Agricultural News
Quality Angus Genetics = Premiums, Profit
Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:54:58 CDT
When Neal Haverkamp started his purebred Angus business in 1993 he saw the Certified Angus Beef Brand already driving demand and assembled the best genetics. Now with the CAB licensed feedlot and 450 registered cows near Bern, Kansas, Nemaha Valley Angus provides breeding stock and feeds with a focus on carcass quality and helping customers.
"We didn't want to just produce black bulls and leave our customer hanging after we deliver the bull," Haverkamp said. "We want to help them all the way through and keep them coming back to us for seedstock too."
"If we can show what they are producing is worth more and then give them a premium for the calves when they sell them their selling I think that benefits everyone," Haverkamp said.
Genetic selection should advance the whole industry, he says. To help customers join in that effort, he offers to buy their cattle, then return individual data to improve their aim for carcass quality.
"Yeah, we have a buy-back program and we don't buy calves all the time, but if our customer is selling calves we ask them to give us a call and we will pay toward the top end of the market for a set of weaned, vaccinated calves," Haverkamp said. "We have certain customers that are willing to go the extra mile to produce those calves because they want us to feed them out and give them back the data."
"That's how our buy back program works, it's pretty simple, it's nothing fancy, but if we can get those calves and feed them out and show them the value of the genetics they are raising, they really see the value in that," Haverkamp said.
Data is key to making informed breeding decisions that lead to superior beef. Haverkamp makes sure his customers have it.
"They are definitely, intentionally focusing on producing higher quality," Haverkamp said. "Even if they just sell their calves at weaning our customers will come in and say we want to know what the marbling is and what the ribeye is and they will stake those genetics just as much as they stack genetics for maternal and calving ease."
"They don't want to make a mistake in their breeding plan," he said.
These Angus producers know their ultimate customer is the beef consumer. That's where they especially what to ensure repeat business.
"Most of our customers don't feed out calves, but they understand that's where their calves end up ultimately is on the consumer's plate," Haverkamp said. "They want to make sure the consumer is going to keep coming back for that product."
"So even though they don't get a carcass premium when they sell their calves, they want to make sure the consumer is happy and they work to make sure they got the right genetics to help with that goal," Haverkamp said.
This video news is provided by Certified Angus Beef LLC and the American Angus Association.
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