That’s just one of the challenges Cobb looks forward to in his new role. As executive vice president, he will oversee the brand’s supply development, producer communications, and packing divisions, while serving as the voice of the producer to the greater company. Premiums for the brand are built at the packing level, so cattlemen will also benefit from Cobb’s ability to help packers further identify sales opportunities. “It was important to us that we found somebody so grounded in the production side that they had credibility with the cattlemen we serve, but also that they were able to see beyond the ranch gate to the way the whole beef community is interconnected,” CAB President John Stika says. “That is what’s really exciting about Bruce and the experience he brings. “In addition, I really think he’s going to fit really well into the culture at CAB, which has been a hallmark of our success,” he says. Cobb brings diverse perspectives,
ANGUS NEWS Cobb to Lead CAB Production Team. Cobb to Lead CAB Production Team. Describing beef supply and demand as a bit of a chess match, Bruce Cobb says he’s learned the game through various roles in the past three decades. Starting March 1, the Texas native will take on a new vantage point as executive vice president of production for Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB). “I’ve been able to participate on both sides of the industry, demand development and then supply, and I enjoy figuring out: how can we satisfy the consumer and the end user by what we’re doing on the production side?” he says. “Blending those two pieces is where the good stuff is.”
Since 2005, Cobb has been at the helm of Consolidated Beef Producers, the country’s largest cattle marketing cooperative. He and his team traded 700,000 head of cattle annually across the West and Midwest. “It’s clear we’re on the right track as it relates to quality. You can look at how consumers have responded just in the last four to five years and how the brand has grown,” Cobb says. “The challenge will be how do we get at those intangibles? These producers care for the animals. They care for the environment and the land. They want to do what’s right.” But the “opportunity is still there” to communicate and capture the value in those facts, he says.
with experience ranging from the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo to Daymon Worldwide to the U.S. Meat Export Federation and Texas Beef Council. He’s spent time thinking like a retailer, international trader, cattle producer, and consumer,” Stika says. The son of West Texas cotton farmers, agriculture and FFA shaped Cobb early on. He spent just one semester as a landscape architecture major, before trading that for agriculture communications, earning his undergrad at Texas Tech University. His master’s in international agriculture marketing at Texas A&M followed. “It really comes down to the desire to continue to make a difference in the world of producers, whether that’s cow/ calf, feeders or stockers,” Cobb says. “This is an opportunity to take that to the next level and really impact the wellbeing of producers from the production but also the demand side.” Cobb and wife Margie have three
“Spring Turnout” Bull Sale Friday • April 3, 2020 • 2:00 p.m. • Atkins, Va. Selling 50 Yearling Angus Bulls, featuring progeny from these sires: edy CTS Rem
1T01
op 4136 T t a l F r Werne
• All bulls have enhanced EPDs & have been parentage verified by DNA through Angus GS • All bulls have passed a BSE performed by Dr. Andy Meadows, Springwood Livestock Management • All carcass EPDs have enhanced accuracy through the evaluation of ultrasound measurement • All bulls have been hand fed for increased docility & developed to be athletic when turned out • The average of all bulls in this sale rank in the top 30% of the breed for the following traits: - WW, YW, Marbling, $W, $B, and $C • The average of all bulls in this sale have a CED EPD of 8.5 & BW EPD of 0.6 and have been selected to produce calves born unassisted and have high vigor
ent
002 en Bow KM Brok
hievem Poss Ac
1 Rush 600 EZAR Gold
covery VAR Dis
2240
Pratt Cattle Company • The CW Pratt Family 820 Bear Creek Road • Atkins, VA 34211
Jason - 276-200-7075 • Paige - 804-316-4264 • CW - 276-781-8052 www.prattcattle.com • prattcattlecompany@gmail.com PAGE 14
The Carolina Cattle Connection q MARCH 2020
children and have spent their fair share of time driving to events and cheering them on from the bleachers. They’ve been very active in their local Canyon, Tex., community and the greater ag community. “The heritage and legacy and the value of being a good steward, integrity, and honesty — those are things I want to continue to celebrate and enhance along the way because there’s just no other industry like agriculture,” he says. Cobb begins his new role on March 1, when he can be reached at BCobb@ certifiedangusbeef.com. AngusLink and EarthClaims LLC. Announce Service Partnership. Agreement combines American Angus Association offerings with GAP certification. Producers seeking to document their added value on Angus feeder calves just got a more cost effective option. EarthClaims, LLC., and the American Angus Association have reached an agreement to provide bundled verification services. The bundled service includes certification under the Global Animal Partnership’s 5-Step Animal Welfare Program (GAP) certification from EarthClaims with options for age and source, Angus sired genetics, nonhormone treated cattle (NHTC) and NeverEver 3 (NE3) verification by AngusLinkSM, a USDA Process Verified Program (PVP). By working together, the companies are able to streamline the enrollment and audit process while offering the programs at a reduced cost. “AngusLink is growing rapidly as cattlemen look to capture the value of their Angus feeder cattle,” said Mark McCully, American Angus Association CEO. “Now being able to combine GAP certification allows these programs to put more dollars in cattlemen’s pockets.” The partnership also delivers convenience for busy ranchers. “EarthClaims and AngusLink business activities are complementary, and producers will enjoy being able to have one auditor perform the GAP audit in conjunction with the NHTC and NeverEver 3 audit,” said Ginette Gottswiller, American Angus Association director of commercial programs. “We are delighted to join with the American Angus Association to offer combined services,” said Jay Friedman, EarthClaims CEO “GAP certification brings market premiums in addition to those based on the Association’s excellent PVP programs. Joining with America’s largest breed association to offer EarthClaims’ consumer centric verifications makes sense and aligns with both our missions.” EarthClaims is an industry leader in animal welfare third party verification
