Welcome to We Live It, the live ag podcast, your source for livestock market insights, management strategies, and real conversations with those who don't just work in the cattle industry, they live it. Here are your hosts, Ty DeCordova and Casey Mabry. Well,
Speaker 2:welcome once again to the We Live It podcast. We are live here in Casper, Wyoming at the hangar for our Casper sale. We have a little bit over 16,000 head of cattle to the market today for you. Thank you all for joining us on the podcast today. We have well, first of all, I know I said co host Casey Mabry, but once again, Casey stood us up as always.
Speaker 2:So, we have the fill in, fill in, Wade Leish with us today and also we got a special guest from the Red Angus Association, Katie Martin and Casey really didn't know this was going on because I didn't tell him on purpose But Katie was also on Casey's four HME judging team. That kind of ages.
Speaker 3:Does that mean you're a lot younger than Casey?
Speaker 4:A lot younger. Let's point that out.
Speaker 3:I actually thought we had two stand in hosts for this because I didn't recognize you today with a with a fresh, freshly shaved face. Look like your daughter's got a lesson on trimming steers by starting on your beard.
Speaker 2:Well, the youngest daughter wasn't very happy. I'll show you a picture later what her reaction. She, Tyler kinda wanted to choke me when I did this, but I made my mom happy, so I guess it's okay.
Speaker 3:Well, we talked about it earlier. I think the reason she was upset is the first time she's seen how ugly her.
Speaker 2:She yeah. And then she realized I look a lot like my dad. So once again, we we do this quite a bit. So cut up quite a bit. So welcome.
Speaker 2:Thank you for joining us today. We'll kind of dive into some of the topics we want to talk about. First of all, where are from? Where'd you grow up? How'd you get into business?
Speaker 4:I am from the great state of Wyoming. I live in Torrington, Wyoming. My family has a seed stock operation there. So really comfortable being here today. Actually, I'm at my alma mater.
Speaker 4:I went to Casper College for two years for junior college. So happy to be back here. And you guys didn't make me travel too far today, so that was nice.
Speaker 3:Well, we like to be convenient. What a pretty place, though. I we're my daughter and I were flying in here, this morning. Come over. There like, a razorback type of ridge.
Speaker 3:It looked like a lizard laying there with, like, its back up, like, spines or something. You know? Just what a pretty area that we're in here today.
Speaker 4:It is. But I was not at all surprised that as I approached Casper, the wind started gusting. The weather started getting pretty hairy. And so that was something I definitely dealt with going to college here. They tend to get some pretty high wind gusts.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So what do you do for the Red Angus Association?
Speaker 4:Well, I've been with Red Angus for nine years of my career. I served on the commercial marketing team for seven years and just in the last couple years have made the transitions to the communications team and currently serve as the director of communications. So kinda worked out in the field with producers for a good portion of my time here. And while I have a two year old at home, she actually is turning three this week. So exciting times at home, but that that really partially spurred my move to communications just to be home with her a little bit more.
Speaker 4:But certainly missed my time out in the field and and loved all the knowledge and getting to know the Red Angus producers while I was doing that.
Speaker 2:Good deal. So let's kinda step into some conversation we wanna have today about the new launch of the new Angus access program, which is kinda taking place or replacing the FCCP program, the dangle tag program. Kind of tell us kind of the history on the FCCP program and then tell us why kind of why are we shifting to the Angus access and the rename and the rebrand and all that?
Speaker 4:Sure. So the Angus Access is a rebrand of the feeder calf certification program. To give a history as you asked for, the feeder calf certification program was launched in 1995 so it's actually celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this year. It was the beef industry's first age source and genetic verification program. The Red Angus breed has traditionally been full of visionary leadership, and I think, the inception of the feeder calf certification program is an example of that.
Speaker 4:Really, it was a program, before its time, before everybody became familiar with agent source verification. Now it's just, you know, almost a given that you'll see that on a lot of lots of cattle that are marketed. But really when it was introduced, that was a rather new concept. So being a process verified program through the USDA, high quality standards for that program for many years, It really gave Red Angus cattle a strong backing, and just was, you know, truth in advertising that those cattle, buyers could know where those cattle were sourced from. They had age verification go along with that.
Speaker 4:And then on the genetic component, that goes back to 50% Angus genetics. So we can verify through the Red Angus herd book that those commercial cattle are at least 50% Red Angus genetics, which as we look at the rebranding that has happened, that also means that they're 50% Angus genetics. And so that carries that genetic verification from the producer side all the way to the packer and retailer and consumer side. And we all know that Angus is associated with quality when you're talking about beef brands. So I think that's a really important point to make, when we think about why the rebrand happened.
