Page 9 - DVAuction Online Catalogs

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It is a great time to be in the
cattle business even though we
are being affected by high feed
costs. We know that rain will
come and it appears beef prices
will remain strong due to lower
cattle inentory.
A major change has occurred
this year as the Red Angus and
Simmental Associations have
joined forces to create the first
true multi-breed sire evaluation.
Over the past several years we
have published Red Angus EPDs
and SM EPDs in our sale catalog.
For years, many of our customers
have wanted to compare the
EPDs of our sale bulls across
breeds. This year, that wish has
become reality; the growth and
carcass EPDs (BW, WW, YW,
Milk, Marbling, YG, CW, REA
and Fat) of all animals in this
years sale offering can be directly
compared. Because Red Angus
and Simmental EPDS are now
presented on the same base, pro-
ducers will no longer have to
calculate adjustments as they
move between breed or hybrids
of both breeds.
To help buyers familiarize
themselves with the new multi-
breed EPD base, we have pre-
sented the following percentile
rank tables. If you have been
buying cattle in the top 25% of
the population for certain traits,
the percentile rank tables will
help ensure you maintain the
same level of performance. The
percentile tables show how vari-
ous levels of expected progeny
performance compare within Red
Angus, Simmental and SimAngus
Hybrid populations. If you have
any questions, please do not hesi-
tate to call me at 620-525-6632.
Understanding the Percentile Ranks of the 2013 Sale Offering