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Red Angus
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RedAngus.org
Building a cow herd?
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Combine low-expense traits (ME EPD) with acceptable revenue traits to breed efficiency into the cow herd.
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Improve fertility with selection pressure on HPG EPDs.
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Sleep through the night by selecting high-CEM EPDs.
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Improve longevity and lower replacement rates by selecting higher-than-average STAY EPDs.
Breeding virgin heifers?
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Select for CED EPD as the most meaningful predictor of calving ease. Red Angus’ CED combines birthweight and other factors
affecting calving-ease scores.
Selling calves or yearlings?
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Heavier payweights may be achieved by selecting higher WW EPDs, but...make sure heavier is what you want. Heavier weaning
weights mean heavier payweights for calf feds. However, for those who background their calves, too much weaning weight could
translate into yearlings that are too heavy when they enter the feed yard, and finish too heavy.
Overshooting performance goals
can be just as detrimental as falling short.
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Enhance your reputation - improve traits that impact feeder profits, such as carcass traits and post-weaning gain (YW).
Retaining Ownership?
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Docile and fast starting, Red Angus are easy to start on feed and keep on feed.
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Balance YW EPD of potential bulls with the existing cow herd to pinpoint needed improvement for post-weaning gains.
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Increase payweight with selection for improved CW EPD.
Selling on a Grid?
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Fine-tune marbling (MARB), rib eye area (REA), and back fat (FAT) EPDs to target value-based grids.
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Target YG 1 & 2 premiums and avoid YG 4 discounts by applying selection pressure on YG EPD.
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Optimize carcass weights to increase payweights while avoiding discounts for heavy weight carcasses.
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Balance Carcass EPDs against existing cow herd genetics:
• Cowherds of higher continental influence may require additional selection pressure on marbling EPD to improve quality grade.
• High-percentage British cowherds typically benefit from selection pressure to reduce YG and increase CW.
Contact the Red Angus Association of
America if you have further questions about
how you can reach your breeding goals with
Red Angus EPDs.
Bull Selection Simplified.