News & Notes
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November 6, 2024
American Angus Association ends fiscal year strong
The American Angus Association concluded a successful fiscal year (FY) Sept. 30, 2024, expanding the breed’s market share. FY 2024 marked the 10th consecutive year of more than 300,000 registrations. In addition, the Association surpassed 21 million total registrations.
“Despite record-low inventory in the beef industry, the Association continues to see strong registration numbers and year-over-year growth,” says Mark McCully, Association CEO. “It illustrates The Business Breed’s prominent position in the market; more than 80% of the U.S. cow herd is now Angus-influenced.” This was one of many takeaways garnered from the Industry Insights survey conducted by Angus Media and CattleFax and released in the first quarter.
The breed celebrated a historic milestone with the announcement from National Beef Packing Co. LLC (NPB) that it would pay grid premiums for genetic merit. As of Aug. 5, NPB pays a $5-per-head premium on its U.S. Premium Beef LLC (USPB) grid for cattle with an AngusLinkSM Genetic Merit ScorecardSM (GMS) Beef Score of 100 or greater. Beginning Dec. 1, cattle with a Beef Score of at least 150 will receive a $10 premium.
Signals in 2024 show strong demand for Angus cattle, beef products to continue.
This is in addition to the nearly $17-per-hundredweight (cwt.) average premium paid on feeder cattle enrolled in AngusLink value-added programs during the past year, even as annual enrollments grew by 76%.
During the fiscal year, Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) processed 218,497 genomic samples — a 5.6% increase from the year prior. In partnership with the Association’s Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR®), AGI also released research expected progeny differences (rEPDs) for both teat size and udder suspension. More than 148,000 phenotypic records for each trait were collected from 87,000 cows to contribute to the dataset for the rEPDs.
Driving demand for Angus genetics, Certified Angus Beef (CAB) sold 1.236 billion pounds (lb.) of branded beef through 18,000 licensed partners worldwide. Engaging producers across the industry, CAB concluded the first year of its Raised with RespectTM campaign having facilitated the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification of more than 1,500 ranchers.
Click to see a more detailed release, or watch for your January 2024 Angus Beef Bulletin. To view the 2024 Angus Annual Report, including the Association’s complete financial report, visit https://bit.ly/AAA_AnnualReport24.
Own a corporation? File a BOIR before 2025
In 2021, the Corporate Transparency Act was enacted to limit illegal financial activities in the United States. The U.S. Department of Treasury now requires corporations, including many limited liability companies (LLCs), S corporations and C corporations to file a Beneficial Ownership Information Report (BOIR) with the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
If your corporation was formed before Jan. 1, 2024, you have until Jan. 1, 2025, to file your BOIR. If your corporation is formed between Jan. 1, 2024, and Jan. 1, 2025, you will have 90 days from the date of state registration to file. If your corporation is formed after Jan. 1, 2025, you will have 30 days to file with the FinCEN.
If your business has more than one corporation, such as an LLC for the farm and another for a value-added business, you will need to complete a BOIR for each corporation.
Requirements to submit registrations with a government agency can seem intimidating to many small business owners, and many service providers like accountants or attorneys may offer to provide this service on your behalf for a fee. If you’d prefer to pay someone to complete the service on your behalf, select a trusted service provider. However, the BOI registration process is not hard. Once all the needed information and photos are gathered, it can be completed on a smartphone in less than 30 minutes.
This is the information to have ready to provide in the application that you can either print, complete and mail; or complete and file online:
- Official name and fictitious name (doing business as) for the business
- First, middle and last name of the business owner
- Birthdate of the business owner
- Federal employer identification (EIN) number for the business
- Jurisdiction of the business (state in which the business is filed to be operating)
- Address of the business
- Photo of ID of the business owner (state issued ID or passport)
- Number of the ID (driver’s license or passport ID number)
- Email address of the business to receive notification of additional needs or submission
If there is more than one corporation owner holding more than 25% of the company, you’ll need the name, address, birthdate, ID number and photo of ID for each of those owners.
Missouri farm recognized as Historic Angus Herd
Russell Angus Farm LLC has been home to Angus cattle for more than 50 years.
The American Angus Association recognizes Russell Angus Farm LLC with a Historic Angus Herd Award. The award recognizes operations that have been in continuous production of registered Angus cattle for 50 years or more.
Lee Russell, along with his son, Larry Russell, established Russell Angus Farm LLC in Fortescue, Mo., in 1973. Their goal was to produce quality seedstock cattle that would improve genetics. The Angus breed’s advancements compared to other breeds in the cattle industry made Angus an easy choice for their operation.
