15
MAXIMUM GENETIC ACCURACY -
THROUGH DNA TESTING
Recognizing the importance of
providing our customers with the
most reliable EPDs to use in their
selection decisions, the major-
ity of bulls in this sale - including
every Red Angus bull - have been
DNA tested to achieve the MAXI-
MUM EPD ACCURACY possible for
bulls of this age. Building upon the
reliability of EPDs calculated using
total herd reporting based obser-
vations of calving ease, birth, wean-
ing, yearling, ultrasound carcass,
heifer pregnancy, and stayability
in large, high quality contemporary
groups, DNA testing simply allows
us to further increase the depend-
ability of our EPDs. We go the ex-
tra mile to enhance the accuracy
of the information we provide to
best help you select the bulls that
you need.
All bulls that have been tested are
denoted as such in the catalog. We
used both Geneseek (denoted as
GGP or RA 50K) as well as Zoetis
(denoted as HD50K or PF 50K).
We see the value of this maximum
accuracy paying great dividends
for you starting with the selection
of calving ease bulls that you can
depend on to get live calves born
unassisted.
We have printed EPDs in our cata-
log since they were first published
in 1984, because they have prov-
en to be 7 to 9 times more accu-
rate than any other piece of data.
With DNA testing, we can provide
customers with genomically en-
hanced EPDs that are significantly
more informative than ever before.
The increase in accuracy is simi-
lar to the information we gain from
measuring a bullís first natural ser-
vice calf crop. Think of how pow-
erful that information is in helping
you know what to expect from a
bullís offspring. The amazing thing
is that we can fast-forward the re-
sults and have that powerful infor-
mation before you even buy him.
Prior to DNA, the rate at which we
gained knowledge of a bullís true
genetic merit was limited by father
time and biology. First, we collect-
ed his calves birth weights, then
weaning, yearling, ultrasound, and
it would take years before we ever
collected any daughter data. With
DNA enhanced EPDs, we gain this
information simultaneously for all
traits. Without DNA testing, most
bulls are ready for retirement be-
fore we know how 20 of their
daughters are going to produce.
With DNA testing, we can have the
power of that information before
ranchers make their investment
decisions ñ to help you buy the
bulls that do what you expected of
them.
Relating this to people in search
of a spouse, DNA enhanced EPDs
would be like looking into the fu-
ture to see what that special per-
son you had a crush on back in
school would be like in their 40ís.
Thankfully I married a great one
without such a test. But in select-
ing cattle, I choose to use all the
tools I can to make the right deci-
sions. We tested over 450 bulls in
this sale to help you make the best
decisions possible.
Predictable Genetics Commitment
DNA Testing ~
