For more than two decades, Angus cattle have been scanned using ultrasound technology to indicate carcass traits. Today, we incorporate these records into your four carcass expected progeny differences (EPDs).  

An ultrasound field technician scans cattle to capture images on ribeye area (REA), intramuscular fat (IMF) or marbling, and fat thickness for rib and rump. Technicians must be certified through the Ultrasound Guidelines Council. Once the animals are scanned, images are sent to one of three American Angus Association-approved labs. 

The data is reported to the Association and processed for individual age adjustments and ratios, then incorporated into the National Cattle Evaluation (NCE) procedures. Details can be found at www.angus.org/ahir/how-to-collect/ultrasound. 

Acceptable scanning age ranges are 320-440 days of age for bulls and 320-460 days for heifers. Steers 320-480 days of age with scan data may also be submitted.  

The development of any EPD requires animals to be included in well-defined contemporary groups, which includes animals of the same sex born in the same calving season, managed under similar conditions. 

Contemporary group definition starts at birth with calves of differing sex (bull or heifer) being placed into separate birth contemporary groups.

Additionally, groups are also broken down by a 90-day birth date window and an animal’s birth type, natural or embryo transfer (ET). Contemporary groups for natural calves are separated by whether the dam is a registered Angus or commercial female. ET calves are grouped separately, and calves from registered Angus recips are assigned to a separate group from ET calves out of other recips. ET calves from in vitro fertilization (IVF) are grouped with ET calves out of commercial or other recips, regardless of the recipient being registered Angus or not. 

The birth contemporary group will be the first to help form weaning contemporary groups. The number of contemporaries stays the same or becomes fewer as animals are separated for management reasons. Carcass ultrasound looks back to weaning to form usable groups for EPD calculations. This makes submitting weaning weights and using barn sheets necessary for the Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR^®) ultrasound process. Barn sheets are used to record the scan weight, group code, sex and diet information. They can be found in the AAA Login account under Reports > AHIR Reports > Ultrasound Barn Worksheet.

The images are initially sent to a third-party centralized ultrasound processing lab for interpretation. Results are sent to the Association, where staff will use the records in the weekly genetic evaluation to develop carcass EPDs. The data is sent to the producer from the Association. 

Scan weights are required and should be taken within seven days of the field technician capturing the scan data. Animals within the contemporary group should be scanned on the same day or over no more than three consecutive days.  

Scan weights submitted on barn sheets with your carcass ultrasound data are not automatically submitted as yearling weights. 

Industry perspective

Thinking about the third-party involvement with ultrasound carcass measurements, one can see the benefits of this information for highly heritable traits as it relates to an accurate genetic selection tool. The beef industry rewards those providing cattle that meet and exceed consumer preferences, and ultrasound technology allows opportunity for genetic progress in carcass traits.