While Red Angus cattle have earned a solid reputation as being the commercial producers’ breed of choice when building a profitable cowherd, the true versatility of Red Angus is shown when the steer mates excel in the feed yard and garner substantial premiums when sold on the grid. The Red Angus Association of America (RAAA) has a storied history of leading the industry in the collection of data points necessary for the further refinement of maternal strengths. While the RAAA has always encouraged the submission of carcass data, it is now implementing a very aggressive, multi-point plan to increase the quantity and quality of feedlot performance and carcass data.
Carcass Data Reimbursement Program
Facilitating the collection of individual animal detailed carcass data in which the sire is known and in the Red Angus database has become a challenging task. However, the importance of such data is imperative for the reliable calculation of carcass EPDs. Recognizing this need, RAAA will compensate producers $10 per head for carcass data that meet the following requirements:
- Sire known and in the RAAA database
- Detailed Carcass Data: Hot Carcass Weight, Marbling Score, Ribeye Area, Back Fat
- At least two sires represented in the contemporary group
- At least five progeny per sire
Carcass Progeny Test
Recognizing the challenges of conducting a carcass progeny test in which young, low-accuracy bulls are tested against older, high-accuracy bulls, the RAAA provides such service through the Carcass Progeny Test (CPT). Producers who desire to ‘prove out’ the carcass genetics of a young sire through the CPT can do so by nominating their sire.
If the sire is selected, the nominating producer is obligated pay a $1,500 nomination fee to RAAA and contribute 75 straws of semen. In return, the producer is guaranteed detailed carcass data on at least 12 progeny. In addition, RAAA and the test herd will make the best effort to collect individual animal feed intake data on 10 randomly selected steers per sire.
Feed Intake – GGP-LD Exchange
While Red Angus’ collection of individual animal feed intake records continues to grow, RAAA leadership desires to speed the rate of that growth. To incentivize producers to collect more feed intake records, a program has been developed and launched which will provide for the exchange of a GeneSeek Genomic Profile Low-Density (GGP-LD) test, or equivalent thereof, for each individual animal feed intake record. To ensure data quality, requirements to qualify for the exchange are:
- At least two sires represented in the contemporary group
- At least five progeny per sire
RAAA’s aggressive effort through these three programs will provide Red Angus stakeholders with a wealth of information to include in the calculation of existing carcass EPDs, as well as the potential to research new economically relevant traits.
To learn more about these programs contact Director of Breed Improvement Larry Keenan at larry@redangus.org or 940-387-3502, ext. 12.
The Red Angus Association of America (RAAA) serves the beef industry by enhancing and promoting the competitive advantages of Red Angus and Red Angus-influenced cattle. The RAAA provides commercial producers with the most objectively described cattle in the industry by seeking and implementing new technologies based on sound scientific principles that measure traits of economic importance. For more information, visit www.RedAngus.org.
