Updated PAP EPD Available on Limited Number of Animals

An updated pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) expected progeny difference (EPD) is now available on a limited number of animals registered at the American Simmental Association.

The PAP evaluation was previously performed by Colorado State University due to their historical involvement and expertise in the trait complex, but has been transitioned to International Genetic Solutions (IGS). This transition allows the PAP evaluation to be managed in-house while fully leveraging the depth of the IGS multi-breed pedigree. The updated PAP EPD is generated using traditional pedigree-based Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (PBLUP), meaning that genomic data are not currently incorporated into the prediction. Research is still underway to investigate multi-breed genomic markers for inclusion into the PAP evaluation in the future. Due to the limited number of PAP phenotypes and infeasibility of utilizing genomic information, EPD are only available on animals within five generations of an animal with a PAP phenotype, representing approximately 12,000 animals in the SIMUSA population. The PAP EPD can be located on the EPD suite on individual animal pages on Herdbook. For any questions, contact staff at simmenta@simmgene.com.