Calving Ease Maternal (CEM), is expressed as a difference in percentage of unassisted births with a higher value indicating greater calving ease in first-calf daughters. It predicts the average ease with which a sire's daughters will calve as first-calf heifers when compared to daughters of other sires.

What does calving ease mean?

Calving Ease Direct, or CED, is the most effective tool when deciding which bulls to mate to first-calf heifers. Expressed as a probability percentage, CED aims to predict the percentage of unassisted births a bull will produce when mated to heifers.

Why is calving ease important?

The greater the number, the lower the risk for calving difficulty, Weaber said. Calving ease EPDs are expressed in percentage units of unassisted births. For example, a bull with a calving ease EPD of 12 is expected to have 7% more unassisted births from first calf heifers than a bull with a CE EPD of 5.