Santa Gertrudis Breeders International’s genetic evaluation is one of the most comprehensive among the Bos indicus influenced breeds ensuring profitable genetics can be selected for your operation. Santa Gertrudis breeders have increased selection pressure on traits that have a positive influence on profitability. Profit starts with a live calf and increases when industry end-point targets are hit. Regardless of your marketing strategy, selling by the pound at weaning, retaining ownership and grid-marketing, establishing a consumer direct market, or taking advantage of the replacement female market, Santa Gertrudis genetics ensure that herd goals can be reached. SANTA GERTRUDIS are DATA DRIVEN and PROFIT PROVEN.
SGBI Expected Progeny Differences
Expected Progeny Differences, EPDs, are the prediction of how future progeny of each animal are expected to perform relative to the progeny of other animals listed in the SGBI database. EPDs are expressed in units of measure (plus or minus) for each trait being evaluated and are calculated utilizing pedigree and performance information. SGBI is a
leader in the adoption and implementation of cutting- edge genetic technology. In 2013, SGBI released the first genomic-enhanced expected progeny differences (DNA verified) for Bos indicus-influenced cattle. The inclusion of DNA into the breed’s EPD calculations (GE-EPDs) has resulted in information that is more accurate and predicable than a pedigree and performance prediction alone. The association has access to thousands of performance verifying DNA samples. In addition, to being the first Bos Indicus-influenced breed to offer GE-EPDs, SGBI was the first beef breed to implement single-step methodology for
Percentile Rank Marb MARCH 2025 EPD STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN BW WW YW Milk
1% 5% 10% 25% 50% 75% 95%
-2.4 -1.5 -1.2 -0.7 0.6 1.5 0
34 44 26 35 23 30 17 22 10 13
8 0.4960 6 0.3396 4 0.2631 2 0.1383 0 0.0150 -2 -0.0596 -6 -0.1375
4 -4
5 -6
the incorporation of genetic information into the genetic evaluation. This approach maximizes use of data reported on all animals throughout the pedigree and greatly improves the EPD accuracy.
ULTRASOUND
EPDS
BW
WW
YW
Milk
BF
REA
MARB REA/CWT
1.52 12.2 16.3 -0.1
0.21 13.92 4.2 0.00
SGBI Indices
SGBI offers three selection indices for cattleman use. Indices are multi-trait selection tools designed to assist cattle producers by adding simplicity to genetic selection decisions. Indices provide an estimate of how future progeny of each sire are expected to perform, on average, compared to progeny of
Cow/Calf INDEXES
Balanced
Terminal
1
1
1
other sires in the database if the sires were randomly mated to cows and the calves were exposed to the same environment. SGBI’s indices provide performance insight to three beef production business models. The results are reported as a percentile ranking for each index. • Balanced Index: This index assumes that producers are keeping replacement heifers from the bulls they purchase. It further assumes that producers are either 1) marketing carcasses on the grid or 2) that buyer of their feeder calves base pricing on feedlot and carcass performance. This selection tool is designed to assist cattlemen who retain ownership through the feeding phase or market their calf crop to buyers focused on feedlot performance and/or carcass quality. • Cow/Calf Index: This index assumes that producers are keeping replacement heifers form the bulls they purchase. However, it assumes all calves are marketed at weaning or soon thereafter. It further assumes that feeder calf buyers don’t base decisions on feedlot or carcass performance, making these traits less relevant to profitability. Producers marketing their calf crop at weaning, by the pound, would utilize this index when making selection decisions. • Terminal Index: This index assumes that producers are not keeping replacement heifers from the bulls they purchase. It assumes that producers are marketing carcasses on the grid, making carcass traits relevant to their business. This index fits operations using Santa Gertrudis bulls as terminal sires and retaining ownership of the calf crop through the feeding phase.
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