Selecting for Yearling Weight

Yearling weight shows how an animal keeps growing after weaning. It is useful for ranchers who retain ownership or breed replacements, and it needs balance.

Key points

Yearling weight is a 365-day adjusted measure of post-weaning growth.
The EPD predicts offspring growth compared with other bulls of the same breed.
It suits operations that keep or develop animals after weaning.
Higher growth can mean bigger cows and more feed.
Collect records consistently within groups.

What yearling weight measures

Yearling weight is the standard 365-day adjusted weight, a way of putting animals of different ages on the same footing. It reflects post-weaning growth, which depends on genetics, feed and health.

Where weaning weight is mostly about the dam's milk and the calf's early growth, yearling weight shows how the animal performs on feed or grass after leaving the cow.

Reading the yearling weight EPD

The yearling weight EPD predicts how a bull's offspring will compare in post-weaning growth to the offspring of other bulls of the same breed. It is closely related to weaning growth, so bulls high in one are often high in the other.

Scrotal circumference EPD, often reported for yearling bulls, helps with the fertility of sons and daughters. Associations report these differently, so read each breed's guide.

Yearling weight EPD: growth after weaning in his offspring
Scrotal circumference: fertility-related trait in many breeds
Birth weight and calving ease: check these too
Accuracy: how much data supports the figures

Who benefits most

Operations that keep calves through the stocker or feedyard phase, or that sell on weight gain, tend to value yearling growth. So do those raising bulls and replacement heifers, since they see animals at that age.

A producer who sells calves at weaning and keeps cows only for a calf crop may care more about maternal traits, calving ease and fertility.

The trade-offs

Pushing yearling weight tends to raise mature cow size and with it the feed the cow needs. Large cows can struggle to rebreed in a year with tight forage. Heifers that grow fast may reach puberty sooner, but fast growth does not replace sound development.

Think about the cow you want in ten years. If your forage supports a moderate frame, pick growth within that range.

Collecting good yearling data

Records are worth little if collected carelessly. Weigh animals at similar ages with the same scale, feed them the same way and record all of them, not just the good ones. Contemporary groups should be managed alike.

If you are developing bulls, talk to your extension specialist about a test that compares them fairly, and ask your veterinarian to perform a breeding soundness exam before sale.

Weigh on the same schedule every year
Use one scale and keep it in working order
Record every animal, including the slow ones
Keep management the same within a group

Replacement heifers and bulls at yearling age

Yearling age is when many producers make final choices. Heifers are evaluated for growth, structure and temperament before breeding, and bull calves are looked at for soundness, scrotal development and growth before sale or use.

A heifer that grew fast but has poor feet or a flighty nature is not a bargain. A bull with big numbers but a crooked leg will not last. Select on the whole animal, with the data as support, not a substitute for looking.

Yearling weight depends heavily on what the animal eats after weaning. Poor pasture or an unbalanced ration will hold back even the best genetics. Compare your animals only to others raised on the same feed. Ask a nutritionist or extension specialist to help you set realistic goals for gain and to balance rations for your class of cattle. Feed additives and health products are used by label directions and veterinary guidance.

Check feet, legs and mouth before keeping or buying
Look at temperament in a pen and a chute
Review dam performance, not just the animal's own weights
Confirm bulls pass a breeding soundness exam

Common mistakes and what to ask

A common error is selecting for yearling weight without watching birth weight, so calving problems rise. Another is buying a bull because of a high yearling number and then running him on thin forage with small cows.

Questions for sellers: How were yearling weights recorded and adjusted? How does he rank for calving ease and maternal traits? Ask your nutritionist what post-weaning gain your feed can actually support, and ask your buyer or lender what market the extra weight serves.

When to get help: Ask your veterinarian for a breeding soundness exam on bulls and guidance on heifer development health. A nutritionist or extension specialist can tell you what growth your forage and ration support.

Sources and further reading

Organization homepages are linked so you can search them for current guidance on this topic.

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