Page 7 - MWC 9-10-20s

BEEF GENETIC DATA The Midwest Cattleman · September 10, 2020 · P7

TOOLS DEFINED

k-state beef cattle specialist explains ways

to effectively use data in sire selection

In any team sport, mem- and phenotypic variation,”
bers contribute their physical Weaber said.
strengths to help achieve the
goal for the common good. It continued on page 21 Selecting the optimum sire for the herd involves more than just evaluating his phenotype.
is hard for an athlete to be
the best in all aspects of the Two Sales! One Day!
game.
In much the same way, The Complete Dispersal of Oak Ridge Farms
bulls that excel in maternal THEY SELL!
traits are not always the ones & Seedstock Plus Showcase Sale XV
that reach the top of chart for
siring calves that rank the September 19, 2020 * 1 p.m.
best at the time of harvest. Kingsville Livestock, Kingsville, MO
“With many purebred breed
associations, bulls are mea- Oak Ridge Farms was originally scheduled to disperse in
sured for 12-15 traits. While a May as the ‘Opportunity Knocks’ sale but was postponed
few bulls will excel in multi-
ple traits, it is nearly impos- to fall. We will also offer the elite consignments from the
sible to have a bull that can Seedstock Plus members as the Showcase portion of the
be a leader in all the traits,” sale! Offering 3 Herd Sires from Oak Ridge Farms
said Bob Weaber, Kansas * Reds & Blacks! * Open heifers, Bred heifers & Pairs
State University beef cattle
extension specialist, during a * Picks of the herd * Purebred Gelbviehs & Balancers!
recent Beef Cattle Institute, * Videos of sale cattle at www.seedstockplus.com or
Cattle Chat podcast. www.dvauction.com

EPDs defined Fall Bull & Female Sale
One tool that is used by
purebred and commercial cat- October 17, 2020 * 12 noon
tle producers is the Expected
Progeny Difference (EPDs). Joplin Regional Stockyards,
“EPDs offer a relative com- Carthage, MO
parison of genetic merit in
any given trait,” Weaber said. Selling 150 - 18 month old BLACK Gelbvieh,
He cited the example of Angus & Balancer bulls & BLACK females -
having two bulls mated to a
similar group of cows. “When registered & commercial
comparing a bull with a 40-
pound weaning weight EPD ALL SALES!
to a bull with a 50-pound Bid & Buy at:
weaning weight EPD, we
would expect the calves from DVAuction
the 50-pound weaning weight
EPD sire to weigh on average RED REWARD ‘Fall Edition’
10 pounds heavier at wean-
ing,” Weaber said. Bull & Female Sale
He added that the environ-
ment in which the cattle are November 7, 2020 * 12 noon
raised will also influence the Wheeler Livestock Auction
weaning weight of the off-
spring. Osceola, MO
“Along with the EPDs,
the production environment Selling 40 RED Gelbvieh, Balancer bulls
also drives a lot of the varia- & RED females - registered &commercial!
tion observed in an animal’s
performance, but there is a
portion of that variation in Call for your catalogs today!
performance that is under ge- 877-486-1160
netic control and the herita- john@seedstockplus.com
bility is the expression of that
relationship between genetic