Feed Intake EPDs: What a Bull's Calves Eat Matters to Your Bottom Line

Feed is the biggest check you write, and most guys buying bulls never look at what the bull's calves eat. I am not telling you to buy a bull on one number. I am telling you the number exists, it costs you nothing to look at, and it can break a tie between two bulls that otherwise look the same.

The numbers, in plain talk

Angus puts out a dry matter intake EPD, measured in pounds a day. It predicts how much more or less a sire's calves will eat after weaning, compared with another sire's calves fed the same way (Angus Journal). Lower means less predicted feed. Right beside it you will find RADG, residual average daily gain, also in pounds a day. That one tells you how much a bull's calves gain beyond what their feed intake would predict. Higher is better there.

The Association reports both on all registered Angus cattle. A third trait, RFI, is only on cattle whose owners submit intake records.

Where the numbers come from

Measuring what each calf eats takes special equipment, and not many outfits have it. The American Angus Association pulls data from cooperating breeders, bull test stations and funded research projects (angus.org). An Angus Genetics Inc. geneticist reports about 40,000 intake records from more than 800 herds. Weaning weights, by comparison, number in the millions. So intake numbers sit on a lot less data. The average accuracy is around 0.36 where a bull or his relatives have actual intake records behind him. That is workable, but it is not carved in stone. Read it as an informed lean.

The trap: low intake with poor gain

I have seen guys fall in love with a number and buy the wrong bull. A calf that eats less because he grows slower is not saving you anything. The Angus Journal says as much: animals that eat less but grow more slowly may not be the most productive. What you want is a calf that eats the same or less and still gains and grades. So look at DMI and RADG together, then look at growth.

One more thing. The intake data rolls into the $F feedlot index, and $F is part of $B. If you buy off the dollar indexes you already get a piece of it.

Who gets paid for efficiency

If you sell calves at weaning, the feedlot gets most of the savings, not you. If you keep ownership through the feedyard or sell on a grid, the savings come back to you. Think about where your calves end up before you decide how much weight to put on this trait. Do not pay a premium for something you will never get paid for.

How I would use it at the bull sale

1. Cut the list down on the basics first: structure, soundness, fertility, calving ease if you breed heifers.
2. Look at the bulls left and rank them on growth and carcass for your market.
3. Use DMI and RADG to separate the ones that are close.
4. Check accuracy. A low-accuracy number can swing hard as the bull's calves come in.
5. Do not put all your money on one sire. Spread it.

Our bull buying checklist has the rest of the list, from feet to semen test.

What it means for your cow herd

Here is the open question. Does a bull whose calves eat less also sire daughters that cost less to keep? Research on that link is still developing, so do not bank on it. A cow herd's feed bill is mostly hay and pasture, and what drives it is cow size, milk level and how many days you feed. Pick moderate cows that fit your ground, and treat intake EPDs as a bonus on the feeder-calf side. If you ever decide to keep ownership and feed your own calves, you will be glad you paid attention to this trait years earlier, because genetic change takes generations to build.

Records beat hunches

If you want to know whether efficiency is paying on your place, keep your own numbers. Weigh calves at weaning, track gain on any you background, and write down feed per head. Over a few years you will see whether the bulls with the better intake and gain numbers are really putting more pounds on per dollar of feed. That is worth more than any catalog page. Your own scale and your own notebook never lie to you, and they do not cost a thing.

Ask the seller

A good seedstock man will answer these without squirming. Does he feed and measure intake on his own bulls, or are his numbers coming off genomics and pedigree? How do his bulls rank on RADG? What are the accuracies? Has he seen calves from those bulls in a feedlot? If he has no idea, you learned something about the number too.

Do not lose the forest

A bull that saves feed but throws calves too big for your heifers, or daughters that do not breed back, is no bargain. Fertility, calving ease, structure and carcass all matter. Efficiency is one piece. Feed prices, cow size and your own forage decide how much that piece is worth to you. The Beef Research site has efficiency and sustainability reading if you want to dig deeper, and farm.fm's page on understanding bulls is a decent primer on what a bull needs to do for you.

The agriculture directory can help you track down seedstock suppliers in your area. EPDs and trait lists get updated, so pull the current numbers from the American Angus Association before you bid. This site is independent and not affiliated with the Association.