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In the training of my livestock judging team, we ran across the letters MM and %IMF when studying a bull's EPDs. Can you help us understand what they stand for?

Last Updated: October 07, 2008

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MM is maternal milk and is measured in pounds of calf due to the mothers milking ability. It is not measured in pounds of milk as the name might imply. All breeds that perform a genetic evaluation have this EPD (Expected Progeny Difference) but some simply refer to it as Milk. %IMF is Percentage Intramuscular Fat as measured by ultrasound. It is used as an indicator of an animals ability to reach a desired quality grade. In both cases higher values means more. Selecting for these traits needs to be in concert with the goals of the operation. Case in point, more milk in environments where feed resources are low is undesirable.

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