08/30/2020
We are continuing to hone our selection criteria, and zero in on the traits that add dollars to our customers pockets. There are a multitude of selection tools out there to be used, with more coming out each year. Genetic tools for selecting your next bull are only as good as their accuracy and relevance to the cattle industry. We will still be including EPDs in our catalog as they have been thought to be the best selection tools in the past. With new formulas and systems for calculating, EPDs are now changing every week for every animal, and sometimes in significant ways. It is almost impossible to hit a moving target, and the bull you buy today may appear to have a completely different genetic profile in a month. As commercial cattlemen like most of our customers, we sell cattle not computer algorithms. We have developed a tool based on hard data to help you select bulls that will increase profitability.
We recognize that fertility is the number one profit driver for cow-calf operations. Pounds of calf weaned per cow exposed to a bull (a function of fertility, milking ability, and growth potential) is your number one money maker. Our new tool that we call Ranch$ is a measure of an animals’ pedigree to value its potential to make cows with longevity and calves that push down the scale. Ranch$ is derived by reaching back into the pedigree and measuring the number of natural calves produced by dams on both sides of the pedigree, as well as the lifetime weaning ratio of the dam’s progeny. This is a completely unbiased, data based approach to find traits of critical economic importance. Individuals that rise to the top are ones that have proven longevity and weaning performance exhibited in their pedigree. The top 5 bulls born in 2019-2020 for Sustained Cow Fertility EPD in the entire AHA registry average 15.44 on the Ranch$ index, our entire offering of Hereford bulls this year averages 20.5 for Ranch$. This year we will be providing you with this tool for the Hereford bulls in our sale. In the future we may offer it for the calving ease Red Angus bulls, but at this point our data base for the Red Angus herd is not as complete yet.
We know that while critical, this trait does not encompass the entire beef cycle. We will continue to get feedlot and carcass data on cattle with Snedden Ranch genetics, and continue to work to open up more marketing opportunities for our customers’ calves. We have a great set of bulls for your evaluation this year. We are looking forward to working with you on sale day and beyond to maximize the genetic investment you make.
Mark you calendars for Saturday October 10th for our annual bull sale. Message us if you would like to be added to our mailing list.
