On one of these informative days, our group was hosted by the Canadian Angus Association, with a morning filled with presentations, discussion circles and learning. Dr. Kajal Devani, who is the director of science and technology at CAA, gave us a presentation on how producers can use genomics and genomically enhanced expected progeny differences to build a more productive and efficient herd that meets specific goals.

The CAA generates an economic selection index called the Canadian Balanced Index to facilitate multi-trait selection and streamline seedstock cattle selection. It is represented in CDN dollars, so if Bull A has an index value of $250 and Bull B has one of $150, progeny from Bull A, on average, will be $100 more profitable in a Canadian commercial operation than the progeny from Bull B. It includes three categories of traits — growth, maternal and carcass. Producers can also access expected progeny differences (EPDs) for each trait if there is something specific that they want to maintain or address in their herds.

The EPDs included in the Canadian Balanced Index include:

• Growth traits: birth weight, weaning weight, milk, yearling weight, residual average daily gain.
• Maternal traits: calving ease direct, calving ease maternal, heifer pregnancy, docility, mature weight, foot angle, foot claw.
• Carcass traits: Marbling, rib eye area, back fat.

It was my first time hearing about selection indexes. At home on our commercial operation we have our own database, but we don’t submit it to anyone, as we don’t have purebreds. We record birth weights and dates, if we had to help during calving and what exactly we did, as well as if we had to treat any calves at birth. We write down each cow’s history so we know what calves they’ve had and bulls they’ve been bred to in the past. Specific notes on docility are a must to make sure we know as much as possible about each individual. The CAA index allows people to compare data to other producers and the association’s guidelines and set priorities when evaluating their cattle.

As a group, Kajal asked us to pick three traits we would prioritize in our selection programs. The 45 of us fell silent for a few seconds and then each person thought about what traits they would focus on for their operation. Pencils scribbled on paper and then she opened the floor for answers and discussion. It was fun to listen to what everyone would do and to learn from Kajal as she questioned them on why they would select certain traits.

I pondered the question by myself after the presentation — planning for the future of our herd, what should we be looking to prioritize. When I looked at the traits as a whole, I realized how interconnected they each are; the residual average daily gain EPD under growth traits has everything to do with mature weight EPD under maternal traits. Personally, we need to have reliable and consistent cows that throw calves with maternal traits to align with our program. For calves that go to auction, we want them to have a good rate of gain, so we make the most money possible. The weaning weight EPD is an important one for the bottom line. Feed accounts for about 70 per cent of a producer’s costs, so the lower feed costs are, the more profitable we can be. Our operation would become more environmentally friendly as well — less hay being hauled on trucks and tractors running in the winter to feed the herd. This makes the residual average daily gain EPD a top-three on my list, as it’s the ratio between the animal’s gain and feed inputs. Mature weight EPD also rises to the top, as moderate cows eat less. If a feedlot producer, seedstock producer, or cow-calf producer was trying to select three main traits to focus on, they would likely all pick different traits.

Kajal wrapped our discussion by elaborating that there are no “correct” three traits for any operation, as everyone prioritizes different traits based on their environment. She encouraged us to actively think, because depending on how a producer uses the data, they will focus on certain traits for improvement. This information is used to benefit the producer’s operation and goals.

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“If you have a bull with a weaning weight EPD of +50 and another one with a weaning weight EPD of +60, the difference is 10 pounds, and that’s the average difference you would see in their calves if you bred them to the same cow herd and gave the calves the same environmental opportunity,” says Kajal Devani, Canadian Angus Association’s director of science and technology. 

To calculate an individual’s EPDs, pedigree information, performance data and genomic information are compared to that of other animals within the breed. Genetic evaluations are run monthly to calculate current EPDs through statistical formulas. Devani walked us through the EPDs (current to April 6) for HF Alcatraz 60F, the most-used Canadian-born Black Angus AI sire in 2020. The definitions used here are based on the Canadian Angus Association’s (CAA) genetic evaluation.

Production EPDs

Calving ease direct: Predicts the percentage of unassisted births in first-calf heifers exposed to the bull in question. “The higher the EPD, the higher the probability that if you used this bull on some first-time heifers, his calves would come out without assistance,” says Devani. 

