Frequently asked questions
| Q. | Who, specifically, is AngusSource® designed for? |
| A. | It was developed for commercial cow-calf producers wishing to increase the value of their Angus-sired feeder cattle and replacement females by providing source, group age and genetic information to potential buyers. The program provides seedstock producers the opportunity to get involved with their customers marketing programs by providing tag reimbursement or assisting with enrollment. AngusSource provides feedyards with a source for documented Angus-sired calves with age and source information verified through a USDA Process Verified Program (PVP). |
| Q. | What is the cost of the AngusSource® Program? |
| A. | There is a $50 fee per enrollment plus the $1/visual tag or $3.25/RFID matched pair set for each enrolled animal. Enrollments fewer than 10 head will be charged an additional fee. |
| Q. | Can I enroll over the phone or online? |
| A. | The Producer Participant Form and Agreement must be on file with AngusSource before you can complete your training and begin enrolling cattle. These forms are part of the Producer Participant Manual which must be read along with the Program and Participation Requirements. Download these by clicking here or contact AngusSource to request a copy. Once these forms have been submitted you will complete your training and enrollment over the phone. Copies of required records MUST be sent in, and in some cases an on-site visit will be required. |
| Q. | Do I have to fill out a new enrollment form each time I want to enroll calves in AngusSource? |
| A. | No. The Producer Participant Enrollment form and Agreement form only need to be filled out once. However, you will go through training and complete the enrollment process over the phone each time you enroll calves. In addition, copies of pertinent records must be submitted for each enrollment. |
| Q. | Do all of my calves need to be out of a registered bull? |
| A. | Yes, all enrolled cattle must be sired by a registered Angus bull. American Angus Association registration numbers are required on the sires of all submitted groups of cattle. Bulls may be owned, leased or AI sires. |
| Q. | Do my calves need to be individually matched to their sire and/or dam or have individual birth dates? |
| A. | No. AngusSource allows producers to submit information about the entire group, instead of individually managed animals. i.e. single sire pastures are not required. You must have all potential sires documented to provide the sire information for the entire group you are wishing to enroll. |
| Q. | Can I order tags before the calves are born? |
| A. | No. Calves can not be enrolled prior to birth. The birth month/day/year of the oldest calf being enrolled must be known and recorded. In other words the first calf must be born before the calf crop can be enrolled. AngusSource recommends that you wait until all calves are born before enrolling to ensure an accurate count and prevent being short on tags or having extras which must be destroyed and documented. Soon birth records of the first and last calf born may be required so we encourage producers to begin keeping these records now. |
| Q. | Are individual birthdates required? |
| A. | No. Only the first calf born is required; however, whenever possible individual birth dates are preferred. If you calve in multiple pastures you will need to record the first calf born in EACH pasture. If you do not have defined calving seasons, or if you have more than one calf crop on your operation at a time, calves MUST be individually identified with individual birth records. |
| Q. | What kind of calving records should I submit? |
| A. | If you keep your records electronically mail in a printout or e-mail the electronic file. If you keep your records by hand, mail a PHOTO COPY of your original records. Do not re-write the records or send in your originals. You are required to maintain the original records on-site for three years. |
| Q. | If I only keep a record of the first calf born - will recording it on a calendar work? |
| A. | Using a calendar to document the birth of your first calf is acceptable - IF and ONLY IF there are additional management/production records on the calendar. Sending in a calendar page with nothing but "first calf born" recorded will not be accepted. |
| Q. | Should I put in RFID-matched pair tags, or just the visual tags? |
| A. | The visual tag is the official AngusSource program tag and the only tag you need to participate in the program. The RFID-matched pair was added as an option for those producers who would like to take advantage of the efficiencies and marketing opportunities available with RFID. The number one question we get asked is, "Will I get more money if I use the RFID tag?" The answer is, "There is no way for us to know." Largely this depends on where you will market your calves and who purchases them. Check with your local auction market to see if they have special RFID tagged feeder calf sales. If you sell directly to a feedlot contact them to see if they would see value in and be willing to pay more for calves wearing RFID tags |
| Q. | How soon will I receive my tags? |
| A. | Allflex has a standard 5 business day turnaround time for tag orders. With shipping time, we estimate a 7-10 business day turnaround from time of ordering. |
| Q. | Do I automatically get carcass information returned on these cattle? |
| A. | No. The AngusSource tags were designed to remain in feeder cattle's ears to the packing plant, but YOU MUST COMMUNICATE WITH THE FEEDYARD if you wish to receive feedlot and carcass information. This is usually best specified in the "terms of trade" when selling the feeder cattle. |
| Q. | Will enrolling calves in the AngusSource program guarantee a premium? |
| A. | No, but the industry continues to place emphasis on age and source information documented through a USDA approved program. Sales data submitted to AngusSource by producers who have used the program shows that premiums are available. |