UNDERSTANDING THE API $INDEX

Though EPD’s allow for comparison of genetic levels for many economically important traits, they only provide a small piece of the economic puzzle.

Dr. Wade Shafer, IGS, explains.
“The pig, poultry and dairy industries have led the way, using rigorously calculated indexes for decades to advance their breeding. But many beef producers are still only looking at individual EPD’s when making selections.” he said. “The first part is to know where the animals size up. The only way to get that is essential accounting – what is an extra unit of calving ease worth, how much is an extra unit of carcase merit worth?”

This is where $Indexes offer breeders more. Through well conceived, rigorous mathematical computation, they blend EPD’s and economics relating to the target market and production system, to deliver an estimate of the animals over all profitability.

IGS have offered the All Purpose Index (API) to Shorthorn Beef along with their suite of EPD’s. The All Purpose $Index, or API, evaluates animals for use on the entire cow herd with a portion of daughters retained for breeding and to maintain herd size and steers put onto feed for both quality and yield.

Several Australian breeders, who have been using IGS for many years, have also been using the API $Index as a selection tool within their herds and have been very happy with the results.

US Shorthorns also offer a very similar $Index, the $BMI or British maternal Index, which will bring Shorthorns in Australia onto a very similar platform.

API is a maternal $Index, which is important, but is also balanced by both carcase quality and quantity. Maternal $Indexes are critical for Australian breeders; the number one profit driver for any commercial breeder is maternal performance.