or walking away from them or anything in between. Those cows no longer get the opportunity to breed here. 2) Calf Vigor Inevitably, calves that lack vigor and need assistance at birth are the ones that reappear with another problem down the road and need an expensive intervention. Calves that fail to receive colostrum in a timely manner – many times due to a lack of vigor – never realize their full genetic potential. We have made a concerted effort to track the level of calf vigor from different sire lines and females in hopes that we are creating bulls that will sire calves that are up and going within the first 10 minutes of life. 3) Fleshing Ability Propagating genetics that easily hold their flesh through all phases of the year is a focus of ours. Like most of our commercial clients, we expect our cowherd to forage and be self-sufficient without supple- mentation well into the winter. Upon weaning our heifer calves each year in mid-September, they are turned back to native grass alone generally through the early part of December. We utilize this period as a selection pressure to pinpoint females that won’t make the cut. 4) Physical Analysis Phenotype can be a valuable tool as a genetic predictor in many things performance related. We think it has just as much validity in predicting things maternal, like milking ability, fertility and, of course, mature size. When selecting females to retain as replacements for our cowherd, a wedge-shaped, feminine design is a must. •
What data are we collecting and submitting to build the maternal EPDs at the American Angus Association? 1) Udder Suspension and Teat Size Udder suspension and teat size are critical for newborn calves to receive colostrum in a timely manner. How quickly a calf nurses for the first time is significant to its future health and performance. Every cow is scored annually for udder suspension and teat size. 2) Claw and Angle Foot quality is vital to the longevity and long-term productivity of a beef animal. Every cow is scored annually for claw set and foot angle. 3) Heifer Pregnancy and Cow Fertility Cattle reproduction is the largest economic driver of turning a profit in the cow-calf business. We are continuously applying more selection pressure on our cowherd by mostly retaining only cows that conceive in the first two cycles of the breeding season. All cow and heifer breeding data and ultrasound results are submitted annually. 4) Docility Like any other trait, we believe there is an optimum range for the docility level of cattle to make superior maternal females. Identifying and culling animals that are on both sides of the extreme and keeping the ones that fall in the middle is our goal. Cows that are mean and flighty are unacceptable, as they make things unsafe. Cows that fall short in mothering ability and require extra attention to get their calf up and going are not desirable either. All cattle on our ranch are scored for docility as yearlings. What are the immeasurable components of maternal function we utilize cowboy logic to track? 1) Mothering Ability We neither have the time nor the want to do a cow’s job for her when she calves, and we understand our customers don’t either. We have a zero-tolerance policy for cows that choose not to get their calves up and going immediately after they calve, whether that’s mulling
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2025 Ellingson Angus Real-World Genetics Production Sale Catalog
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