For example, a bull with a calving ease direct EPD of +15, compared to a bull with an EPD of +5 would have a 10 per cent greater probability of his progeny being born without assistance. 

Birth weight, weaning weight and yearling weight: The birth weight EPD predicts the average difference in pounds in the individual’s calves at birth. “For example, you have this bull that has a birth weight EPD of +1.1. The breed average is +2.1, so on average this bull will sire calves that are one pound less than breed average,” says Devani. 

Similarly, the weaning weight EPD predicts the difference in weaning weight in the bull’s progeny. “This bull is a +58 for weaning weight EPD, and the breed average is +48, so on average his calves will be 10 pounds heavier at weaning time than average Angus,” she says. 

Yearling weight predicts the average difference in yearling weight of the bull’s progeny. With this bull’s +106 EPD, “you’re looking at 20 pounds heavier calves at yearling,” she says.

Residual average daily gain: Devani is a fan of this feed efficiency trait, introduced by the CAA in 2020. It predicts how much a bull’s weaned progeny will gain per day compared to another group of calves on the same amount of feed. A higher EPD denotes more pounds per day on average.

“If you were feeding 100 calves from Alcatraz and 100 calves from a bull whose residual average daily gain EPD was 0, then that would be 0.26 pounds per day extra on 100 head,” she says. 

Dry matter intake: Measured in pounds per day, the dry matter intake EPD predicts the difference in feed intake potential of the sire’s weaned calves. Because this EPD solely predicts appetite, Devani recommends using it in conjunction with weaning or yearling weight. “I like (residual average daily gain) much better because it does that for you — it combines intake with growth.”

Scrotal circumference: Predicts the average difference in scrotal circumference in the individual’s bull calves, measured in centimetres. A higher number suggests a larger circumference. For example, compared to the bull calves of a sire with an EPD of +0.2, the bull calves of a sire with an EPD of +1.2 will have a scrotal circumference that is 1 centimetre larger, on average. 

Docility: Predicts the average chute-side temperament of the bull’s progeny as yearlings, with a higher number suggesting a greater likelihood of docile cattle. 

Claw set and foot angle: The claw set EPD predicts the likelihood of calves having what’s considered a more functional claw set, while the foot angle EPD predicts the likelihood of calves being closer to what’s considered the ideal foot angle. These EPDs relate to claw-set score and foot-angle score.

“The lower the number, the closer to five they get, which is that ideal score,” says Devani. This bull’s claw set and foot angle EPDs are both in the very top percentile for the breed average.

Maternal EPDs

Heifer pregnancy: Predicts the likelihood of a sire’s first-calf heifers becoming pregnant on first exposure, with a higher EPD suggesting conception is more likely. This bull’s EPD is +14, compared to the breed average of +10, so his daughters have a four per cent greater chance of catching upon first exposure.

Calving ease maternal: While calving ease direct is all about the calf, calving ease maternal EPD predicts how likely a bull’s first-calf heifers are to calve without assistance, with a higher EPD suggesting a higher likelihood of calving unassisted.  

“It’s not about his direct calf coming out of a first-time heifer, it’s about how his daughters will do as a first-time heifer: her stamina, her pelvic shape, how well she responds to calving, and then her size and shape,” Devani explains.

Milk: Predicts both milking ability and the cow’s maternal ability, expressed in pounds. “A cow will contribute to her calf’s weaning weight in terms of additive growth genetics, but she also contributes to his weaning weight in terms of maternal environment,” she says. Compared to the breed average of +22, this bull’s EPD of +38 means his daughters will add an average of 16 pounds more to their calves’ weaning weights. 

Mature weight and mature height: Mature weight EPD predicts the difference in mature weight of a bull’s female progeny, measured in pounds. Similarly, mature height EPD predicts their mature height, with the value expressed in inches.

Carcass EPDs

Carcass weight: Predicts in pounds the average difference in the hot carcass weight of a sire’s finished calves. In this bull’s case, an EPD of +50 means a higher probability of heavier carcass weight than the breed average, placing him in the top 10 percentile for the breed. 

