Genetics
What causes cows to
depreciate? “Mostly, it’s open
or underperforming cows that
end up going to town. That
alone can represent a noncash
cost of $150 or more per cow
per year on an average ranch.”
Moreover, Decker is a proponent
of using economic selection
indexes to move toward
herd-specific goals without
inadvertently leaving something
important behind. These
economic selection indexes
account for the traits associated
with a particular breeding
objective, with each of those
traits weighted for their relative
economic performance.
“Economic selection indexes
are genetic predictions [i.e.,
EPDs] for profitability,” Decker
explains. “Economic selection
indexes weight each EPD trait
by its economic importance
and combine them into one
number. They allow us to
use multiple trait selection,
focusing on our economic
well-being. Selection indexes
also simplify our decisions,
because they combine all of the
information into one number
on which to rank cattle.”
Decker reminds that various
indexes have different purposes.
For instance, some focus mostly
on end product value, others
on replacement heifers and
maternal values. It pays to know
what traits make up a specific
index and how they’re weighted.
By embracing available
tools, combined with good
old-fashioned cow sense,
it’s remarkable what some
commercial producers are
achieving when it comes to
cutting herd costs, increasing
revenue and expanding
economic efficiency. I
This article originally appeared
in BEEF magazine as part of the
Seedstock 100 program sponsored
by Boehringer Ingelheim.
LIMOUSIN Today | 49