PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

from October 2021 Brangus Journal

by International Brangus Breeders Association

TREY CUEVAS’ PATH TO T3 BRANGUS

AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE

by Allen Goode, International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) president

As Summer has transitioned to fall, I hope that this finds each of you enjoying cooler, crisper temperatures and full of anticipation for the Brangus, Red Brangus, and Ultra calves that are arriving. We are well into the Fall sale season, with at least the first three weekends of offerings in the books. By all reports and observations, it is another banner season for our cattle and genetics; with interest and demand coming from a wide swath of the industry, the country, and the globe. This growing acceptance and desire for proven and documented Brangus genetics is testament to the years of investment each of you have made in improving the phenotype and genotype of our breed in its entirety.

Before we look too far ahead, I must reflect on the successes of the National Junior Brangus Show (NJBS) and the 50th Anniversary Brangus Futurity this summer. There are not enough words to describe the immense dedication that our International Junior Brangus Breeders Association Board of Directors, advisors, and members put into hosting the NJBS. We are all fortunate to count each and every one of you as IBBA members. To the IBBA Show Committee, thank you for making the 50th Anniversary of the Brangus Futurity a week with a due sense of special occasion. Congratulations to all of the champions and winners from our week in Belton!

In mid-August your Board of Directors, committees, and members convened in Nashville for the Brangus Summit in conjunction with the Cattle Raisers Convention & NCBA Trade Show. We had an extremely productive set of meetings and discussions, as well as shared perspectives about the place of and opportunities for our cattle from some of the leaders and influencers in the beef industry. The most memorable event of the week was the Brangus Foundation night out in Nashville. It was a festive evening of Brangus comradery. The Brangus Foundation is very active in supporting research projects that are important to the future and continued growth of our breed and association.

These research projects, which include the Brangus Value Project as well as heat tolerance research efforts, stem from the development and launch of the IBBA Long Range Strategic Plan (LRSP). I hope that each of you, as vested IBBA members and Brangus breeders, have heard or read the objectives and implementation plans of these efforts. This LRSP is different from past efforts. This is a plan that is in effect and has momentum. Our plan includes: - The completion of the major modules of Regstr, which remains the top priority of the Board of Directors, and the IBBA staff. - The Brangus Value Project is well a designed study to track Brangus genetics through feedlots and packing plants to obtain high quality data that can be reliably compared to the industry. - The expansion and growth of our IBBA Committees. This focus has resulted in the revitalization of the Commercial Marketing and Membership and Education Committees. The renewed energy being applied here has launched the Brangus Vigor program that Dr. Wilkes explains further. All of our committees are fully engaged in furthering the mission of the IBBA and creating more value and opportunities for you as members. - The international leadership of the IBBA. In expectation of the full rollout of Regstr, the IBBA leadership has been engaging with other national Brangus associations, discussing the opportunities for closer working relationships and collaboratively advancing Brangus genetics cross borders.

Investments in cattle, equipment, and land for our operations are a cost to doing our business and building our future. We make them in order to achieve greater profitability and success in the near- and longer-term horizons. Likewise, the LRSP and its initiatives are an investment in each of us as IBBA members. The Board of Directors, the LRSP Committee and the Brangus Foundation recognize that an investment today in these projects will pay dividends in the future for IBBA members and Brangus breeders. As we continue to execute on the plan and develop our future as a breed and an association, let’s keep our sights set on the horizon. A horizon that in both the next few years and a generation from now will be benefitting from the investments we make today.

Best wishes for a fantastic Fall! Go Brangus!