New
Traits

The American Hereford Association is committed to proven research and developing new traits for breeders to enhance the profitability of their herd. The AHA works closely with industry partners and the science community to develop these traits and validate their efficacy

Dry Matter Intake

Feed intake records from American Hereford Association research projects and breeder data collection have been analyzed in a genetic evaluation to predict Dry Matter Intake (DMI) EPDs.  Reported in pounds of feed consumed per day, this EPD characterizes genetics for intake, with a lower numeric value being associated with less feed consumed on a dry matter basis.

Highlights

The following example depicts a comparison between two sires for their DMI EPDs.  Note that a lower value is associated with genetic potential for less intake in future progeny.  As with other EPDs, the difference between individuals is the best approach in understanding the DMI EPDs.  In this example, the progeny of Sire A are expected to consume 0.75 pounds less feed per day compared with Sire B’s progeny.  This assumes that all progeny are exposed to the same postweaning feeding management and environment.  Care should be taken in the interpretation and application of DMI EPDs, with the best approach being the future use of these genetic values in AHA selection indexes.

Example DMI EPD (lb per day)

Sire A: DMI EPD =     -0.50 lb/d

Sire B: DMI EPD =    +0.25 lb/d

Difference    -0.75 lb/d

Progeny of Sire A, on the average, are expected to consume .75 lb less feed per day compared with Sire B’s progeny

Sustained Cow Fertility

The AHA’s new Sustained Cow Fertility EPD (SCF) is a prediction of a cow’s ability to continue to calve from three years of age through 12 years of age, given she calved as a two-year-old. The EPD is expressed as a deviation in the proportion of the ten-possible calving’s to twelve years old expressed as a probability. For example, the daughters of a bull with a 30 EPD would have the genetic potential to have one more calf by age twelve then the daughters from a bull with a 20 EPD. In other words, the daughters from the 30 EPD bull would have a 10% greater probability of having one more calf than the bull with a 20 EPD. This is equivalent to saying that the daughters are 10% more likely to remain in the herd to age 12.