Cow-calf producers and feeders utilizing the Red Angus Feeder Calf Certification Program (FCCP) are continuing to find more price discovery for their cattle in today’s competitive market. The Red Angus Association of America (RAAA) and Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. have released new enhancements to the Choice+ performance-based grid, designed exclusively to pay premiums for cattle enrolled in the FCCP.
Cattlemen buying Red Angus bulls in the past are familiar with the FCCP, also known as the "yellow tag" program offered by the RAAA. This genetic, source and age processed-verified program (PVP) guarantees that those cattle are of at least 50 percent Red Angus genetics. What adds even more value to the program is the fact that the FCCP yellow tag is the admission ticket for the Choice+ Grid offered by Tyson, one of the nation's premier beef packing companies.
The Choice+ Grid allows producers enrolled in FCCP to be competitive in the calf and feeder cattle marketplace, often garnering prices above other cattle in the market place. Packers know and trust the consistency that Red Angus-influenced cattle bring to the table and are willing to pay the extra dollar to ensure their product’s background.
"The really exciting news for the Red Angus industry is that Tyson has stepped up to the plate and sweetened the pot," according to Gary Fike, Director of Commercial Marketing for the RAAA. "Tyson has always been known as a buyer of high-quality beef cattle, and they have strengthened that position by offering an enhanced Choice+ Grid effective immediately. The average premium per head should double to almost $50, making it extremely competitive in the industry," Fike postulated from their 2014 data. "The top 25 percent in the previous grid brought $109 per head over the base price in 2014, while the second quartile averaged nearly $60 on the FCCP tagged cattle."
Fike also said that this improved grid will greatly incentivize cattlemen, feedlots and sale barn owners to retain the tags thus allowing the cattle to add more value throughout the production chain.
"We sincerely appreciate Tyson and the signal they are sending to the industry on the value of Red Angus cattle. Their commitment to quality will reverberate with the consumer and cattleman alike," Fike concluded.
For more information on Red Angus Choice+ Grid, contact RAAA Director of Commercial Marketing, Gary Fike at (940) 387-3502 or via e-mail at gary@redangus.org.
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.