ANGUS BEEF BULLETIN EXTRA

November 8, 2022 | Vol. 15 : No. 11

Selecting for the End Goal

Experts discuss tools for finding the right replacements to help meet breeding objectives.

Selecting replacement heifers can be overwhelming. There is a lot to consider: What heifers fit my breeding goals? On what expected progeny differences (EPDs) should I focus? What role does environment play? The list goes on, but perhaps the most important question is: What are my breeding objectives?


Selecting replacement heifers is an expensive and time-consuming job, but it is one every producer must do. Whether buying replacements from someone else or producing them at home, there are some parameters and tools commercial cattlemen can use to select the right females for their operation.

Where it starts
Selection often begins before the calf is born, says Kelli Retallick-Riley, president of Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI).

“We’re trying to use those EPDs before those females may even be created,” she says.

She encourages producers to use EPDs to establish breeding targets and guide breeding decisions. Doing so allows cattlemen to mate their cows to the right bulls to produce a good cohort of females from which to select replacements.


“I don’t like cattle that hurt my eyes,” says Jimmy Taylor from Cheyenne, Okla. “I like to enjoy looking at my cattle, and then they’ve got to grow.” [Photo by Shauna Hermel]

Often producers look at calving ease direct (CED), but when breeding for replacement heifers, they should also pay attention to calving ease maternal (CEM), Retallick-Riley says. That’s what predicts the future heifer’s ability to lay down and have a calf.

Heifer pregnancy (HP) predicts the heifer’s ability to get pregnant as a virgin female, she explains.

Beyond EPDs
EPDs are great selection tools, but they are not the only selection parameter. Phenotype plays an important role in who stays in the herd and who does not.

Selecting heifers that are structurally sound and with the correct temperament provides a great place to start, says Retallick.

Phenotype plays a large role in Jimmy Taylor’s selection process.

“I don’t like cattle that hurt my eyes,” says the commercial cattleman from Cheyenne, Okla. “I like to enjoy looking at my cattle, and then they’ve got to grow.”

He pays great attention to each heifer prior to breeding, and looks for qualities that will keep them in the herd.

“Generally, I would encourage producers to evaluate their production records, because they are helpful in determining growth potential and identifying the calves that are from above-average-producing cows,” says Kacie McCarthy, University of Nebraska–Lincoln beef cow-calf specialist.

To read more about selecting replacement heifers, read the full article in the Angus Beef Bulletin at https://bit.ly/ABBEndGoalHfrs.

Editor’s note: A student at West Texas A&M University, Lindsey Sawin was the 2022 Angus Beef Bulletin summer intern.