Dl4—Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, October 11,1980
EVALUATING THE
BROOD COW. Grandpa
would never understand die
jargon used in todays dairy
business. Modern cow
language is filled with
acronyms, abbreviations
and alphabetical acrobatics
that can make even a Dut
chman blush! But we all
have to learn how to un
derstand and speak it in
order to know what’s going
on.
We all know what DHI
stands for, Dairy Herd
Improvement, is the name of
the game. It’s a very serious
game, and the stakes are
high, so the tools we use are
very sophisticated. But we
like to shorten the handles.
So, when we want to talk
about the Estimated
Producing Ability of a cow,
we simply refer to the EPA
value. We seldom say
Predicted Difference or
Estimated Pedigree Value
anymore; it’s easier to say
PD and EPV, and a lot
shorter to write. But the
main thing is that we know
what they mean and how to
use them in evaluating our
cows.
So, lets look at the Cl (Cow
Index), the most
sophisticated formula used
m today’s practical genetics.
It’s also one of the least
understood by the layman.
Many dairymen recently
have received their first
computer sheets listing a Cl
for every cow in their herd
that has completed a lac-
Tl?e
Dairy
Business
By
Newton Bair
learn how they are com
puted, and just how valuable
they can be.
Anyone who has signed a
contract mating with an AI
Stud knows the importance
of a high Cl on the contract
cow.
Before you can fully un
derstand how the Cow Index
formula works, there are
some terms to be defined
and understood. EPA is an
Estimate of a cow’s
Producing Ability. It takes
into account her genetic
background and her own
environmental conditions
that can affect her records.
The EPA formula uses a
series of “weighted per
centages” correlated among
successive lactation records.
Here are the weights used
for various number of
records:
No Records
12345678
Weight 5 67 75 SO 83 86 .88-
89
Another term used is HD,
the Herdmate Deviation.
This figure can be plus (+)
or minus (-), depending on
whether a cows’ records are
higher or lower than her
herdmates. The formula is:
EPA=weight (for no. of
records) X HD.
Example: a cow with four
records and an average
herdmate deviation of +5OOO
pounds of milk has an EPA
of .80 x +5OOO = +4OOO
pounds.
EPA values for all cows
are listed on the Com
puterized Life History Sheet,
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
The basic interest rate on
home ownership loans made
by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Farmers
Home Administration has
Been raised to 12 percent,
Alex P. Mercure, USDA
and you can easily compare
the EPA for all cows in your
herd.
COMPUTING THE COW
INDEX (Cl) The Cl is an
'estimate of a cows ability to
transmit her qualities to her
offspring. Sire analysts
check the Cow Index value
before considering her for a
planned mating contract.
Based on production
records, it is an expansion of
the cows average Herdmate
Deviation (HD) and the
Predicted Difference (PD)
of her sire. Both are
modified by a weighting
factor. The factors are
different from those used in
calculating the Estimated
Producing Ability.
No Records
12 3 4 5 6 7
Weijht 15 21 24 26 27 28 2
The formula is: Cl = .5
[(Cow factor X HD) + (Bull
factor X Bulls PD)]. The
Bull factor for a Bull with
90% Repeatability is .85.
Example: The cow in the
above example has an HD of
+5OOO lb. milk on 4 records.
She was sired by a bull with
90% + Repeatability, and a
Predicted Difference of 1000
lb. Her Cl is computed as
follows:
Cow Index = .5 [(.26 x 5000)
+ (.85x1000)]
Cow Index =.5 [l3oo+ 850]
Cow Index = 1075
Obviously, the more
records a cow has, with a
high Herdmate Deviation
(HD), the more reliable is
her index. If the above cow
had only one record, her Cl
would be 800, probably too
low to be considered for the
contract mating game.
Even if you don’t want to
bother to figure your own
EPA or Cl, I thought it might
be fun to see how it’s done.
FmHA boosts rural home interest rate
assistant secretary for rural
development, said Wed
nesday.
The previous rate, in effect
since June, was 11.5 percent.
Mercure said the rate
applies to rural housing
loans to families of moderate
income.
Formulas used in setting
interest rates for Fanners
Home Administration and
other government lenders,
said Mercure, are
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Check with your Hesston dealer
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Up to *lOOO Factory
Rebates Available
See these dealers soon:
DONALD ERDLEY CAP FULTZ
R.D. 1 R.D. 1
Lewisburg, Pa. Spring Mills, Pi
717-524-2410 814-422-8805
LONGENECKERINC.
RD 2
Williamsburg, Pa
814-793-3731
CLAIR J. MYERS
RO 1
Thomasville, Pa
717-259-0453
PETERMAN FARM
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225 York Rd.
Carlisle, Pa
717-249-5338
prescribed by law and are
closely tied to the cost of
federal borrowing and
prevailing private market
interest rates for similiar
maturities.
The change in interest rate
applies only to non
subsidized housing loans
made by the Farmers Home
Administration, the rural
credit service of USDA, in
rural areas including tours
123 Pennsylvania Avenue
Avondale, Pa. 19311
Telephone: 215-268-8222
Hours: Tuesday thru Friday 12 - 5 and 7 - 9
Saturday 10 - 5
Dealer inquiries Invited
MKVTM MM CO 9
MECKLEY’S
LIMESTONE
PRODUCTS
R.D. 1
Herndon, Pa
717-758-3915
STOUFFER B
Chambersburg,
717-263-8424
WERTZ GARAGE
Lineboro, MD
301-374-2672
VERNON STUP
R.D.2
Frederick, Md.
301-663-3185
of not more than” 20,1
population.
Loans still will
available as rates as low
one percent to low-incoi
families under the “inter*
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national housing at
Mercure said.
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trademark of
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IVAN ZOOK
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717-935-2948
,000