The Agricultural Business Research Institute (ABRI) is pleased to announce that Angus breeders across Argentina are set to benefit from several significant BREEDPLAN software enhancements implemented in the May 2025 Angus Argentino BREEDPLAN evaluation. These enhancements improve the predictive ability of the EBVs published for Angus animals, ensuring that the pedigree and performance information being recorded by Angus breeders across Argentina is used to its full potential.

These enhancements include:  

1. Upgrade to BREEDPLAN version 6.2: The operating system on which the Angus Argentino BREEDPLAN evaluation is run has been transitioned from a legacy system to one which will carry the Angus Argentino BREEDPLAN evaluation into the future. To do so, we have been required to upgrade Angus Argentino to BREEDPLAN version 6.2.

This transition to BREEDPLAN v6.2 means a more comprehensive approach to the modelling of genetic groups has now been implemented. Consequently, changes in EBVs may be apparent for some animals, especially for those with one or both parents unknown. Additionally, BREEDPLAN v6.2 allows the capacity to include genomic data via single-step methods in the future.

2. Re-estimation of genetic parameters: A complete re-estimation of the genetic parameters for traits reported in the Angus Argentino BREEDPLAN analysis has been completed. This includes re-estimations of heritability for individual traits, as well as the correlations between the different traits. As a consequence, the parameters implemented in the May 2025 evaluation will better represent the population of Angus animals with performance records.