“Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.” 

This quote by W. Edwards Deming certainly rings loud and true in the beef cattle breeding business. Without performance information, we can tell very little about what an animal can do. In fact, the ASA motto is, “Visual analysis tell you what a Simmental appears to be. His pedigree tells you what he should be. His performance and progeny tests tell you what he actually is.”  While we have all been conditioned to view an animal and make assumptions on their longevity, muscling, and growth performance, in reality, without documenting the animal’s actual phenotypes (anything that can be measured) we can’t make logical predictions on how the animal will influence their progeny and your herd as a whole.

Take time to give a close look over this section as we present to you the foundation of effective performance measuring.