The Source
Patience, planning and skill lead to success.
Crunch, crunch, deep breath, hold, release, whoosh — the arrow hits its mark. Crash, crunch and off goes the deer through the bean field.
Now the hard part — wait and wait some more. So as not to stress the deer's system more with added adrenaline, we wait to follow it.
It takes planning, patience and skill to take a deer with a bow.
This waiting is the perfect time to work in the Angus Mobile app’s calving book, since it is about time to enroll calves in AngusSource® Genetic. This app is a great way to record information on each calf, like date of birth, birth weight, dam and the potential sire group. You can enter all that information at no charge.
You can use your time wisely with the technology that is available today. That is why you can use AAA Login at www.angusonline.com to enroll your calves any time of the day or night in AngusSource Genetic. We know you can’t always call us to enroll your calves from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Central during the week, but you can go online and accomplish the task at your convenience.
Gather up your records and log in using your customer code. If you don’t have a password, it will take one day to activate, so start a little early.
Enrollment process
There are seven steps to the enrollment process, and you can save the entered information at any time. So, if you need to go check on a heifer that’s calving, that isn’t a problem. Come back and finish enrolling the next day. You will go through the same questions we have asked producers since we began enrollment in this marketing program. Once you have completed the online enrollment, the information is submitted to the AngusSource Genetic department electronically. We will go through the submitted information and call to confirm your order was received or to follow up with a question if necessary.
Once you have completed your enrollment and AngusSource Genetic has processed your order, you can complete your Marketing Document through AAA Login, too. Again, you can enter and save information such as the date you vaccinated your calves and which product you used. When it is time to sell your calves, just add the place and date you plan to sell. Submit the completed form electronically to AngusSource Genetic, and it will be emailed to more than 600 potential buyers who have signed up to receive your marketing information.
Figure 1: Edit information about calf crop.
Earlier I mentioned the Angus Mobile app. You can also access a list of your enrolled AngusSource Genetic calves through AAA Login. You have the option to add more information on your calf crop at no extra charge (see Fig. 1.). Click Edit Animal, and you can enter dam’s tag number, dam’s date of birth, calf’s sire or sire group, calf’s sex, calf’s date of birth, tag number, birth code and calving ease score. From these data, you can print a Produce of Dam report on your herd. These data will be very helpful when you need to make culling decisions or determine which females to keep as potential replacement heifers.
It takes patience, planning and skill to market a profitable set of feeder calves.
Your marketing plan starts when you select your Angus bull. Do your bull selection homework. Study the numbers, talk with your bull supplier or call your Association regional manager. Genetically superior Angus bulls provide a great value when you use the data and information provided by the American Angus Association to make your selection.
Editor's Note: Ginette Kurtz is manager of AngusSource Genetic for the American Angus Association.
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