Marbling, ribeye area and fat thickness: The marbling EPD predicts the marbling potential of a bull’s finished calves. It is measured by the difference in grade score, and “the higher the number, the higher the marbling score,” says Devani. 

The ribeye area EPD predicts the average difference in ribeye area of a bull’s finished calves, measured in square inches, with a higher number predicting a larger ribeye area. 

The fat thickness EPD predicts the average difference in backfat thickness, measured in inches at the 12th rib. 

Breed averages: Knowing the breed averages for each EPD is key to understanding an animal’s individual EPDs. “EPDs are comparative numbers. If I look at an animal’s EPDs, say Alcatraz, and I see a +106 yearling weight EPD, that doesn’t really tell me anything,” says Devani. “I need to use the breed average or I need to compare him to another bull.” The CAA includes breed averages for both Black Angus  and Red Angus on its EPD reports.

Accuracy: The EPD report includes an accuracy measure for each trait. These are expressed as percentages and illustrate how reliable an EPD can be considered compared to the true breeding value. The accuracies for this particular bull are quite high, Devani explains, because of his high number of progeny and because he has been genotyped.  

“We do our best to be as accurate as possible with the information that we have, but obviously it really depends on how much information we have with which to calculate the EPD, so that’s why we include accuracy,” she says.

As more progeny data becomes available for an animal, EPDs with low accuracy have a greater likelihood of changing, compared to animals with high accuracy. 

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Exceptional breeder participation in the Canadian Hereford Association’s (CHA) residual feed intake (RFI) research project has led to Canada’s first-ever expected progeny differences (EPD) for RFI and a related trait called residual intake and gain (RIG) being published a year earlier than anticipated.

CHA executive director Stephen Scott is calling the results preliminary insofar as the list doesn’t include RFI and RIG EPDs for animals in the final two trials which wrap up this month. Those results will change the ranking, but EPDs for animals already listed won’t change. The current summary includes EPDs for 920 animals, including tested bulls as well as close relatives as long as the accuracies of the relatives’ EPDs are above 10 per cent. By the end of the trials, actual RFI values will have been collected for more than 1,000 horned and polled Hereford bulls tested on the GrowSafe system at Olds College and Cattleland Feedyards in Alberta.

About a year from now, the RFI EPDs for all tested animals and qualifying relatives will change to genomically enhanced EPDs. Researchers at the University of Alberta will be correlating phenotypes (raw RFI results for tested animals) with genotypes (from those animals’ DNA) to do the conversion and ultimately develop a genomic test for RFI.

Reinforcing EPDs with genomic information immediately increases the accuracy of EPDs by adding data equivalent to the actual performance of 10 to 30 offspring (depending on the trait and total number of animals tested in the breed) before a young bull or heifer has even one calf on the ground.

A breed-specific genomic test for RFI will further improve the RFI EPD accuracies without having to put as many offspring from tested animals through the 77-day feeding trial on the GrowSafe system. However, there will always be a need to collect phenotypic data even with genomics to validate that the genomic predictions hold true over time, says Scott, who previously worked with ALTA Genetics when genomics was launched in the dairy industry.

Looking through the summary on the CHA website, keep in mind that low RFI EPDs indicate efficient animals that require less feed than a breed-average animal to put on a pound of gain and that the values are EPDs, not raw RFI data.

EPDs predict the genetic potential of the tested bulls’ progeny; therefore, EPDs for all traits take into account that progeny receive only half their genes from the sire and the heritability of the trait. RFI is considered moderately heritable at about 35 per cent. For example, a bull with an actual RFI of -1.77 had an RFI EPD of -0.714, while a herdmate with an actual RFI of +0.72 had an RFI EPD of +0.134.

The advantage of EPDs is that they remove environmental influence so that Hereford EPDs can be compared across the country, continents and time, Scott explains. Raw RFI values can only be compared for animals fed in the same pen at the same time.

The goal of this part of the RFI project is to find the range of RFI values within the Hereford breed. So far it is -0.830 to +0.997 pounds of dry matter per day (lbs. DM/day) and, because it’s a new EPD, the breed average is 0.0.

