ABSTRACT
The primary objective of any breeding program should be to produce cows with the greatest possible genetic capability to make a profit. This chapter seeks to provide an understanding of the information listed in performance pedigree and of how to use that information. The sire and dam contribute equally to the genetic makeup of each offspring. In choosing sires, the only important consideration is the difference between sires. The addition of more daughters in one herd increases the Repeatability (R) very little. The additional representation of more herds in the sire's summary makes a greater increase in R. An important use of R is to set "confidence limits" on an estimate of transmitting ability. The Estimated Producing Ability is the best estimate of a cow's ability to produce under the condition of her previous environment and is based only on the cow's own records.
