BAR 17 LITTLE VALLEY LIVESTOCK EPD’s - An Effective Tool To Assist Your Bull Buying Decisions This does not making buying a bull any easier – it should only give you more confidence in realizing what the animal can contribute. EPD’s are a pedigree estimate that can help you navigate management and environmental conditions. Keep in mind that it is still a 50/50 contribution between the bull and the female. 2022 CANADIAN BLACK ANGUS BREED AVERAGES BW
EPD’s TOP %
2.1 50%
WW
49 50%
YW
86 50%
M
22 50%
BW - BIRTHWEIGHT
EPD’s Definition
NOTE: BREED AVERAGES CANNOT BE COMPARED between Red & Black Angus, nor can they be compared between other breeds of cattle. % number means this EPD is average in the breed (50%)
WW - WEANING WEIGHT
pounds of birth weight pounds of weaning weight (the (the lower the number, the higher the number, the more lighter the calves) pounds will be weaned)
To use EPDs effectively you must understand how they work. Keeping in mind that you cannot compare EPD numbers between breeds or even Red Angus and Black Angus. The EPD Averages listed below are the average of all the registered Canadian Black Angus and all the Canadian Red Angus.
2022 CANADIAN RED ANGUS BREED AVERAGES BW
EPD’s TOP %
1.2 50%
WW
38 50%
YW
64 50%
M
23 50%
YW - YEARLING WEIGHT
MILK
pounds of yearling weight (the higher the number the more pounds as a yearling)
pounds of calf weaned by a bull’s daughters. A management number with reflection of the environment and feed resources.
Example: Imagine you are interested in purchasing a couple of bulls for your herd. You are looking at the EPDs in a sale catalogue. Bull A has a weaning weight EPD of +10 and Bull B has a WW of +60. What does that mean? How can you use the EPDs to choose between the two bulls?
TOP % – the % number is an indication to where the EPD fits within all the Breed (Black Angus separate from Red Angus). The EPD Averages indicate that the EPD is 50% of that particular breed. Note: Red Angus or Black Angus are 2 different breeds. Example: 10% would mean that number is in the top 10% of the breed, therefore it is above average or better than average. (ie: A bull with an EPD Black Angus BW 0.4 is 16% - should offer better calving ease than the average of 2.0 (50%), and the EPD Black Angus YW 116 at 4% should produce higher Yearling Weights that are above the average of 83 (50%).
If these animals were randomly mated with 10 similar cows, we would expect the group average weaning weight of Bull A’s offspring to be 50 lbs lighter than that of Bull B’s (60-10=50). It would be easier if we could assume that the highest EPDs are the best. Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple. Like most decisions, using EPDs for sire selection involves tradeoffs. For example, bulls with high growth EPDs (WW & YW) may sire calves with a higher birth weight as well. And there may be other impacts on your operation to consider.
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