“What’s exciting about RFI is that it can be turned into dollars and cents and it’s almost a new trait because it’s independent of other traits,” Scott says. Studies by Dr. John Basarb, research scientist with Alberta Agriculture, and those from the U.S., Ireland and Australia, show that by selecting for RFI, you won’t be selecting for or against other traits such as growth, carcass yield, quality grade, meat traits, cow productivity, hardiness and temperament.

Putting RFI economics into context, Scott refers to the Hereford bulls with the lowest and highest RFI EPDs. Progeny of the bull with the RFI EPD of -0.83 lbs. DM/day should consume that much less than the average animal in the breed to gain the same amount of weight. Progeny from the bull with the RFI EPD of +0.997 lbs. DM/day could be expected to consume almost a pound of dry matter per day more than the average Hereford to gain the same amount of weight. Therefore, calves sired by the efficient bull could be expected to consume 1.83 lbs. DM/day less than calves sired by the inefficient bull, assuming both were mated with average cows.

If the cost of a backgrounding ration is $0.065/lb. DM/day, the difference in feed cost between progeny of the two bulls would be $23.79 per head over a 200-day feeding period.

“Any EPDs added to the many that breed associations already make available need to have economic merit if they are to be embraced by seedstock and commercial cattlemen. As far as commercial application goes, RFI hits the mark,” Scott says.

RIG

RIG EPDs are given as standard deviations from the average for the breed. A RIG EPD with a standard deviation (SD) of 0.0, for example, means the animal is in the top 50 per cent; an SD of 1.0 puts the animal in the top 16 per cent, a 2.0 is in the top 2.3 per cent and a 3.0 is in the top 1.0 per cent for RIG. Conversely, standard deviations of -1.0, -2.0 and -3.0 equate to the 84th, 98th and 100th percentile at the bottom of the rating for the breed.

Scott agrees standard deviations aren’t the most user-friendly way to express RIG and he says this may revert to an index as Hereford associations in Canada, the U.S., Uruguay, and Argentina work toward developing a PACE (Pan American Cattle Evaluation) format for intake-based EPDs. PACE is the program that calculates EPDs for Hereford cattle in all four countries, making it possible to compare Hereford EPDs across these countries. U.S. breeders have already tested approximately 4,000 animals for RFI, while the project is just getting underway in Uruguay and Argentina.

However, RIG is a convenient measure in that a single value can be used to select for animals with higher gains that eat less. On the downside it’s not easily converted into a dollar value and, because it is related to growth traits, there is a possibility that by selecting for RIG a producer could end up double selecting certain growth traits.

RFI selects only for animals that eat less and producers would need to balance that out by selecting for weaning and yearling weight EPDs that fit their breeding program goals.

Breeders weigh in

“It’s a trait that is economically beneficial to all cattlemen — seedstock, commercial cow-calf and feeders — because at the end of the day it’s about producing cattle that will feed better.”

The RFI feeding trials offered a unique chance to go head-to-head with breeders from other parts of Canada. He knew from 16 years of putting bulls on test at the Fort Fraser all-breed bull development centre that Tlell bulls grew well, but had no idea about their feed intake to produce those high gains. No surprise to him, the 20 calves for which he has RFI results to date follow a typical bell curve, with most in the middle, a couple of really good ones and a couple of really poor.

Albert Rimke of AM Ranching shipped bulls to the project from the other side of the Western provinces near Oak Lake, Man. He agrees that finding the RFI range of Hereford cattle is a good project for the breed and and believed it would be important to evaluate bloodlines across the country and within his own herd. In his own herd, he says, the older bloodlines seem to do a bit better.

With RFI results in hand, Doug Mann of Phantom Creek Livestock near Swift Current, Sask., went out to look at calves off their tested bulls and found a few surprises. Some of the most unlikely calves actually had more genetic potential for feed efficiency than he would have guessed.

“That’s the point of testing for RFI, because there’s no way to tell just by looking at the animals, Mann says. “You can gather anecdotal information like easy fleshing or easy keeping, but you need scientific, hard data to really know. The best part of RFI is that it’s unrelated to other traits so you can still select for traits you feel are important to your program and this is an additional tool on top of that.”

