Whether you’re looking to better market your seedstock animals, or track your herd’s performance, registering your cattle is a good management decision in any purebred operation. Registration can be as easy as paying a few dollars and submitting the name and registration number of the dam and sire, but taking advantage of the marketing and record keeping programs breed associations offer can make a big difference in the long run.
Mike Moss, president of Ozark and Heart of America Beefmaster Breeders, said registering an animal certifies it as a purebred, which is important to a producer looking to introduce specific genetics into a herd.
“Buyers who are looking to benefit from the heterosis of a purebred animal can be reassured that’s what they’re getting when they buy a registered animal,” he said. “Being a member of a breed association and registering your animals in its database is a great way to market your animals and make your herd’s genetics available to other producers.”
There are several other marketing benefits for producers who register their cattle. For example, Beefmaster Breeders United, which is the national Beefmaster association, offers the E-6 program, which helps its members market their crossbred female offspring of registered Beefmaster bulls to commercial producers. The same females can also be used to start a purebred herd through the association’s breed-up program.
In addition to the marketing advantages, producers often have access to valuable resources when registering animals. Many breed associations give producers the opportunity to keep detailed records of an entire herd. Moss said BBU members can participate in the Whole Herd Reporting program that gives producers a complete performance record and can help in evaluating the genetics in a herd.
Similarly, Chase Groves, south-central field representative for the American Simmental Association, said the ASA offers its members the chance to participate in the Total Herd Enrollment program, which allows producers to track their herds’ performance over a period of time.
“If producers just want to register an animal, we need the name and registration number of the dam and sire,” Groves said. “With the Total Herd Enrollment, we also require the birth weights and weaning rates, which can really help producers when it comes to making management decisions about their herds.”
Keeping detailed performance records can also affect the marketability of an animal.
“If a commercial producer is looking to purchase a bull, he can review the database to find one with the traits he is looking to introduce into his herd and be confident because he knows the bull’s pedigree and performance data,” he said. “This level of information can go a long way in advancing his herd, and he’ll often pay a little more for the predictability.”
Lawson Hembree, past president of the Arkansas Angus Association, said the American Angus Association allows members to report just about any information they want to keep track of, including breeding and calving dates, which can be useful in determining fertility ranking and calving intervals.
“Registering purebreds not only differentiates them in the marketplace, but it gives producers the information they need to effectively market their cattle,” he said.
Within the different breed associations, there are different costs associated with registering animals, depending on how old the animal is, and which program producers participate in. Most breed associations offer fee schedules on their websites.
Regardless of price, Moss said the cost of registering an animal is always worth the money, and producers will see a return on their investment when the animal is sold.
“When an animal is registered, it can be sold in a registered sale,” Moss said. “A registered three-year-old bred heifer is going to bring anywhere from $1,200 and up, but a three-year-old bred commercial heifer is only going to bring $600-$700 at a sale barn. It just makes sense to register your cattle.”
“Registration is just part of the cost structure of owning purebred cattle,” Hembree said. “Just like going down to the co-op to buy feed, you have to do it.”
