- 2026
What are Applied EPD’s?
There’s no shortage of skepticism over EPD’s and rightfully so. From the beginning they were poorly explained to cattlemen. They were also easily manipulated on younger cattle by those with poor integrity. Between whole herd reporting and DNA heavily factored into EPD evaluations, EPD’s have never been more accurate and more difficult for people to manipulate. We still visually evaluate and select cattle, but EPD’s work really well to predict how a bull effects a group of cows, not individual cows. Today, EPD’s are overwhelming and many people don’t understand the trade-offs and connections between them. There’s too many numbers with values all over the place. We’ve made it easier than ever to pair genetic predictions with your cattlemen’s eye to select cattle. Our “Applied EPD’s” weigh out all the economics and give you ten clearly defined numbers to help make decisions. All of which are expressed as a difference from average. These do NOT factor in effects from heterosis, which will improve nearly every category, some more than others. The model assumes each bull will sire 100 calves and provides information about the daughters if kept back. It also uses historical averages for feed, calf, carcass, and cull prices to stay consistent from one year to the next. If the Applied EPD is in a green box a larger number is better, if it’s in a purple box a lower number is better.
The indexes (API and TI) published by the American Simmental Association also weigh out the economics and are very effective at ranking cattle for profitability. We find it can still be difficult with just two numbers to select for bulls that will accomplish specific goals (i.e. cows that eat less but still produce). They also assume you own the calves all the way to harvest, and most people don’t. We recommend: 1) Using API (if you keep heifers) or TI (if you sell all of your calves) as a starting point in selection 2) From there, find the bulls with Applied EPD’s that excel in your areas of focus 3) Most importantly, use your experience and judgement to make the final decision based on appearance, no one knows your cattle better than you Use any or all of those suggestions, in any order you want. It’s just a recommendation. We’ll gladly provide any additional information you might want about bull weights, cows, or what is factored into each Applied EPD.
- 7 -
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online