Oct. 6, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information contact:

Bill Bowman, chief operating officer, at 816-383-5100 or bbowman@angus.org; or

Sally Northcutt, director of genetic research, at 816-383-5100 or snorthcutt@angus.org

Docility: From Research to Reality

American Angus Association^® and Angus Genetics Inc. release weekly docility EPD.

Anyone ever chased out of a pasture gate knows the value of good temperament in cattle, but there’s an economic incentive in addition to plain-old convenience.

Iowa’s Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity feedlot performance data reported by Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) shows calves reported as docile generated an average profit of $46.63 per head while their nervous-to-very-aggressive counterparts netted only $7.62.^a

Better performance, reduced morbidity and treatment costs, and improved carcass merit from more docile cattle also resulted in better marbling scores and Certified Angus Beef^® acceptance rates. An earlier study reported a difference of $62.19 per head in the net dollars returned between the most docile animals versus the most aggressive.

While Angus cattle are known for their generally docile nature, Angus breeders have been submitting yearling cattle temperament scores for the past several years. Breeders evaluate animals on a 1-to-6 scale, with 1 being docile and 6 very aggressive. (Visit www.angus.org for more information on how to submit scores.)

With heritability estimates indicating effective selection for improved temperament, the American Angus Association began releasing research Angus docility EPDs on sires in spring 2008.

Since then, an increase in breeder-submitted records has contributed to the development of the docility research report into a full release of National Cattle Evaluation (NCE) expected progeny differences (EPDs).

“Like docility, ultrasound evaluation underwent a similar process in that it also began as a research report,” says Bill Bowman, AGI president and Association chief operating officer (COO). “After accumulating records for several years, we can now use the data to more fully characterize highly used sires in terms of potential for docility of their progeny.”

Docility (DOC) is expressed as a percentage point difference in yearling cattle temperament, with a higher value indicating more favorable docility. The EPD can be used as part of a complete selection program in the event that a breeder needs to make improvements in the herd’s cattle temperament.

“This was the next step in meeting the needs of our commercial producers,” Bowman says. “Feedback from producers buying registered Angus bulls shows docility continues to rank among the top traits used to select animals.”

Now ranchers have more than word-of-mouth testimony to select for docility.

The Docility EPD is released on a weekly basis — every Friday — along with Residual Average Daily Gain (RADG) feed efficiency measures and carcass traits. The latest evaluation for docility incorporated 93,439 records to generate 268,805 EPDs.

Visit www.angus.org, contact your Angus regional manager or call 816-383-5100 to access the latest NCE or for more information about Docility EPDs and the newly released feed efficiency selection tool, RADG.

Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) is a division of the American Angus Association, with headquarters in Saint Joseph, Mo., which offers services to the more than 30,000 members of the American Angus Association and thousands of commercial cattle producers using Angus genetics across the United States. For more information about AGI or other Association programs, visit www.angus.org or call (816) 383-5100.

^aClick here to read the Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) article about how disposition can drive feedlot and carcass performance.

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