Seedstock
The MSU Beef Center maintains a top registered purebred Angus herd for teaching students, use in research projects and demonstration in outreach events. Select breeding stock are merchandised annually through the MCA/MSU Bull Evaluation Program or other sales.
An Angus Herd Built on Spartan Discipline
We do not chase fads, hair shows, or the highest growth numbers. We are carefully building a “no holes” female base and creating balanced-trait Angus sires. Although our approach is multifaceted, it is not overly complicated. Our selection, however, is methodical and requires great discipline. We start by being snobs about the sires we use within our herd. We perform selection based on 20 Expected Progeny Difference (EPD) traits and 3 EPD indexes that we believe are economically relevant to a commercial cattlemen’s bottom line. We make sure these established elite sires have high accuracy data to increase consistency and predictability. We further refine selections based on phenotype, structure, and functionality. We also select heifers based on these same traits, as well as being born at the beginning of their calving season. We are unmerciful in culling on disposition, udder quality, and structure. We only retain females that become pregnant within our 50-day breeding season – absolutely, no excuses. In other words, we select our seedstock exactly how a profit-minded commercial cattle producer would want us to.
An Angus Herd Built on Spartan Discipline
We do not chase fads, hair shows, or the highest growth numbers. We are carefully building a “no holes” female base and creating balanced-trait Angus sires. Although our approach is multifaceted, it is not overly complicated. Our selection, however, is methodical and requires great discipline. We start by being snobs about the sires we use within our herd. We perform selection based on 20 Expected Progeny Difference (EPD) traits and 3 EPD indexes that we believe are economically relevant to a commercial cattlemen’s bottom line. We make sure these established elite sires have high accuracy data to increase consistency and predictability. We further refine selections based on phenotype, structure, and functionality. We also select heifers based on these same traits, as well as being born at the beginning of their calving season. We are unmerciful in culling on disposition, udder quality, and structure. We only retain females that become pregnant within our 50-day breeding season – absolutely, no excuses. In other words, we select our seedstock exactly how a profit-minded commercial cattle producer would want us to.
The First Century of Angus Cattle at Michigan State University
by David R. Hawkins, Professor Emeritus
by David R. Hawkins, Professor Emeritus
