RobertMac said:
There can as much difference within a breed as there is between breeds.
This statement always bothers me...isn't the purpose of a breed to concentrate genetics for specific traits that are reproduced consistently and faithfully by the animals of that breed????? Having genetics all over the place seems, to me, to be anti-breed. If an association was breeding for breed character, wouldn't the ideal EPDs be 'breed average'...not developing a bunch of outliers!!!!! I have scraped EPDs because EPDs aren't genetics!
Very true. I don't run angus but I have a few older angus cross cows. They average 1100 pounds. I watch sales in the SE and those cows average 1400 to 1500 pounds. I select for milk epds below the breed standard also. If they milk to hard they'll starve to death feeding their calf. So if you're in the SE selecting for a 1400 pound cow with a YW of +80 and MIlk of +35 while I'm looking for 110 YW +55 and Milk +17 we are miles apart and always will be. The trick is to know the lines of cattle that work in your area. In a perfect world they would be universal and of course that is our goal in any breed. I run Galloway, Shorthorn, (purebreds) and have some hereford and redangus cross cows. As a Galloway and Shorthorn seedstock breeder I want to better those breeds so that someone from the SE or SW can buy stock from me and not have any problems.
This statement bothers me too RM. But if you think of the many variations in environments in the USA, sometimes just miles apart, that cattle must survive in.......... it makes sense.
For instance, I get some bull buyers who want tall, long legged bulls, and some who want short thick bulls. Some who want a lot of milk in the pedigree and some that want none.
It is up to each individual breeder to hit the target for his particular market
and deliver bulls who meet the buyers needs.
EPD's only give us an idea of the genetic potential of the offspring in the factors that many want to know. i.e. BW, WW, YW, etc.
Problem is.......there aren't any EPD's for good feet and legs, etc. EPD's are to used only in conjunction with an individuals' particular phenotypic values.
In fact, many use the lower EPD numbers to select for instead of the higher ones, and some use the breed average as a target.