Create the Right Calf to Capture Value

Cattle are in short supply but quality is as important as ever, according to a US Angus industry figurehead.
calendar icon 24 March 2015
clock icon 3 minute read

Selective bidding is needed in the market as feeders look for calves that will "pay their way" in the feedlot and on the grid. 

This is according to Tom Brink, President and found of Top Dollar Angus, a company sponsoring thousands of dollars worth of Angus genetics giveaways and related tests and tools. 

His company is sponsoring a give-away of Angus genetics and related tests and tools worth thousands of dollars.

Results of a 16-year price survey from the Certified Angus Beef indicated Angus calves still bring a record premium above the historically high average for other cattle at auction, writes the CAB team.

“That’s a great place for cow-calf producers to start, especially if they breed to Angus bulls near the top of the breed for gain and grade potential,” Brink says.

“Calves are born on the ranch, but the premium opportunity for outstanding genetics starts with greater value capture at the feedlot, filtered back through their bids.

“The extra dollars that verifiably better cattle can earn leads cattle feeders to differentiate, and that is de-commoditizing the markets,” he says.

"We can be confident this trend will grow because improved value capture by feedlots is paving the way.” Supply is short of demand for the best Angus calves.

That’s why Top Dollar Angus® has partnered with leading bull studs to sponsor a drawing for five winners of 10 straws of semen from each of five companies that provide artificial insemination (AI) services.

“These are well-known sires in the top 20 per cent of the breed or higher for $B,” Brink says, “and they possess a wide range of other economically important traits as well.

These sires can definitely produce premium-price-eligible Top Dollar Angus feeder calves that will move through the supply chain and qualify for the CAB brand at a high rate.”

Five winners in the May drawing, randomly matched to an AI company, will select one of that company’s eligible sires. Semen will be shipped to that company’s customer-service representative nearest to the winning producer.

Zoetis will provide the CIDR® inserts for estrus synchronization and, for those with 75 per cent or greater Angus cattle, 10 GeneMax Advantage™ or Focus™ DNA tests. Brink says the website at www.topdollarangus.com features easy directions for entries, which close April 30.

“Producers of today’s top-dollar calves know AI is a cost effective way to access some of the very best genetics available in the beef industry,” he says. “That’s an investment and a great way to differentiate their cattle from the commodity pack.”

Top Dollar Angus helps high-end Angus and Angus-based feeder calves achieve a differentiated identity in the marketplace, Brink says.

And it links those producers with cattle feeders who willingly pay more because they understand superior genetics are worth more.

“It’s a win-win scenario,” he says.

“Producers are rewarded for their top-shelf genetics and management. Cattle feeders can be confident they will be paid back in feedlot and grid performance, and as a net result, consumers find a greater supply of the CAB brand.”

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