Alabama_Connection_Sale_Catalog_2022

On behalf of Santa Gertrudis Breeders International, welcome to the 34 th Annual Alabama Connection Sale. Alabama not only serves as a hotbed for some of the most elite Santa Gertrudis genetics, but this powerful collaboration between some of our most advanced herds makes this event a must-attend sale, year after year. The pure quality on hoof and the breeders’ hospitality are certainly enough to make for an incredible weekend, but maybe even more impressive is the data and information that stands behind the cattle. From performance records and scan data to the fact that this sale uniquely has a 100 percent genotyped status, all available information has been provided on the offering to support any operation, regardless of your production goals. Santa Gertrudis Breeders International remains steadfast in our goal to provide the tools necessary for our breeders to thrive in the commercial marketplace. Operations like these in the Connection group who utilize these tools progress the breed in a positive direction.

SANTA GERTRUDIS are DATA DRIVEN and PROFIT PROVEN .

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Webb D. Fields Executive Director Santa Gertrudis Breeders International

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SANTA GERTRUDIS GENETICS

Santa Gertrudis Breeders International’s (SGBI) genetic evaluation is one of the most comprehensive among the Bos indicus -influenced breeds, ensuring profitable genetics can be selected for your operation. Over the past 11 years, Santa Gertrudis breeders have increased selection pressure on traits that have a positive influence on profitability. Profit starts with a live calf and increases when industry endpoint targets are hit. Regardless of your marketing strategy – selling by the pound at weaning, retaining ownership and gridmarketing, establishing a consumer-direct market, or taking advantage of the replacement female market – Santa Gertrudis genetics ensure that herd goals can be reached. SGBI Expected Progeny Differences Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) are the prediction of how future progeny of each animal are expected to perform, relative to the progeny of other animals listed in the SGBI database. EPDs are expressed in units of measure (plus or minus) for each trait being evaluated and are calculated utilizing pedigree and performance information. SGBI is a leader in the adoption and implementation of cutting-edge genetic technology. In 2013, SGBI released the first genomic-enhanced expected progeny differences (DNA verified) for Bos indicus- influenced cattle. The inclusion of DNA into the breed’s EPD calculations (GE-EPDs) has resulted in information that is more accurate and predicable than a pedigree and performance prediction alone. Currently, the association has access to more than 14,000 performance-verifying DNA samples. In addition, to being the first Bos indicus influenced breed to offer GE-EPDs, SGBI was the first beef breed to implement single-step methodology for the incorporation of genetic information into the genetic evaluation. This approach maximizes use of data reported on all animals throughout the pedigree and greatly improves EPD accuracy. SGBI Indexes SGBI offers three selection indexes for producers. Indexes are multi-trait selection tools designed to assist cattle producers by adding simplicity to genetic selection decisions. Indexes provide an estimate of how future progeny of each sire are expected to perform, on average, compared to progeny of other sires in the database if the sires were randomly mated to cows and the calves were exposed to the same environment. SGBI’s indexes provide performance insight to three beef production business models. The results are reported as a percentile ranking for each index. Balanced Index: This index assumes that producers are keeping replacement heifers from the bulls they purchase. It further assumes that producers are either 1) marketing carcasses on the grid or 2) that buyers of their feeder calves base pricing on feedlot and car cass performance. This selection tool is designed to assist cattlemen who retain ownership through the feeding phase or market their calf crop to buyers focused on feedlot performance and/or carcass quality. Cow/Calf Index: This index assumes that producers are keeping replacement heifers from the bulls they purchase. However, it assumes all calves are marketed at weaning or soon thereafter. It further assumes that feeder calf buyers don’t base decisions on feedlot or carcass performance, making these traits less relevant to profitability. Producers marketing their calf crop at weaning, by the pound, would utilize this index when making animal selection decisions. Terminal Index : This index assumes that producers are not keeping replacement heifers from the bulls they purchase. It assumes that producers are marketing carcasses on the grid, making carcass traits relevant to their business. This index fits operations using Santa Gertrudis bulls as terminal sires and retaining ownership of their calf crop through the feeding phase.

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34 th Annual ALABAMA CONNECTION SALE October 1, 2022