Turn the Page

GW GW VIEW FROM THE BOARD

Turn the Page

By Dan McCarty

Ican’t think of anyone who wasn’t excited to turn the page on the calendar to 2021; 2020 was a year that many would like to forget. There certainly wasn’t a shortage of challenges and obstacles to navigate. As for the AGA Board of Directors, not only did we have our normal business to take care of, but we were also forced to make many difficult decisions because of the COVID19 pandemic.

I can assure you that no one was more disappointed than me that we were unable to hold the 50th Annual Convention and celebration in Oklahoma City in 2020. However, our staff did a fantastic job of pivoting and planning the first ever virtual meeting for the Association. It was a difficult task for them to accomplish on such a short notice, and I want to thank them for their hard work and dedication that it took to pull off the event.

Additionally, I would like to thank everyone that joined us virtually for the AGA Annual Meeting. It certainly wasn’t the way we had hoped to conduct the business of the Association in 2020. However, if there is one thing we have all learned in the past year, it’s that sometimes you just have to improvise and adapt. Every committee was able to conduct their business, and we ended up with great participation and discussion on the issues that each committee needed to address.

While there is always important business to conduct and decisions to be made at the annual convention, for myself and many of the members I have visited with, the one thing that was missed the most, by being forced to hold a virtual event, was the fellowship and networking with breeders and friends from across the county. We all recognize our breed has many strengths and competitive advantages, but the one advantage that rises to the top, for me, are the people that make up the AGA.

While the world may have temporarily paused, at times, during the past year, the staff and Board of Directors have been hard at work. AGA continues to work with the International Genetic Solutions MultiBreed Genetic Evaluation to make continual progress to provide more accurate selection tools for both seedstock and commercial producers. Last year, we were able to make updates to both growth and carcass traits to provide the most accurate selection tools available on the traits that drive the economic engine of our business. The Association also began compiling Pulmonary Arterial Pressure (PAP) data, worked with Colorado State University to release a scrotal circumference EPD, kicked off the most aggressive carcass data collection effort in the history of the Association, and found new avenues and partnerships to spread the word of Gelbvieh and Balancer® genetics.

I would like to recognize Lowell Rogers, DVM for his service the past six years on the AGA Board of Directors. His experience in veterinary medicine, reproduction and Southern Balancer™ cattle brought a great perspective to board business and I always enjoy visiting with Lowell. Additionally, I would like to welcome William McIntosh to the AGA Board. William is no stranger to Gelbvieh breeders and has no shortage of passion for the breed.

Looking forward, the year 2021 marks the end of the current five-year strategic plan, “Meeting Modern Industry Demands.” The AGA set some aggressive goals in this plan and have implemented strategies that not only benefit AGA members, our commercial customers, and the Association, but solidifies the AGA as a visionary leader in the beef industry. Some goals were achieved and some were not, that is the nature of a strategic plan. As we press forward to complete the current plan on a high note, we will also get the ball rolling on a new five-year strategic plan that will build a foundation for the AGA for another successful 50 years.

There is plenty of work to be done in the coming year and now is an important time for the AGA to press forward on the many initiatives underway. It will also be a year of celebration as June 28, 2021 will mark 50 years since the Articles of Organization of the AGA were filed with the Oklahoma Secretary of State. It is a major milestone for our breed and our Association, and we should all be looking forward to a proper golden anniversary celebration in Oklahoma City later this year. D