EPD's and Genetic Evaluation
   

Below you will find some helpful information concerning Expected Progeny Differences and other terms used in the Simmental business.  If you would like more information on any of these topics try the ASA's website.

Using the following chart you may compare any bull to the Simmental breed.  Simply find an EPD from any bull and locate it in the chart.  Then go across to the column on the left (%) and that will tell you what percentile that EPD is when compared to the rest of the Simmental breed.

Below the chart you will find complete explanations for each EPD including the carcass trait EPDs.  We hope you find this information useful.
   

Purebred Simmental Sires Fall 2011 Genetic Evaluation Chart
1 14.1 -3.5 49.9 87.5 9 14.4 32.6 19.1 -0.17 0.48 -0.02 0.54 144 76
2 13.4 -3 47.7 83.9 8.3 13.2 31 16.6 -0.15 0.45 -0.02 0.49 139 74
3 12.9 -2.7 46.3 81.6 7.9 12.4 30 15 -0.14 0.43 -0.02 0.46 136 73
4 12.5 -2.5 45.3 79.9 7.5 11.8 29.3 13.7 -0.13 0.41 -0.01 0.44 134 72
5 12.2 -2.3 44.4 78.5 7.3 11.3 28.7 12.8 -0.12 0.4 -0.01 0.42 133 72
10 11.1 -1.6 41.5 73.7 6.3 9.6 26.6 9.4 -0.1 0.35 -0.01 0.36 127 70
15 10.4 -1.2 39.5 70.5 5.7 8.5 25.2 7.1 -0.08 0.32 0 0.31 123 68
20 9.9 -0.8 37.9 67.9 5.2 7.6 24.1 5.3 -0.07 0.29 0 0.28 120 67
25 9.4 -0.5 36.6 65.7 4.8 6.8 23.1 3.7 -0.06 0.27 0 0.25 117 66
30 9 -0.2 35.4 63.7 4.4 6.1 22.2 2.3 -0.05 0.25 0.01 0.22 115 65
35 8.6 0 34.2 61.9 4 5.4 21.4 1 -0.04 0.23 0.01 0.2 113 64
40 8.2 0.3 33.2 60.1 3.7 4.8 20.7 -0.2 -0.03 0.21 0.01 0.18 110 64
45 7.8 0.5 32.1 58.4 3.4 4.2 19.9 -1.4 -0.02 0.2 0.01 0.15 108 63
50 7.5 0.7 31.1 56.8 3 3.7 19.2 -2.6 -0.01 0.18 0.02 0.13 107 62
55 7.1 1 30.1 55.1 2.7 3.1 18.5 -3.8 0 0.17 0.02 0.11 104 61
60 6.8 1.2 29.1 53.4 2.4 2.5 17.8 -5 0.01 0.15 0.02 0.09 102 61
65 6.4 1.4 28 51.7 2.1 1.9 17 -6.2 0.02 0.13 0.02 0.06 100 60
70 6 1.7 26.9 49.9 1.7 1.2 16.2 -7.5 0.03 0.11 0.03 0.04 98 59
75 5.6 2 25.7 47.9 1.3 0.5 15.3 -8.9 0.04 0.09 0.03 0.01 96 58
80 5.1 2.3 24.3 45.7 0.9 -0.2 14.4 -10.5 0.05 0.07 0.03 -0.02 93 57
85 4.5 2.6 22.7 43.1 0.4 -1.1 13.3 -12.3 0.06 0.05 0.04 -0.05 90 56
90 3.8 3.1 20.8 39.8 -0.2 -2.3 11.9 -14.6 0.08 0.02 0.04 -0.09 86 55
95 2.8 3.7 17.8 35.1 -1.2 -3.9 9.8 -18 0.1 -0.03 0.05 -0.16 80 53
Average 7.5 0.7 31.1 56.8 3 3.7 19.2 -2.6 -0.01 0.18 0.02 0.13 107 62
Percentile Calving Birth Weaning Yearling Maternl Maternl Maternl CW YG Marb BF REA API TI
Level Ease Weight Weight Weight C Ease Milk WW              
 

