Stayability Means Profitability

Stayability Means Profitability

One of the biggest expenses for cattle producers is having to replace females that don’t conceive or have problems. Did you know that some breeds provide a Excepted Progeny Difference or EPD to improve overall cowherd efficiency through reducing replacement rate?
Colorado State University Animal Scientist, Dr. Mark Enns explains the term stayability and why ranchers need to be considering that trait when selecting herd sires.
Enns: “Cow longevity for a commercial cow-calf producers is probably one of the biggest factors influencing their profitability. Because we want that cow to become pregnant and raise a calf every year for a long, long period of time and not have to put in a lot of new replacements because the cows are losing calves or not conceiving. So we developed stayability as a means to select bulls whose daughters have a higher probability of staying in the herd until they’re six years of age.”
Why six years?
Enns: “The break even period on average for a cow herd is a cow that reaches six years of age, having weaned a calf every year.”
Dr. Enns says that stayability is a heritable trait.
Enns: “It’s right in the range of about 20 percent heritable which is like milk production in beef cows we measure as pounds of calf weaned. Because there it is heritable and there are genetic differences we can actually make selection decisions and hopefully make genetic improvement in our herds for cow productive lifetime.”

 

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