A day in the life of a beef cattle specialist

I get asked this question A LOT!  Almost as much as, “Hey dad, can I have some money?”

I really don’t take offense to this, but am beginning to wonder if, at least when my relatives ask this question, if they think that I could actually be gainfully employed and doing something useful!  Someone once said that if you can’t describe what you do in a few words (or less!) then perhaps your job isn’t necessary!

Now that THAT’s out there, what DO I do?

Boiled down: I sell Angus bulls!

No, not directly, of course.  But I spend a great deal of my time communicating our message to the commercial cow-calf producer: that they need to buy Angus bulls, or Angus semen for use on their females.  You see, our mission statement here at Certified Angus Beef is to: “Increase demand for registered Angus cattle through a specification-based, branded-beef program to identify consistent, high quality beef with superior taste.”

It’s a no-brainer on the bottom line…..packers pay MORE MONEY for Angus-influenced cattle that meet our brand’s ten stringent specifications.  Only about ONE in FOUR black-hided animals meet these criteria!  Yes, we have producers with 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, heck, even 100% cattle that qualify for CAB or CAB-Prime.  The financial reward is there.  Cattle sold to the packer on the grid currently return $40 per head over the base price for every carcass that qualifies (assuming an 800 lb carcass), and $160 to $200 for those that reach the Prime grade.  That’s not peanuts!

Other cool stuff I get to do in accomplishing this mission: discuss with producers their sire selection criteria; helping them in the marketing of their calves; using AngusSource (age, source, and genetic verification) to enhance value of their calves; conduct feedlot data reviews; make farm and feedlot visits, license new feedlots; help with chef/restaurant/retail/wholesale tours of Angus farms and ranches and feedlots; carcass data evaluations with producers; the writing abstracts for professional societies; fielding calls in our office about CAB and how we function; attend trade shows with a booth in tow; interacting with and working with state Angus associations and cattlemen’s groups, speaking at seedstock sales  and pre-sale events, and selling GeneMax(TM), our newest DNA tool that quantifies marbling and yearling gain in high percentage Angus cattle.

This week, I’ll be ON THE ROAD to Amarillo for a seedstock event in which I’ll discuss GeneMax with their bull customers; I have a tradeshow booth at a stocker conference in Enid, OK the following day; and then back to Amarillo for our annual Feeding Quality Forum.  Then there’s that trip to visit producers in Minnesota with the Angus Association regional manager Vern Frey; the National Angus Conference and Tour…….a day in the life!  The good life!

~Gary

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