American Angus Association Members, 

The Board of Directors met this week, February 8-12 in Saint. Joseph, Mo. Along with virtual committee meetings, we discussed a variety of topics important to the future of the American Angus Association.  

We appreciate member feedback and those who take the time to call and engage on various topics. As we receive member letters, we discuss them with the Board and on various committees. One letter asked us to consider making EPDs and $Value indexes optional on registration certificates. We will be discussing with members over the coming months and thinking about long-term consequences of this idea.  

Another member shared ideas for increased commercial producer involvement, and we discussed those and several other ideas. We value our commercial cattlemen customers, and know their success is the key to Angus breeders’ success. While we didn’t act on these ideas, we’re keeping them in mind as we plan for the future. The Board also heard an update on how we share a coordinated message for commercial producers. With the purchase of a registered Angus bull, producers are set on a Pathway to Progress to meet their breeding goals and capture the value of their investment in Angus genetics. As more commercial producers begin to test with GeneMax^® Advantage™, we have developed an integration with the AngusLink^® Genetic Merit Scorecard^® (GMS). This will allow the GMS to better describe the female side of the calculations.  

Selection tools: The Board also discussed new genetic selection tools on health traits being released in the industry and the best long-term strategy for the Association. These new tools are being developed outside of the Angus organization with data not accessible for Angus breeders. Should we be working more closely with these outside companies to help deliver these tools to our breeders? 

One challenge we have as an Association is the expense and space required to archive DNA samples, especially the newer tissue samples. The Board spent considerable time discussing the benefits of having access to archived samples and weighing that against the cost and logistics. Staff shared optional strategies around the sequencing of high-influence animals and elevating member information on best practices for archiving their own samples on influential animals in their herd. Staff will be coming back to the Board with some proposed ideas in June.  

Staff reviewed member feedback for the Data Driven Herd recognition program, and the Board approved some improvements suggested by members. We also evaluated the trends in data submission. We were encouraged to see the trends remain strong for most traits, demonstrating Angus members are continuing to submit phenotypes.  

A member letter was received requesting the research of a gestation-length EPD. Staff reviewed research from 2021 around gestation length. While no action was taken by the committee, we will review the current standards for gestation length of Angus cattle in produced resources like the gestation-length calculator.  

Staff shared planned updates for the genetic evaluation that takes place the end of May. They are fairly standard updates including the economic assumptions and other updates to the software and evaluation maintenance.  

Research: We heard updates on bovine congestive heart failure (BCHF) and cow efficiency research projects. The methodology for the cow efficiency project continues to evolve, and the project is on track. Members can continue to keep up with the project on the website. We continue to collect BCHF phenotypes to have enough data to make meaningful conclusions on the role genetics play in the prevalence of the condition.  

We heard an update on the University of Illinois $Value validation project and additional opportunities with the replacement females, foot scores and potential tenderness research. In addition, Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI ^®) continues to explore ways to collect more commercial data to complement the data collection work Angus breeders have done.  

Member needs: Over the last year, we’ve gathered feedback in both a membership survey and polling during Angus Convention. Our team has been looking at those results and, in particular, focusing on ways to improve the effectiveness of communication avenues and improve member engagement. 

The Member Services team has been busy improving systems and tools for our members. We discussed plans to transition Association business to paperless preferences. This switch, planned for June 2026, is an effort to serve the membership in a more timely and efficient manner and ensure mail delays do not affect members’ business needs. All member accounts with an email address on file will be switched to paperless, and members can find their preferences in AAA Login. The committee changed the membership name-change fee from $500 to $100. With improvements to technology, this requires less staff time; and the lower fee will help members who change their name for reasons such as marriage, divorce or adoption.  

Paper, printer and postage expenses continue to rise, and the team continues to find ways to manage those costs. The Angus Media Board also discussed the importance of the Angus Journal^® as the Association’s flagship publication and a primary means of member communication. 

Knowing that health insurance premiums have risen for members over the last few years, staff has been exploring whether a health insurance option made available through Association membership could provide meaningful value to members. The committee agreed to survey the membership to gauge interest. Watch for a survey that will be available in March.  

CAB: The Board heard about the status of a Certified Angus Beef^® Prime line extension built around the growing number of carcasses with ultra-high marbling scores. Consumer testing and partner research have been a part of the process, and next steps include packer engagement, partner research and launch planning.  

For the past two years, Certified Angus Beef has been opening the door for the brand’s premium beef to be offered and enjoyed in countries where the brand is not as readily available today. We are working with new partners in Uruguay to launch Certified Angus Beef^® brand products, increasing the availability of our brand in markets that previously, have been underpenetrated. While the volume will likely be small, this is an important way to protect our registered trademarks in markets that current production cannot access, while expanding global brand equity. Live-cattle eligibility requirements and carcass specifications are equal to or, in some instances, tighter than domestic requirements, and this product is not allowed to be sold into the United States and Canada. 

There were many other important topics discussed. I encourage members to listen to The Angus Conversation podcast, where we recorded a special episode to discuss these and other boardroom topics. Feel free to reach out to me or any member of the Board with your questions. 

Sincerely,  

Jim Brinkley 
2025-26 President 
American Angus Association