Page 5 - DVAuction Online Catalogs

American Angus Association $Values
Weaned Calf Value ($W)
$W quantifies four primary economic impact areas: birth weight,
weaning weight, maternal milk, and mature cow size.
$Values only have meaning when used in comparing the relative
merit or ranking of two individuals. $W provides the expected
dollar-per-head difference in future progeny pre-weaning
performance in a multi-trait fashion, within a typical US beef cow
herd. If Bull A has a $W of $30.00 and Bull B has a $W of $20.00,
and these sires were randomly mated to a comparable set of
females and the calves exposed to the same environment, and
a normal number of replacement females were saved from both
sires, on average you could expect Bull A’s progeny to have a
+$10.00 per head advantage in pre-weaning value over Bull B’s.
Feedlot Value ($F)
$F is calculated using associations between weaning weight and
yearling weight EPDs with feedlot gain value, feed consumption,
and cost differences figured into the final calculation. $F
calculates the dollar-per-head average difference in a calf’s
performance for post weaning merit compared to progeny of
other sires. For example, if Bull A has a $F value of $20.56 and
Bull B’s value is $14.34, with random matings to comparable
cows, Bull A’s progeny would, on average, generate $6.22/head
more in the feedlot that Bull B’s offspring.
Grid Value ($G)
The Grid Value ($G) combines quality grade and yield grade
attributes. A three-year rolling average is used to establish
typical industry economic values for quality and yield grade
schedules. Quality grade premiums are specified for Prime,
CAB®, and Choice carcasses, as well as Select and Standard
discounts. Yield grade premiums are incorporated for Yield
Grade 1 & 2’s (high yielding carcasses) with discounts for Yield
Grade 4 & 5 (low red meat yields). Grid impact in $/cwt and $/
head is calculated from the yield and quality components, and
then combined to arrive at the Grid Value. ($G)
Beef Value ($B)
Beef Value ($B) represents the expected average dollars per head
difference in the progeny post-weaning performance and
carcass value compared to progeny of other sires. The $B value
is comprised of two pieces: Feedlot Value ($F) and Grid Value
($G). In real world terms, $B is representative of weaning a set
of calves, putting them in a feedlot, retaining ownership and
sending the cattle through a value based grid.
These values were created from three major components - EPDs,
industry-based economic values, and the equations that tie
together the genetics and economics. Although feedlot and
carcass merit are important components of the beef production
chain, it should be stressed that these $Values are not to be
used as a single selection criterion, since it only combines post-
weaning and carcass performance.
Current Average $Values for
Non-Parent Angus Bulls are:
$W +26.45, $F +28.04, $G +27.49, $B +62.93
The use of multi-trait indexes as tools for commercial cow-calf operators and seedstock breeders is rapidly evolving in the beef
industry. Selection indexes are a tool which combines multiple traits into a single value, thus adding simplicity and convenience to
select for several traits at once. An index approach takes into account genetic and economic values to select for economic merit.
Weaned calf value ($W), Feedlot Value ($F), Grid Value ($G) and Beef Value ($B) are bio-economic values, expressed in dollars per head.
$Values only have meaning when used in comparing the relative merit or ranking of two individuals. As with EPDs, variation in $Values
between animals indicates expected differences in the relative value of progeny if random mating is assumed. Thus, a $Value has meaning
only when used in comparison to the $Value of another animal.
Simmental Indexes
All-Purpose Index (API): Evaluates sires for use on the entire cow
herd (bred to both Angus first-calf heifers and mature cows)
with the portion of their daughters required to maintain herd size
retained and the remaining heifers and steers put on feed and
sold grade and yield.
Terminal Index (TI): Evaluates sires for use on mature Angus cows
with all offspring put on feed and sold grade and yield.
Using API and TI:
First, determine which index to use; if you are keeping replacements
use API, if not, use TI. Then, just as with EPDs, zero in on the
unit difference between bulls. (As described above, index units
are in dollars per cow exposed.) The difference can be used to
determine how much a bull is worth compared to another. Put
another way, how much you can pay for one bull compared to
another. For example, when buying an all-purpose-type sire,
you can quickly figure a bull scoring +100 for API is worth an
extra $6,000 over a +50 bull if both are exposed to 30 cows
over 4 years ($50 diff. x 30 hd. x 4 yr. = $6,000). A percentile
ranking chart is required to determine where a bull’s index value
ranks him relative to other bulls in the breed. For more detailed
information about EPDs and $ Indexes, visitwww.simmental.org.
Important disclaimer: DO NOT compare index values of purebreds
of different breeds, hybrids of different breed composition or
purebreds with hybrids ... our system was not developed to make
valid comparison among these groups. Therefore, you must
first determine the breed and breed composition appropriate for
your herd and use index values to compare animals within that
population.
Current Average Sim Hybrid Indexes:
API 107 and TI 63.