When selling my Bulls my customers insist on maximum EPDs

While EPDs can be used in some instances, trying to achieve maximum in any trait will not help but hinder reaching our goal of maximum profitability.

As we know now, too much milk goes against reproduction or on the ranch fertility, too large a frame goes against practical fertility and conversion efficiency by reducing relative intake which is defined as the amount of grass a cow can consume per hundred pounds of weight.

The most important trait in a cow is her ability to wean a good calf every year, to do this she needs to be in top body condition with smaller frame animals the ones with best body condition, all other factors being equal.  Observe your herd of cows at same reproductive stage and age, and you will find out this is true as a rule with very few exceptions.

A larger framed animal results from chasing high daily gain, high weaning weight, maximum yearling weight, as the larger frame animal will win in those categories.  These larger frame animals also mean they are late maturing possessing less practical fertility.  We need early maturing animals that can start calving at 24 months of age and every year after.  Stocking rate will benefit from not chasing these high EPDs, the land will improve faster with better adapted animals selected correctly with un adapted, tall animals being high maintenance and actually degrading the land with the practices they require to be productive.

If your customers insist on high production EPDs and not a much better animal, it means he/she needs to be educated to achieve much higher profits and improve their land.

It takes time but can be done, I believe it’s a worthy endeavor which by making our clients more profitable ensures our prestige and long-term goals.