Numerical rankings of (livestock) parental genetics, in terms of an animal’s genetic impact on progeny’s four following commercial traits:
- Number of progeny born alive
- Weight of progeny at weaning age
- Number of days required to reach slaughter weight, when fed adequately
- Carcass lean meat versus fat percentages
EPDs allow a farmer to estimate differences in performance of future offspring (of a given parent) versus offspring produced by parents of average genetic value. For example, a boar (male pig) possessing an EPD of -4 for “number of days required to reach slaughter weight produces offspring that reach slaughter weight in four fewer days (offeeding time) than offspring that are sired by a boar possessing an EPD of 0.