Selecting the next generation of animals for your breeding program can sometimes feel overwhelming. Each program is unique based on their breeding objectives, management, environment. The list goes on. Fortunately, Angus members and affiliate members with AAA Login accounts have access to a resource that helps to sort through selection criteria on registered Angus animals — the EPD (expected progeny differences) Sorts tool. 

Step 1: Select the right animal group

Before jumping into entering your search criteria, you will need to select which population of animals you want to explore. There are four different groups that can be searched: Current Sires, Current Dams, Non-Parent Bulls, and Non-Parent Cows. 

As you are using the tool, be mindful of which category of animal is selected at the top of the page. 

Current sires or dams are individuals who have at least one progeny with growth data (birth weight, weaning weight or yearling weight) included in the weekly National Cattle Evaluation (NCE). They also have at least one calf registered with the Association within the last two years. 

Non-parent bulls and cows are registered animals born within the last three years that do not meet the criteria to be classified as a current sire or dam. Essentially, these non-parent bulls and cows are young animals who may not have progeny to report data on or be registered yet.

Step 2: Setting the search criteria 

The tool includes a variety of criteria that can be used to search for animals, including the 25 EPDs and nine dollar value indexes ($Values), which are updated each Friday through the NCE. 

There are also options to search for animals within a birth year range or for progeny from a particular sire or dam. In addition, you can exclude tested carriers for genetic conditions from the results or choose to include only animals who have been genomically tested. 

For each EPD and $Value field, a minimum and/or maximum value can be entered. There is a valid range listed for each EPD, so any values entered outside of that range will result in an error message. A minimum accuracy value can be added for EPDs as well. Using the sliding bar, you can filter for animals within a specific percentile rank.

Step 3: Sorting the results

Next to each EPD and $Value, there is a bubble that can be selected to sort the final list of results. 

For example, if you select the bubble next to Weaning Weight, the results will be sorted based on that EPD. If you do not select any of the EPDs or $Values, the results will be listed alphabetically by animal name. 

There is no limit to the number of criteria fields that can be used. but, it’s recommended to narrow your search as much as possible, as the tool will only return the top 100 animals based on your criteria. If the criteria entered results in more than 100 animals, you can refine your search criteria to narrow the results.

Once you have entered your filtering criteria, click “search” at the bottom of the page. The search results will populate in a PDF document in your browser, or you can export the results to a spreadsheet.

Let the tool work for you

Breeding decisions have long-term effects on your herd. There is a lot of time and consideration for selecting the right animals to meet your breeding objectives. The EPD Sorts tool can help quickly identify and narrow down potential animals that meet the needs of your herd from a genetic perspective.