Red Angus has always been "Angus," and USDA has officially acknowledged that fact by enabling Red Angus and Red Angus-influenced cattle that meet certain requirements to join black-hided animals in as many Angus beef brands as decide in favor of their inclusion. Both genotypic and phenotypic qualification criteria are contained in the new GLA Live Animal Specification Schedule, which can be viewed on the USDA website.

This change makes logical sense, as Red Angus cattle originated from the same Scottish gene pool as black Angus and are therefore genetically Angus. Beef demand is expected to remain high in 2022 and beyond, so the addition of Red Angus-influenced cattle to high-quality Angus-based branded beef programs fills a need which will benefit cow-calf producers, cattle feeders, packers and consumers.

Adding Red Angus to existing Angus beef programs is a simple process – brand owners simply need to contact USDA and request the inclusion of the RAAA GLA Schedule as part of their program's live animal specs, then make associated minor verbiage changes in their own G-Schedules. RAAA can assist in this process, which in most cases, takes very little time to prepare, and is followed by a short correspondence period with USDA-AMS.

RAAA is pleased that USDA recognizes that Red Angus are genetically Angus and looks forward to working with many branded Angus lines in 2022 and beyond, and will support efforts to help these brands grow, both in quality and volume, to become even more successful.

For more information about Red Angus value-added programs visit www.RedAngus.org. Contact Brandi Buzzard Frobose, RAAA director of communications, for media inquiries at brandi@redangus.org or (785) 448-0239.