Every year the US Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) at Clay Center, Nebraska, publishes its across-breed EPD adjustment factors. They exist so that a breeder can put an Angus bull’s EPDs and a Shorthorn or Charolais bull’s on the same scale. Along the way they give one of the few like-for-like breed comparisons you will find anywhere, because every breed is measured in the same herd, under the same management.
The 2026 figures came out in July. This is how Shorthorn, Angus and Hereford bulls are expected to compare on carcase quality when used over the same cows, for calves born in 2024. We have converted inches to millimetres and square centimetres.
| Trait | Shorthorn | Angus | Hereford |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marbling score | 5.40 | 6.33 | 5.38 |
| Rib-eye area (cm²) | 88.3 | 89.0 | 87.3 |
| Back fat (mm) | 13.8 | 17.1 | 15.4 |
What we take from it
- Marbling: Shorthorn sires sit level with Hereford (5.40 against 5.38), ahead of Charolais and Limousin, and behind Angus (6.33).
- Fat cover: Shorthorn-sired calves carry less back fat than Angus or Hereford calves, 13.8 mm against 17.1 mm and 15.4 mm, which puts them alongside the Simmentals.
- Milk: Shorthorn daughters are level with Angus for milk, and slightly ahead of Hereford.
These are American Shorthorns; our own herd draws on Australian, Canadian, American and South African bloodlines, selected for our conditions. And within any breed the spread between the best and worst bulls is far bigger than the gap between breed averages.
That last point is why we weigh and record everything, and why we Phase C test our bulls. Choose the bull, not just the breed. Allistair is happy to go through the figures on any of our bulls with you.