Red Angus Association of America

Breeders when ultrasounding their herd may ask the question, "How do I use the data I receive from the Red Angus Association of America National Office?" With sale catalogs to complete and genetic selection decisions to be made producers should be able to get the most out of their ultrasound data. In order to do so we recommend that the data be used in the order of availability listed below.

1. CARCASS EPDS - EPDs for any trait give the best overall comparison of an animal within a breed. Carcass EPDs for yearling cattle take into consideration pedigree and individual ultrasound performance. Yearling animals whose parent(s) do not have numeric accuracy carcass EPDs will not receive carcass EPDs themselves until the next National Cattle Evaluation.

2. RATIOS - If the carcass EPDs are not available ratios are the next best thing. Ratios rank animals within a contemporary group with age adjustments taken into consideration. They produce averages for the contemporary group with 100 being average. Ratios can not be compared with ratios within other contemporary groups or with ratios within other breeds.

3. ADJUSTED VALUES - As a last resort the adjusted data can be used to get a value that takes into consideration the age of the animal. Adjusted values only give an indication of the animal's individual traits and give no comparison of the animal to its contemporary group or breed.