Canadian Charolais Association

CANADIAN CHAROLAIS ASSOCIATION

2320, 41st Avenue NE, Calgary, AB T2E 6W8 403.250.9242 F 403.291.9324 www.charolais.com @canCharolais www.facebook.com/cdncharolais PROVINCIAL REPRESENTATIVES:

ALBERTA President: STEPHEN CHOLAK, Lamont Secretary: Deb Cholak, Lamont SASKATCHEWAN President: JORDAN MOORE, Redvers Secretary: Saskatchewan Livestock Asso., Regina MANITOBA President: MICHAEL HUNTER, Roblin Secretary: Rae Trimble, Portage la Prairie ONTARIO President: JOSH TAYLOR, Dunsford Secretary: Doris Aitken, Mount Forest QUEBEC President: MARK FROST, Kingsey Falls Secretary: Chantal Raymond, Sainte-Eulalie MARITIMES President: BRETT FRANCIS, Crapaud, PEI Secretary: Nancy Milton, Nine Mile Creek, PEI STAFF:

General Manager: CRAIG SCOTT Registry: LOIS CHIVILO Registry/Member Services: CASSIDY MATTHEWS French Membership: Bernard Dore 514-910-4935 • bernarddore@videotron.ca EXECUTIVE:

PRESIDENT: KASEY PHILLIPS Box 420, Waskatenau, AB T0A 3P0 780.358.2360 C 780.656.6400 kphillips@mcsnet.ca 1st VICE-PRESIDENT: SHAWN AIREY Box 639, Rivers, MB R0K 1X0 204.328.7704 C 204.724.8823 htacharolais@hotmail.com 2nd VICE-PRES: RYAN NESBITT 17100 Cedardale Rd, Nestleton, ONL0B 1L0 905.242.2046 ryan@cedardalefarms.ca PAST PRESIDENT: MIKE ELDER Box 216, Coronach, SK S0H 0Z0 306.267.5655 C 306.267.7730 mjelder@sasktel.net DIRECTORS:

DARWIN ROSSO 78 325 4th Ave SW, Moose Jaw, SK S6H 5V2 306.693.2384 rosso.c@sasktel.net JOSH TAYLOR 1717 County Rd 36, Dunsford, ON K0M 1L0 705.793.2576 C 705.760.5054 joshua.r.taylor@hotmail.com ARMAND ROY 98 Rang St-Andre, St-Bernard Lacolle, QC J0J 1V0 450.246.9799 C 514.895.0829 royalch@hotmail.com JEFF CAVERS Box 237, La Riviere, MB R0G 1A0 204.242.3467 C 204-242-4448 c2charolais@inethome.ca LORNE LAKUSTA Box 37, Andrew, AB T0B 0C0 780.365.2079 C 780.719.0264 spruceviewcharolais@gmail.com ROD McLEOD 293113 Twnshp Rd 263, Rocky View County, AB T4A 0N5 403.540.7986 rodmcl@telus.net FROM THE CANADIAN CHAROLAIS ASSOCIATION

How to Use Charolais EPD

The Canadian Charolais Association, on behalf of its members, invest in research into and conducting of genetic evaluations. These evaluations use the most up to date science available to calculate genetic differences between animals. A good recent example is the investment into incorporating genomic information into EPD.

This important investment is expressed and multiplied exponentially in commercial cow herds as Charolais genetics are multiplied out into the beef industry. Modern genetic evaluation is a powerful tool to help evaluate cattle and target specific breeding goals. While many commercial customers may rely on their seedstock supplier to advise them, it is also useful to have some understanding of how the evaluation works and how to use it.

In simplest terms, the evaluation makes comparisons of performance between animals that are managed together. In this way, we can eliminate environmental effects and get to the genetic differences between animals. We can then use the pedigree information to tie the cattle together like a giant spiderweb and improve the accuracy of comparisons. Finally, we can look directly at the animal’s DNA and add this valuable information into the puzzle to determine with even greater accuracy what genetics an animal contains relative to other cattle in the population.

Remember when we buy a bull, we are not actually interested in the bull’s performance, what we are interested in is how the calves are going to work out. We are also interested in how the bull we are buying compares to the other choices we have. These differences are expressed as EPD or Expected Progeny Differences.

EPD are expressed in the units that a trait is measured in and show more or less relationships. For example, weaning weight (WW) is expressed in pounds of calf at weaning. If we are looking at two sires with WW EPD of 40 and 80, we would expect when they are mated to the same set of cows that “on average” the calves from the sire with the EPD of 80 would be 40 pounds heavier than the calves from the bull with an EPD of 40. In one commercial cow herd, the calves may weigh 600 and 560, and in another herd they may be 800 and 760, but on average the difference between the weaning weight of the calves will be 40 pounds.

It is important to remember that we don’t always need, or even want an animal that is above average for every trait. We don’t generally require super calving ease for use on mature cows, or high levels of milk if we are selling everything as a feeder calf. Additionally, if we do not have the environment to support extremely high levels of performance, we may not see the added benefits of higher EPD as our production system might not let our cattle fully express their genetic potential. For example, if a feeder calf has the potential to gain 6 pounds per day, but they are fed on a ration that only supports 1.5 pounds, no matter how great their genetics, they are unlikely to be able to express them. We will still see differences expressed between offspring of sires with different EPD.

Sean Magrath

EPD Herd A Avg WW

Herd B Avg WW Bull A WW 80 600 800 Bull B WW 40 560 760 Difference 40 40 40