Richardson says selecting for RFI could also potentially help turn around traits negatively affected by years of selecting for gain, without hurting growth.

Daniel Doerksen of Gemstone Cattle, at Gem, Alta., believes RFI will end up being a very important tool as far as profitability of herds goes and, in the long view, a valuable piece of the sustainability picture. Basarab’s research shows selecting for RFI can reduce methane emissions by 25 per cent and manure production by 15 per cent.

“This does give us reassurance that what we are doing is working and confidence in RFI as a good management tool,” he says.

Mann plans to use these EPDs to build feed efficiency into his cow herd because that’s where their true savings will be. At the same time he will be mindful that RFI has to be part of a salable genetic mixture because the most feed-efficient bull may not have the eye appeal a buyer wants.

The Rimkes kept a couple of the low-RFI bulls to use in their breeding program and may send sons of those bulls to test for RFI because it will increase the accuracy of their herd sires’ RFI EPDs.

Doerksen says their job now will be to figure out the line where RFI gets too high for an animal to be profitable. They see potential for RFI as a marketing tool and will continue to test new herd sires with the prospect of selling groups of bulls from low-RFI herd sires. Long term, he suspects the development of a cost-effective test for RFI, such as a DNA test, may be the deciding factor in how much it will be used in the future.

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Most herds that have successful, low-drama calving seasons have several things in common, regardless of their calving season, most of them start preparing well in advance of calving.

1. Genetics

There are significant differences in calving ease within breeds. With modern tools such as EPD for calving ease (how easily calves are born) and maternal calving ease (how easily a sire’s daughters will calve) it is possible to select sires and produce females that will minimize calving difficulty. This preparation has to occur at least nine months in advance for calves, and three years ahead for female production. Selection pressure on calving ease can be decreased as cows mature and depending upon the calving system in place. It is important to note that each breed expresses differences in calving ease on their own scale, and EPD cannot be compared between breeds.

2. Heifer development

There is a fine line between saving a buck and properly developing replacements so that they have the structure and capacity to calve unassisted. Typically this will start post-weaning and progress through to three years of age. Remember, a first-calf heifer is still growing herself, raising a calf and working on getting rebred. Getting a good head start on heifer development can alleviate many of these challenges.

• More on the Canadian Cattlemen: Saskatchewan’s 21-Day Calving Challenge

3. Diet

Live calves are the result of healthy cows and a good in utero environment. If your management system involves winter feeding then accurate feed testing should be done prior to the feeding period and rations checked for shortfalls or excesses. There are several good, low-cost software tools available to help in this process. If you are not comfortable doing this yourself get a nutritionist to work with you. Many of the feed companies will have nutritionists on staff or be able to direct you to local resources. Again, younger cows, older cows or thin cows may require additional management and groceries to reduce potential problems in advance.

4. Health

Again, this is a process that starts well in advance of calving. If not already doing so, it is worth considering pre-breeding vaccination of the cow herd with a good program to protect against BVD, IBR, lepto and other disease complexes. It is also worth considering updating boosters of 8-way on the cow herd at the same time. Semen testing bulls prior to turnout, and testing for issues such as trichomoniasis may also be good investments. These are all items that must occur at least nine to 10 months in advance of your calving season.

If scours are an issue in the herd, then it may pay to consider some of the scour vaccination programs. These must be done prior to calving, and it is important to remember if you are implementing the program for the first time, or if you are doing replacement heifers, an initial shot and a booster a few weeks later is required.

It is a great idea to develop your relationship with your veterinarian and discuss these programs. Exercising precautions in advance of problems is usually a good investment.

5. Facilities

Facilities can vary widely between operations and calving seasons. Last-minute preparations whether that be assembling a calving chute or making sure a lariat is tied to your saddle will also vary, but take the time before calving to make sure that essential supplies are replenished and available, and that whatever facilities are to be used are clean, repaired and organized. We keep all of our supplies in an easy-to-access tool box. Items you may want to have on hand include: needles, lubricant, calving chains, gloves, vitamin ADE/selenium, a good antibiotic, disinfectant, colostrum, stomach tube, rope or halter, scale, tags/tagger, and notebook.

