The Link
When prices are good, don’t skip enrollments.
The summer video sale season has ended. The premiums have been tabulated. Every year producers ask if it is going to be “worth it” to do the enrollment paperwork. This year our enrollment numbers were down. When we asked why, most said, “The prices are really good, so we are going to skip taking the time to do the enrollment this year.”
While I agree prices have been good, this year’s premiums would have definitely boosted their bottom line even more if they would have taken those few extra hours to do the paperwork.
This year the overall average AngusLinkSM premium for the 2022 summer video sales was $15.44 per hundredweight (cwt.). Now let’s break that down. Producers who used the Genetic Merit Scorecard® (GMS) and enrolled in the Non-Hormone Treated Cattle (NHTC) program saw an average premium of $11.75 per cwt. If they added NeverEver3 to their AngusLink enrollment with NHTC, that bumped their premium up an additional $4.71 per cwt. — $16.46 per cwt. total. For the finale, a $19.69-per-cwt. premium was earned for the GAP bundle (including NHTC, NE3 and GAP) we offer in conjunction with EarthClaims.
AngusLink provides producers who use Angus genetics a very cost-effective verification program that highlights your quality Angus genetics and the investment you made in your management practices.
How much is your time worth to you?
650-pound (lb.) feeder calf x $16.46 = $106.99 per calf for AngusLink enrollment in NHTC, NE3, GMS, and Age and Source verification.
If you had 70 steer calves that brought a premium of $106.99 each, that would add up to $7,489.30 in premiums.
Your enrollment cost would break down something like this:
70 head × $3.50 for Age, Source
and Genetic Merit Scores = $245
NHTC/NE3 enrollment = $1,100
Shipping and average travel cost = $165
Total = $1,510 ($21.57per calf to enroll)
For each calf you make $85.42. In my opinion, that is a very nice wage earned by spending a little time to complete paperwork. More than likely, you will have all the records you need for enrollment.
The time investment is minimal. You fill out the enrollment form, take pictures of your feed labels, go through a phone training that takes 60 minutes tops, and go through an on-site review that may take two hours at the most, if you talk about the cattle market and where you buy your Angus bulls.
It is almost like getting paid for 5.5 head of feeder calves you didn’t have to feed or manage. Smart marketing is much better than rolling the dice at Las Vegas. Agriculture is a gamble, but there are ways you can reduce the risk. The AngusLink suite of verification programs is offered by the American Angus Association to commercial producers who use Angus genetics at a very cost-effective rate. The on-site review is usually done by one of our regional managers. They enjoy looking at good cattle every bit as much as you enjoy raising them.
Don’t gamble with these high input costs. Give the Commercial Programs Department a call today at 816-383-5100 to learn more about how you can beat the odds with AngusLink and be a winner.
Editor’s note: Ginette Gottswiller is the director of verification services for the American Angus Association.
