| 06 January 2010
Most people other than cattle breeders do not understand the significance of having a good bull. There are good bulls, bad bulls, sulky bulls and mean bulls. But the most sought after bulls by Big River Beef producers are the ones with a quiet temperament that can be handled easily and are stress free.
Big River beef producers source bulls from known breeders of such animals and one of the main requirements is a good EBV or “Estimated Breeding Value”. This is measurement of a bulls potential breeding capacity and takes into account a number of factors. An EBV expresses the genetic merit (genetic merit simply means the value of the animals’ genes). EBVs are reported in terms of actual product, for example, kilo of weight, millimeter of eye muscle depth or percentage of fat.
EBV's adjust for known environmental (non-genetic) differences such as age, age of dam, birth type, and nutrition. They are the only tool which enables objective comparison of animals born in different years and herds.
EBV's are calculated using information from each animal’s own performance and from the performance of its relatives. Because they describe the value of each animal’s genes, they are a valuable tool for choosing bulls.
Big River Beef producers use EBV’s extensively along with the selection of suitable females to achieve a product that is the best that can be had.
Image: Bruce the Bull