Association Board Highlights Available Online

June 20, 2005 — The American Angus Association Board of Directors met June 8-10, 2005, in Jackson, Wyo., to conduct business of the Association. Highlights to that meeting have been posted on the Association’s Web site (www.angus.org/pr/june_board05.html). The full highlights will be published in the July issue of the Angus Journal.

Of special consideration
Throughout the late winter and early spring of 2005, the American Angus Association was approached by various producers, programs, a foreign association and certain members of the World Angus Secretariat concerning the Association’s interest in and ability to provide various non-registration services now being provided to members of the American Angus Association and through the Beef Record Service (BRS). As a result of the Association’s expertise and leadership in the field, data management and genetic evaluations are now essential tools in an evolving world cattle economy. Reliance on these tools will continue to grow dramatically in the months and years ahead as both seedstock and commercial producers seek information that best allows them to make informed selection decisions.

In late April, the Executive Committee directed staff to develop and present to the full Board of Directors at its June meeting a study on how and for whom the Association could provide such non-registration, performance evaluation services. At the June meeting the full Board met and devoted a great deal of time to weighing the pros and cons of a number of separate options. Following more than four hours of focused discussion, the Board unanimously passed three separate motions:

1) The Board directed Association staff to explore the feasibility of processing performance data for breeders/owners of red Angus cattle in the United States and to report its findings to the full Board in September 2005.

2) The Board directed Association staff to explore the feasibility of conducting a worldwide genetic evaluation that would encompass both black and red Angus and to report its findings to the full Board in September 2005.

3) The Board directed Association staff to explore the feasibility of conducting multi-breed evaluations for the beef industry and to report its findings to the full Board in September 2005.

Lastly, the Board voted unanimously to direct Association staff to consider a research project relating to certain genetic evaluations for the Missouri Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program, overseen by the University of Missouri Extension Commercial Agriculture Program.

Other Board actions of note
• The 2006 National Angus Conference & Tour will be Sept. 25-28 in Boise, Idaho.
• Renovations to the space once occupied by Angus Productions Inc. (API) were approved to make that space more useful to the Association.
• AngusSourceSM has been submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for recognition as a Process Verified Program (PVP).
• The Angus Education Center is now online at www.angus.org/AngusEducation.html.
• The Artificial Insemination (AI) Breeding Privilege rule was reinstated.
• The “Suggested Sale Terms and Conditions” were adjusted to make breeding guarantees applicable to bulls and females.
• As of the spring 2006 National Cattle Evaluation (NCE), percent retail product (%RP) expected progeny differences (EPDs) will be eliminated. Yield Grade Value ($YG) and Quality Grade Value ($QG) will become searchable components within the online sire search.
• Funding was approved for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) studies on Angus animals involved in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) bovine genome SNP project.
• Development of a mark that could be used by Angus producers to show their support of the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand was approved.
• Per-page rate increases were approved for the Angus Journal and the Angus Beef Bulletin.
• A mission statement was adopted for the Angus Foundation.

For more information visit www.angus.org/pr/june_board05.html or see pages 113-115 of the July Angus Journal, which should arrive in subscribers’ mailboxes in early July.

— by Shauna Rose Hermel, Angus Productions Inc. editor

© Copyright 2005 Angus Productions Inc.

This article was written by staff of Angus Productions Inc. (API), which claims copyright to this article. It may not be published or distributed without the express permission of Angus Productions Inc. To request reprint permission and guidelines, contact Shauna Rose Hermel, editor, at (816) 383-5270 or shermel@angusjournal.com.

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