The Russells began purchasing seedstock cattle from a variety of Angus breeders. Several of their early purchases came from Sun Up Angus in Edgerton, Mo. They also used ABS Global as their AI source when purchasing semen.
After Lee’s passing, Larry partnered with his son, Chris Russell, and the herd was moved to Forest City, Mo. They purchased their first donor cow from Crouch Valley Angus. Chris then used his expertise to purchase quality donor cows from Advanced Genetics in addition to embryos and semen from various other herds.
The Russells have had great success selling cattle at a variety of Angus sales across the country, including the National Finals Angus Sale, the National Western Angus Sale, the Fort Worth Stock Show and Cattlemen’s Congress.
Russell Angus has received several awards over the years, including Missouri State Fair Reserve Champion Angus Bull in 1977 and Missouri Farm Family of the Year in 1979 and 2014.
With consumer demand for affordable, quality beef increasing in recent years, the Russells have added the sale of USDA Certified beef cuts to their operation. They have also built a facility where they can do embryo transplants, AI and egg harvesting. From time to time, they lease their facility to veterinarians to lessen the travel distance for fellow cattlemen and their cattle in the area.
Today, Russell Angus Farms LLC is home to a herd of 100 cattle and is operated by Larry and his wife, Teresa; together with Chris and his wife, Jenny, and their children. Chris manages the daily operations on the farm while Larry and Chris work together when purchasing cattle and making genetic decisions.
“Our entire family take on specific roles and chores on the farm,” Larry said. “That is the foundation to our success.”
Visit www.angus.org for more information or to view a list of awarded members since the program began in 1988.
The online application is simple, and you will not be able to submit it until all fields have been completed. Missing information will be highlighted in red, and the application will not be able to be submitted until all required information is completed.
A step by step guidebook and quick reference guide, including a flow chart of how to determine if your corporation is required to file, can be found on the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network website.
If you have all of your needed information and you’re ready to file, you can get started.
Once submitted you will receive an email if the registration requires more information or has been approved. Note that the email only arrives during business hours and may not be immediately approved.
If you fail to file your BOIR by Jan. 1, 2025, you could receive a fine, or maybe jail time. Avoid consequences by taking the time to file today.
Boehringer expands Georgia R&D facility
Boehringer Ingelheim announced the grand opening of its newly expanded research and development facility in Athens, Ga. With a capital investment of $66.1 million and 63 new jobs created, this expansion includes the addition of 63,000 square feet (sq. ft.) of administrative space and more than 28,000 sq. ft. of laboratory space in Athens-Clarke County.
“Our new research and development facility in Athens marks a significant milestone in our dedication to animal health innovation,” says Peter Ploeger, U.S. animal health country managing director at Boehringer Ingelheim. “Each year, we invest nearly 12% of our sales into researching and developing products that will advance the health of animals, especially our pets, for generations to come.”
Boehringer’s expanded Athens facility represents the company’s largest R&D site in the United States and its third-largest globally. This sustainably focused facility houses the company’s U.S. Global Innovation Hub.
NCLA sues to stop rule mandating eID for cattle, bison moving interstate
The New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) has filed a complaint against the USDA and its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) rule requiring electronic identification (eID) tags for certain cattle and bison transported across state lines. The rule, which it calls unlawful, is set to take effect Nov. 5. NCLA urged the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota to halt what it termed an “illegal attempt to eliminate an already-in-place efficient means of cattle identification.”
In 2013, APHIS promulgated a final rule regulating traceability for interstate livestock movements that permitted several forms of “official identification,” including both visual-only and electronically readable ear tags and providing producers with flexibility to choose among options. During the past decade, the agency advanced and abandoned less formal measures for mandating radio frequency identification (RFID) ear tags, according to an NCLA release. In May 2024, APHIS issued its new rule to end the use of visual-only ear tags as a form of official identification for certain cattle and bison moving between states, requiring visually readable eID tags in their place. NCLA calls the move illegal and unnecessary, as the existing Animal Disease Traceability framework is already proven effective.
NCLA represents ranchers Rick and Theresa Fox and Kenny and Roxie Fox of South Dakota and Tracy and Donna Hunt of Wyoming, as well as R-CALF USA, South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, and the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance in an effort to stop these injustices.
Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Vol. 16, No. 11-A
Topics: Association News , Award winner , Industry News , News , Policy
Publication: Angus Beef Bulletin
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