The Source

Premiums garnered for value-added calves this summer.

by Ginette Gottswiller, American Angus Association

Summertime is busy! It’s the time of year when you are constantly on the go and there just isn’t enough daylight to get it all done.

There are many video sales throughout the year, but when summer hits, look out. Video sales are listed on my calendar like most have summer ball game schedules on the fridge. At the end of the year I like to take a look at the prices. This year calves enrolled in value-added programs appear to be doing better than in years past.

Let’s take a look at the Northern Livestock Video’s Summertime Classic video sale in Billings, Mont., the week of July 22. Chris Engel, director of Angus Link^SM, does a great job of pulling data together. He has done some price comparisons for program vs. non-program cattle. Take a look at Table 1. It shows cattle enrolled in value-added programs compared to all cattle sold in the three-day sale. The program price advantage ranged from $2.00-$8.00 per hundredweight (cwt.) across all types sold. For example, steers enrolled in a value-added program sold for $3 per cwt. more compared to the average selling price of all steers sold in the video sale.

More producers are utilizing value-added programs this year. A common question producers ask is, “How much will I get paid for enrolling?” If I knew what your calves were going to bring on sale day, I’d know the winning lottery numbers.

Let’s look at a few highlights, in the 600-699-pound (lb.) weight bracket for weaned steer calves:

• $170.67 AngusSource^®/Angus Link dual-enrolled, 3 lots (1,070 head)
• $164.00 Age- and source-verified (ASV), Angus-sired, 1 lot (150 head)
• $165.00 Non-Hormone Treated Cattle (NHTC)/ASV, Angus-sired, 2 lots (590 head)
• $160.00 NHTC/NeverEver 3 (NE3)/ASV, Angus-sired, 1 lot (90 head)
• $167.00 NHTC/NE3/ASV/ Global Animal Partnership (GAP), Angus-sired, 1 lot (95 head)
• $156.32 nonprogram weaned steers, 14 lots (2,258 head)

How much does it cost to enroll in these value-added programs?

Enrollment for the dual-enrolled AngusSource/Angus Link calves would cost approximately $4.50 per head. If we use a 650-lb. calf for our example, the producer would receive approximately $88.78 more on each animal sold. Those 1,070 head received $94,994.60 more than other weaned steer calves weighing 650 lb. selling during the Summertime Classic sale.

If you want to learn more about the American Angus Association commercial programs such as Angus Link and AngusSource, give us a call at 816-383-5100 or visit www.angussource.com or www.anguslink.com.

Editor’s note: Ginette Gottswiller is the director of commercial programs at the American Angus Association.