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American Gelbvieh Association • (303) 465-2333 •
•
New Generation AGA EPDs
The American Gelbvieh Association’s (AGA) January
2013 EPDs are based on a new collaborative national cattle
evaluation (NCE) with the American Simmental Association
(ASA). Below is a summary of some of the enhancements to
the AGA new generation EPDs, followed by trait averages
and percentile charts.
Gelbvieh and Balancer
®
Share a Common Base with
Simmental and Red Angus
Gelbvieh and Balancer EPDs are now on the same base
with Simmental and Red Angus, which means that EPDs
for each trait (except stayability) are directly comparable
to ASA and Red Angus Association of America (RAAA)
EPDs. This was a huge, progressive decision by the AGA
Board of Directors, made to simplify bull selection for
commercial producers.
Calving Ease and Calving Ease Daughters EPDs Converted
to Industry Standard Terminology
For over 25 years, the AGA calving ease (CE) and calving
ease daughter (CED) EPDs were reported in the form of
a ratio. They are now reflected as percentages. Higher CE
values equal fewer unassisted births from sires when mated
to first-calf heifers. Higher CED EPDs indicate less calving
difficulty from a sire’s own first-calf daughters.
Multi-Breed EPDs Provide More Complete Balancer EPDs
The true multi-breed EPD NCE conducted by the ASA
enables the inclusion of more progeny data from Red Angus
and Angus sires, especially for the carcass traits.
Growth Traits are More Reliable
The new EPDs for weaning weight (WW), yearling weight
(YW) and carass weight (CW) are more reliable because
the new statistical process accepts a wider age window for
weaning weight. This is especially beneficial for breeders that
wean calves early due to drought. Historically, weights from
early-weaned calves were not included in the NCE.
Carcass Traits are Standardized
In recent years, Gelbvieh and Balancer carcass
traits were adjusted to a fat end-point instead of an age
endpoint like the rest of the industry. AGA’s transition to
age-adjusted carcass EPDs will eliminate the gaps in the
U.S. Meat Animal Research Center’s carcass EPD breed
comparisons. This change also means that the days-to-
finish (DtF) EPD is replaced by a fat (FT) EPD. A yield
grade (YG) EPD is also new. For both FT and YG, lower
EPDs are typically more favorable.
For questions or more information contact the AGA
at 303-465-2333 or visit
New EPD Averages for Active Sires
CE BW WW YW MK TM CED ST YG CW REA MB FT
Gelbvieh 8.0 2.0 65 91 26 59 5.0 5 -0.16 25 0.29 -0.13 0.06
Balancer 10.4 0.6 62 97 24 55 6.6 4 -0.08 28 0.33 0.27 -0.02
Gelbvieh EPD Percentile Chart
Percentile CE BW WW YW MK TM CED ST YG CW REA MB FT
5
13 -1.4 83 120 37 71 10 11 -0.29 46 0.58 0.10 -0.09
25
10 0.9 72 102 31 64 8
7 -0.21 34 0.39 -0.05 -0.07
50
8 2.1 65 91 26 59
6
5 -0.16 26 0.27 -0.14 -0.06
75
5 3.3 58 80 22 53
4
3 -0.11 19 0.18 -0.21 -0.05
95
2 5.0 46 61 14 45 0
0 -0.02 6 0.02 -0.32 -0.03
Balancer EPD Percentile Chart
Percentile CE BW WW YW MK TM CED ST YG CW REA MB FT
5
16 -2.8 80 128 34 67 11 9 -0.26 49 0.71 0.63 -0.06
25
13 -0.6 69 109 28 60 9
5 -0.15 36 0.47 0.38 -0.04
50
10 0.7 63 97 24 55 7
4 -0.08 28 0.32 0.25 -0.03
75
8 1.9 55 84 20 50 5
2 -0.01 20 0.18 0.13 -0.01
95
5 3.7 44 67 14 44 1
-1 0.09 7 -0.02 -0.01 0.02
