Evaluating Longevity: 10 Years of Using Stayability EPD

1. Evaluating Longevity: 10 Years of Using Stayability EPD Larry Keenan Research & Special Projects Coordinator, RAAA

2. Outline • History of RAAA EPD Philosophy • Stayability • Calculation • Breeders’ View • Strengths • Weaknesses • Next Generation

3. Strategic Plan 2000 • Developed in 1993 • Actions: • Increase number of EPDs available to 20 by the year 2000 • Implement Total Herd Reporting (THR)

4. 1994 BW WW YW Milk TM 2000 BW WW YW Milk TM STAY MARB REA FAT RAAA EPDs Did we fail? NO, the goal changed!

5. RAAA Philosophy • Commercial producers are our customers • > 95% of Red Angus bulls are sold to commercial producers • Members (seedstock producers) succeed through enabling the success (profit) of their commercial customers • What does the commercial producer need to succeed?

6. 1. Be Born Unassisted 2. Get Bred to Calve as a 2-yr-old 3. Have 1st Calf Without Assistance 4. Rebreed to Calve Again in 365 Days 5. Complete Steps 2-4 Without Extra Feed or TLC 6. Wean a Heavy Calf 7. Pass on Added Value Traits to Offspring 8. Repeat Steps 1-7 for Many Years Commercial Producer’s Requirements for Replacement Females

7. RAAA EPD Philosophy • Accurately describe animals using the fewest genetic predictions possible • Concept driven by Economically Relevant Traits (ERT)

8. Why ERTs? Indicator Scrotal Circumference B.W. & Calving Ease Score Mature Weight, Milk & BCS Calving Records ERT Heifer Pregnancy Rate Calving Ease Cow Maintenance Energy Requirement Stayability

9. 1. Be Born Unassisted 2. Get Bred to Calve as a 2-yr-old 3. Have 1st Calf Without Assistance 4. Rebreed to Calve Again in 365 Days 5. Complete Steps 2-4 Without Extra Feed or TLC 6. Wean a Heavy Calf 7. Pass on Added Value Traits to Offspring 8. Repeat Steps 1-7 for Many Years Commercial Producer’s Requirements for Replacement Females CED ME HPG TM CETM (1/2 CED + CE Maternal) STAY

10. Stayability Expected difference, in percent probability, of daughters staying productive within a herd until six years of age

11. Stayability • Developed in the early 1990’s • For non THR data • 1st STAY EPD released in 1995 • Probability of a cow staying in production after reaching her break-even age (6 Years) • Break-even age varies by operation

12. Measuring Stayability • Through Total Herd Reporting (THR) RAAA has production records of every registered Red Angus cow on inventory • Calving Records • Reason Codes

13. Calculation of RAAA Stayability • Endpoint: 6 Years (2,190 days) • Single Trait Threshold Model • In production after 6 years of age: Yes or No • Ability to use historical data

14. RAAA Stayability Simple Statistics

15. RAAA Stayability Genetic Trend

16. Breeders’ View #1 • “Stays on the radar screen” • “Doesn’t eliminate sires, but corrective matings are used” • “Has potential to be a major player”

17. Breeders’ View #2 • “Not aggressively selected for at the current time” • “We don’t use a bad Stayability bull” • “However, there have not been any good bulls with bad stayability” • “With improvements, Stayability would be aggressively selected for”

18. Weaknesses • Extended time to ‘prove’ bulls • BW vs. STAY • Doesn’t account for reproduction each year • One calf produced after 6 years of age • Are seedstock producers more forgiving in regards to fertility?

19. Weaknesses • When females are culled, model doesn’t account for why they were culled • Failure to reproduce • Structural/Phenotypic Traits: udder, feet, etc. • Owner exiting beef industry • Died from unnatural causes (lightning, fire, etc.) • Limits use as fertility genetic predictor

20. Strengths • Provides producers a tool to increase profits • Recapture investment cost of female • Calculated using THR based calving records • Requires no additional data • Acceptable heritability - .10 • Just less than Milk - .12

21. Strengths • An indicator of Reproductive Merit • Failure to reproduce – Main culling reason • Cattle that are culled for reproductive failings prior to 6th year “fail threshold”

22. Extended Fertility vs. Total Stayability • Current model is a good measure of Total Stayability, which is the ‘true’ ERT • Combination of traits • Fertility • Udder Quality • Soundness • Progeny Performance • Easy Keepers • Disposition

23. Extended Fertility vs. Total Stayability • But, does the ‘noise’ reduce its effectiveness? • Producers varying culling criteria • Criteria may change from year to year • Does contemporary grouping account for these issues?

24. Extended Fertility vs. Total Stayability • Would an extended fertility genetic prediction be a better tool for commercial producers? • Reproduction is 2 - 10 times more economically relevant as compared to carcass traits

25. Extended Fertility vs. Total Stayability • How can we evaluate Extended Fertility? • Use of disposal codes to determine why they were culled. Was it because of fertility? • If not, they wouldn’t get a negative observation

26. Improvements • Stayability model should account for production from two years of age forward • Can only be accomplished with THR data • Benefit: Separate bulls quicker • Concern: Bulls that produce high percentage of daughters that stay in the herd until 5, then fall out

27. RAAA Data • Do we have the data to make these improvements? • Red Angus has over a decade of THR Data • Disposal Codes

28. THR DATA • Total (since 1954) • Females – 534,035 • Females with progeny – 255,504 • Since implementation of THR (Fall 1995) • Females – 260,062 • Females with progeny – 100,342

29. Disposal Codes • Physical Defect • Fertility • Performance /Productivity • Temperament • Age • Other Total 3,818 20,170 18,830 1,422 8,783 96,978 THR 2,063 11,997 11,936 877 638 52,985

30. Summary • RAAA first to release Stayability • Realize the commercial producers needs • RAAA’s Stayability is a good ERT • Based on THR

31. Could Be A Great Tool! • 10 years of THR data and disposal codes fuel a powerful Stayability or Extended Fertility tool