October 14, 2008
Business for the American Angus Association remained strong for fiscal year 2008, which ended Tuesday, 30 September 2008. In addition, Association members are increasingly embracing the programmes and technology provided to them.
Chief Executive officer of the American Angus Association, Bruce Schumann said the year-end statistics continue to demonstrate strong demand and extensive market penetration that Angus genetics enjoy. The results accentuate the member's commitment to provide genetic solutions to the beef cattle industry.
Registrations remained strong for 2008, with 333,766 registrations processed. Transfers that represent the sales of cattle to new owners increased from the past year with more than 208,000 processed, indicating amplified demand for Angus genetics. Nearly 13 percent of the recorded calves were the result of embryo transfer and nearly 53 percent of the registered calves were AI sired, both significant increases compared to 2007.
This year marks the 50th anniversary for performance programmes and Angus breeders continue to use Beef Improvement Records (BIR) to document performance while maintaining focus on genetic improvement. Breeders submitted more than 357,000 weaning weights, setting a new record for the breed. Additionally, yearling ultrasound measurements on nearly 161,700 animals were submitted, marking a continued increase in the use of that technology.
AngusSource, a USDA Process Verified Programme (PVP) for Angus-sired calves that documents age, source and genetics also charted exponential growth this year enrolling more than 113,000 head. Average size of the enrollment lots rose from 104 to 146 head. Producers continue to realize the marketing benefits of the programme, with 31 percent more cattle posted to the online listing of cattle for sale.
A record high of 14.2 million cattle were identified for the CAB Programme, which sold 634 million pounds (US $1.1 billion) of CAB brand products this year, an all-time record in the 30 years of the branded-beef programme.