Speaker 4:It was really to use a name that resonates more with the entire beef value chain, with the entire beef supply chain and not just, you know, the feeder calf market. So the original name, Feeder Calf Certification Program, when that program was introduced, it was really to address an issue where Red Angus calves were selling back from their black hided counterparts and to communicate the value to buyers that you know these animals are certified, they're certified Red Angus genetics. And I think that Red Angus in those thirty years since the program has started has really, made its mark in the feeding industry in terms of those cattle performing really well at the feedlot as also in addition to having quality on the packer side and the retailer side of like we know that these cattle are going to grade. So I think the new name, just really takes that message further down the beef supply chain that these Red Angus cattle produce high quality Angus beef.
Speaker 3:So clearly very passionate about this working for that association. Does your family, you said, come from seed stock?
Speaker 4:I do.
Speaker 3:Is that Red Angus seed stock?
Speaker 4:Nope. And I get that question often, so I'm well versed at answering it. My family actually has black Angus and Hereford cattle. And, of course, the question I often get is, you know, why do you work for the Red Angus Association? My, smart aleck remark is they had a job and I was looking.
Speaker 4:But really, it's really helped me in my career to be able to see things, from an, kind of an outside perspective, and not get in the weeds, I'm able to truly go out and represent those Red Angus producers and not have, you know, family dynamics get in the way or anything like that and to represent those cattle because when I was in the field, you know, that's what I was doing, helping market those cattle, talking to buyers about cattle that we knew that were available, and just, really serving people in that way.
Speaker 3:When I first started so I'm from Michigan. When I first started going West South Dakota to to sell in an auction out there, they would have a Red Angus certified sale. And then there was a number of producers in the area that were Red Angus certified even if they didn't sell in the special sale. They're Red Angus certified. And I noticed pretty quickly that there was a lot of pride and ownership and a lot of a lot of work that went in, and there were some consistent qualities amongst all of those producers.
Speaker 3:And one of them one of them was that they had a very tight calving window that put a lot of pressure on their cows, and there was a ton of uniformity in their cattle. Are is that something that you see across the board, through as an association?
Speaker 4:Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think that Red Angus producers are top notch. I mean, I'm not just saying that, from a staff standpoint, but it's just my, my observation from, like I said, my time in the field and working, with the Red Angus breed and producers for many years. And I do think that the producers that are enrolling in those programs, like you mentioned, are the ones that are paying more attention to some of their management too. I mean, they're obviously very proactive marketers.
Speaker 4:So if they're taking the time and doing their homework, getting enrolled in those value added programs, they're doing their homework on the management side too. And I think those those just kinda get folded together.
Speaker 2:So as we was talking about earlier, we was talking about mandatory, non mandatory, and then the dangle tag and the EID tag. You're you're swapping, you said in 01/01/2026 to an EID tag. But when people hear EID tag, agent source tags, they they kinda get a little concerned about mandatory, not mandatory. This program is not mandatory. It's just a it's a value added program that you are offering as an association.
Speaker 2:Will you kind of fill us in on that and how that goes?
Speaker 4:Yeah. That's that's absolutely right, Ty. And and I'll first add in here that for our producers that have previously been enrolled in the feeder calf certification program, as far as their enrollment process, they should rest assured that nothing is going to change there. The rebrand is a renaming of the program. All of those tags are still valid for them, and actually any tags that they have currently, will be valid through mid year twenty twenty seven.
Speaker 4:Now the shift that you're referring to is that starting 01/01/2026, Red Angus will only issue EIDs for Angus access and its sister program Allied Access, which is just an agent source verification program without that genetic component of 50%, Red Angus genetics. So as you mentioned, like EID is a hot topic right now. People are concerned, especially at the policy level about mandatory EID. So I do just wanna make the point that, you know, Angus access enrollment and allied access enrollment is an entirely voluntary program. It always has been for our producers through the history of the FCCP.
Speaker 4:We are transitioning that program. We are transitioning that program to EID because we as an association see tremendous value in the use of IEDs through the beef supply chain.
Speaker 2:And that go ahead.
Speaker 3:Well, I was just gonna say I saw a lot of brand recognition from that dangle tag, you know, certified Red Angus. Is there any if if somebody opts into switching to an EID, can they get any of that, that that brand awareness through through a tag anymore?
Speaker 2:And it was visual, though. It was visual brand recognition. So when you've seen it, you've seen it in so what I think what we're both trying to ask is how will you visualize that EID tag instead of the dangle tag?
