PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Light at the End of the Tunnel

By Jeremy Jackson, International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) president

As I write this month, I can’t help but think of all of our members that are experiencing substantial drought and financial difficulty with input costs. I wish there was something that I could do to help, but I cannot. The only thing that I can do to help is to continue to do the job you all put me here to do. I can truly say that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel on the completion of the Regstr computer system. We unveiled the new accounting system in May. By all accounts, it was flawless. Regstr now communicates directly with our QuickBooks accounting software and saves countless hours of labor. You can also pay your bill in real time with a credit card. When THR billing released, you were able to change your inventory and watch your invoice change in real time. We have never had that level of service in accounting in the past. Thank you to our staff, board members and the Regstr committee for all the hard work that went into this.

Up next is the DNA update. In August we will release the updated version of DNA. The coolest feature to me will be realized by the members that use the breeding log. If you will go in and record all sire exposures to your cattle, the computer will have all the tools to identify parentage. For example, if you A.I. your cows and then throw in three cover bulls, the computer program will check parentage on the A.I. sire and all three cover bulls to identify the correct sire. This process in the past included a massive email chain between members and the office to identify the correct sire when there was more than one option. Upon the update in August, it will be done overnight.

The Regstr committee will meet again after the DNA release to set the agenda for the next six months. There are some great minds on that committee and they will be tasked with getting us back all the little things that we loved with the old computer system. Friends, we are close, really close.

I am so proud of our committee system. Several of our committees are cranking out tasks at a high rate of speed. The love for our breed and the volunteerism that it inspires is evident in the selfless efforts of our committee members.

The world and environment outside seem to always get more difficult. But, everyday, IBBA is stepping up to the challenges and moving forward. Thank you all again for giving me this opportunity. I’ve been afforded the opportunity to do lots of cool things in my life but, this is as good as it gets. Please feel free to reach out if you need anything and GO BRANGUS!