Over the past few months I have been asked why the Beefalo Breed does not use EPD's
like other Cattle Breeds. EPD's which stands for "Estimated Progeny Differences", is a system of measuring cattle performance within a breed. It is a data base that compares an animal's performance against others in the breed. For the most part when you mention EPD's in Beefalo circles, eyes glaze over because interpretation of the data can be complex and, misunderstood.
Yet, for some reason EPD's are the hot topic of Beefalo conversation lately. My initial response as to why we don't use this system, is that many smaller breeders who make up the majority of the breed association membership usually do not record data on Birth Weight, Weaning Weight, Yearling average and the other factors that provide the baseline to develop EPD's.
Additionally, Beefalo are "Composite" (crossbred) Cattle. They can be made up of any breed as long as they contain 17 to 37.5 percent Bison. This leads to a vast difference in their performance. A registered Beefalo bull made up of Bison with a cattle blend of Holstein, Hereford and Charolais, cannot be compared to a Beefalo Bull that is say, Bison, Gelbvieh, Piedmontese and Angus. I have often times said that EPD's, if they are used, will probably be left up to the individual seed stock breeder's record keeping and will not be an Association Responsibility.
The other factor that Beefalo Breeders are quick to grasp, (as well as other Cattlemen) is that EPD's fail to estimate Environmental Conditions. So far nobody has come up with a baseline for a cow raised on irrigated pasture with daily hands-on care, compared to a cow raised under harsh range conditions, with little human management. Cattlemen must have animals that they develop to fit the conditions that they face.
In Conclusion: Will we see EPD's scoring in the Beefalo Breed? I think not.
like other Cattle Breeds. EPD's which stands for "Estimated Progeny Differences", is a system of measuring cattle performance within a breed. It is a data base that compares an animal's performance against others in the breed. For the most part when you mention EPD's in Beefalo circles, eyes glaze over because interpretation of the data can be complex and, misunderstood.
Yet, for some reason EPD's are the hot topic of Beefalo conversation lately. My initial response as to why we don't use this system, is that many smaller breeders who make up the majority of the breed association membership usually do not record data on Birth Weight, Weaning Weight, Yearling average and the other factors that provide the baseline to develop EPD's.
Additionally, Beefalo are "Composite" (crossbred) Cattle. They can be made up of any breed as long as they contain 17 to 37.5 percent Bison. This leads to a vast difference in their performance. A registered Beefalo bull made up of Bison with a cattle blend of Holstein, Hereford and Charolais, cannot be compared to a Beefalo Bull that is say, Bison, Gelbvieh, Piedmontese and Angus. I have often times said that EPD's, if they are used, will probably be left up to the individual seed stock breeder's record keeping and will not be an Association Responsibility.
The other factor that Beefalo Breeders are quick to grasp, (as well as other Cattlemen) is that EPD's fail to estimate Environmental Conditions. So far nobody has come up with a baseline for a cow raised on irrigated pasture with daily hands-on care, compared to a cow raised under harsh range conditions, with little human management. Cattlemen must have animals that they develop to fit the conditions that they face.
In Conclusion: Will we see EPD's scoring in the Beefalo Breed? I think not.
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