EBV stands for Estimated Breeding Value. It is a number generated by using a statistical process called BLUP (Best Linear Unbiased Prediction) which combines data from the same animal, and all of an animal’s relatives, weighted appropriately, to estimate the individuals genetic merit compared to the average of the population. Choice generates EBVs for all the traits of interest in a given line, then combines them into a single number called an Index. BLUP allows Choice to estimate genetic values for traits like litter size, which is only measurable in females, and meat quality which can only be measured directly after an animal is harvested.
