Selection Simplified: $Profit, $Ranch & $Feeder
$Ranch: $Ranch was developed for cow calf producers who retain their own replacements and market 100% of the steer calves and cull heifers after weaning. This is a very typical production system for a majority of beef producers, so $Ranch is an excel- lent tool for producers to compare how different bulls will impact their profitability. Traits included in $Ranch = Fertility, Milk, Weaning Growth, Cow Herd Feed Intake and Mature Cow Size Multi-generational use of $Ranch will ultimately result in increased pounds of calf harvested per unit of feed/land resource. Example: • Bull A has a $Ranch of $80 • Bull B has a $Ranch of $40 • We would expect Bull A to produce $40/head greater profit than Bull B. $Feeder: $Feeder is a tool developed to compare how bulls will impact profitability in the post-weaning phase (weaning to harvest). Traits included in $Feeder = Feed Conversion, Carcass Value (Marbling & Yield Grade) and Carcass Weight Example: • Bull A has a $Feeder of $100 • Bull B has a $Feeder of $150 • We would expect Bull B to produce $50/head greater profit than Bull A during the feeding and finishing phases of the production cycle. Cow Herds Built to Last - FERTILITY EPD The Cow Fertility EPD predicts large differences in the calf crop percentage expected from a bull’s daughters! High Fertility EPD bulls will build cow herds with consistently better breed back, higher calf crop percentage weaned, less culling requirements, and reduced replacement rates. Improved calf crop percentage drives HUGE differences in profitability. The Cow Fertility EPD was incorporated into both $Ranch and $Profit in January 2023 due to it’s huge impact on Profitability.
Fertility EPD Example: • Bull A has a FERTILITY EPD of 2.0 • Bull B has a FERTILITY EPD of 1.0 • We would expect daughters of Bull A to produce 1 more calf during the first 8 years of their life when compared to daughters of Bull B
Wedel Beef Genetics
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