Board Commentary - by Johnny Rogers

Soon, I will be the Red Angus Association of America’s immediate past president. My board tenure has been longer than most, as my first year was filling a vacated board seat and COVID-19 added an additional final year as president. In the middle were six years as Region C Director and two years as president. This could be called the “Decade of Discovery” for both RAAA and myself. This time provided me with many opportunities to learn, grow and to build relationships that I would not have experienced otherwise. RAAA also went through numerous milestones and continued its mission to serve the commercial beef industry. I have included a few highlights of our journey.

The key tool for a breed association is its database. Data exchange between the association and its members is critical for successful outcomes. When I started my board term, REDBULL was our database system, and our IT staff did an outstanding job of keeping it functional. However, it was an aging program past its prime. An upgrade was in order and the decision was made to build our own program in house. This was a huge undertaking, and the journey was long and tumultuous. However, seeing members enjoy their experience with REDSPro today makes the difficulties worth it. RAAA will continue to invest in REDSPro to add functionality and to ensure that it stays up-to-date with technological progress.

During this time the Red Angus female received the distinction she deserves as the beef industry’s “most-favored female.” Red Angus stakeholders have long known about the positive attributes of these fabulous brood matrons. They have set a high standard for maternal excellence and continue to be the foundation for successful cattle programs across the nation. New programs like Red Choice will help build the next generation of great Red Angus females.

The demand for Red Angus bulls has been strong during this time. The industry standard Feeder Calf Certification Program has delivered value to those investing in our genetics. New programs like Premium Red Baldy and American Red are beginning to yield results and we must look for new avenues to demonstrate Red Angus value. More work is needed with feeder cattle marketing and, appropriately, it is critical objective No. 1 in the RAAA Strategic Plan. The marketplace is very competitive, and we must continue our history of innovation to deliver value to commercial cattlemen.

RAAA’s commitment to a membership-driven strategic plan has never wavered. I have witnessed the implementation of more than one RAAA Strategic Plan. Each has been unique in its contribution to our mission. I am very excited about the current plan because it is very aggressive. We operate in a dynamic industry, and it will be interesting to see how we adapt to achieve our goals.