Red Angus Association of America releases spring 2018 EPDs in time for bull sale season
As a new calendar year has arrived, so has the blitz of spring bull sales. Beef producers desire up-to-date genetic information to make their purchasing decisions, hence accurate and reliable information is necessary. The Red Angus Association of America has just released its spring 2018 EPDs, allowing producers to utilize the most current data from the industry’s best Red Angus genetics at upcoming production sales.
The Red Angus breed has been dedicated to providing trustworthy and accurate EPDs for decades, which are backed by Total Herd Reporting data across the breed and membership. The newly released spring 2018 EPDs are conveniently displayed with in-breed ranking percentiles to facilitate selection decisions.
Red Angus’ strong foundation of THR data, combined with genomic enhancement from DNA tests, provides EPDs with excellent reliability. The information sourced in genomic data can be as informative as a cow’s lifetime production record or an individual bull’s first calf crop. Additionally, since the genomic data is incorporated directly into the EPDs, beef producers don’t have to learn how to interpret anything new. Ultimately, these factors yield higher accuracy EPDs for bull buyers who rely on sound data to make their purchasing decisions.
“Red Angus continues to invest heavily in genetic characterization through EPDs,” said Tom Brink, RAAA CEO. “A positive from the past several years of rapid breed growth is a significantly larger database and a greater number of total performance records that build animal proofs more rapidly than ever before. This benefits commercial cattle producers who count on Red Angus genetics to keep their operations profitable.”
Producers can access individual animals’ EPDs and breed percentiles, or calculate the projected EPDs of specific matings, via the RedAngus.org website.
The Red Angus Association of America serves the beef industry by enhancing and promoting the competitive advantages of Red Angus and Red Angus-influenced cattle. The RAAA provides commercial producers with the most objectively described cattle in the industry by seeking and implementing new technologies based on sound, scientific principles that measure traits of economic importance. For more information, visit www.RedAngus.org.
