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PowerLine Index Values

Introduction

The history of cattle breeding contains many horror stories resulting from single-trait selection which, in vir-

tually every case, resulted in more loss than gain from the standpoint of profitability. Selection Indexes

based on genetics and economics are great tools to keep things in balance (genetically) and to improve the

balance sheet (economically).

PowerLine offers three unique index values to assist in your selection decisions.

PowerLine uses life-cycle index models. This means that all economic and biological factors affecting

beef production are considered in every index, but each index emphasizes certain packages of traits for cer-tain purposes.

Power-Total Index is an all purpose index that considers maternal performance, post-weaning growth, feed

efficiency, and carcass quality & yield to maximize life-cycle profitability.

Power-Beef Index is a terminal sire index. Use it to select sires to maximize profitability of progeny that

are fed and sold on a carcass value grid.

Indexes are expressed in economic terms, as contrasted to EPDs which are expressed in units of the trait

such as pounds. Computation of an index takes into account the EPDs that an animal has for certain traitsand genetic correlations between the traits. It also incorporates the relative economic value of the traits and

the cost of inputs. An index may include traits that work against one another or complement one another or

both. Example: larger birth weight tends to be correlated with heavier weaning weights. However, to the

extent that heavier birth weight can also cause calving difficulty and can reduce newborn calf survival, it can

work against weaning weight within the context of the whole herd (fewer live calves to sell). An index takes

each of these factors into account and produces a single number.

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