Ron Torell with his wife, Jackie.
Cow Camp Chatter
The dam side of the pedigree.
What do you look for in your quest for the perfect bull? What questions do you ask your seedstock producer when contemplating sire selection? When selecting a bull, buyers generally concentrate on the top, or sire, side of the pedigree, relying entirely on visual appraisal and expected progeny differences (EPDs). Seldom are seedstock producers asked about the bottom, or dam side, of the pedigree. Buyers may show little interest in viewing the young bull's mother or her lifelong performance records.
An important consideration when selecting a bull is the dam side of the pedigree, especially if female offspring are to be kept for replacements. The brood cow factory is the foundation of a cow herd for both the registered seedstock producer and the commercial cattleman.
A lot is expected of our four-legged employees. We count on their ability to produce a saleable calf every 365 days from age 2 to 10 by converting low-quality fiber into sufficient body condition to allow them to reproductively cycle and breed back within 84 days of calving.
Brood cows must have the leg and skeletal structure that permits them to travel great distances harvesting grass. They must have the gut capacity to pack away large quantities of low-quality forage so the rumen bugs can do their job.
Additionally, they must have all the convenience traits that factor directly into the economics of time, facilities, vaccines and labor. These traits include calving ease, mothering ability, well-attached udders with small, well-placed teats, good dispositions, and the propensity to be easy fleshers.
Logan Ipsen, regional manager for the American Angus Association, suggests bull buyers request and look at genomic EPDs on the dam side.
"Genomic profiles are a way to enhance our current selection tools, achieving more accuracy on predictions for younger animals and to characterize genetics for traits [that] are extremely difficult to measure," he says, acknowledging that not all seedstock producers will have this information as it is relatively new. "The great thing about EPDs is the accuracy based off our database, which has analyzed over 19 million records through the American Angus Association. These EPDs are now enhanced with available genomic information."
A known quantity
One major benefit of purchasing registered seedstock is access to known genetics with a historical record of the mother cow's performance. Production data can be viewed for each of the calves this cow has produced, as well as her pedigree and EPDs for all the traits listed for the potential bull purchase.
If the average calving interval for a particular cow is far outside 365 days, a red flag should be raised relative to reproductive performance. Study the cow's average birth, weaning and yearling ratios for the calves she has produced to date. A ratio of 100 would indicate average for the herd, whereas a 98 would indicate 2% below the herd average.
Unless they have a genomic profile directly influencing their EPDs, young cows are not going to have nearly the available data or accuracy as older cows since they haven't had the opportunity to prove themselves through production. Offspring from older cows can be purchased with a greater degree of certainty than offspring of younger cows. The cow's pedigree will ensure that the purchase of a potential young sire is free from genetic defects on that side of the pedigree.
Please note that since these records are pass-code protected by their respective breed associations, you will need to view them together with your seedstock producer. (Ask your Angus seedstock supplier fo the Produce of Dam Record to see her calving interval, progeny performance records and more.)
Pathfinders
One of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon an Angus cow is to be recognized as a Pathfinder®. The Pathfinder Angus program was started in 1978 in an effort to identify superior cows in the breed based on their records of performance from Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR®). In identifying these superior cows, emphasis was placed on traits such as early puberty, breeding and early calving, followed by regularity of calving and above-average performance of the offspring.
While outstanding cows can be identified after their first or second calves, the Pathfinder Report requires a minimum of three calves from a cow to determine her regularity of calving and ability to produce superior calves for weaning weight year after year. An important part of the report is the list of bulls that have sired five or more qualifying females. Other associations have similar programs for female distinction.
When contemplating the purchase of a bull, hold the seedstock producer to his or her word. Visit the operation. Look at the conditions under which the registered herd is produced. Are these conditions anywhere similar to those in which you ask your commercial cows to produce?
Check-weigh or visually appraise a few of the producing mother cows. Is the producer's definition of "moderate frame" the same as yours? Ask questions. Do they collect chute scores for disposition or monitor udders with an accepted scoring system? Visually appraise flesh, leg structure and general physical characteristic of the dam in question.
Are the ranch's working facilities and infrastructure adequate and appear to be paid solely by revenues generated by cattle sales? Inquire about management practices of the cow herd, such as feed resources, supplementation strategies and general management philosophies. Determine if the managers and owners are good stewards of the land.
It is not the intent of this article to downplay the importance of utilizing EPDs and visual appraisal during the selection process of purchasing a bull. Rather, it is to suggest you include the mother side of the pedigree in that very important sire selection decision, especially if you are retaining replacement females for your farm or ranch. The future of your herd's production may depend on it.
That's enough for this month. As always, if you would like to discuss this article or simply want to talk cows, do not hesitate to contact me at 775-385-7665 or e-mail me.
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