Walking through the trade show at the Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville is like walking into a candy store with all sorts of various goodies. With unlimited resources and mama’s permission, we could have a heyday — though possibly a bit of a bellyache afterward.

New balers; various virtual fencing opportunities, as well as electric fencing gadgets; tags that check temperatures and provide locations; feed mixers; pharmaceuticals; herbicides; the latest grass seed varieties; associations; universities; and even government agencies. Basically anything you could imagine — and a few beyond imagination — was on display.

Angus put spotlight on your success

The Angus booth showcased all our entities — the American Angus Association, Certified Angus Beef (CAB), Angus Media, the Angus Foundation and Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) — in a system of support to buyers of Angus genetics. It showcased a pathway to progress to give you — commercial buyers of Angus genetics — the advantage. Setting your priorities, using the right tools and marketing smartly — it all begins with the right information.

Several of the stories in this edition share pieces of that pathway.

In “Sorting Gate,” AGI President Kelli Retallick-Riley shares how GeneMax^® Advantage™ can provide early and accurate information to give producers a clearer way to strengthen their female base with confidence and long-term direction. That’s especially important for a cow herd rebuilding in a high-value market, she points out.

“This isn’t replacing cowboy sense,” she says, “it’s adding more clarity to decisions that carry long-term consequences.”

There’s a return — potentially $3 for every $1 invested when genomic information is used to sort and select heifers. Read more here.

“The biggest mistake producers can make during strong markets is postponing structural improvement,” warns Troy Marshall in his “Market Closeout” commentary. GeneMax Advantage, AngusVerified^SM and the Genetic Merit Scorecard^® (GMS) are useful tools that offer opportunity to evaluate and benchmark the genetics of your herd now to help set the breeding objectives that will position you to profit when prices may be at cycle lows.

Adding them to your marketing effort provides the transparency buyers seek when buying high-value cattle. Read more here.

“If the market can’t see it, they can’t pay for it,” Marshall shared during events geared toward commercial producers at the National Western Stock Show. Verification tools such as AngusLink^® are critical components of verifying genetic merit. Read more here.