Following
major research efforts, the American Angus Association (AAA) has revised its $Value
Indexes to better serve commercial cow-calf operators and seedstock breeders. The Expected
Progeny Differences (EPDs) currently available through the AAA, along with
numerous individual performance measures, can be difficult to understand.
Essentially,
the revised $Value Index will make multi-trait genetic selection and understanding
EPDs simple and convenient for cattlemen and the beef industry as a whole.
The updated $Value Indexes include
revisions to: Beef Value ($B), adding Maternal Weaned Calf Value ($M) and
rounding all $Values to whole dollars to eliminate decimals. Quality Grade
($QG) and Yield Grade ($YG) will be removed because $QG is redundant to the
Marbling EPD, and $YG is redundant to Fat and REA EPDs.
After reviewing the new $C, $B and $M
indexes, STgenetics® has nine sires ranking in the top 10% for at least two or
more of these index categories.
These sires include:
G A R Reliant
G A R Sunbeam
Sitz Thunderball 734E
Bobcat Blue Sky
TK Driller
G A R Storm
Spring Grove Expanse 7313
Stevenson Declaration 7074
44 Lucky Charm
BCA Groundswell
Additionally, a combined index will be
implemented in June 2020 with a complete education plan to be executed with the
membership and industry to take place over the next 15 months.
After careful review and revising of the
new AAA EPD updates, we are proud to announce that seven sires in the
STgenetics® lineup stand in the top 1% for Combined Value ($C).
Combined Value ($C), expressed in
dollars per head, is an index which includes all traits that make up both
Maternal Weaned Calf Value ($M) and Beef Value ($B).
Combining maternal and terminal traits
into a single multi-trait genetic selection tool allows producers to make
genetic progress in several different traits at once while accounting for the interrelationships
among these traits which may pull costs and revenues in different directions.
At STgenetics®, we believe that the
best way to predict the future is to create it. We feel our success within the
Combined Value ($C) Index showcases our dedication to generating high quality genetics
for our customers.