Igenity® Beef: Definitions of Traits Reported
Maternal Traits -Birth weight (BW): Variation in birth weight a heifer or bull will pass along to its offspring. A higher score indicates greater genetic potential for heavier birth weight. A lower score indicates lighter birth weight. - Calving ease direct (CED): Percentage of unassisted births, indicating greater probability a calf will be born unassisted out of a first-calf heifer. Genetic factors such as birth weight and shape of the calf are included in calving ease direct. A higher value is greater calving ease. -Calving ease maternal (CEM): The probability a first-calf heifer will calve unassisted. Calving ease maternal includes all genetic factors that impact a heifer’s ability to calve unassisted, such as pelvic area and her genetic contribution to birth weight. A higher value is greater calving ease. -Stayability (STAY): The chance a heifer will remain in the herd as a productive cow until at least six years of age. A higher value is desired. Heifer pregnancy rate (HPR): A heifer’s potential to conceive during breeding season, relative to other heifers. A higher value is desired. -Docility (DOC): The animal’s genetic potential to be calm or have calm offspring. Higher scores indicate a higher probabiltiy of progeny with acceptable disposition. -Milk (M): Expressed as pounds of calf weaning weight affected by the milk production of a calf’s dam. This is not a prediction of actual pounds of milk produced. Performance Traits -Residual feed intake (RFI): This is an indicator of feed efficiency. It is the difference in animals’ daily consumption of feed to achieve the same level of daily gain. Lower residual feed intake indicates greater feed efficiency. -Average daily gain (ADG): Based on pounds of gain per day. The Igenity® score for average daily gain identifies an animal’s genetic potential for post- weaning growth. -Scrotal circumference (SC): Difference in scrotal size as an indication of fertility in replacement females. A higher score equates to higher scrotal size. -Weaning weight (WW): Pounds at age of 205 days. -Yearling weight (YW): Pounds at age of 365 days. Carcass Traits -Tenderness (TEND): Animals’ genetic potential for carcass tenderness as measured by the Warner-Bratzler Shear Force test. A higher score indicates greater tenderness. -USDA marbling (MARB): Marbling score indicates the degree of marbling in the rib eye at the twelfth rib expressed in USDA marbling units. -Ribeye area (REA): Estimates muscling in a beef carcass and is measured in square inches of the ribeye muscle at the twelfth rib. -Fat thickness (FAT): Scored as depth of fat in inches over the ribeye muscle at the twelfth rib. Higher fat thickness scores equate to lower lean yield. -Hot carcass weight (HCW): Hot carcass weight is the hot or unchilled weight of the carcass after slaughter and the removal of the head, hide, intestinal tract, and internal organs. Igenity® Beef Results Key How to Interpret Your Igenity Beef Results Igenity® profiles of replacement heifers and non-registered bulls help you evaluate their genetic potential for maternal, performance, and carcass traits. This makes it easy to review and focus on those making the biggest impact. Igenity reports on 17 traits to help you select, manage, and market your cattle. Using Igenity profiles can help you know more about the genetic potential of young breeding stock before you have made significant investments in their development. Maternal Traits Drive Production: Birth weight, calving ease direct, calving ease maternal, stayability, heifer pregnancy, docility, and milk Calving difficulties, cows that don’t breed back, heifers with poor conception, cattle with poor dispositions, and cows that milk too much, or not enough, all hurt your bottom line. Evaluating maternal traits in your breeding stock helps you develop a cow-herd that will be more productive for years to come. Performance Traits Drive Efficiency: Residual feed intake, average daily gain, weaning weight, yearling weight, and scrotal circumference Heifers and cows that don’t require extra feed to maintain body condition are more efficient cows. By selecting females with lower residual feed intake and higher average daily gain, you will improve efficiency of maintenance and gain in your herd. Selection pressure on these traits can help improve feed efficiency in future calf crops, too. For example, pens of feeder calves can be grouped with other animals of similar potential, and be fed or marketed based on that potential. This leads to more uniform and efficient gain in the finishing phase. Carcass Traits Drive Value: Tenderness, marbling, ribeye area, fat thickness, and hot carcass weight Predicting carcass merit is important whether you are raising feeder calves for sale at weaning, retaining calves to finish, and/or selling on quality grids. Igenity allows you to select breeding stock that produce high-quality carcasses among their progeny. Plus, sorting high-quality cattle from lower-potential cattle helps you manage and market each group more appropriately.
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18th Annual Bruns Ranch Production Sale—April 6, 2026 : 1:00pm CST
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