Hybrid Sires Fall 2011 Genetic Evaluation Chart
1   -5.3 47.3 93.2   12.2 29.5 19.7 -0.12 0.87 -0.01 0.39 146 86
2   -4.8 44.7 88.4   11.1 27.8 16.6 -0.09 0.81 0 0.34 142 83
3   -4.4 43.1 85.3   10.3 26.7 14.6 -0.08 0.78 0 0.31 139 81
4   -4.2 41.9 83   9.8 25.9 13.1 -0.06 0.75 0 0.28 137 80
5   -3.9 40.9 81.2   9.3 25.2 11.9 -0.05 0.73 0.01 0.26 135 79
10   -3.2 37.4 74.8   7.7 22.9 7.8 -0.02 0.65 0.02 0.2 129 75
15   -2.7 35.1 70.5   6.7 21.4 5 0 0.6 0.02 0.15 125 73
20   -2.3 33.2 67   5.9 20.2 2.8 0.02 0.56 0.03 0.12 121 71
25   -2 31.7 64.1   5.1 19.1 0.8 0.04 0.52 0.03 0.09 119 69
30   -1.7 30.2 61.4   4.5 18.2 -0.9 0.05 0.49 0.03 0.06 116 68
35   -1.4 28.9 59   3.9 17.3 -2.5 0.06 0.46 0.04 0.04 114 66
40   -1.2 27.7 56.6   3.3 16.5 -4 0.08 0.43 0.04 0.01 111 65
45   -0.9 26.5 54.4   2.8 15.7 -5.4 0.09 0.41 0.04 -0.01 109 64
50   -0.6 25.3 52.2   2.2 14.9 -6.9 0.1 0.38 0.05 -0.03 107 62
55   -0.4 24.1 50   1.7 14.1 -8.3 0.11 0.36 0.05 -0.06 105 61
60   -0.1 22.9 47.7   1.1 13.3 -9.8 0.12 0.33 0.05 -0.08 103 60
65   0.1 21.6 45.4   0.6 12.4 -11.3 0.14 0.3 0.06 -0.1 101 58
70   0.4 20.3 42.9   0 11.6 -12.8 0.15 0.27 0.06 -0.13 98 57
75   0.7 18.9 40.3   -0.7 10.6 -14.6 0.16 0.24 0.06 -0.15 96 56
80   1 17.3 37.3   -1.4 9.6 -16.5 0.18 0.2 0.07 -0.18 93 54
85   1.4 15.4 33.9   -2.2 8.3 -18.7 0.2 0.16 0.07 -0.22 90 52
90   1.9 13.1 29.6   -3.3 6.8 -21.5 0.22 0.11 0.08 -0.26 86 50
95   2.7 9.7 23.2   -4.9 4.5 -25.6 0.25 0.04 0.09 -0.33 79 46
Average   -0.6 25.3 52.2   2.2 14.9 -6.9 0.1 0.38 0.05 -0.03 107 62
Percentile   Birth Weaning Yearling   Maternl Maternl CW YG Marb BF REA API TI
Level   Weight Weight Weight   Milk WW              
 

 The EPD itself does not imply “good” or “bad” performance, only whether the performance of progeny is expected to be above or below that of progeny from average parents.  The birth weight and calving ease EPDs are the most commonly misunderstood.  For the birth weight EPD, positive values indicate heavier-than-average birth weights.  For calving ease EPD, the more positive the value, the easier the bull calves. 

ASA EPD Page

EPD Definitions

Calving Ease (CE)
Heifers (H) - The ease with which a bull's calves are born to first calf heifers.  A first calf heifer is defined as a female calving for the first time at 33 months of age or less.
Cows (C) - The ease with which a bull's calves are born to mature cows.  A cow is defined as a female calving for a second or subsequent time.
Expected progeny differences are reported as deviations in the percent of unassisted births.  When comparing calving ease EPDs of two sires, the larger EPD indicates a higher percent of unassisted births for calves sired by this bull.

Birth Weight (BW)
Expected progeny performance is reported in pounds.  The EPD value predicts the difference in average birth weight of a bull's progeny compared to progeny of all other bulls evaluated.  A positive value indicates heavier-than-average birth weights while a negative value indicates lighter-than-average birth weights.

Weaning Weight (WW)
Calf weight taken between 160 and 250 days of age and adjusted to 205 days of age and a mature dam equivalent.  Expected progeny performance is reported in pounds.  The EPD value predicts the difference in average 205-day weight of a bull's progeny compared to progeny of all other bulls evaluated.  A positive value indicates heavier-than-average weaning weights while a negative value indicates lighter-than-average weaning weights.

Yearling Weight (YW)
Weight taken between 330 and 440 days of age and adjusted to 365 days of age and a mature dam equivalent.  Expected progeny performance is reported in pounds.  The EPD value predicts the difference in average 365-day weight of a bull's progeny compared to progeny of all other bull's evaluated.  A positive value indicates heavier-than-average yearling weights while a negative value indicates lighter-than-average yearling weights.

Maternal Calving Ease (MCE)
Heifers (H) - The ease with which a sire's daughters calve as first-calf heifers.  A first-calf heifer is defined as a female calving for the first time at 33 months of age or less.
Cows (C) - The ease with which a sire's daughters calve as mature cows.  A cow is defined as a female calving for a second or subsequent time.  Expected progeny differences are reported as deviations in the percent of unassisted births.  When comparing maternal calving ease EPDs of two sires, the larger EPD indicates a higher percent of unassisted births for calves born out of this sire's daughters.

