— Jan. 10, 2024 —

RAAA's Stayability EPD: Key points to consider

by Tom Brink, RAAA CEO

Definition: Stayability predicts differences in the ability of an animal’s retained daughters to remain productive in the herd, calving every year, through six years of age. Units are in percentage terms; higher is better.

STAY is an IGS-calculated EPD, with millions of cow records behind it. RAAA’s total herd reporting policy, which has been in place for more than 25 years, also adds considerable data quality and quantity to the estimation of our STAY EPD.

The main difficulty with STAY is that it is a lowly-heritable trait (10-15 percent genetically influenced). Thus, 85-90 percent of observed outcomes in the pasture are the result of environmental influences, not genetics. This situation makes STAY a difficult trait to see in an individual herd. Most of what producers notice in terms of cows staying in, or falling out of over time, is caused by non-genetic/environmental factors.

Do you have a sire to promote?

The Red Angus Genetic Advancement Special Edition is tailored to promote AI and frozen genetics along with related services and products. It is designed with a longer shelf life to serve as a resource for breeders and commercial producers as they make their mating selections.

Space reservations: Tuesday, Jan. 16

Ad creative deadline: Tuesday, Jan. 23

The Genetic Advancement edition will mail to the same list as the February RAM. Sale ads are also welcome. Inquire about premium page locations to tracey@redangus.org by Jan. 10.

Click to reserve your ad space or email Tracey Koester at tracey@redangus.org.
Download the media kit.
Submit your sale date.

Red Angus photo contest now open

Entries for the Red Angus photo contest are steadily rolling in! The contest will run through March 31, and is open to Red Angus enthusiasts of all ages. A $100 cash prize will be awarded to each of the eleven category winners and the grand prize winner will receive $500!

As a reminder, all entries MUST include the category name and contestant name in the file name (Example: Winter_Doe_John_1.jpg). Entries not meeting this criteria will not be eligible for cash prizes.

To view the complete list of rules and enter the photo contest, click the following link. Any questions may be directed to Katie Martin at katiemartin@redangus.org.

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Beef Brief

The following is a review of last week's cattle market.

For the week of Jan. 5th, the markets trended higher in the northern plains and nonexistent in the south plains. Northern cattle were $4 higher at $175 for fed cattle, while feeder cattle were $2 higher and stockers were $3 higher.

Have you heard? RAAA is now offering website banner advertising! During peak production sale season, advertising is key. Make your operation stand out with a website banner ad. Multiple ad sizes are available, but space is limited! See more details on page 6 of the media kit.

Media Kit