Denver – The Red Angus breed – often heralded by commercial producers as a consistent provider of fertility, longevity and overall herd profitability – is increasing its market share across the U.S. beef industry and has experienced two consecutive years of rapid growth.

Bob Morton, President of the Red Angus Association of America, says, “Demand for Red Angus cattle is at an all-time high. We are gratified to see this growth because it’s driven by increased industry acceptance. Demand for Red Angus females is especially strong, as seen this year on both video and live sales. Our breeders have worked for decades to offer genetics that benefit all segments of the beef supply chain from cow to consumer and producers are recognizing that commitment.”

RAAA reports that registrations have increased 66 percent during the past two fiscal years, reaching record levels for the breed in both of those years. Active cow inventories, as measured through RAAA’s Total Herd Reporting requirement, increased to 106,387 head in the 2016-17 fiscal year, a 27 percent increase over the same two-year period (see accompanying table). RAAA memberships have risen 13 percent, while the well-recognized “Yellow Tag” or Feeder Calf Certification Program grew 37 percent. DNA submissions have also risen substantially as Red Angus breeders seek to leverage the benefits of this emerging technology through verified parentage and genomically enhanced EPDs.

“Such tremendous growth across multiple categories is reflective of the Red Angus breed’s long-standing focus on serving commercial cattlemen,” according to RAAA CEO Tom Brink.  “More cow-calf producers are incorporating Red Angus genetics into their herds because the females work and the steers are highly marketable.” Using registrations as the benchmark for comparison, Red Angus is now tied for third among the largest U.S. beef breeds.

Source: Red Angus Association of America press release