After several generations of proper selection, you will have a fertile herd of females. One of the most important indicator traits of potential fertility is scrotal circumference. Expected Progeny Differences or EPDs are an effective tool in improving overall fertility and reproductive efficiency of your herd. EPDs can improve reproductive performance through the reduction of calving problems or dystocia. In the Southeast production environment, moderation in milk EPDs is important.
Producers rely primarily on a forge-based system, therefore, nutritional inputs are limited.
Heavy milking cows require too much nutritional supplementation for rebreeding and maintenance of proper body condition to be economically feasible. As mentioned earlier, scrotal circumference plays an important role in bull fertility, serving capacity, and age at puberty. That tool is utilizing heterosis generated through an effective crossbreeding program. That's a tremendous advantage over the use of straightbred cows, and should not be ignored. Herd health is critical to reproductive success.