DENVER – American Red, the new collaboration between the Red Angus Association of America and Santa Gertrudis Breeders International, officially launched last month at the Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Tradeshow in San Antonio, Texas.

The innovative collaboration provides the beef industry with a blend of maternal traits, southern U.S. adaptability, growth and marbling – all packaged with a heat-tolerant, red hide. American Red is well suited for commercial producers who are seeking quality replacement females and steers that fit in the value-added segment of the beef industry.

This new program has hit the ground running and has already enrolled multiple sets of cattle in just a few short weeks. Progressive producers recognize the value in genetically verifying cattle that can increase their profitability and help them manage the specific challenges of raising cattle in hotter climates.

“The American Red program is a great tool for progressive producers to capitalize on adding value to cattle that perform both on the rail and in the pasture,” said Chessie Mitchell, RAAA tag program coordinator. “It is no surprise that our team has been fielding a high volume of phone calls and enrollment questions about the new venture. We look forward to seeing enrollments increase and producers benefit from this unique, two-breed partnership.”Qualifications for the American Red program are as follows:

• Steers and heifers in the same calf crop must be sired by registered Red Angus bulls averaging in the top 50% of the breed for the HerdBuilder index (HB) or registered Santa Gertrudis bulls averaging in the top 50th percentile for the SGBI Balanced Index.
• Breed percentages on qualified cattle will range from 25% to 75% Red Angus and 25% to 75% Santa Gertrudis, with a small allowance for other breeds. Most qualified cattle will be red. However, color is not an exclusionary requirement. Groups of cattle do not need to be fully red-hided to qualify.
• Dams of qualifiable calves must contain at least 50% of the reciprocal breed, meaning 50% or more Santa Gertrudis when the calves are sired by Red Angus bulls, or 50% or more Red Angus when calves are by Santa Gertrudis sires. To verify dam-side genetics, qualifiable herds must sign a verification form stating that at least 50% of the genetic makeup of the dams of calves to be qualified is from the reciprocal breed.

Producers with additional questions about the program should contact Chessie Mitchell, RAAA tag program coordinator, at tags@redangus.org or visit www.AmericanRed.org. Enrollment requires a yearly $50 enrollment fee and a $1.25 fee for each tag. There is a five head minimum for enrollment.

The Red Angus Association of America serves the beef industry by enhancing and promoting the measurable advantages of Red Angus and Red Angus-influenced cattle. The RAAA provides commercial producers with objectively described cattle by implementing new technologies and utilizing scientifically sound principles that quantify traits of economic importance to beef producers in all segments of the beef industry. For more information, visit www.RedAngus.org.

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