Every Friday the American Angus Association publishes updated expected progeny differences (EPDs) calculated in the weekly National Cattle Evaluation (NCE), so breeders and their customers can make selection decisions. However, not every animal will have EPDs available. 

Registration status 

The first indication of why an animal may not have EPDs is it’s unregistered. The EPDs for registered animals can be found by using the EPD/pedigree search feature on the website. This feature will also show pedigrees, current owners, genetic condition status, and phenotypic data in the evaluation for the animal. 

The only exception to an unregistered calf receiving EPDs is when EPDs are provided to herds that have earned MaternalPlus®. If a calf is born to a dam in MaternalPlus, that calf can receive the CED (calving ease direct), BW (birth weight), and WW (weaning weight) EPDs once it has data included the weekly evaluation. These EPDs are available until the calf is 12 months old, and can be viewed through the member’s Login account.  

The data

A very common reason EPDs may not be available on an animal would be lack of data. Performance data (e.g., weights, ultrasound records, foot scores, etc.) gives an indication of individual performance. 

When this performance is submitted in a contemporary group and meets data guidelines, it can be used in the weekly evaluation. Common reasons data is not included in the evaluation were discussed in the March 2025 “The Data Dive” article in the Angus Journal. 

In addition to performance data, genomic data is used in the calculation of EPDs. Adding genomic data on an animal provides additional information about the inherited DNA. This allows the phenotypic data in the database to be leveraged to make EPD predictions for an individual animal. Providing a genotype allows that animal to have EPDs calculated for traits they may not have phenotypes available. 

In some cases, the animal may also not have EPDs yet simply due to the timing of when data was submitted. The weekly evaluation run begins at the end of every Friday, with results being posted the following Friday. Data submitted throughout the week will not affect the EPDs until the following week.

Interim EPDs

Interim EPDs, which are marked with an “I” preceding the EPD, are used for animals before their performance is incorporated into the weekly evaluation. While low in accuracy, an interim value gives an idea of the animal’s potential value as a parent. Interim EPDs are intended to be temporary selection tools that can be used until enough information is available to calculate a true EPD for the animal. 

Since the interim EPDs are so low in accuracy, they have a higher likelihood of changing once data for the animal is added to the weekly evaluation. Both pedigree and performance information can be used in the calculation. 

One of the most common reasons why an animal would not have an interim EPD available is due to one or both of the parents not having true EPD estimates. If a parent only has interim EPDs or no EPDs, interim EPDs will not be calculated for their progeny because there would be very little information available for the estimation of the interim EPD. It is also common to see animals with a mixture of interim EPDs and true EPDs, depending on information available for each trait. 

Tools and resources

A flowchart is available to explain some of the most common reasons an animal may not have EPDs. The flowchart is linked at the bottom of every animal’s pedigree/EPD lookup page, or can be found here.