Sara Snider
The Source
Fall marketing, fall calving and getting ready for spring!
It's hard to believe it is almost fall. The weather has finally cooled off a little in Missouri this week, and it is much appreciated after a long and hot summer. Business has remained busy for the AngusSource department as we enter the last month of the 2010 fiscal year. To date, enrollments are up 13% over last year, and we are on pace to enroll more than 135,000 head in AngusSource this fiscal year. Include the more than 16,000 head already enrolled in Gateway, which was introduced last fall, and we have increased the number of head verified by the American Angus Association by more than 26,000 head compared to fiscal year 2009.
We know that this is a busy time of year. Harvest is in full swing, and there are a million things to do each day. Here are some helpful reminders from our department!
Fall marketing of spring calves
Feeder-calf markets have been strong this fall with age- and source-verified calves continuing to garner premiums. If you still have spring calves on your operation, it isn't too late to get them enrolled. Calves must be enrolled prior to marketing and tagged before leaving your operation.
As always, how long the enrollment will take depends largely on your records and management practices. In most cases enrollments can be finished during one telephone interview lasting an hour or so (after we have received copies of all necessary records) and Destron Fearing™ is manufacturing and shipping all tags within three business days. Keep in mind that some management practices will require an on-site review.
With fall sale season gearing up in most parts of the country, the availability of our regional managers to conduct these on-site reviews is more limited. Enrolling your calves well in advance of marketing will help ensure that the process can be complete before you sell or ship your calves from the ranch.
Fall calving
Calving is probably well under way for those of you with fall-calving cow herds. Hopefully you have kept records (at minimum) of when your first calf was born and kept any purchased or ineligible calves separated from the herd or uniquely identified. If you have questions about management practices that may affect the eligibility of your calves, please contact our office at 816-383-5100. Our staff would be more than happy to talk with you and answer any questions. When in doubt, write it down. The more records you have about when the neighbor bull got in, what the tag number was of the cow that got out, or the identification of the graft calf you purchased, the more likely it is that we will be able to work through the enrollment and qualify your calves. But again, please contact us with any questions.
Although you may have your first calves on the ground, we still prefer that you wait until all of your calves are born prior to enrolling. It isn't a requirement. You are able to enroll as soon as you have your first calf born provided you have records of the number of cows exposed. But enrolling prior to the completion of calving season can cause some challenges. Very often we find that producers are "short" tags. We will only issue one tag per cow exposed, and when a producer has low mortality rate and multiple sets of twins they often end up needing more tags. We cannot issue more tags once a lot is enrolled. Any "extra" calves must be enrolled as a separate lot, which incurs another $50 enrollment fee.
The same risk exists for a producer ending up with a large number of "extra" tags due to a higher-than-expected death loss. Unused tags must be destroyed and documented. There is no refund for unused tags, and they cannot be used in another group of calves.
Your best bet is to wait until all of the cows have calved. This will give us an exact head count and an accurate age spread for the calves being enrolled.
Getting ready for spring
For those of you with spring-calving cows, the same rules apply. We encourage you to wait until all of the calves are on the ground prior to enrolling. If you want to tag the calves at birth, we recommend using a ranch tag, and we are excited to announce that custom cattle tags can now be purchased through the American Angus Association.
The Tag Store is open and ready for business at www.customcattletags.com. Here you can purchase a wide range of tag types and sizes as well as applicators and other accessories, all at unbeatable prices.
Our large tag (2¾-in. long ✕ 2¼-in. wide) is the perfect size for use in your calves. Custom-printed with a management number and two lines of text on the front, in one of nine available colors, this tag costs just 79¢ each. Including your ranch name on this tag will be a great source of secondary identification when your calves are enrolled in AngusSource or Gateway and enter the feedyard. (Secondary ID is required for feedyards to qualify for replacement tags).
e. Tags (RFID tags), Combo e. Tags, ChoiceSets and other sizes of visual tags are also available. Customization options include free text on the front of the tag. Logo printing on the back of the tag and/or the tag stud is also available for a small fee. Standard tag studs are included free of charge with all orders! Our site will walk you through each step and you can view a mock-up prior to ordering. If you have questions or special order requests please contact our staff for assistance.
If you have any questions about the programs or services mentioned above, please contact the AngusSource department at 816-383-5100. Our staff will be happy to assist you.
Happy Harvest!
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