Santa Gertrudis EPD questions

[greybeard]

Is the 83 lb average an up to date number? I guess that could vary with herds and regions? I was thinking I read the average was closer to 72 lbs.,the few breeders I have talked with around north Mississippi and north Alabama have said their averages are around 68-70. Everything he will be bred to will Gelbvieh , Hereford , Charolais , brangus .... With angus influence.,.. Yea, this could be interesting..

As far as I know it is an accurate # but it's an average of the breed across all major areas the breed is being used, including US mainland, Hawaii, Brazil, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. But, there doesn't seem to be as much current study (post 1980s-1990s) done in SG as in other more popular breeds. It will certainly vary within herds, and within regions and within climates and forage growing conditions. There will also be outliers in the numbers contrasting heifers to older more mature cows and again regarding the sex/gender of the calf. Staying within one region might show completely different results opposed to averages accross the entire breed in several regions.

From a 1980 Hawaii study of the breed within that state's production herds, which draws some references from other and earlier papers comes much closer to the BWs reported in your local area:
Breed of Sire:
Highly significant differences were observed in all preweaning traits between calves sired by Santa Gertrudis compared to those sired by Angus and Hereford bulls (Table 2). Santa Gertrudis bulls sired calves that exceeded Angus- and Herefordsired calves, respectively, by 10.2 and 6.0 lb at birth, by 35.6 and 28.4lb at weaning, and by 0.13 and 0.11 lb in average daily gain. Conformation scores for Santa Gertrudis- and Hereford-sired calves were similar, but both were higher, 0.4 and 0.3 units, respectively, than that of Angussired calves. Studies by Chapman et al. (1970) in Georgia have shown that Santa Gertrudis-sired calves were heavier at birth and at weaning and gained more rapidly from birth to weaning than Angus- and Hereford-sired calves. Cundiff (1970) also reported faster growth rates and heavier weaning weights for Santa Gertrudis versus Angus and Hereford calves.

Breed of sire was not found to be a significant factor responsible for death loss at calving. Analysis of the calving records in this study showed that, of all the calves lost at birth, 31 percent were sired by Angus bulls, 40 percent by Hereford bulls, and 29 percent by Santa Gertrudis bulls. The heavier birth weight associated with Santa Gertrudis-sired calves was therefore not considered to be an important cause of death loss at birth.

Regarding Xbreeding characteristics--the sires and dams:
(N=number of animals in each group)

Progeny traits in crossbreed groups.

Pluses and minuses of different Xbreed regarding heterosis: