AngusSource Passes Milestone of 100,000 Head of Qualified Cattle
US - AngusSource®, the American Angus Association’s United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Process Verified Program (PVP), recently surpassed 100,000 head of cattle qualified for the program. For more than a year, AngusSource has been the industry leader in qualifying Angus genetic-, age- and source-verified cattle and continues to drive the beef industry toward quantifying true Angus genetics.
18 April 2007
2 minute read
For more than a year, AngusSource has been the industry leader in qualifying Angus genetic-, age- and source-verified cattle and continues to drive the beef industry toward quantifying true Angus genetics.
The program has shown steady growth since becoming a USDA PVP in October 2005. March 2007 was the top enrollment month, qualifying 13,651 head for AngusSource. This reflects a 10% increase over enrollments in March 2006. In June 2006, cattle genetically verified through AngusSource became eligible for the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB) brand.
National Beef Packing Company LLC recently became eligible through the USDA to allow AngusSource cattle to qualify for their own Angus branded programs. Art Wagner, National Beef’s vice president of procurement, recently said, “Those cattle, based on whatever information accompanies them via AngusSource, might be eligible for a variety of value-added premiums.”
Mark McCully, director of supply development for CAB, said, “This will obviously affect the producers who are using registered Angus bulls on a set of cows that might not produce black calves,” citing a Charolais-Angus cross example. “Now that we know the genetics, those cattle that were previously not eligible will be evaluated for CAB and its premiums.”
The AngusSource program began as a way to drive demand for registered Angus bulls by increasing the value of Angus-sired calves. Recent Premium Value Challenge (PVC) winners averaged more than $8/cwt in premiums through live auctions, video and private treaty transactions.
Calves sired by an Angus bull do not automatically qualify for AngusSource. The bull must be registered with the American Angus AssociationSM and properly transferred to the producer enrolling the calves. The Association registration certificate is key to the entire program and serves as the documentation/verification that the calves sired by the bull are a minimum of 50% Angus. Calves must also meet the program requirements for the source and age verification claims.
The American Angus Association is the world’s largest beef breed organization, providing programs and services to thousands of commercial producers and more than 34,000 members nationwide. Its headquarters are located in Saint Joseph, Mo. For more information about AngusSource visit www.angussource.com, call 816-383-5100 or e-mail [email protected].
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