hands on learning and livestock experience. Sam currently coordinates the CSU Seedstock Program that involves students in the merchandising and management of the University’s Angus and Hereford cow herds.
