News Update
April 7, 2009

Record Month Reflects Confidence in AngusSource®

When every dollar counts, cow-calf producers take stock of what they have to offer. They look for ways to add value to their calves. For more than 21,000 of those calves, the owners decided the best way to add value was simply to document it.

During March, 84 Angus producers helped themselves by enrolling their calves in the AngusSource Process Verified Program (PVP).

“That was a monthly record,” says Sara Snider, director of AngusSource. “These calves from across the country — verified for source, group age and Angus genetics — represented a 50.7% increase compared to March 2008 enrollments.”

AngusSource became a USDA PVP in October 2005. Since then nearly 320,000 calves have been enrolled by more than 1,300 Angus producers. “The growth of the program and the number of repeat customers is a testament of their confidence in AngusSource and the value the program adds to their calves,” she says.

“Our analysis of the 2008 Superior Livestock video auction data showed that calves enrolled in AngusSource brought $3.37 per hundredweight (cwt.) more than non-verified calves,” Snider says. “Calves that have sold so far in 2009 show those premiums are still being paid for good cattle that are verified.”

Premiums persist because the value persists. “The AngusSource program offers a way to add value at every step of the production chain,” says Jim Shirley, vice president of industry relations at the American Angus Association.® “The ranch program allows producers to capture additional value by verifying the source, age and genetics of their calves. Enrollment in AngusSource at the ranch means calves qualify for many branded beef export markets and meet the initial requirements for COOL.”

AngusSource also offers a feedyard program, initially designed to allow farmer feeders to meet requirements for marketing age-verified calves directly to a packer for export to Japan. Commercial feeders may also enroll. “Although still small, our feedyard program has been operating well,” Snider says. “Feeders enrolled in AngusSource have been able to garner age-verified packer premiums of up to $45 per head. For the modest cost to enroll, the potential returns are huge.”

Increasingly, packers are setting up their plants to accept AngusSource-tagged calves —regardless of hide color — to supply Angus branded beef programs for both U.S. and export markets.

The AngusSource online listing site and weekly e-mails continue to provide strong marketing support for producers enrolled in the program. More than 600 order buyers and feeders receive the weekly e-mails by request, and use them to locate and take steps toward buying AngusSource calves.

“Calves promoted through the online listing site can be sold on the video, through an auction market or direct from the ranch,” Snider explains. “Our goal is to help producers document additional management, health and marketing information. We then use the web and weekly e-mail to circulate the listings to potential buyers.” Since the beginning of the PVP more than 123,000 calves have been promoted through this service.

In a slow economy and a cattle market that demands good management and aggressive marketing, AngusSource is a logical tool for producers to tap into additional profit potential for a small investment.

For more information about the AngusSource program or to locate AngusSource calves available for sale, visit www.angussource.com.

— Release provided by AngusSource.

Sale of Angus Female Helps Students Raise Funds to Compete in International Contest

Efforts by Angus breeders, the Colorado State University (CSU) Animal Science Department and others, brought together beef supply chain segments during the CSU bull sale, March 28, 2009, in Fort Collins, Colo.

The annual sale, which features the university’s Angus and Hereford seedstock, has traditionally been a platform to showcase students learning beyond the classroom walls. This year, in addition to featuring the efforts of CSU’s merchandising team, the sale highlighted the CSU Meat Judging Team, whose members are raising money to compete in the Australian National Meat Judging Contest.

Collaboration with animal science department peers, the generosity of Angus breeders, and the sale of an Angus heifer are important parts of the judging team’s fundraising efforts. The team, a part of CSU’s meat science department, worked alongside CSU’s seedstock program and relied on the generosity of other Angus producers to aid their fundraising.

The combined efforts brought in $1,550 toward the team’s fundraising goal. Prairie Marsh, Poynette, Wis., donated an Angus heifer, Prairie Marsh Pride 803, sired by BR Midland The McConnell Family, McConnell Angus, Fort Collins, Colo., purchased the January 2008 female.

CSU Meat Judging coach, Scott Howard, notes the importance of generosity and partnerships that lead to invaluable learning opportunities for students. The help and generosity of others in the beef industry are giving his team the privilege to represent the U.S. while participating in a competitive learning environment.

CSU’s four-member team is the third from the U.S. to be invited to the competition; teams for the previous two years include those from the University of Illinois, Champaign, Ill., and Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla.

The international contest is a five-day event hosted by the Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging Association. It includes two days of training alongside students from Australian and Japanese teams, and two days of contests where competitors evaluate pork, lamb and beef. Students will interact with other participants and learn more about Australia’s system.

“This contest will expose the students to something they wouldn’t otherwise get through any program in the U.S.; it gives them a more global perspective on the meat industry,” Howard says.

CSU Meat Judging Team members include Heather Pierce, Golden, Colo.; Ruth Woiwode, Fort Collins, Colo.; Renee Kinsey, Tucson, Ariz.; and Amanda Greenwell, Kealakekua, Hawaii.

For more information about the CSU Meat Judging Team, their fundraising efforts and information on this year’s contest, contact Scott Howard at Colorado State University Department of Animal Sciences, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1171; email: sth_cc@hotmail.com; or at 970-566-3744.

