Page 26 - Aug242023

Using EPDs to Make The Midwest Cattleman · August 24, 2023 · P26

Breeding Decisions Understanding

Cow Inventory to
By Megan Rolf, K-State Beef Cattle Geneticist
At the start of a new sports EPD between two bulls of the Build a Marketing
season, there are always peo- same breed.
ple speculating about the “If Bull A’s weaning weight Strategy
team, and some of the seri- EPD is 50 and Bull B’s wean-
ous fans may use statistics to ing weight EPD is 70, then By Dustin Pendell, Agricultural Economist, K-State Beef Cattle Institute
make their predictions about we would expect the calves of “Once we start saving
For many, investing in the
the individual athletes. Bull B to be 20 pounds heavi- stock market is a long-term heifers, it is a long-term in-
In much the same way, beef er at weaning, on average, that vestment because it takes
cattle producers have data to if we bred them to the same retirement strategy
takes discipline to avoid re- months before they can con-
help in their decision-making cows,” Rolf said. acting to changes in the mar- tribute offspring to the herd,”
about herd matings, said the While EPDs across the ket. White said.
experts at the Kansas State breeds are calculated simi- One factor that influenc-
In much the same way,
University Beef Cattle Insti- larly, the baseline of the cal- making a profit in the cattle es the liquidity of the cattle
tute. culation varies and so she business requires a long-term market is drought, Lancaster
One of the data tools for advises that producers only
making breeding decisions is compare EPDs between ani- approach, said the experts at said.
“If you are in an area that
Expected Progeny Differenc- mals of the same breed. Kansas State University’s
Beef Cattle Institute on a re- has been getting rain, you
es, also known as EPDs, said “Factors that go into that may be able to keep extra
K-State beef cattle geneticist calculation of the statistical cent Cattle Chat podcast.
“Having a strategy to deal heifers and cows that can
Megan Rolf, speaking on a model are phenotype infor- with fluctuating prices is add to the herd, but if you are
recent Cattle Chat podcast. mation collected by breed- much better than reacting; it experiencing drought then
“EPDs are the differences ers, the pedigree of the an- is much like the stock mar- there will be feed costs that
we expect to see in the per- imal’s sire and dam, and, ket in that you don’t want to need to be accounted for in
formance among groups of in some cases, the animal’s buy in or buy out on a whim,” the decision to keep or sell,”
progeny,” Rolf said. own genomic data,” Rolf said. said K-State veterinarian Lancaster said.
She gave the example of Genomic data is collected White called that knowing
comparing a weaning weight through a hair or tissue sam- Brad White.
White’s observation is re- the “resource availability.”
continued on page 31 lated to the July USDA re- “If I have the resources
port that showed beef cow available, I can be more se-
numbers at 29.4 million lective about which females I
head, which is down 2.6% keep and I can sell the ones
See the difference® compared to the same time I don’t want at a reasonable
last year, and the cattle and price,” White said.
calves total inventory was Along with the production
95.9 million head, which is cycle, Pendell said the con-
down 2.7% from the previous sumer demand also can in-
year. fluence cattle prices.
“What I take from this re- “We are starting to see that
port is that we haven’t bot- the consumer beef demand is
tomed out yet with the inven- softening as consumers were
Seal your precious high moisture corn and silage with Sealpro® tory numbers because people not willing to pay as much for
are still liquidating the herd,” their beef in June as they did
said Dustin Pendell, K-State in May,” Pendell said. “Even-
ROI potential 4:1 to 7:1 agricultural economist. “As tually that will translate
the herds continue to shrink, down to cattle prices along
cattle prices are going to stay with the influences of inter-
high a little longer and possi- national trade.”
bly go a little bit higher.” The K-State experts
From a cattle producer’s agreed that producers need
perspective, there are choices to think about the market-
to make. K-State beef cattle ing opportunities for the long
nutritionist Phillip Lancast- term.
er said, “As a producer, I may “Every operation is going
Contract your covering? want to retain the four- to to be different depending on
eight-year-old cows that are where you are located in re-
scan Ask for it by name going to produce the best spect to drought; prices are
calves that I can sell into a going to be high for the fore-
DIY Covering?
® market with high calf prices.” seeable future, so you need to
Product is in stock locally White agreed and added figure out where those mar-
S I L A GE B A RR I ER F I LM S
BY CONNOR AGRISCIENCE that heifers retained can con- keting opportunities are and
tribute to the financial suc- then run with them,” Pendell
More. Better. Safer. cess of the herd, but it will said.
take a longer period of time
sealprosilage.com 559-779-5961 compared to cows.