services and the exclusive provider of GAP certification in North America. The American Angus Association is the largest beef breed registry in the U.S. and operates AngusLink, a USDA PVP that verifies age, source, Angus sired genetics, NHTC, NE3 and Calf Management. For more information, call the American Angus Association at 816-3835100 or EarthClaims, L.L.C., at 202-5965592. Research Hair Shedding EPD Launched by Angus Genetics Inc. Genetic tool will be used to predict heat tolerance and tolerance to fescue toxicosis. The American Angus Association launched a research expected progeny difference (EPD) for hair shedding February 5. The research EPD has been in development since 2011 and is now brought to fruition through the collaboration of the American Angus Association, Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI), Mississippi State University, North Carolina State University, and the University of Missouri (MU). Early summer shedding is an indicator for both heat tolerance and tolerance to fescue toxicosis, and it lends discussion to a genetic correlation between a dam’s shedding score and the weaning weights of a calf. “For producers in heat stressed areas and producers grazing endophyte infected (hot) fescue, hair shedding is an evaluation of environmental adaptability and cow performance,” said Harly Durbin, past AGI intern and current MU Ph.D. student. “Cattle that shed their winter coat earlier in the season are less stressed and therefore can put the energy that might have gone to thermoregulation toward growth and taking care of a calf.” Hair shedding is evaluated on a 1-5 visual appraisal scale, where 5 is a full winter coat, and 1 is completely slick. While there is some variability in shedding patterns between individuals, cattle tend to shed from front to back and top to bottom. Using Angus data, hair shedding has been found to have a moderate heritability of 0.42, falling between that of weaning weight and marbling. Through the two different projects, 14,465 scores from 8,642 individual cattle have been collected, and more data is encouraged to be submitted to increase the accuracy of predictability of the EPD. “The selection tool has the ability to help Angus breeders, who are concerned with heat stress, develop registered Angus bulls better suited to work in their commercial customers’ environments,” said Kelli Retallick, AGI genetic service director. “The entire concept of creating tools to select for increases in genetic
potential for adaptability in a specific environment is exciting, and as an organization, we will continue to engage in these opportunities as they arise.” Hair shedding scores should be collected between mid-April and midJune. Since regional climates exist, it is important to take those measurements when the amount of hair shed varies the most. It is important to note; age has a significant effect on hair shedding. For that reason, cattle must be at least a year of age before hair shedding scores are collected. Visit www.Angus.org for more information about the new research EPD. American Angus Auxiliary Scholarship Applications Due May 1. Ten scholarships will be awarded, and top five young women will compete for Miss American Angus. The American Angus Auxiliary 2020 scholarship applications for National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) members are due May 1. Ten scholarships will be awarded, five to young men and five to young women. The top five young womens’ applications are the basis from which the candidates for Miss American Angus are chosen. Apply now for an Auxiliary scholarship. “We are proud to continue the tradition of assisting young Angus juniors with their education,” said Pam Velisek, Auxiliary scholarship chairperson. “We are always impressed with the high quality candidates we see in the application process.” Scholarship applicants are judged on high school academic achievements, Angus awards and accomplishments, Angus leadership, other agricultural organization involvement, other organization activities, application of livestock knowledge, and Angus experience, leadership and future, and letters of recommendation. “I’m so thankful for the American Angus Auxiliary,” said Eva Hinrichsen, 2019 Auxiliary scholarship recipient and Miss American Angus. “The Auxiliary provides so many scholarships to help juniors further their education and so much support for the Angus family.” NJAA members are nominated by their state or regional Angus association, and winners are announced at the awards ceremony during the National Junior Angus Show. For more information, visit the American Angus Auxiliary website at www.angusauxiliary.com/leadership/ scholarship.html. The American Angus Auxiliary works with the American Angus Association and the National Junior Angus Association to promote youth, education, and the Angus breed. About the American Angus
Auxiliary. For over 60 years, the American Angus Auxiliary has been working with the American Angus Association and the National Junior Angus Association to promote youth and the Angus breed. The American Angus Auxiliary has worked to develop a number of educational and promotional programs to benefit everyone involved in the Angus industry. The American Angus Auxiliary presents more than $15,000 in scholarships, each year, to ten young men and women involved in the Angus industry. As a member of the American Angus Auxiliary, you can play an important role by working to promote our youth and the Angus industry, meet the challenges of today’s society and work toward developing our Angus youth into tomorrow’s leaders. The American Angus Auxiliary offers individuals interested in the welfare of the Angus breed the opportunity to work together to provide educational, promotional, and social programs and activities. Angus Means Business. The American Angus Association ® is the nation’s largest beef breed organization, serving more than 25,000 members across the United States, Canada, and several other countries. It’s home to an extensive breed registry that grows by nearly 300,000 animals each year. The Association also provides programs and services to farmers, ranchers, and others who rely on Angus to produce quality genetics for the beef industry and quality beef for consumers. For more information about Angus cattle and the American Angus Association, visit www.angus.org.
The Carolina Cattle Connection
q MARCH 2020
PAGE 15