From a reader who grew up on a ranch in North Dakota
Our poster child has grown up (;>)
So - Herbster has EPD's on the little black bull's calves.
That's Expected Progeny Differences
Under
"Production", his calves have higher birth weights, weaning weights and
yearling weights - those are the 2nd, 3rd and 4th categories. People
make more money off calves that are heavier at weaning and yearling
ages, but they actually don't like a bigger birth weight because it
makes it tougher on the momma cows. There is a specific demand for a
bull that will produce a low birth-weight calf (of course they don't
want to sacrifice much weight as he grows). Those bulls are bought to
breed heifers with the idea that the first calf a cow delivers should be
smaller.
Then there's a maternal section off to the right - all I know there is that more milk is better.
Ah - I just saw a link on the very bottom right that translates the abbreviations - I'll read it later.
The
ones I know for carcass weignt (lower left section), are obviously
carcass weight, rib eye (the highest $ value retail cuts ... more rib
eye =more money), marbling (desireable) and fat (I think that's fat
external to the meat, and although I know that's a good thing for taste,
most housewives don't want to pay for fat, so the butcher trims it,
losing money)
This whole
EPD thing came along after I left the ranch, so I'm not well-versed in
it. It'll be fun to read the "Cliff Notes" - I'll learn something about
the modern beef industry.
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