— Release provided by the American Angus Association.

Ag Secretary Vilsack Announces $45M for Rehabilitating Flood Control Structures

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Monday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is distributing $45 million in Recovery Act funds to rehabilitate aging flood control structures nationwide. These projects will help revitalize dams and rural economies by creating jobs and supporting local businesses that supply needed products and services.

“President Obama is committed to strengthening much-needed infrastructure in rural communities and this support will enhance water quality, create more dependable water supplies and decrease soil erosion across the country,” Vilsack said. “This is good news for America’s environment and economy.”

There are many dams and other important flood control structures across the country that are in a race against time when it comes to their ability to protect people and property from flooding. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will deliver this assistance through its Watershed Rehabilitation Program and direct the funding toward the most cost-effective projects where there is the greatest risk of infrastructure failure and threat to life and property. State and local sponsors will provide 35% of the funding for their projects.

For a list of specific allocations, visit www.usda.gov.

More information about USDA’s efforts regarding the Recovery Act is available at www.usda.gov/recovery. More information about the Federal government’s efforts on the economic stimulus is available at www.recovery.gov.

— Adapted from a release provided by USDA.

Applications Invited for National Stocker Award

You or someone you know could be the next National Stocker Award winner. Applications are now being accepted for the 2009 National Stocker Award, which recognizes stocker operators and backgrounders for their contributions to this critical segment of the beef cattle industry. The application form is now available at www.nationalstockeraward.com. Completed forms are due Friday, May 1, 2009.

An independent judging panel will select the National Stocker Award grand-prize winner, who receives $5,000, as well as special recognition at the 2010 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) convention in San Antonio, Texas. The second- and third-place winners are given $1,000 cash awards each.

New for this year, the application process is a simpler phased approach. Applicants fill out Phase I, which requires general information and an overview of the operation. Three finalists will be selected during Phase I from the entire pool of nomination forms, regardless of category. Phase II of the application — profitability metrics — will only be completed by the three finalists.

“It is a privilege to recognize these award-winning stocker operations, as well as to provide a platform through which these top producers can share ideas,” says Todd Ripberger, stocker marketing consultant, Elanco Animal Health, sponsor of the National Stocker Award. “Previous winners have shown expertise in innovative cattle strategies and business management, and we’re looking forward to honoring the stocker operators who will be chosen to receive the 2009 National Stocker Award.”

Background about previous award winners and additional information about the National Stocker Award itself is available at www.nationalstockeraward.com.

You can find a completed sample application on the web site, as well as an application form template.

— Release provided by Elanco.

ANCW Region Meetings to Include Cost Saving Tips for Health Insurance

The American National CattleWomen Inc. (ANCW) is hosting two regional meetings that include half-day seminars on managing health insurance and health crisis planning for ranch and farm families.

The seminars are funded through the Western Center for Risk Management Education of Washington State University. Additional funding is provided by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES).

The Utah CattleWomen will host the Region 6 meeting at the Embassy Suites in downtown Salt Lake City, April 15-17.

On May 15-17, Oregon CattleWomen will host the Region 5 meeting at the Oxford Suites/Jantzen Beach in Portland.

Health issues have become critical to many ranches and farms. On average, 10% of a ranch or farm income goes for health-related costs. Families who farm or ranch are often at a disadvantage because they have to purchase health insurance in the individual market instead of getting it as part of a group plan.

Only 8% of American households buy health insurance through this market, while one study found that 36% of farm and ranch families do, and pay an average of $4,300 per year more than Americans who get insurance through an employer. An ANCW member survey indicated members often sacrifice adequate insurance coverage because of cash flow issues, significantly raising the ranch risk in the event of a catastrophic illness.

During the Region 6 meeting in Salt Lake City, the Health Coverage Risk Education will start with round table discussions at lunch on Friday, April 17. Troy Stover, Consumer Service Analyst for the Utah Department of Insurance, will discuss how to shop for health insurance, money saving tips and tricks of using the Internet. Darrell Hotton, program manager for the Division of Aging and Adult Services, will make sense of the ever-changing and confusing Medicare issues. The Region 6 meeting will also extensively cover ANCW updates and explore two new ANCW committees on curriculum and animal welfare. A tour of the Family History Center and dinner at the Lion House are featured local events.

Registration for the Region 5 meeting is Thursday night, May 14, with the ANCW business starting Friday morning. At noon the Risk Management workshop will begin with round table discussions over lunch. Cynthia Hylton from SHIBA (Senior Health Insurance Benefits) will cover Medicare issues, from supplements to long-term care. Harold Weight and Jake Twenge of IMedOregon, a division of Multiplan Financial Services Inc., will take the participants through insurance buying, what to watch for and how to get the most out of your insurance dollar. They will also touch on family situations that impact decisions on long-term care and disability insurance. In addition to ANCW business, the Region 5 meeting will include presentations on current environmental hot topics, historic Northwest Native American basket weavers and a humorous spoof on Oregon history as well as time for sightseeing in downtown Portland.

Producers may attend just the Risk Management part of the Region meetings for no charge but must preregister. For more information see http://ancw.org or contact the ANCW office at 303-694-0313.

— Release provided by ANCW.

— Compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.