MAINE-ANJOU Commercial Connection
JOSHUA CRIBBS AMAA Director of Commercial Development
We are into the heat of the summer, literally! This means we’re past junior national and quickly coming up on state fair season. Time certainly doesn’t ever slow down, does it? I’d like to take a moment to reflect on junior national. It’s always such a rewarding experience for me to be able to be a part of the production and creation of such an impactful experience for so many youth. It reinforces how lucky we are to have Lindsey leading our Junior program and how thankful we are as an association to have breeders and parents that believe in Maine-Anjou and its importance for youth development. It doesn’t make it forefront of most discussions, but young breeders make old breeders. When youth transition to adults, they remember the experiences they had and the fun they were a part of. They return home to become adult breeders and work hard on continuing to build the MaineAnjou brand. During junior national, we always tackle senior board meetings and look forward to the things that will impact our breed in the year to come. This time around, those AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021 8
meetings included a discussion focused around completed research and what the next step is to move the needle – for not only commercial relevance, but also for breed growth in general. We are extremely fortunate to have strong leadership within the board – they’re able to discuss and decide how to best tackle the things that are going to make the biggest impact and movement for the brand we all know and love, Maine-Anjou. We are looking forward to furthering our research goals and some exciting partnerships we hope to continue to cultivate through the fall and next spring. These relationships will only further build the volume of verified and updated research we can use for marketing material and strengthening the red meat yield claim we have on the market! Each part of the year leads to a series of events that we get to travel to and be a part of. In fact, as I’m finishing up this article, I’m also packing for the first of many 2021 State Fairs. During my coming travels, I’ll get the opportunity to look at this year’s calf crop and set my eyes on the growth/progression our breeders continue to make. Before to
long, we will be in the middle of sale season and looking forward to the fall run of cow sales and national shows. Working for the AMAA continues to be a rewarding experience, and I’m thankful I get to work for a breed that has a focus on youth development, cattle research, and brand building. As always, if you need anything or want to have us come by, please don’t hesitate to call or reach out. I look forward to fall temperatures and getting back on the road to be able to promote the Modern Manie-Anjou! Josh (813) 967-6949
