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Genetic conditions and recessives: reading carrier status
Two of the best-looking cattle you own can throw a calf that never stands. The bull is sound. The cow is sound. Neither one ever showed you a thing wrong. Then their calf comes weak,…
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Genomics explained plainly
A yearling bull stands in your pen. He has never sired a calf. All his numbers rest on his sire, his dam, and his own growth so far. Then someone pulls a few hairs from…
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Accuracy and the range behind it
You are leaning on the rail at a bull sale. Two bulls in the catalog both read +90 for the same weaning weight trait. On paper they are twins. But one is a proven herd…
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Contemporary groups: why you cannot buy a number with a feed truck
You have heard the gripe at the sale barn. A man’s bulls read high, and somebody leans over the rail and says, “Sure they do. Look how he feeds them.” Pour the groceries to a…
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What Is Inside a $Value
You have seen these in a sale catalog. A dollar sign, a couple of letters, and a number. $M 72. $W 58. $C 210. They sit next to the EPDs and they look like a…
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Where These Numbers Live
You know what an EPD is now. You can read a +25 next to a +15 and say which bull should throw the heavier calves. But there is a wall in front of you that…
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Understanding Angus Genetic Selection: How the Numbers Are Built and How to Read Them
Most people who buy a registered Angus bull look at a row of EPDs and a handful of dollar figures and make a decision. Fewer understand what those numbers actually are, how they are produced,…
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The Bull That Looked Great on Paper
You have seen it happen, maybe to you. A young bull comes up for sale with a set of numbers that stop you cold. His growth figures sit near the top of the breed. His…
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The Coffee-Counter Complaints About EPDs, Answered
Stand at the sale barn coffee counter long enough and you will hear every complaint there is about EPDs. Some are sharp and worth listening to. Some are a misunderstanding wearing work boots. The honest…
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What Counts as a Good Number
You are standing at the sale barn counter with a bull’s page in your hand. His weaning weight EPD reads +80. Somebody asks you if that is any good, and you realize you have no…
