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Reading Inbreeding Coefficients: What a COI Tells You, and What It Can’t
Pull up a pedigree and you may see an inbreeding coefficient printed next to an animal, a number like 3.1% or 6.25%. That number is the output of a calculation older than EPDs. And unlike…
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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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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…
