The American Angus Association and its entities chalked up a solid business year in fiscal 2003, which ended September 30. Sales of Certified Angus Beef® products climbed to more than 580 million pounds and registrations of Angus cattle totaled 281,734 for the year.

“We’re very pleased with the year end figures for the Association and its entities,” says John Crouch, executive vice president of the American Angus Association. “It’s obvious that our members and their commercial customers continue to put their faith in Angus genetics and in the programs and services provided by our organization.”

Registrations of Angus cattle for the year were 281,734, just 231 less than were processed in 2002. Transfers, which represent sales of cattle to new owners, were up for the year at 165,963, an increase of nearly one percent.

Membership figures for the year included 2,915 new regular members and 1,407 new junior members, down just slightly in both areas.

Electronic submission of data to the Association has become the preferred way of doing business for a large percentage of members. During the year, more than 43 percent of total registrations, a 28 percent increase from fiscal 2002, and more than half of weaning and yearling weights were submitted electronically for processing. Data is submitted by members with the help of Angus Information Management Software (AIMS) and AAA Login, which is a service available on www.angus.org.

Sales of Certified Angus Beef® products continued to climb, passing the half billion pounds mark for the fourth year in a row and maintaining the CAB position as the largest breed-based branded beef program in the world. Annual sales of 580 million pounds have been projected, an 8 percent increase from the previous year. Of that total, retail licensees sold a projected 294 million pounds and food service licensees sold a projected 167 million pounds. International sales contributed 89 million pounds to the projected total.

Licensees also found success in offering CAB prime products, selling more than 6 million pounds for an increase of 135 percent from a year ago. Value added products, which includes heat-and-serve entries, deli meats, frankfurters and sausages, continued to grow with more than 12 million pounds
in sales, an increase of 20 percent for the year.

“As the Certified Angus Beef® brand celebrates its 25th anniversary with record sales, it is exciting to see the innovative concept started by visionary Angus producers set the gold standard for branding in the beef industry,” says Jim Riemann, president of CAB. “Our mission to increase the demand for registered Angus cattle is being met and cattlemen are being rewarded for producing high quality beef products.”

More than 12 million head of cattle were visually identified as being eligible for CAB. Of those cattle, 2.2 million head met Certified Angus Beef® product specifications for a 17.6 percent acceptance rate.

Reports of sales of Angus cattle were steady from a year ago as well. Reports from consignment, production and dispersal sales that were attended by regional managers representing the Association showed average prices of bulls at $2,241 and females at $2,545, with an overall average of $2,355.

Angus breeders continue to focus on making genetic improvement in their herd through the Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR) program. Total data submitted to the AHIR program was up 3.4 percent for the year, which included 298,419 birth weights, 294,954 weaning weights and 147,638 yearling weights. That data was submitted by 8,281 herds, which is a 3.3 percent increase in participation.

Angus breeders continue to use ultrasound technology to gather body composition measurements in their herds as well, with data submitted on 95,958 animals, a 14.4 percent increase for the year. That data came from 2,502 herds, a 16.3 percent increase in participation.

The Angus Foundation also enjoyed growth in fiscal year 2003, providing more than $40,000 in scholarships to Angus youth and supporting educational and leadership programs for members of the National Junior Angus Association and other projects that benefit the breed.