Brangus Launches Vigor Program
Commercial producers with calves sired by Brangus, Red Brangus and Ultra bulls are eligible to participate in a marketing program organized by the International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA). Brangus® Vigor is a Process Verified Program (PVP), utilizing the services of IMI Global, a leading provider of PVP services to the cattle industry. Cattle enrolled in the program will be third-party verified for Age/Source, Genetics and Health.
“We have listened carefully as feedlot operators have told us what they want in the feeder cattle they buy”, said Craig Green, Chairman of the IBBA Commercial Marketing Committee, adding “they are unambiguous. They want cattle that take to the feed bunk, stay healthy, grow rapidly and efficiently to a profitable finish weight, and hang up a high quality carcass. That’s exactly what we will offer them through this program.”
All cattle offered to feedlots with the Brangus® Vigor tag will be verified to have received two rounds of vaccinations and have been weaned at least 45 days. Calves from producers who cannot fill a full semi-load (50,000-lbs) will be accumulated at participating growyards and subsequently offered in load-lots or multi-load-lots to discriminating feedlots. The Brangus, Red Brangus and Ultra bulls that are the sires of the program calves are registered bulls with the IBBA.
Participants will be supplied with “840” tags, which are recognized by all states, so interstate shipment identification requirements are covered.
“Genuine Brangus feeder cattle are not the same thing as a generic eared crossbred,” said Dr. Darrell Wilkes, Executive Vice President of the International Brangus Breeders Association. “Through 70+ years of selection, Brangus breeders have created a truly unique breed. We’ve studied the genomic profile – analyzed the DNA – of modern Brangus, and it tells a fascinating story. We’ve locked in Angus DNA where we want it, and we’ve kept Brahman DNA where we need it. The DNA profile of modern Brangus explains why they’ll grade 90% Choice and Prime in the packing plant but can still handle the harsh environment in the southern tier, the fescue belt and the western deserts.”
“In cattle breeding, you get what you select for”, according to Dr. Randy Schmidt, Chairman of the IBBA Breed Improvement Committee, adding “as a breed, we have been aggressive users of ultrasound to identify Brangus cattle with extra marbling and muscling. We’ve watched as our marbling and muscling scores have steadily improved over the past 20 years. Now, we look at our DNA profile and it confirms what we have been witnessing. It’s high time that the marketplace see Brangus, red ones or black ones, as different from a generic eared crossbred. It’s apples and oranges.”
IBBA seeks relationships with growyards that can accumulate smaller groups of Brangus® Vigor calves into load lots and, in many cases, complete the vaccination protocols required for the program.
“Our goal is simply to get better prices for these good Brangus cattle, because they’re worth it. The first step is to differentiate them in the marketplace and that’s what the Brangus® Vigor program is designed to do’, Wilkes added.
For more information, please visit www.gobrangus.com or call the IBBA office at 210-696-8231.
