The EPD (expected progeny differences)/Pedigree Search page is located within the Member Services tab and can be found at Member Services > Herd Tools > EPD/Pedigree Lookup.

Here you can look up individual animal information such as ownership, ancestors, genetic condition status, current EPDs and other information relating to the specific animal you are searching for.

Sire sorting

The process of sorting EPDs has been available since 2011 and remains one of the most popular features.

In fiscal 2023, we had a total of 69,412 sorts for the various traits by 1,070 distinct Login customers, with Friday being the highest demand day of the week, the day we release weekly EPDs.

Producers can sort the EPD database both at www.angus.org or their individual Login account. On the website, select the Management tab and then Search Criteria under the Sire Evaluation Report section. Go to Reports > EPD Reports > EPD Sorts for Parents/Non-Parents. The EPD Sorts feature allows members to sort through the selected population from the database for specific EPDs and dollar value indexes ($Values), even setting acceptable ranges to each trait they are interested in.

For current sires and dams to appear on the search, they have to have at least one progeny with a phenotype in the growth evaluation and least one calf registered in the Herd Book within the past two years. Non-parents are registered animals born in the last three years.

Note this is slightly different than the definition we have for current sires and dams on the breed averages page. With breed averages, the requirements are as follows:

Current Sires/Dams — At least one calf registered in the Herd Book within the past two years.

Main Sires — Sires that met the requirements of the most recent American Angus Association Sire Evaluation Report.

Supplemental Sires — Young sires meeting the requirements for the American Angus Association Sire Evaluation Report.

Non-Parents — Registered animals born in the last three years with no current progeny in the Angus National Cattle Evaluation

Within AAA Login, producers can search through current sires, current dams, and non-parent bulls and cows by selecting the radio buttons at the top of the search screen. Then, specific traits within production, maternal, carcass and $Value categories can be entered with desired ranges and accuracy. Sorting then returns the top 100 animals that meet the specific criteria entered. However, with more strict criteria, fewer than 100 animals may result in the sorted list.

You can also specify the sort order of the returned data. Specify either ascending or descending order, then specify the trait.

Percentile rank

The percentile rank value compares EPDs for specific traits among animals within the Angus breed. Values range from 1 to 99%. For example, a bull with a percentile ranking of 5 for marbling means he is in the top 5% of sires in the breed for marbling. If an animal shows a percentile rank of 50 for any given trait, it would be considered breed average for that trait.

The “Percentile Rank Filter” allows members to sort by percentile rank within the selected population. To use this feature, slide the filter to the desired percentile rank range.

The Association continues to provide tools to help beef producers make more informed decisions and reduce the risk in genetic selection.

Editor’s note: For more information regarding these tools, please contact the Association Member Services Department at 816-383-5100 or email me directly at jcassady@angus.org.