No matter how uneventful a calving season is, it always takes time. Preparations in advance can definitely set up a cow herd and a rancher for success and avoid a lot of sleepless nights. Here’s wishing you an exciting calving season, in a boring, uneventful sort of way.

Sean McGrath is a genetics consultant and co-owner of Round Rock Ranching in Vermilion, Alta.

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Throughout the fall season, the primary reason for culling a bull is his general thriftiness, condition and well-being. Bulls do wear out, so there is no reason to feed older bulls that will not make another breeding season.

Younger bulls sometimes have a difficult time staying where they are supposed to, so those bulls also are asked to leave.

The final point is temperament. As bulls age, some settle down and behave while others do not. Those that become more defiant, belligerent and seek the top of the pecking order on a regular basis are asked to leave.

That leaves those bulls that will be used in the breeding pastures next year, so the process begins of evaluating the genetics of the “keeper bulls” prior to bidding on new bulls to determine what needs to be purchased.

The center maintains several breeds of bulls, but let’s just look at Angus, Red Angus and Simmental bulls.

As a reminder, I like to start with the basic growth traits that are “touchy, feely” traits that connect what I see in the cattle to what the data is trying to tell me. For simplicity, the baseline EPD growth traits I look at are birth weight, weaning weight and yearling weight.

Last year, the center’s Angus bulls had average EPD values for birth weight of 0.93 pound, weaning weight 53 pounds and yearling weight 92 pounds. After culling the bulls, the “keeper” Angus bulls averaged minus .9 pound for birth weight, 52 pounds for weaning weight and 92 pounds for yearling weight.

After culling, the center’s keeper Angus bulls have less birth weight but similar weaning and yearling weight as the previous year. As noted, the 50 percentile of the Angus breed shows EPD values of 1.7 pounds for birth weight, 50 pounds for weaning weight and 88 pounds for yearling weight.

In addition, the keeper Angus bulls have an average rib-eye area EPD of 1.09 and a marbling EPD of .51. Both scores were well above the 50 percentile of the Angus breed. Those values are rib-eye area EPD of .43 and marbling EPD of .39 unit of marbling score.

I hope those of you reading this column are hanging in there with the numbers because numbers can overwhelm the mind and even make one look cross-eyed. However, numbers tell a very important story.

Embedding the right EPD values for the chosen traits into the herd is critical for long-term genetic success. These numbers set the lower thresholds for the selection of the replacement bulls. The goal is to be constantly updating the bull averages to reflect the current genetic desires and to steer the genes that are going into the herd.

Before I present the Red Angus and Simmental EPD values, let’s revisit a fundamental point. The EPD values for a given bull represent our best estimate of the bull’s ability to transmit the right genes into the cow herd for the next calf crop. The average EPD values for the bulls that are in the breeding line up need to be calculated and averaged to better understand what genes are available.

The assumption is that these bulls will all breed a similar number of cows, so the average EPD values are what will be transmitted to the next calf crop. Realizing that some bulls will breed more cows than other bulls, we need to except that fact as being a limitation we have no control over.

Data, particularly averages, hold true through the years. If one bull breeds less cows, the bull has less genetic influence in next year’s calf crop. However, through time, similar bulls will breed a similar number of cows and the genetic trends will move in the direction of the desired outcomes. For those who struggle with numbers, accept the fact that the trends will work for individual traits.

Rather than move on to the Red Angus and Simmental bull EPDs, perhaps a good point to end with is on the use of an index. An index is a great tool for focusing on the selection of a desired genetic outcome without bogging down on too many numbers. An index for a defined trait works and will guide the genes within the population toward the end objective.

However, the first thing one needs to do is set goals that are kept. EPD values impact the performance of the herd, so we always want to improve on the numbers using EPDs as the tool. More later.

May you find all your ear tags.

For more information, contact Ringwall at 1041 State Ave., Dickinson, ND 58601, or go to ‘BeefTalk’ on the NDSU Agnews website. Kris Ringwall is a North Dakota State University Extension Service livestock specialist and the Dickinson Research Extension Center director.

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