Pathfinder
Identifying high performing females since 1978.
Pathfinder Identifies Performance
Each spring, the Association’s Pathfinder Report identifies individual females in the breed who excel in early puberty, early breeding and calving, and producing quality calves on time, year over year. A female must have a minimum of three calves before being considered for Pathfinder. The report also compiles a list of sires who have produced at least five daughters meeting the Pathfinder qualifications in a year.
What Makes a Pathfinder Cow?
To qualify, a female must have produced a calf within the past 18 months and it must have been reported through AHIR®. The cow must also meet the following criteria:
- Produce her first calf by 2 years and 181 days of age.
- Calve her first calf within 30 days of the herd’s average age for first calving.
- Determined separately for each herd from all first calf heifers reported in the herd.
- Maintain a regular calving interval. The maximum calving interval is:
- Her first three calves must post a minimum average progeny weaning weight ratio of 105.
OR she must reach an average progeny weaning weight of 105, later in life.
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A minimum of five calves in single-sex contemporary group is required each year to calculate the average.
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Calves must be sired by a Registered Angus bull.
NOTE: Females must meet the requirements annually to be included in the list, but once designated a Pathfinder Cow, she is always a Pathfinder.
What Makes a Pathfinder Sire?
Bulls must have sired at least five Pathfinder daughters to be included in the report.
Find a Pathfinder
Use the search tool to find a Pathfinder cow or sire that meets your needs.
Search the listPathfinder FAQs
Pathfinder certificates can be found in your AAA Login under reports. Printed certificates can be requested through Member Services.
All data on females must be received by the end of business on January 31, 2025 to be eligible for next year’s Pathfinder status.
The Pathfinder Report is released in early February each year. It is available online, but a printed copy can be requested through Member Services.
