We’ll preface this by saying: if you’re an EPD warrior, this probably isn’t the place for you. Do we use EPDs? Yes. Are they a determining factor? No. We can honestly say we’ve never gone into the American Angus Association database searching for a specific EPD profile to propagate into our herd just to improve numbers. Instead, we look at the female in front of us observe her, understand her strengths and weaknesses, then make intentional, thoughtful mating decisions. Each generation, we aim for small, incremental enhancements, roughly 3% adjustments designed to make cattle just a little better each generation. We really like where our cow herds are today and don’t feel the need to make big swings in any one direction. Cows that last are what add real dollars to the bottom line. Over time, we began looking for a different way to evaluate our cattle outside of the traditional EPD system. In our experience, EPDs often fail to accurately portray our cattle. They tend to favor the “latest and greatest” unproven cattle out of unproven cattle, often backed by multiple generations of first-calf heifers. Meanwhile, highly proven bulls and older, productive females are discounted due to slower generational turnover. Let’s face it: EPDs are adjusted annually, and as animals age, their profiles tend to drift lower over time to favor new cattle and keep the system churning. That reality is what made AgBoost a very appealing option for us. Once an animal is scored in AgBoost, that score is permanent. AgBoost measures cattle on a 0–10 scale, placing all animals on an even playing field and allowing them to be judged on true genetic merit. After studying this system for several years, we’ve found that the vast majority of our cattle perform best when they fall between 4.5 and 6. These animals tend to be the most balanced—doing everything right without extremes. Like anything, there are outliers on both ends of that range. An animal outside of it isn’t necessarily bad or dysfunctional; it may simply lack overall genetic punch or, on the other hand, be extremely strong in a few traits that push it above a 6. AgBoost evaluates the following categories: birth weight, calving ease direct, calving ease maternal, docility, heifer pregnancy rate, milk, stayability, average daily gain, residual feed intake, tenderness, marbling, ribeye area, fat thickness, hot carcass weight, weaning weight, yearling weight, and scrotal circumference. This allows us along with you to better select and mate animals to help propel our cattle to a desired outcome in a mating scenario. If you have any further questions on how to use the data to better help you please reach out to either of us.
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