For today’s Angus producers, focus often lies on the quality of the end product. The herds improving most quickly make use of genetic technologies that can evaluate DNA to make informed selection decisions.

“It costs the same to develop a bad one as it does to develop a good one,” says Kara Lee, Certified Angus Beef (CAB) director of producer engagement.

CAB has provided a quality target for 47 years, emphasizing quality and value — two notable attributes for Angus producers and consumers. In today’s market, a black hide doesn’t guarantee value.

“We aren’t just looking for black cattle,” Lee says. “We’re looking for black Angus cattle that get the job done.”

The job at hand: Females that get the job done at the ranch and raise calves that qualify for CAB on the rail, with premiums positively hitting your bottom line. To make the job easier, simplify selection with tools like GeneMax^® Advantage™, a genetic technology that helps Angus producers make breeding decisions.

Informed female selection

GeneMax is a tool commercial cattlemen can use long before breeding and heifer development begins. This genomic tool gives an Angus cow-calf producer the ability to evaluate a female’s genetic potential, informing them which replacement heifers should stay and which ones don’t fit their herd goals.

“It’s all about pulling back the curtain,” Lee says. “Producers can make informed decisions about which females they retain within their herd, and how to build their next calf crop that reflects the value and quality that the market demands.”

If you’re looking to improve your commercial cows, adding a registered Angus bull to your herd gives you access to the best genetic tools and offers marketing opportunities that set the beef business apart, she says. It gives you the data to know where your herd’s strong and weak spots are, then you decide where to focus improvement, whether that’s maternal, carcass or a balanced-trait approach.

With consumer demand driven by quality, the market pays for calves genetically capable of hitting above-average quality targets. Bulls that have higher marbling potential help your calves overcome the most limiting of the CAB specifications, resulting in more premiums.

The fastest progress comes from identifying and culling the bottom end of calves, rather than focusing on improving the best ones, Lee says.

That’s why using genetic tools like GeneMax tells you exactly which females have what it takes to raise the kind of calves you’re after. It also provides valuable insight into your commercial cow herd and which ones are performing. This leads to genetic improvement and profitability throughout your operation.

Marketing the value of your genetics

After using genetic selection tools like GeneMax to create progress in your cows, it is essential to communicate the value of their calves to your customers.

AngusLink^SM is that next step in your marketing toolbox that emphasizes a group of calves’ potential performance at the feedyard.

“Progressive management requires progressive marketing,” Lee says. “AngusLink allows you to quantify the genetic merit of your feeder cattle in a way that gives customers the confidence to pay a premium for them.”

Developed for evaluating an entire group of feeder calves, it’s a marketing tool that verifies the genetic potential of weaned calves. If you can communicate the genetic merit of your feeder calves, it adds confidence for buyers on sale day. It’s also another benchmark for whether your calves are hitting your quality goals.

If you want to be compensated for the quality of your cattle beyond retained ownership through the feedyard, AngusLink helps you be a price maker rather than a price taker, says Bruce Cobb, CAB executive vice president of production.

“Now, rather than guessing, buyers want to know what they’re getting, and they’re willing to pay for it,” Cobb says. “AngusLink is one of those tools that can help you better communicate the quality of your Angus cattle and take the guesswork out for the buyer on that set of calves.”

Cattlemen have proven they can hit targets the markets throw at them — if there’s a financial incentive.