Marketing Update

by Katie Martin, RAAA Commercial Marketing Coordinator Added Value Programs and Stewardship Go Hand-in-Hand

For a ranch to operate as a successful business for multiple generations, it requires excellence in multiple areas.

Stewardship is a requirement, rather than an option, when thinking about future generations returning to the ranch and utilizing the same land and resources as their ancestors. Likewise, a ranching operation has to remain profi table year after year in order to keep the business afl oat.

Remaining profi table in an industry that is constantly changing requires willingness to adapt and implement practices that allow for success in competitive markets.

One such practice is utilizing value-added programs such as the Feeder Calf Certifi cation Program. If ranchers are going above and beyond to enroll their cattle in FCCP, it is safe to assume they are probably going above and beyond in other areas of their production operation.

On the marketing team, we often talk about how a full load of calves all sporting that bright yellow tag makes buyers sit up straight in their seats. Those buyers aren’t just chasing the verifi ed age, source and genetics behind those calves; generally, it is recognized that those cattle have come from an operation that puts extra effort in other areas of the operation such as stewardship, animal handling practices and vaccination protocols.

Beatty Canyon Ranch of Kim, Colorado, is an example of an operation that is a long-time user of the Red Angus FCCP and is also recognized for its outstanding stewardship practices.

In October 2020, Beatty Canyon Ranch was selected as the Region V winner for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Environmental Stewardship Award Program. Owned and operated by Steve and Joy Wooten, daughter Arin, and son-inlaw Brady Burnham, Beatty Canyon Ranch is a multi-generational operation that exemplifi es stewardship of the land. Their commitment to caring for the land, animals and family have allowed the Wootens to work in the beef business since 1929.

Controlling invasive species, pasture management and improving wildlife habitats are just a few of the practices the family uses to preserve resources. Operating on 125,000 acres, they run 750 head of commercial Red Angus cows and have enrolled their calves in the FCCP for more than 10 years.

Personally, I look forward to seeing the Beatty Canyon Ranch calves ring the bell every year at the Superior Livestock Auction’s Big Horn Classic, serving as a great representation of the Red Angus breed and FCCP. Beatty Canyon Ranch will advance to be considered for the 2021 National Environmental Stewardship Award, to be announced at the Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Nashville, Tennessee, in August.

Beatty Canyon Ranch is in good company in the Red Angus breed. I have visited many operations that provide excellent stewardship of the land on which they live and work. Forage resource management, soil conservation and implementation of renewable energy are just a few examples.

Often times, ranchers don’t even recognize their practices as “stewardship,” as they are simply caring for the land that cares for their cattle. I am so proud to be part of an industry that demonstrates stewardship on a daily basis, and cares for our precious resources in a way that provides hope for the future. n