January 29, 2021
Dear Cattlemen and Cattlewomen,
Genetic selection is the first decision – and possibly the most important decision – that we make in the long process of producing seedstock cattle. Cattle Code is a computer program that enables you to select matings that meet your targets quickly and rigorously to select the right bull for each cow.
Cattle Code calculates the EPDs of potential matings between each cow that you submit and thousands of prospective sires, and then ranks each sire for each cow according to a custom index that is based on the targets that you specify. There are several types of targets – maximize, minimize, stay above, stay below, and dealbreakers – and you can specify your targets for the future calf’s EPDs (i.e., potential mating) and for the sire’s EPD accuracy. We produce a report in Excel format that contains the EPD results for all of the matings, ranked in order according to your targets, and a list of all bulls that ranked in the top-10 for any of your cows.
Here’s an example: a breeder wants to produce calves with CED > 10, YW > 130, MARB > 1.0, and $C > 300, and they only want to consider bulls with a MARB ACC > 0.5. We input these targets, run the program for each cow that the breeder submits, and return the Excel output file that contains a list of the highest-ranking bulls for each cow for producing calves with the specified targets. In other words, with Cattle Code, you can compare every bull for every cow and pick the best mating to produce the calves you want to produce.
To submit cows for this service: login to angusonline.org —> select Reports —> EPD Reports —> EPD/$Values - Owned Animals —> select birth dates, tattoos, or animal set —> select Sex: Cow —> select Excel Spreadsheet —> save the file —> email the file to colinmbeal@gmail.com.
To submit targets for future calves and for sire EPD accuracy: download the Targets Template below —> save the file with your name —> replace the example targets with your desired targets on the Calf Targets and Sire Accuracy Targets tabs —> email to colinmbeal@gmail.com. Alternatively, we can run the program using targets that Beal Cattle Co. uses.
To review an example output file with sire rankings, download the Example Results file below.
Thanks for your time,
Colin M Beal, PhD
Owner/Operator, Beal Cattle Co. LLC
540-230-5049
colinmbeal@gmail.com