Selection Considerations to Improve Longevity

by Associate Professor & Extension Beef Cattle Specialist Longevity Jason Banta, PhD., PAS Every cow-calf producer wants a cow that is productive for 12 to 15 years or more. Longevity of both cows and bulls is influenced by a host of factors including disposition, feet and legs, udder and teat confirmation, fleshing ability, fertility, function…

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Some Thoughts on Body Condition Scoring of Cows

by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Livestock Specialist Joe C. Paschal, PhD. As far as technologies go, body condition scoring is one of the most useful and least expensive. No computers, no scales – heck, you don’t even have to pen your cows to apply it. Although body condition was certainly used before the 1960s, I…

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Now is the Time to Get Serious About Cow Efficiency

by Associate Professor and Extension Animal Scientist, Auburn University Lisa A. Kriese-Anderson, PhD. It has been over 30 years since the first Brangus expected progeny differences (EPD) values were published for Brangus breeders to utilize in selection decisions. Collecting actual weights and values for production and carcass traits used in EPD predictions are relatively easy.…

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It’s All in the Family

by Taylor Shackelford Starting a cattle herd can be a daunting task. For someone just getting into the Brangus breed, there are hundreds of genetic options to navigate. Most understand expected progeny differences (EPDs) typically fall into one of three categories: reproductive, growth-driven or carcass-oriented. Yet, there are highly-sought genetics, which encompass multiple EPD traits,…

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