If there was one overarching message from the June meeting of the American Angus Association Board of Directors, it might be “full steam ahead.” 

In a special edition of The Angus Conversation, breeders Rob Adams, Art Butler and Barry Pollard give a behind-the-scenes recap of the discussions from Oklahoma City this week.  

The agenda ranged from the ways a newly announced packer premium is creating pull-through demand for AngusLink to the financial health of the organization.  

Butler, Bliss, Idaho, encouraged fellow breeders to help their customers get hooked in with the AngusLink program, especially with the recent announcement of National Beef paying premiums for enrolled cattle.  

“Get those cattle Angus Verified, get them GMS [Genetic Merit Scorecard] scored,” he says. “We’ve got people out looking for that. Document the value of your cattle, it’ll certainly pay in the long run.”  

The Board members discuss the ways ongoing research in everything from heart health to male fertility will continue to advance the breed. 

Dale Woerner, Texas Tech University, gave a special presentation outlining conversations on red meat yield and new technology to improve its measurement. He described two different models currently in testing, including 3-D imagining on live animals and a doppler-style tool that could be easily installed to take measurements as animals enter an alleyway. The breeders said it’s exciting to think about what’s possible in being able to have more objective measures that could then turn into a way to make progress.  

“And it’s not subjective, it’s actual data,” says Adams, Union Springs, Ala. “I mean we could all be doing it the same way. It wouldn’t be like foot scores or udder scores where I might do it different than Art does.” 

Other conversations centered on data collection trends and encouraging more participation in programs like Inventory Reporting and MaternalPlus. Benjie Lemon joined the meetings unofficially before he begins in his role as Angus Media president later this month, and Pollard shared details on the heifer Pollard Farms is donating to support the Angus Foundation in the auction at Cattlemen’s Congress in January.  

To listen to the full recap, search for The Angus Conversation anywhere you get your podcasts.