Drew FellerAssociation Perspective
Develop a marketing plan ahead of time.
As the fall weather changes and weaning begins on most ranches, it is important to have the best plan for your program ahead of marketing your cattle. Each ranch varies in production methods and products offered on different sale days throughout the year. However, at weaning time, it may already be too late to implement the marketing plan you want.
Value-added programs, such as the new Angus LinkSM program, have become an integral part of the premium beef market within the last decade. Keep in mind, these programs and opportunities require diligent records with adequate planning ahead of sale day.
Be prepared
As a rancher, you have put in the money to invest in quality Angus bulls, and now you have a premium calf crop. How do you take advantage of value-added markets? Develop a marketing plan well in advance of sale day, and manage your cattle following your plan.
Planning ahead with your end marketing goals allows you to be ready to tap into premium markets. By developing a marketing plan of when you want to sell, weight goals of your calves, and often even the ideal customer you plan to sell to — you have time to achieve these goals.
Ideally, knowing your market plan before production allows you to produce the ideal calf the market wants in a way that makes economic sense and meets your end goal.
Know your customer
The industry has seen opportunities flood the market for sourcing premium genetics to enter the feedlot sector via value-added programs, regional premium sales, video auctions and order buyers. Still, I believe your product is only as good as your willingness to market it yourself. As a producer of the best beef in the world, ranchers are proud of the product they send to market.
However, enrolling and submitting your cattle into value-added programs doesn’t mean you will reap the premiums sale day. Developing a relationship with your customer — your buyer — is essential for sale-day success. Do your best to create relationships with members of the feeding sector within your region, and differentiate yourself from the crowd on sale day.
By reducing the gap between your ranch and the feeding sector, not only do you grasp the product they desire for your marketing plan, but you create demand for your end product.
Creating a relationship can provide vital information on your calf crop’s added value. For example, ask for your cattle’s performance records in the feedyard, including health performance, average daily gain, ability to convert feed to gain, and grid performance. Feedlots that find cattle that check all these boxes will be back year after year, creating true market demand for your calves. Cattle with health, performance and ability to convert, along with the addition of value-added programs, are truly “reputation” cattle and should be the end goal for your ranch’s marketing plan.
Editor’s Note: Regional Manager Drew Feller covers Region 7, including the states of Colorado and Nebraska. Click here to find the regional manager for your state.