Sara Snider
The Source
Increase your marketing options with AngusSource.®
Are you looking for a way to add value to your spring calves before you market them this fall? If the answer is “yes,” then the time to start is today.
AngusSource can open additional marketing avenues for your calves. The AngusSource online listing site is read weekly by more than 600 order buyers and feedyard operators throughout the country. Whether you sell replacement females or feeders direct off the ranch, through your local auction market or on video, this free service can help promote your calves to a larger audience.
Age verification continues to be a requirement in order for product to export to Japan. Packer premiums for calves harvested at 20 months of age or less were as high as $35 per head earlier this year. Today the premium available varies from packer to packer.
The demand for age-verified calves from the feeders has translated into premiums for feeder calves. The analysis of Superior Livestock Auction data we conducted in fall 2008 showed that cattle enrolled in age- and source-verified programs received $2.08 per hundredweight (cwt.) more than calves that were not source- and age-verified. The data also suggested that calves enrolled in AngusSource had a $1.29-per-cwt. advantage over other source- and age-verified programs, bringing the total value of AngusSource enrollment to $3.37 per cwt.
AngusSource is more than just source and age verification. The genetic component of the program means that potential buyers are guaranteed that there is a minimum of 50% Angus genetics under the hide of the calves you sell. Genetic verification opens the door for your calves to supply branded beef programs like Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) regardless of their hide color.
The first step to accessing these marketing outlets and potential premiums is to get your calves enrolled in AngusSource. Calves must be enrolled prior to marketing and leaving the ranch. Download a producer manual and enrollment form at www.angussource.com or contact AngusSource at 816-383-5100 to request one.
Once the producer enrollment form is completed and submitted to AngusSource, a staff member will work one-on-one with you to enroll your calves. Producer training, discussion of management practices and documentation of the source, age and genetics of your calves is all part of this process. Copies of your original records must be submitted to AngusSource — at minimum this will include calving records, but can also include semen receipts, purchased bred female receipts, etc.
Your enrollment is complete once it is approved by AngusSource. In some cases an on-site review/ranch visit will be required prior to approval. We encourage you to start your enrollment 60 to 90 days in advance of marketing in case an on-site visit is required. This allows plenty of time for a reviewer, usually your Angus regional manager, to schedule your on-site review.
Once complete, it takes 8-10 business days for the AngusSource program tags to be manufactured and shipped to you. Rush delivery is available for an additional fee. Tags are never issued prior to the completion of the enrollment process.
AngusSource calves have topped the markets throughout the country. With just a $50 enrollment fee plus the cost of tags ($1/head visual, $3.25 RFID matched pair) you can add tremendous value to your calves and open additional marketing opportunities.