Speaker 4:Absolutely. Thank you for following up with that question because we do know that the yellow tag has made its mark in the industry. You've seen that. You've seen that working out with Red Angus producers. So we wanted to address that upfront.
Speaker 4:So producers will be required to have the EID, but they will have the option to purchase a dangle tag still with that EID. So that's the optional part. Like all producers, you know, starting January 1 will only be able to access EIDs, but they can add on with that dangle tag. It will have a new logo on it. You know, those yellow dangle tags that have been around for thirty years have red Angus at the bottom of them.
Speaker 4:These new dangle tags will have the Angus access logo on them.
Speaker 2:Okay. That's kind of a perfect transition into something else that y'all just kind of breaking news as of today, I believe, or yesterday. The EID tag is gonna tie right in if you choose so. It's another voluntary deal with a new deal you're partnering up with or I don't know how you wanna say that, but with Breeder, a company, a tech company out of Austin. Is that correct?
Speaker 4:That's right. Yes. Breaking news. We announced it yesterday. We are announcing a collaboration with Breeder that those tools will be available for customers that are enrolled in our Angus access or allied access programs.
Speaker 4:And so to provide a little bit more background about Breeder, it is a beef supply chain management system. It's also a ranch management tool. It's an app that producers can use to manage their herds using EID or I mean it can be entered manually too but EID really makes the process a lot smoother. So they can use it as a ranch management tool, input weights, all the data that they need at the ranch level for their production practices. But really where we see the value for our Angus access and Allied Access customers is being able to show that those cattle are available for market.
Speaker 4:And so, you know, breeder can offer those up private treaty on their platform. They can, you know, allow those cattle to get more bids and just show that they're available in the marketplace and those producers still have the option to market those cattle however they wish. Again, an opt in feature, the breeder component will be entirely optional even for producers that are enrolled in our value added programs. But again, it's just another way that we are facilitating an opportunity for them to get more eyes on those cattle, more competitive bids on those cattle, and to make sure that those cattle are being recognized for the value that they have through the entire beef supply chain.
Speaker 2:I think in another another big selling point on that deal in my opinion is if if they if they stay in a certain chain and go to certain places a lot of them producers can get some data back And data is is everything in our business. So if if we know it, we all pride ourselves in our cow herds and our bull battery and everything else. But if when it gets to the end of the chain, if it's not doing what it's supposed to do, we kind of need to know. So if we can get that data back and make a better product, and that's what that in line deal, I guess you want to call it, the the traceability all the way back to the ranch of what it is, how it was how it was born, the genetics behind it. So if we could get that data back, we can make a better product for the end result.
Speaker 2:And I think that's kind of what breeders want to do. Am I reading this right?
Speaker 4:Well, absolutely. I think what you said just further proves the point of the value of that EID because unless you have that EID installed, all of the things that you just mentioned aren't really an option. So yes, ultimately the goal would be for data sharing to happen through the entire beef supply chain. And I know that getting carcass data back on those cattle has been a point that's been a little bit of a sore point for producers through, my entire time at Red Angus. Like everybody wants it, but getting those packers to share it back is a little bit more challenging.
Speaker 4:But I think if we're willing to share data up and down the supply chain, the breeder collaboration, as well as the move to EIDs is just gonna facilitate that. Again, we're not forcing anything on anybody. We're just giving them the option to get that extra value out of their enrollment in our value added programs. So, and Wade, might be about to bring it up right now, but we had been talking on the side that that also brings value to the seed stock producer. When you've got data, you know, carcass data or even feedlot performance data going back to the commercial producer, well, really informs them on what they've done in their seed stock purchases in the past.
Speaker 4:And if they're communicating back with their seed stock provider, you know, a rising tide raises all ships. And so if we're we're really able to gain more information on how those red Angus genetics are performing, that will influence their bull purchases and, you know, help them to make better genetic decisions moving forward.
Speaker 3:Yeah. That's yeah. You're correct. That's kinda where I was going with that. And I like the, I like the opportunity that's being offered.
Speaker 3:If you if you'd like to share the data, if you'd like to collect it, and if you'd like to have an EID, the tool is there for you to be able to use that. If the tool is not there, they're you know, you can't there's no sense of offering a lot of those programs if you don't have the tool to be able to implement it. And we see some some seed stock producers who come back and bid on somebody's feeder cattle if they if they buy their bulls from them. And I think that one of the value added that could come out of this is if a producer says that data is valuable to me, and maybe I'm going to bid a little harder on somebody that's got a tool or is using a tool or investing in a tool that I can collect some data from. So I could see where that could that could definitely add some some value down the road for those producers.
