News Update

News Update
Jan. 11, 2008

Scholarship Fund Initiated in Memory of Angus Breeder

At the National Western Foundation Female sale Jan.18, attendees will have the opportunity to honor the memory of a very special friend of the Angus industry. Mack Olson, of Mytty Angus of Florence, Mont., passed away Dec. 10, 2007, due to injuries received in an auto accident. A longtime member of the American Angus Association and Montana Angus Association, Mack had a passion for Angus cattle and was always willing to share his knowledge as well as his smile. In 1995, Mack had the honor of receiving the Herdsman Award at the National Western Angus Futurity in Reno, Nev.

As a tribute to the life of their longtime friend and colleague, Mytty Angus will donate the sale proceeds of Lot 463 in the National Western Angus Foundation Female Sale, taking place Jan. 18, 2008, at 11 a.m. in the National Western Livestock Center Auction Arena. Lot 463, a package of 4 frozen embryos, combines the maternal power of the Sitz Everelda Entense family with Connealy Freightliner, an industry leader in fertility excellence.

The proceeds of this lot will help to establish the Mack Olson Memorial Scholarship. Administered by the Angus Foundation, this scholarship will help support the educational endeavors of National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) members.

For more information about contributing to the Mack Olson Memorial Scholarship, contact Milford Jenkins, Angus Foundation president, at 816-383-5100 or by e-mail at mjenkins@angusfoundation.org.

— Release provided by the Angus Foundation.

Cattle Industry Convention Online

Angus Productions Inc. (API) is again providing online coverage of the Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show, scheduled for Feb. 6-9, at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nev. Education, information and a little bit of fun, too, “Rush to Reno” will be the underlying theme of the event.

Attended by more than 5,000 cattlemen each year, the convention is the largest meeting of its kind in the United States. Five industry organizations, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board (CBB), the American National CattleWomen (ANCW), Cattle-Fax and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF), are to convene at the event.

Throughout the event, speakers, boards and working groups are scheduled to address issues ranging from cattle handling to political lobbying, from public lands to tax regulations, from market outlooks to advertising schedules. Export regulations and cattle tracking systems are sure to be essential talking points.

For pre-event and general coverage of the event, visit the “Newsroom” at www.4cattlemen.com. Proceeding papers, synopses and PowerPoint presentations will be posted as they become available, as well as audio files of Pfizer’s ever-popular Cattlemen’s College.

After the event, visit the “Trade Show” page for highlights of the latest advances in animal health, management and recordkeeping. Visit the “Award Winners” page for coverage of the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) results, Vision Award recipients, National Beef Ambassadors and other award winners.

Outreach Seminars Planned for Virginia, Indiana

The American Angus Association has announced two new Outreach Seminars. These seminars include discussion on performance programs, marketing with the AngusSource® program, and an overview of all Association entities and any current updates. Members also provide discussion and input to Association staff and directors in attendance.

The Association will conduct an Outreach Seminar on:

Saturday, Feb. 2 at the Natural Bridge Hotel & Conference Center in Natural Bridge, Va. The Seminar begins at 1 p.m., and is in conjunction with the Virginia Angus Association Annual Meeting; and
Saturday, March 15 at the Indiana Farm Bureau Building in Indianapolis. The Seminar begins at 1 p.m., and is in conjunction with the Indiana Angus Association Information Futurity.

“Outreach Seminars allow the Association to visit with members at a more localized setting,” says Jim Shirley, Association vice president of industry relations. “We will be on hand to discuss changes and enhancements to Association programs and field questions from the members in attendance.”

A complete listing of the Seminars is online at www.angus.org. For more information about the Indianapolis Outreach Seminar, contact Jim Shirley at 816-383-5100. Contact the Virginia Angus Association at 540-337-3001 for inquires about their meeting and events.

— Information provided by the American Angus Association.

Quality, efficiency work together

Producers can select cattle for carcass quality and feed efficiency at the same time. That’s the good news shared by Mark McCully, Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) supply development director, at a recent CAB seminar series.

The Feeding Quality Forums last fall in Garden City, Kan., and South Sioux City, Neb., were cosponsored by CAB, Feedlot magazine, Pfizer Animal Health and Purina Mills, LLC.

“Quality grade and feed efficiency aren’t genetically correlated,” McCully said. “That’s pretty exciting because it’s not an either/or situation. You can select for both.”

The excitement is about not having to choose between two traits that each play a big role in profit.

Quality grade offers premiums not only in the Choice-Select spread but also between Choice and CAB-qualifying cattle. According to the National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA), the industry is losing $27 per head, simply because it continues to fall short of the quality mix end users want.

“That $27 quantifies the value you’re missing, from a quality standpoint,” McCully said. “From a brand standpoint, the limitation of our growth has been supply, and failure to meet the marbling specification is the most common reason cattle don’t qualify.”

The profit potential in higher quality has increased in recent years of higher Choice-Select and Choice-CAB spreads.

But quality isn’t the only trait affected by current market conditions. With high corn prices, the cost of a pound of gain is up. That makes feed efficiency more important.

“When you plug in the numbers with $4.20 versus $2-a-bushel corn, it amplifies the difference in value between the top third of cattle and the bottom third,” McCully said. The top cattle used to be worth $39 more per head than the bottom third, he noted, but now their value advantage has doubled, to $78.

So, what is the difference between top and bottom cattle in the feedlot?

“Obviously, if you’re managing them all the same, genetics has an awful lot to do with it,” McCully said.

Marbling is a highly heritable trait, with 40% based on genetics.

“It’s pretty well accepted that Angus cattle typically have that genetic ability to marble better than other breeds,” McCully said. “The bottom line is, as you stack the percent Angus, you get a lot more Prime and high Choice cattle. You also see a lot fewer Standards.”

McCully reminded attendees that there is a difference between Angus cattle and all black cattle: “The marbling benefit comes with the Angus genetics, not the black hide color.”

While there is less data on feed efficiency, it shows differences based on breed and biological type. Feed efficiency is positively correlated with postweaning gain and average daily gain (ADG), two traits that Angus cattle have greatly advanced during the past 15 years.

However, there is no correlation between marbling and feed efficiency.

“They aren’t mutually exclusive traits, and that’s a positive thing,” McCully said. “Producers can select for both.”

This is especially important considering current market conditions.

“With corn price up and the high Choice-Select spreads, genetics are more correlated to profitability than before,” McCully said. “As a feeding industry, we need to realize that and plug it more into our equations than we have been.”

He reminded producers that genetic selection for quality and feed efficiency is not enough. “Genetics must be combined with good management and marketing to reach their full profit potential,” McCully said.

Online copies of the event presentation can be found at www.cabpartners.com/events/past_events/index.php.

— Release provided by Certified Angus Beef LLC.

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