In August, the American Angus Association launched a commercial program called Angus Link, designed to aid the commercial cattle producer by retaining value in their herd.
“In 2016, the Angus Association, board of directors and the association staff developed a long-range strategic plan, and one of its key components was aimed to provide tools that can aid the commercial cattle sector,” said Casey Cobb, Angus Link field representative.
He said for producers who raise a calf crop with superior genetics, one of the biggest concerns is if the stock are expected to perform better but they don’t see it in the finished product when they sell the cattle. Oviously something has to change or cattlemen will not continue to improve their cowherd.
“The better producers are making these investments and the hard choices on female retention and employing good management practices, yet they’re selling their cattle just like they’re average and they’re far from average,” Cobb said. “It’s not so much about surviving as it is trying to help the commercial guy thrive.”
There are two parts to the commercial program: Angus Link and Angus Source.
“These programs are a way to tie the calf crop to good Angus bulls and establish good genetics, which allows the commercial cow-calf producer to retain some of the value and leave less money on the table when the cattle are sold.”
Cobb says it also helps the video marketers, cattle buyers, sale barn auctions and country buyers identify the higher performing cattle and channel those into developing markets.
“It will help the feeder in the sense that he will identify the cattle that are performing better and if he can identify that these cattle are going to kill a particular way it helps him to point those cattle in the right direction,” Cobb said.
Additionally, the program is designed to take expected progeny differences and put them into an algorithm, creating an index score ranging from 0 to 200. Cobb says the average feeder calf will have an index score of 100. This is a quick and easy way for the producer to understand how his cattle rate, for the buyer to see exactly what is being bought and for the feeder to know what to expect out of these cattle.
Angus Link scores are based on the dollar value indexes. It translates into an overall performance score for feed yard and carcass quality such as carcass weight, marbling and feed efficiency. The grid score is the quality grade of the cattle. Cobb says it is a simple, non-breed specific program. However, it does target people that are using registered Angus bulls. The minimum requirement is 50 percent registered Angus and up to 25 percent registered in another breed and no more than 25 percent non-registered.
“I think the Angus Association is wise in taking into account there are other breed influences in people’s cow herds,” Cobb said.
The price is $4.50 per head but the first 50,000 receive a 50-cent discount per head that stays with producers through sequential calf crops.
“We did a beta test with 4,000 head and ran them through Northern Video and those cattle brought anywhere from a $4 to $8 premium compared to like cattle so it’s a good investment,” Cobb added.
Some information the program asks for includes: number of calving females annually, historical bull information, calf group information numbers and predominate coat color. To be a part of the Angus Link program there is a minimum health protocol that has to be met: one Blackleg, one viral and one bacterial vaccine.
Cobb says the enrollment is web-based and step-by-step. To sign up for the program, go to www.anguslink.com. In 2019, there will be a plug and play feature where you can take different bulls and see how they will affect your calf crop before you purchase the bull. Once enrolled in Angus Link, producers have the option to dual enroll in the Process Verified Programs: Angus Source. Angus source offers five different process verified programs certified through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“For some people this is going to be a way to shine a light on what they’ve been doing over the last 10 or 20 years and for other people it’s going to be a benchmark to say I want to get into that top tier and chase those premiums,” Cobb said.
Lacey Newlin can be reached at [email protected].
