"When I travel overseas, people don't see a difference between a black and a red Angus. We only see that difference here in the U.S., which is frustrating because when you take off the hide you'd never know what color that hide was." (quote at 41:15 in podcast)
“We had a significant issue with black cattle breeding in this heat and without shade. We did a little self-study, if you will, because we had pre-dominantly red cattle on one pasture and predominantly black cattle in another. When we did the study, I had a 30% open rate on my black cows, and we had less than a 10% open rate on the Red Angus.”
“In our environment, it is essential that cows mother their calves right after birth and newborns get up and nurse. That vigor means life to a new calf and it’s amazing to watch.”
“Red cattle can stay cooler than black cattle. We have less heat stress than some of our neighborhood black cattle. I also think we have fewer fly issues because red cattle don’t bunch up as bad. When cattle get hot, they want to get in a bunch and make each other even hotter. Then, they get more dust stirred up and more flies invade.”
"We’re proud of the Red Angus cow herd we’ve built over time and the high-quality calves they raise each year. I've always felt that whether times are good or times are bad, every time I market cattle with our sale barn, I know I got the most I possibly could get that day."
"It can get hot here, sometimes over 105 degrees Fahrenheit. If having a red calf means they stay one to two degrees cooler, that can make a difference. We'd rather have that potential cooling factor on our side."
“The tremendous feeding ability and marbling attributes of the Red Angus breed have allowed us to diversify our operation by adding a custom beef business.”
"It was an easy decision to start using FCCP tags because it was an extra marketing tool for us. We've been enrolling in FCCP for more than 20 years now, and it continues to work well for us."
More information about value-added programs
"Red Angus females are a hot commodity, and our heifers have been selling at a premium because of the FCCP tag."