Maternal Milk (MM)
The milking ability of a bull's daughter.  Expected progeny performance is expressed in pounds of calving weaning weight.  The EPD value predicts the difference (due to milking ability) in average 205-day weight of a bull's daughters' calves compared to calves of all other bulls evaluated.  Positive values indicate above average milking ability of daughters while negative values indicate below average milking ability.

Maternal Weaning Weight (MWW)
The weaning weight of a bull's daughters' calves.  Expected progeny performance is reported in pounds.  The EPD value predicts the difference in average 205-day weight of a bull's daughters' calves compared to daughters of all other bulls evaluated.  The evaluation reflects both the milking ability of the bull's daughters and the growth potential of their calves.  A positive value indicates heavier-than-average weaning weights while a negative value indicates lighter-than-average weaning weights.

Carcass Weight (CW)
The hot carcass weight of a bull’s progeny.  Expected progeny performance is reported in pounds and adjusted to a slaughter age of 475 days.  The EPD predicts the difference in average carcass weight of a bull’s progeny compared to progeny of all other bulls evaluated.  A positive number indicates heavier-than-average carcass weights while a negative value indicates lower-than-average carcass weights.

Ribeye Area (REA)
Predict the average difference in ribeye area in an animal’s progeny when compared to the progeny of another animal at a given age endpoint. Expressed in square inches.

Marbling Score (Marb)
A subjective evaluation of the amount and distribution of intramuscular fat.  Degree of marbling is evaluated in the ribeye muscle between the 12th and 13th rib and is a major factor in determining USDA quality grade.  Marbling scores range from 1 (devoid) to 10 (abundant).  Expected progeny performance is reported in tenths of a marbling score and adjusted to a slaughter age of 475 days.  The EPD value predicts the difference in average marbling score of a bull’s progeny compared to progeny of all other evaluated bulls.  A positive value indicates higher-than-average marbling scores while a negative value indicates lower-than-average marbling scores.

Backfat (BF or FAT)
Estimate the average differences that are expected in external fat thickness at the 12th and 13th rib betweenprogeny of different animals. Expressed in inches at a given age endpoint.

Yield Grade  (YG)
Predict the average differences in cutability that can be expected between the progeny of animals at a given age endpoint. As with all EPDs, YG is expressed as a deviation. Negative values are desirable. To use it, one must keep in mind that it is in yield grade units. Therefore, lower is better. For example, a bull with a -.33 YG EPD would be expected to sire offspring that are 1/3 of yield grade better (lower) than a zero bull. If zero bulls sired an average yield of 3.0 in a particular environment and management system, offspring of a -0.33 bull would be expected to have an average yield grade of 2.67 (1/3 of a yield grade better/lower).

Stayability  (STAY)
Stayability is defined as the probability that a sire’s daughters entering the herd will stay in production through 6 years of age. The Stayability EPD provides an estimate of how long a sire’s daughters will stay in the herd compared to another sire in the same evaluation. Higher values indicate greater stayability.

SIMMENTAL – API $ and TI $ EPD INDEXES
The API$ AND TI$ EPD Indexes were designed with the aim of simplifying and improving the genetic selection process. These genetic indexes combine relevant EPDs along with economic factors into numbers that makes sense. EPDs such as calving ease, growth, carcass traits, etc. are weighted along with economic data provided by Cattle-Fax such as the cost of feed, choice-select spread, etc. The product of these complex calculations gives us a real world method to compare the merits of different animals. The API and TI indexes calculate the estimated differences between bulls in net dollars returned per cow exposed for two different herd scenarios as described below.

All-Purpose Index (API): Evaluates sires for use on the entire cow herd (bred to both Angus first-calf heifers and mature cows) with the portion of their daughters required to maintain herd size retained and the remaining heifers and steers put on feed and sold grade and yield.

Terminal Index (TI): Evaluates sire for use on mature Angus cows with all offspring put on feed and sold grade and yield. Consequently, maternal traits such as milk, stayability, and maternal calving ease are not considered in the index.

 
   
Other Definitions and Information

Nondiluted
All blacks are nondiluters and will not sire gray calves when used on black or nondiluter red cows. A nondiluter red will sire only black or red calves when used on black cows.

Homozygous Black
Will only sire black calves when used on black or nondiluter red cows. You will get mostly gray calves when used on yellow cows or red cows that have the dilution gene.

Hetrozygous Black
Will sire both black and red calves when used on nondiluter red cows. When used on yellow or red cows that have the dilution gene you will get roughly half red and the rest will be gray, with some blacks.

Homozygous Polled
All calves will be polled.

Hetrozygous Polled
Approximately half the calves will be polled out of horned cows.

Polled / Scurred
Approximately half the calves will be polled out of homed cows.
   

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