Speaker 3:And, again, completely optional. I I understand both sides. I I complete we're coming from Michigan. We've been mandatory EID for twenty years. I understand both sides of this deal.
Speaker 2:I was gonna tell you earlier when he was talking about the mountains and the lizard he is from Michigan. He don't see this much very often.
Speaker 3:You know what? I've
Speaker 4:never ever described that way. That was
Speaker 3:great time to talk about the glare in the room. Where do you see that glare at, Katie? Do you see that glare?
Speaker 4:I mean, Ty already mentioned it earlier that, he is new to the the clean shaven club. And so I I mean, I'm I'm a bit of a jokester, so I, said that the light might be shining off his chin a little bit earlier. So Which which And I wanted to make sure I mentioned that. Problem.
Speaker 2:Which that was the issue. I've been
Speaker 3:waiting this whole time to do that one. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Kinda. I'll have my beard back next week, guys. Just promise you.
Speaker 3:Well, this is a week's growth for me so there was a little enviousness amongst my jokes yeah
Speaker 2:but thank you I mean is there anything else we need to touch on that that we missed I mean is is there anything you want to any more information you want to get out there before we kind of wrap some things up here?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think that this is just a really exciting opportunity for the Red Angus breed as a whole. I mean I mentioned the impact that it's going to have for our commercial producers that are enrolled, But I just think that it's gonna give Red Angus more visibility in the marketplace. I mentioned earlier when we were talking that, you know, sustainable beef has been a really good friend to Red Angus in the last several months as they've got up and going. And I think that their grid is just one of many that's to come that are gonna be similar to where their grid is an Angus brand, but it equally rewards black and red Angus and that they use both the American Angus Association as well as our AAA's live animal specs to, determine which animals go into that Angus brand. So, again, I mean, I think that's just an example of how the Angus access name is really informative and descriptive of what our value added programs can do for producers in terms of getting in product access for their Red Angus cattle.
Speaker 2:Good deal. Well, thank you for coming on. But before we go, one question. What, who kind of manages the phones around Red Angus Association? Y'all did a sponsorship for some unknown reason last two years ago for the WLAC championship, and somebody I know happened to win the truck to keep it for a year.
Speaker 2:How many calls did y'all get? Because it had RedAngus on the side, like, really, really good.
Speaker 3:All across the back window. Yeah. You didn't even look at the license plate. You said RedAngus
Speaker 2:across the back window. Did y'all get about wild drivers that work for Red Angus Association?
Speaker 4:Yeah. You know, it really only was that one year. No. All jokes aside, not that I know of did we get any, calls about the traffic infractions that Wade had during his time as the world champion auctioneer. But, actually, that is a good leeway.
Speaker 4:I, I should mention that if any producers are interested in our value added programs, would like to get enrolled, or would just, like to get more information about how to enroll in either Angus access or Allied access, please email tags@redAngus.org. You can check out our website redangus.org or call into the association unless you have a complaint about driving.
Speaker 2:So you said tags@redAngus.org.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 2:That's the email. And then just look up the website red Angus dot org. So once again, thank you very much for joining us. Appreciate you coming on. As we get ready, get going here, I just thank everybody for watching us.
Speaker 2:Remember, hit subscribe and like. As Katie always tells me, I forget sometimes, but don't forget to hit the subscribe button. I'm having a hard time saying that word today.
Speaker 3:Yeah. It's subscribe.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 3:Yep. I know you have trouble with names as well. But, you know, we talked a little bit earlier and and then we're gonna have a sale here tomorrow, 16,000 plus. Yeah. Give them the projection for the year.
Speaker 3:I'm I'm pretty proud of that.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah. That that is pretty good. We've woah. Sold, we're gonna hit right at 200,000 for the year. We're pretty sure.
Speaker 2:So we've sold a little over a 175,000 so far. Our projections have been pretty good. So it's been a been a really good we can't thank our customer base and our buyer base enough for supporting us. I mean, it's just been awesome this year to watch this thing unfold. It's been pretty fun.
Speaker 2:Also, want to remind y'all tomorrow, August 15 at I dropped my card at eleven a no. 1PM Express Ranches big event starts tomorrow, August 15 at 1PM, and then it continues August 16 at on Saturday at 11AM. So y'all tune in on live dash ag or you can come to Yukon and join us. We'll be there live and just wanted to give a shout out to Express Wrenches. They've been one of our biggest supporters so far, and I would just thank them for all they do.
Speaker 2:So y'all tune into that. Watch some great females and some great bulls. So once again, thank you guys. Thank you from here at We Live It. From me and Wade and Katie, thank y'all for watching us, and God bless.