When choosing a herd bull, whether your first or your next, it’s important to know how to get what you need. That’s where EPDs come into play. EPDs are measured in units of traits, such as pounds for birth weight, and are used in conjunction with other EPDs to evaluate a specific animal’s genetic worth as a parent.
In the case of bull selection, you may be quite favorably impressed by sale catalog photos. Remember to do your own homework with the provided EPDs to get a good picture of what each bull could bring to your herd.
Iowa State University (ISU) Extension beef specialist Patrick Wall has developed a four-part video series to assist you in understanding the basics of EPDs. All four are under 9 minutes and each covers a specific topic: Calving, Carcass Traits, Maternal Traits and Growth Traits.
Watch any or all of these videos in the EPD Basics playlist on the Iowa Beef Center YouTube channel.
Winter cow care publication
Best management practices for winter care of the cow herd aren’t always evident, especially when those unfamiliar with raising livestock see animals outdoors in open fields during cold, snowy weather without apparent access to shelter.
A recent ISU study was designed to evaluate whether the effects of winter grazing or confinement for winter care of beef cows in Iowa would have any impact on the physical condition of the cow or the calf born to the cow in spring.
Project leader Garland Dahlke, associate scientist with Iowa Beef Center said measurements throughout the trial included forage quality; weather data; water intake; cow weight, visual body condition scoring, mud scoring and ultrasound of twelfth rib fat cover and ribeye area; and calving data. Although there were slight measurement differences between and among the groups by location, It appears that where feedstuff quality is similar between scenarios, there is no difference.
The four-page publication that details the project study, results and findings was updated in January 2024. Download “Winter Care of the Cow Herd: Confinement Versus Open Grazing,” at no charge from the ISU Extension store website, store.extension.iastate.edu. — ISU Extension
