Agricultural News
New American Angus President Sees Breed's Potential Value as U.S. Herd Expansion Goes Forward
Mon, 09 Dec 2013 15:33:28 CST
The American Angus Association named a new president at its 2013 annual meeting held during the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Kentucky, last month. Board members chose Gordon Stucky, a long-time Angus producer from Kingman, Kansas, to fill the office. He started his herd from a single heifer in 1976 and currently produces about 250 calves per year. Stucky has put a strong emphasis on within-herd performance data with his genetic selections, and is also utilizing genomic technology to improve the accuracy in selection decisions. He spoke with Radio Oklahoma Network Farm Director Ron Hays. (You can listen to the full interview by clicking on the LISTEN BAR at the bottom of this story.)
Stucky says he believes the American Angus Association is moving in the right direction and can use the tremendous assets it possesses to further fine-tune that course.
"I think the ability for the association to use the extremely strong database that we have, utilize the staff that we have that, in my opinion, is second to none, and to be able to transfer the collection of data into a concise format to where the commercial cattlemen-and seed stock producers-can grab onto that and just continue to be able to make higher quality cattle every year as we go forward will keep the association in a very strong position."
With cattle herd expansion set to go forward as the drought of the last few years appears to be easing, Stucky said it is an excellent opportunity for producers to consider the benefits of the Angus breed.
"The cattle herd expansion of the next several years is going to be very important to the American Angus Association because, first of all, Angus cattle are already known for high maternal quality to go along with high carcass quality. We're in an industry where you just don't want to make any mistakes. And I think Angus cattle can offer that data and offer that ability to be able to give success to these commercial cattlemen and to the seed stock producer."
Stucky said that one of his goals during his year as president of the American Angus Association will be to bring together all segments of the beef cattle business.
"One of the things I want to concentrate on is to convey to the beef industry that the American Angus Association welcomes with open arms the whole Angus family. And when I say the Angus family, that's not only the seed stock industry, but the commercial cow-calf producer, the backgrounder, the feedyard personnel and also the packing industry as well. We all have to feel like we work together in this industry for us to be successful."
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...
