Association to Update $Value Indexes
Updates are based on a major research effort and will be effective this June.
The American Angus Association Board of Directors approved changes to its suite of bioeconomic dollar value indexes ($Values) during the February board meeting Feb. 18-21, 2019. Updated $Values will be available this June.
“An extensive research project was initiated in February of 2018, which included an industry survey of all sectors, that allowed staff to gain insight into how Angus breeders utilize genetic tools. These results complemented the core research analysis that ultimately led to the updated $Value models.”
Changes include revisions to beef value ($B); updating the weaned calf value ($W) model to the new maternal value ($Maternal); and rounding all $Values to whole dollars, eliminating decimals. Quality grade ($QG) and yield grade ($YG) will be removed because $QG is redundant to the marbling expected progeny difference (EPD), and $YG is redundant to fat and ribeye area (REA) EPDs.
In addition, a balanced index will be implemented June 2020 with a complete education plan to be executed with the membership and industry during the next 15 months.
“Our current $Value Index models have served us well since 2004,” said Dan Moser, Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) president. “But since 2004, technology has improved, and new EPDs have been created. So, an extensive research project was initiated in February of 2018, which included an industry survey of all sectors, that allowed staff to gain insight into how Angus breeders utilize genetic tools. These results complemented the core research analysis that ultimately led to the updated $Value models.”
AGI staff worked alongside AbacusBio, a renowned animal breeding technology consulting company, to develop and conduct the survey, analyze the results and update economic models. The AGI team reviewed the findings and put together recommendations to best serve the goals of the membership and the breed. The recommendations were reviewed by the Board, and several were approved.
$B will be updated to better reflect current end points when finishing cattle. $W will become $Maternal and will include more EPDs, such as maternal calving ease, heifer pregnancy and docility. Also effective in June 2019, all $Values will be rounded to whole dollars, eliminating the decimals, or cents, portion of each $Value.
Finally, a balanced index also was approved to roll out June 2020. A comprehensive education initiative will be conducted during the next 15 months to ensure the membership can see exactly how the balanced index will work, what EPDs are included and how it can be considered when making breeding decisions.
Learn more at www.angus.org/Nce/ValueIndexes.aspx.
Editor’s note: Rachel Robinson is the communications manager for the American Angus Association.
