Heifer Exposure – A Hidden Piece of Gold

by Kaitlyn Fulmer, REDSPro and Registry Specialist

Total Herd Reporting allows the RAAA to provide you and your customers with the most unbiased and reliable EPDs in the industry. It also allows for the calculation of reproductive EPDs –Calving Ease Direct, Heifer Pregnancy, Calving Ease Maternal and Stayability.

Fall Heifer Exposure is requested in February each year, and Spring Heifer Exposure is requested in August. The recommended deadline for Fall Heifer Exposure is in April, and for Spring Heifer Exposure it is in November.

You can still submit your heifer exposure after this with no penalty, however, this deadline is important to stay on track with your data submission throughout the year.

The Heifer Pregnancy EPD is used to predict the differences in the pregnancy rate of a bull’s daughters that are exposed and expected to calve as 2-year-olds. Heifer Pregnancy is as heritable as most growth traits such as Weaning Weight and Yearling Weight. This Heifer Exposure Inventory and following THR inventories provide the RAAA with the information necessary to produce the Heifer Pregnancy EPD which producers can use to increase the fertility in their cow herd.

Spring No Progeny Requested ............................................

Fall THR – 4th Installment Billed ........................................

Fall Birth and Weaning Data Requested ..............................

Remember:

March 8

March 10

March 15

Transfers after 60 days do incur late transfer fees. Submit your transfers as soon as possible to avoid additional charges.

To complete this report in REDSPro, go to Data Entry > Online. In the Manual Job tab, title your job.

These groups will be titled “Fall Heifer Exposure_20XX” or “Spring Heifer Exposure_20XX.” Select Heifer Exposure Report as the job type and select the proper group for the heifers you are reporting exposure on.

Start the new job to open the spreadsheet. Fill in the exposure dates (“Start Dt” and “End Dt”) for all exposed heifers.

A management group code should be used in the “Cont. Group” column to distinguish breeding or herd management groups. Code should be designated as numerical one or two digits, no letters. Heifers that are only pasture bred (i.e. no AI) should be designated into different management groups if they are in different breeding pastures. Heifers that are AIed in the same management group, but put into different cleanup bull pastures, do not need to be designated.

Label all exposed females as “Yes” for the “Exposed” column and any not exposed as “No.”

Use the “Disposal” code column to remove any heifers from your inventory that will not be transferred.

Once all of the necessary information is entered, click Submit Data > Proceed to Billing > Final Submit for your data to go into the BOLT EPD evaluation. //