Canadian Angus Performance Program—How
to Participate
The Canadian Angus Performance Program (CAPP)
works on a whole herd reporting system. Once committed to
participating in the program, the entire female inventory must
have either a calf or a
cow status code
reported for it. Similarly, birth and performance information
for all calves (registered or not) must be reported.
To begin: CAPP members start by filling out the Herd Inventory
and Application for Registration (Spring/Fall) worksheet. Calves
are not required to be registered but they must be recorded with
an appropriate tattoo/tag identification number, birth date and
sex. A
Missing Data Worksheet will be generated for any female animals
that have not been accounted for. These forms must be filled out
and sent back to the Canadian Angus Association office before
the performance analysis can proceed.
Spring
Inventories
The spring calving season falls between December 1 and May 31.
Members with spring herds receive their Herd Inventory and
Application for Registration in January.
Fall Inventories
The spring calving season falls between June 1 and November 30.
Members with fall herds receive their Herd Inventory and
Application for Registration in July.
Reports
generated:
Canadian Angus Association
staff
will use the herd inventory and calf registration information to
generate 205-day weight worksheets.
Calves must be weighed as close to 205 days of age as possible.
The acceptable range of age for weaning weight is 120 to 280
days. Animals that are weighed on different days will be put
into separate management groups. So, it is best to weigh all the
calves in a management group on the same day. All calves must
have either a
calf fate code
or performance data reported. A Missing Data Worksheet will be
generated to notify members if any data is missing.
Contemporary grouping is a very important function of EPDs. The
evaluation is based on comparative performance of animals
treated in the same manner. This allows us to remove the
environmental bias on performance and estimate the true genetic
merit of each animal. As defined by the Beef Improvement
Federation Guidelines 7th Edition, a contemporary
group is a group of cattle of similar age that are of the same
breed and sex and have been raised in the same management group
(same location, on the same feed and pasture, etc.). Maximizing
the size of contemporary groups is recommended. However, it is
common for breeders to have more than one contemporary group due
to animals being managed differently from the main group because
of shows, illness, or location. Contemporary groups are labeled
in numeric format from
1-99.
Once the completed 205-day weight information is processed
and all calves are accounted for,
performance reports, EPD reports and 365-day worksheets are
generated.
Reports
generated:
The reporting of 365-day weights is recommended, but not
mandatory. This weight provides information on the animal’s
ability for post-weaning growth. Similar to the 205-day weight,
it is important to calculate the optimum 365-day weigh date. In
addition, proper contemporary group allocation is important. The
acceptable age range for yearling weights is 290–440 days.
When calves are registered, you have the
option of receiving the registration certificates upon
registration or putting them on hold until the yearling weight
has been submitted. If papers have been put on hold, they will
be released at this time.
The submission of the 365-day weight
completes the CAPP process for each calf crop.
The participating animals should all receive EPDs. Please
click here
for a guide on how to use EPDs successfully.
Data can be submitted on paper or online.
Click here for online weight entry instructions.
Go to
Genetic Evaluation Results
Using
Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs)
For more information about CAPP,
please contact Kajal by email or at
1-888-571-3580. |
