Page 20—Ag Progress Section 2, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 15, 1998
CLAY CENTER, Neb. The
table of adjustment factors to esti
mate across-breed expected pro
geny differences (AB-EPDs) for
12 breeds was presented to the
Genetic Prediction Committee at
the Beef Improvement Federation
Annual Meeting in Calgary, Al
berta, Canada July 2.
Animals of different breeds can
be compared on the same EPD
scale, after adding the appropriate
adjustment factor to expected pro
geny differences (EPDs) produced
in the most recent genetic evalua
tions for each of the 12 breeds.
For example, if a Simmental
bull has an EPD for weaning
weight of -t-25.0 and a Hereford
bull has an EPD of +25.0, would
we expect their progeny out of a
different breed of dam (e.g., An
gus) to weigh about the same? No,
not unless the adjustment factor is
about the same. In this case the
AB-EPD for the Simmental bull is
49.4, which is the table adjustment
factor of 24.4 added to the
Simmental EPD of +25.0. The
AB-EPD of the Hereford bull is
28.3, the table adjustment of +3.3
added to the Hereford EPD of
25.0. In this example, progeny of
the Simmental bull would be ex
pected to weigh, on average 21.1
pounds more at weaning than pro
geny of the Hereford bull (24.4
+25.0) - (3.3 + 25.0) = 21.1
pounds.
EPDs are published annually by
breed associations for most breeds
of beef cattle. EPDs can be used to
estimate differences expected in
performance of future progeny of
two or more individuals in the
same breed for birth weight,
weaning weight, yearling weight.
Ag Progress Offers Tips
On Conserving Natural Resources
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.)
Visitors to Penn State’s Ag Progress Days,
August 18-20, can learn how to apply con
servation practices to backyards as well as
farms at the Conservation Education
ARea.
The Conservation Education Area will
offer workshops and “living demonstra
tions,” as well as model airplane flying
demonstration by 4-H aeromodelers. Buses
will also depart daily from the area to take
visitors on various conservation tours.
The wetlands and stream corridor man
agement tour will show how stream cross
ings, streambank fencing and restored
wetlands can improve streambank corri
dors Buses leave at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m
daily
A walking tour on forest stewardship
will feature important forest tree species
and their growth. Topics include forest
ecology, forest history, tree identification
and forest management from the land
scape to the woodlot level Participants
should dress comfortably for this walking
tour, which will run hourly from 10 00 to
4:00 each day, with an additional tour at
s'oo on Wednesday
On the agricultural conservation tour,
farm operators can learn how conservation
practices can protect soil and improve
water quality. Topics include crop residue
management, contour strip cropping,
buffer strips, cropland terraces, waterways
and diversions Buses will leave daily at 11
a m and 2pm
The manure composting tour will fea
ture a stabilized pad that can be used to
store bedded pack manure or to create a
compost Experts will explain how this
facility is constructed and maintained
This tour will'be held daily at 10 a m and
noon
Model airplane enthusiasts from
Pennsylvania’s Cumberland County
Aeromodelers, a 4-H modeler’s club, will
Across-Breed EPD Table Provided
maternal weaning weight, and
milking ability (as reflected in
progeny weaning weights). With
out the across breed adjustment
factors, EPDs can not be used to
compare animals of different
breeds because they are computed
separately for each breed and each
breed has a different base point
Are these predictions of aver-
ADJUSTMENT FACTORS TO ADD TO EPDs OF TWELVE DIFFERENT BREEDS TO
ESTIMATE AB-EPDs
Breed
Hereford
Angus
Shorthorn
Brahman
Simmental
Limousin
Charolais
Maine Anjou
Gelbvieh
Pinzgauer
Tarentaise
Salers
demonstrate their flying feats daily at
11:15 a.m. and at 1:15, 2:45 and 4:15 p.m.
Club members and adult leaders will fly
miniature aircraft built by club members.
At the Graziers Forum, daily at 11 a.m.,
(Turn to Page 22)
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age difference in calves of two or
more parents perfect? No, EPDs
are not perfect for comparing any
two bulls of the same breed, and
AB-EPDs are somewhat less ac
curate for comparing bulls of two
different breeds. Since the breed
differences are estimated with re
latively large numbers of sires and
progeny at MARC, results from
updated statistical analysis indi-
Birth Wt
4.0
0.0
8.3
14.7
7.3
8.1
11.2
12.3
10.1
9.2
5.5
6.5
Questions may be addressed to
Larry V. Cundiff (402-762-4171) or
L Dale Van Vleck (402-472-6010)
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cate that precision of the AB-EPD
estimates depend primarily upon
accuracy of within breed EPDs of
individual bulls being compared.
The AB-EPDs for MILK were es
timated with lower precision rela
tive to corresponding estimates for
birth weight, direct weaning
weight, and yearling weight.
The adjustment factors were
updated using national cattle
Weaning Wt
3.3
0.0
29.4
35.8
24.4
34.0
42.0
41.1
48.3
30.4
32.2
29.6
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Yearling Wt
-4.4
0.0
40.7
-16.8
42.4
29.2
62.0
53.9
52.3
29.6
20.4
34.9
PENNSYLVANIA
evaluations produced in 1998 by
associations of each of the 12
breeds. The table is based on
“head to head” comparison of the
breeds at the U.S. Meat Animal
Research Center (MARC), Clay
Center, Neb. The analysis was
conducted by MARC Research
Geneticists, Dale Van Vleck and
Larry Cundiff.
MILK
-9.6
0.0
10.7
24.0
13.6
-5.7
1.7
23.8
26.4
7.5
19.2
12.9
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