The_Ledger_Winter_2022

PRESIDENT ’S COLUMN  CRAIG WALKER, DVM

S eason’s Greet ings. 2021 was a year of growth for the American Aber deen Association®!

We set out this year with a vision to streamline our registration and DNA process to provide better services to our membership in an effort to handle growth of the breed more flu idly. We anticipated a few challenges, but the fast, hard curveballs we faced consumed every benchmark and due date set – the growing pains sure were felt. However, we are thrilled that we have now taken control of the DNA process and the horizon looks bright for the new registration software to be in place. As we close out the year, we are still working through a few hic

cups. Be patient with the office staff; the end of our headaches is near. National Western Stock Show is right around the corner. We are excited to reconvene as a breed and are looking forward to breaking in the new facilities in Denver. Check out the website for the schedule, national sale details, banquet reservations and be sure to take advantage of the hotel discount when you make your reser vations. I hope this issue of The Ledger finds you happy, healthy and looking forward to 2022. TL

We are pleased to report our breed showed substantial growth with new membership from coast to coast, and an increase in registrations and trans fers across all our product lines. We feel extremely fortunate since a signifi cant number of other breeds have not experienced that growth.

LOGIST ICS  NE I L EFFERTZ It’s a Small World with Bigger American Aberdeen Opportunities

T hese changing times have changed the way business is done everywhere. To be suc cessful, we “old guys” must learn that things are different now; just get over it and get on with it! There are terrific opportunities and, especially now, an added focus on beef production efficiency and sus tainability. This bodes well for market ing American Aberdeen fullblood and Moderator® genetics and beef. Online selling and buying can be fun and profitable, providing access to a larger pool of potential clientele. Key requirements to successful online seedstock marketing include: 1. Plan ahead. Get your calves regis tered as soon as possible. The link to the American Aberdeen Associa tion® herd book is a key compo nent to your online sale site. 2. Get your cattle cleaned up and clipped, and shoot high-quality video and a good still photo. Pro

fessionals are available to help in most areas. 3. Know the pregnancy status of bred females. Ultrasound sexing preg nancies can add value. 4. Learn how to email a photo and up load a video. Find a young person to help you. 5. Become familiar with truckers who can assist potential bidders in transporting their purchases. 6. Do your paperwork. Promptly trans fer registration papers to buyers. As a seller, this is your responsibility. Take care of your customers and they will come back. The American Aberdeen breed is gaining momentum like no other breed. The key to marketing is to know your breed. Know the advan tages of American Aberdeen genetics when applied to commercial beef production. Making a smaller cow be all she can be is the most efficient thing you

can do to improve commercial beef cow-calf efficiency. No breed can help do that better than American Aber deen. Keep an open mind. I just received a text from a friend whose daugh ter showed an 890-pound steer calf sired by a Maine-Anjou bull out of a halfblood American Aberdeen cow. The steer won his division. His dam weighs about 1,100 pounds in “show shape.” He was 80 percent of the cow’s weight at 9 months of age. Wow! This is just an example of how fullblood American Aberdeen genetics can influence the future of efficient beef production in America. There is so much good news about new folks getting involved in the breed that it’s hard to cover it all. Winston Churchill said, “Make no small plans for they have no magic to stir men’s souls.” Plan big. It’s a smaller world with bigger opportunities. TL

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