Do You Weigh or Measure?

IGS evaluation indicates producers are using a tape measure rather than a scale to estimate birth weights.

by Troy Smith, field editor

BROOKINGS, S.D. (June 19, 2019) — Is it fake or the real thing?

There was something funny about birth weights submitted for the International Genetic Solutions (IGS) multi-breed cattle evaluation and calculation of expected progeny difference (EPD) values. According to Bruce Golden, geneticist, CEO and president of Theta Solutions, some decisions need to be made.

In a report to the Advancements in Genomics and Genetic Prediction Committee during the 2019 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Symposium June 18-21 in Brookings, S.D., Golden said samples of the 2018 birth weight data contained “anomalies.” Some samples showed too little variation in birth weights, and others showed unlikely spikes. Golden said the data didn’t seem credible.

Bruce Golden
“You can’t sell a bull without a birth weight. The reality is that some producers — and probably a lot of them — are going to use hoof tapes. If we demand scale weights only, producers will use hoof tapes anyway. They just won’t tell us,” said Bruce Golden. [Photo by Troy Smith]

“We suspected that a lot of producers were not taking birth weights, but guessing the weights to the nearest 5-pound increment,” said Golden. “We learned that quite a lot of producers — and many with big herds — were taking birth weights with a hoof tape instead of scale weights.”

With the hoof tape method, estimated calf birth weight is based on the circumference of either front hoof, with the measurement taken around the coronary band. Tape-based weights can vary by a few pounds, depending on calf hour of age and fill. Golden noted that BIF Guidelines say birth weights based on hoof tapes may be a “pragmatic alternative to scale weights. However, the Guidelines also mention the mixed results of studies seeking to determine the relationship between hoof tape measures and scale weights. There is no large body of evidence to support or deny the validity of hoof tape-based birth weights.

“You can’t sell a bull without a birth weight. The reality is that some producers — and probably a lot of them — are going to use hoof tapes. If we demand scale weights only, producers will use hoof tapes anyway. They just won’t tell us,” said Golden.

“So, let’s embrace it. Let’s say using a hoof tape is okay, but let’s identify the birth weights as such,” Golden said. “We can handle real tape data, but we don’t want fake data.”

Reminding the audience that measures of calving ease are more significant, Golden suggested that it may be time to stop emphasizing birth weight so much that producers feel pressured to fill in weights, even if they aren’t real. In closing, Golden said the hoof tape matter illustrates the need for BIF to stay ahead of new and alternative technologies.

The 2019 BIF Annual Convention was hosted by South Dakota State University and the South Dakota Beef Breeds Council June 18-21 at the University Comfort Suites and Convention Center in Bookings. ANGUS MEDIA® provides comprehensive online coverage of the event at www.BIFconference.com. Visit the Newsroom for summaries, proceedings, PowerPoints, video and/or audio of the sessions and the Awards page for announcements and photos of award winners.

Editor’s Note: This summary was written under contract or by staff of ANGUS MEDIA®. Through an agreement with the Beef Improvement Federation, we encourage reprinting of the articles to those who will adhere to the reprint guidelines available on this site. Please review those guidelines or contact Shauna Rose Hermel, editor, at 816-383-5270. PowerPoints are posted with permission of the presenter and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the presenter. We welcome educational venues and cattlemen to link to this site as a service to their audience.

For questions about this site, or to notify us of broken links, click here. Look for additional coverage in the Angus Journal, the Angus Beef Bulletin, the Angus Journal Daily, the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA and Angus TV.