Denton, Texas – The oldest USDA Process Verified Program in existence, the Red Angus Feeder Calf Certification Program, which cattlemen have come to recognize quickly with the distinctive yellow tag that denotes Red Angus-genetic feeder calves, is setting new sales records. For the first quarter of calendar year 2016, all past sales records have been broken. Chessie Garrett, program coordinator, reports the FCCP program sold 81,150 tags, a 30 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
The FCCP is an age, source and genetic verification program. Although now 22 years old, this USDA-verified program continues to be popular with farmers, ranchers and cattle feeders by allowing them to capture additional value in the marketplace by positively identifying Red Angus-sired calves. FCCP enrollment is free and the only cost is the 99¢ dangle tag or $3 EID-dangle tag combination.
Kim Ford, president of the Red Angus Association of America, said that this news signals the positive impact that the breed is having on the beef industry.
“This is an exciting achievement for the Red Angus breed,” said Ford. “Red Angus cattle can and do make a positive difference in every segment of the beef industry. Cattlemen and women are finding real, economic value by tagging their calves sired by Red Angus bulls. That distinctive yellow tag quickly shows its potential to buyers in the marketplace. Red Angus calves are proving their value at the ranch as a replacement female and in the feedlot, yielding a valuable, high-quality beef carcass.”
The FCCP program was first established in 1994 and has now enrolled well over 2 million head of Red Angus-influenced calves in the program. Kansas State University recently completed an independent study that utilized sales data from Superior Livestock Auction on over 3 million head of cattle. As published in the Journal of Animal Science, their findings showed a significant preference and price advantage given to those steer calves identified as Red Angus. Additional research completed and presented at the Midwestern Section of the American Society of Animal Science meeting in March in Des Moines, Iowa, showed a significant price advantage for Red Angus heifer calves over all other breeds and breed crosses.
For more information about the program, enrollment requirements or to purchase tags, contact Chessie Garrett, program coordinator at chessie@redangus.org or (940) 387–3502 Ext. 2.
The Red Angus Association of America serves the beef industry by enhancing and promoting the competitive advantages of Red Angus and Red Angus-influenced cattle. RAAA provides commercial producers with the most objectively described cattle in the industry by seeking and implementing new innovative technologies based on sound scientific principles that measure traits of economic importance. For more information, visit redangus.org.
