EBVs now integrated into AuctionsPlus Angus stud sale catalogues

AuctionsPlus has partnered with Angus Australia to integrate Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) directly into Angus stud sale catalogues on the platform, giving buyers trusted genetic data alongside sale information for every lot.

The integration means EBVs and indexes, complete with percentiles and accuracies, now sit front and centre in AuctionsPlus catalogues rather than requiring buyers to cross-reference separate sources.

"With the integration AuctionsPlus has made with the Angus database, any Angus sales we have online now pulls that data directly into our sale catalogues, meaning that buyers can search and filter those catalogues based on the breeding values you're looking for," AuctionsPlus Business Development Manager Oliver Hoare said.

According to Mr Hoare, the feature is designed to remove a common pain point for buyers: manually cross-referencing stud catalogues against separate EBV data, often in a spreadsheet, to find bulls suited to their breeding objectives.

Buyers can now search a catalogue by specific EBV ranges or by percentile, depending on what they're looking for. To use it, buyers open a sale catalogue, select the filters button, scroll to the breeding values section, and choose the traits or indexes and ranges relevant to their breeding program.

"This integration allows AuctionsPlus to be the only place that buyers can come and find the breeding values they're looking for, search and filter those catalogues, look at photos and videos, and bid, all in the one place," Mr Hoare said. 

A smarter way to operate

For Thomsons Angus vendor and Genetics Australia Beef Product Manager Damien Thomson, the integration has already changed his approach to buying, selling and assessing genetics.

Mr Thomson said the tool has removed a research process that used to eat up significant time before sale day. "It's brilliant that you can actually filter bulls on their figures in a sale catalogue and immediately have a shortlist," he said.

Before the integration, Mr Thomson accessed the Angus Australia database separately to filter bulls, then favourited them ahead of sale day.

"Having it all in one place is what makes it really work," he said. "It's cutting out a lot of time. It's a very good tool for time efficiency in searching sale reports."

Mr Thomson said he had already used the tool to find bulls, and sale catalogues, he might otherwise have missed. He's also saved filters for future use.

One feature he singled out is that EBV data updates automatically as Angus Australia releases new figures, rather than being fixed at the point a catalogue is published.

"One of the best parts of it is that because it's integrated, it's updated with the Angus figures whenever they're updated," Mr Thomson said. "Previously, when it was pasted into a catalogue, it could sometimes be two months before the sale and new data comes in and the figures on the bulls actually change. So it's one of the best features, that it actually updates with the Angus database."

As a vendor, Mr Thomson said the ability to highlight key traits within a catalogue has also proven valuable from the selling side.

"Being able to highlight just a couple of traits that are key to your program and have them front and centre for clients who are obviously selecting for the same things is really handy when you scroll through and see what's there."

Mr Thomson said the integration now underpins how Thomsons Angus operates around sale time. "We really rely on AuctionsPlus for everything now. It's effectively become the catalogue and the selling function," he said.

In his role at Genetics Australia, Mr Thomson said the same tool serves a different but equally valuable purpose. "It allows me to filter through all bulls up for sale, which could be hundreds or thousands, and find a couple that hit some really high specs from an AI point of view," he said. "It really does have benefits from a number of perspectives."

Live now for upcoming sales

The integration is live across AuctionsPlus-hosted Angus stud sales. Vendors with a sale already booked don't need to take any action, as EBV data will appear automatically once their catalogue goes live. Studs yet to book a sale can do so through AuctionsPlus to access the feature.

View upcoming Anugs Stud sales at AuctionsPlus.