You put a lot of thought and effort into the genetics and management of your calves. Why not make the most of that investment by participating in value-added programs?

In a recent episode of Angus at Work, Shauna Hermel sat down with Doug Stanton, vice president of sales and business development with IMI Global, and Troy Marshall, director of commercial industry relations for the American Angus Association, to discuss how producers can capitalize on their investment in Angus genetics.

Earlier this year, AngusLink^SM and IMI Global partnered on a portion of the verification services for the process-verified programs (PVP) available to U.S. beef producers.

This collaborative partnership functions with IMI managing USDA PVPs such as Age and Source Verification, Non-Hormone Treated Cattle (NHTC) and Verified Natural Beef. Focusing on genetics, the Association is tasked with verifying the claims for the programs of AngusVerified^SM and the Genetic Merit Scorecard^SM (GMS), according to Stanton.

Prior to this partnership, there were two different verification services available to cattlemen individually through the Association and IMI. Now working as a team, IMI’s Black Angus Verified Beef program merged with Association efforts to become AngusVerified.

Process-verified programs yield premiums in the marketplace, especially on the video sales, says Stanton.

“We’ve been tracking premiums for several years now. If we look at our five-year averages, we can see premiums that are a very good return on their investment for the time commitment that they had to put in for these value-added programs,” says Stanton. “Troy and I were discussing that — even with the elevated prices we’re seeing in these summer sales this year, and probably we’ll see again next year — we are still seeing additional value for these programs above and beyond record prices.”

In terms of the return on investment, these programs have historically been positive for producers already qualified or who have the records to be able to participate in NHTC, all-natural, the care program or the genetic programs, says Marshall.

He says the two best ways to improve overall profitability from a marketing standpoint are to increase your access to markets and through genetics. Enrolling in the PVP programs provides access to more markets, thereby giving you more buyers.

On the genetic front, those involved with Angus cattle know there is value in Angus genetics. With the number of black-hided cattle in the industry, the AngusVerified program allows producers to differentiate their cattle from other black-hided cattle, thereby giving buyers confidence they’re buying Angus genetics in the marketplace, says Marshall.

Producers wishing to enroll in AngusVerified can get started by visiting www.IMIGlobal.com or by calling the IMI office in Castle Rock, Colo. Once your request has been made, an application will be mailed to you with information regarding programs of interest. After programs have been identified, interested individuals will then begin working through the approval process.

Additionally, interested producers can learn more about AngusVerified or the GMS by contacting the Association. Though IMI does administer the program, Association staff are happy to answer any questions and put producers in contact with IMI.

The information above is summarized from the Aug. 2, 2023, episode of Angus at Work. To access the full episode — including information on further benefits of value-added programs for producers — click here.

Editor’s note: Angus at Work is a podcast for the profit-minded cattleman. Brought to you by the Angus Beef Bulletin, it focuses on news and information on health, nutrition, genetics, marketing and management. It is available on Buzzsprout, Apple Podcasts and many other popular media platforms. [Lead photo by Kasey Brown.]