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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
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.
Multiple-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 carcass 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
New Generation AGA EPDs
For questions or more information contact the AGA at 303-465-2333 or visit
.
