Genetics is off by default in CattleIQ. If you're working with genetic data, turning it on is well worth it.

Genetic fields are dead weight on the interface until you've actually imported real data, so the app keeps them out of the way until you turn them on. With genetic data in place, CattleIQ folds your imported traits into each animal's record, makes them available as columns in reports, and lets you filter and rank by any of them. This guide walks through the steps from a fresh genetic test to using the data inside the app.

What you need first

CattleIQ doesn't run genetic tests. You'll have results from an outside provider. Zoetis is the explicitly supported one, and the import format is built around their INHERIT Select panels. If you're using a different provider, check that your export matches the columns CattleIQ expects.

You'll need:

• A spreadsheet with your animals' genetic results, one row per animal.
• An identifier column that matches the identifiers your animals carry in CattleIQ, so the importer can match each row to the right animal.

Importing the data

Genetic data goes in through the same import flow as any other animal data. From the Animals page, click Import. (If you don't see the button, you need to enable Import/Export first. See Importing and exporting data.)

The importer is a three-step wizard:

1. Upload your spreadsheet. Supported formats: .csv, .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm. If your file has multiple sheets, you'll be asked to pick which one to import from.
2. Review what was matched. The app matches rows to existing animals by identifier. You'll see a row-by-row preview with errors, warnings, and counts of new vs. updated animals. Genetics data appended to an existing animal updates that animal's record; rows that don't match any animal can be created as new records.
3. Confirm. Choose whether to create new animals, update existing ones, or both, and run the import.

For the full mechanics of the import wizard (column names, validation rules, error troubleshooting), see Importing and exporting data.

Turning genetics on

Once your data is imported, go to Settings > Ranch Account > Genetics. Two settings:

• Enable Genetics Fields: turn it on. With it on, genetic fields and columns become available throughout the app.
• Key Genetic Trait Fields: pick the four to eight traits that most matter to your operation. These show on each animal's Genetics card and populate the genetics-driven dropdowns elsewhere. The full list stays available in reports and the trait explorer; this is just what gets surfaced by default.

About the trait list: roughly 28 traits are available, organized into four natural groups.

• Growth: BW, WW, YW, DMI, F:G, YH, MW (birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight, dry matter intake, feed-to-gain, yearling height, mature weight)
• Maternal: CEM, MILK, TUC, FRT, DOC, SC, FSC (calving ease maternal, milk weight, teat-and-udder composite, fertility, docility, scrotal circumference, foot score composite)
• Carcass: CW, FAT, REA, YG, MARB, TND, PAP (carcass weight, fat thickness, ribeye area, yield grade, marbling, tenderness, pulmonary arterial pressure)
• Zoetis indices and specialty: ZTR, ZCC, ZFC (Zoetis Total Return, Cow/Calf, and Feedlot/Carcass indices), $P, $R, $F (financial indices), and EGBC (estimated genomic breed composition)

What it looks like with genetics on

Once the toggle is on, genetic data shows up in a few places:

• On the animal record. A new Genetics card appears, displaying the key traits you selected as a grid. Click More to open the Genetic Trait Explorer, which shows every imported trait with its percentile ranking, breed composition (EGBC), and trait-specific guidance.
• In reports. The column picker gains around 29 genetics columns, one per trait. Add any of them to a report to see, say, weaning-weight EPDs or the Zoetis Total Return Index alongside the rest of your animal data.
• In workdays. When you set up a workday, Included Genetics Info appears as a section. Pick traits to display on the per-animal screen so the relevant numbers are in front of you while you work the cow.
• In filters. Build animal queries using genetic conditions: "ZTR above the 75th percentile," "MARB in the top 10%," "any animal with a known foot score composite." Useful when picking a sire list or culling on traits that aren't visible to the eye.

A note on percentiles

The percentile rankings displayed alongside each trait are industry benchmarks (typically Angus Association GEPD reference data, used by Zoetis). They tell you where each animal sits across the breed, not within your herd specifically. So an animal in the top 25th percentile for weaning weight is in the top quartile across the industry, regardless of how the rest of your herd stacks up.

For lower-is-better traits like dry matter intake or feed-to-gain, the app reads the percentile direction correctly and flags low percentiles as desirable. You don't have to remember which way each trait runs.

What's next

Once genetics is on and you've worked it into your records, Building reports covers building views that combine genetic data with performance history. Using labels is also useful for tagging your top-of-trait animals so you can pull them up quickly without rebuilding queries.