PEDIGREE & PERFORMANCE WHAT IS IT WORTH? by John Boddicker, executive vice-president

From time to time I look around the purebred livestock industry and ask myself, “Do other breed registries face the same struggles, or are some of them unique to the American Maine-Anjou Association (AMAA)?” Irregular registrations and transfers by the membership continues to be a major issue impeding our association’s progress. This issue is critical to the association. It is particularly frustrating when AMAA members sell Maine-Anjou progeny at public auctions or off the farm/ranch and neglect to register and transfer the sold Maine-Anjou animals. The two registration categories this happens with the most are MaineTainer females and bulls sold to commercial cattlemen.

     In an April 2001 editorial written by the late Mr. Dick Spader of the American Angus Association, Dick dedicated the entire column to the specific need of registering and transferring bulls sold to commercial producers. Dick wrote, “I know it’s easy at times to say, “Let’s save a few bucks and not register or transfer bulls this year.” For registered producers, that may be a self-defeating practice if your goal is to let buyers know you’re in business.

     “First and foremost, when you register and transfer bulls, the bull buyer receives a formal document indicating the pedigree, performance, current expected progeny difference (EPD) information and the ownership of his new purchase. The registration paper is similar to the warranty tag on a bag of seed corn, serving as a reminder the buyer purchased reputable, well documented, predictable genetics.” Dick obviously knew what he was talking about. During his tenure, he guided the American Angus Association to the heights in the seedstock business they enjoy today.

     Here’s what long time Maine-Anjou breeder Calvin Fryar has to say on the subject: “I’ve been in the Maine-Anjou business for 33 years and the registration certificate has always been a top priority of mine, whether buying or selling. A customer may tell you they don’t want the registration certificate but they need it and it’s my job to tell them why. Someday that buyer may want to become an active breeder and member of the AMAA, someday I may want to buy back some of the females, someday I may buy back some feeder cattle. When that “someday” becomes a reality, the original registration certificate is the whole key to success. I’m selling something long-term, a potential program if you will, not just a single animal.

     “Sooner or later, if you don’t have the standard practice of recording and transferring your cattle to your customers, they will seek out someone else to buy from. They may anyway, but it’s been my experience the registration certificate holds them as a customer for a longer period of time. If you haven’t made them feel a part of a program by registering and transferring what you have sold them, they will seek out a new source. The cost you did not pay for a registration and transfer just dramatically went up!”

     When Calvin and I were discussing this issue he gave me an analogy that has always stuck with me. Calvin likened the issuing of registration certificates to his buyers to the days of green stamps given by retailers. Retailers gave them to you whether you wanted them or not. Why, because the consumer thought he was getting something extra, and the retailer gave them out so the customer would return. Retention of business was the key element.

     Another highly successful Maine-Anjou breeder, Fred DeRouchey shares his thoughts on this issue and how it has impacted his marketing program. “According to Webster’s dictionary the word “register” means an official list, to set down formally or to record in writing. “DeRouchey Cattle Company firmly believes in the need to register cattle and transfer ownership. A written pedigree adds value to the purchase by being a permanent record of the individual’s ancestry. Future breeding decisions and herd improvements are based on the information from the pedigrees. Our customers put their trust in us that we are producing the best product genetics has to offer. By registering and transferring the registration paper, we solidify that trust.
“We depend on a national breed association to maintain the official pedigree records and to help us promote the breed we are raising. It is a must to financially support this organization for it to continue its’ duties to the membership.”

     If you believe in the registered seedstock concept or if you are using Maine-Anjou genetics for your marketing program, I encourage you to demonstrate your beliefs to your customers. Meet the demands of the ever increasing number of calf buyers requesting, if not demanding, a history of performance (both weight and carcass) before they will purchase a set of calves or yearlings. As source verification takes on a stronger hold in the industry, the genetic data on sires will be very important in marketing the bull, as well as the offspring. In other words, specification buying will make the transfer of pedigree a very important item.