The American Angus Convention Fort Worth, Texas USA
Americans know conventions and they do it very well! The Halliday family and Jack Laurie of Breeder Genetics joined Mel Strasburg and myself in Fort Worth Texas to promote the World Angus Forum (WAF). Fort Worth didn’t disappoint attracting over 1500 American Angus Members for three jam packed days of talks, information, social events and trade displays.
The purpose of our trip was to get beside America Angus members and show them exactly what they can expect by travelling “Down Under” in 2025. We were warmly welcomed by a whole host of American Angus Association (AAA) staff, Directors and members. As always CEO Mark McCully, AGI president Kelli Retallic, CAB President John Sticka and former AAA President Chuck Grove made the Australian team feel very welcome.
The AAA Angus Convention also proved to be an excellent event to catchup with extremely close colleagues from Canada led by CEO Myles Immerkar. Part of the support we received was also from our prestige partner Neogen. Neogen staff Head of Livestock Tom Schultz and Sales Director of Livestock Genomics Kenny Stauffer coordinated a World Angus Forum magnet for every delegate and made sure than we received plenty of visitors.
As our members will know Angus Australia has a very special relationship with AAA. In 2023 we launched together the World Angus Evaluation and have very close links through the analysis of our structural traits. Particularly Mark McCullay and Kelli Retallick have a very close working relationship with our team.
North America has long been a source of genetics for Australian and New Zealand genetics. With the introduction of World Angus Evaluation (WAE), Angus Australia is very excited to have the World Angus Forum in 2025 become a focus for breeders around the world to come and see the genetics our Australian breeders have on offer. In 2024 Angus Australian ran a series of export readiness seminars for our members to get ready for the World Angus Forum. This promotion of WAF in the USA at Fort Worth was all about having good numbers of USA and Canadian breeders travel down under and explore new genetic options for their herds.
The American Angus Association (AAA), established in 1883, is the largest beef breed organization in the United States, serving over 21,000 members across North America.
Key Programs and Services provided by AAA include: Certified Angus Beef® (CAB): Launched in 1978, CAB is a not-for-profit subsidiary owned by Association members. It aims to build demand for Angus beef, benefiting cattlemen financially. Annual sales have surpassed 1.2 billion pounds, involving over 15,000 licensed partners in 55 countries.
Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI): Established in 2007, AGI provides genetic evaluation services, developing genomic-enhanced expected progeny differences (GE-EPDs) and indexes for the Angus breed. These evaluations support the breed’s National Cattle Evaluation and are updated weekly.
Angus Media: This for-profit entity offers informational and marketing resources, including the flagship publication Angus Journal®, which has over 11,000 paid subscribers. Angus Media also provides digital marketing services, such as website hosting and targeted advertising.
Angus Foundation: As a nonprofit, the Foundation supports education, youth, and research initiatives. Since 1998, it has awarded more than $4.2 million in youth scholarships and invested over $1.3 million in beef cattle research over the past decade.
The Association maintains an extensive breed registry, adding more than 300,000 animals annually. Its initiatives have significantly contributed to the prominence of Angus genetics in the U.S., with over 80% of the U.S. cow herd having Angus influence. Through its diverse programs and services, the American Angus Association continues to lead advancements in beef cattle genetics, marketing, and education, reinforcing its pivotal role in the beef industry.
Some of the Convention talks included:
Disruptive and “UN-Traditional Marketing” by Keynote Speaker Scott Stratten. His talk covered both online and offline methods of staying in front of your target audience so that when they have the need to buy, they choose you.
An Inspirational session by Keynote Speaker Hunter Pinke entitled “No Bad Days”. Hunter talked about how to live
the rest of your life without having another bad day. After becoming a paraplegic in a skiing accident, Hunter was told he would have good days and bad days. He decided differently. Hunter shared the the truths that can get you through any tough day.
Banks Baker from PIC gave a thought provoking and controversial talk about how his company has developed “Gene Edited Pig breeding lines”.
Mark McCully, CEO of the American Angus Association spoke about the modern Angus Cow being a culmination of 151 years of American breeding. The Angus breed now influences 80% of the U.S. cow herd.
As always the American Angus Association ran an excellent conference and made the Australian team feel very welcome. We trust that the result will be a strong contingent of American breeders travelling down under in 2025.
– Scott Wright, CEO
Feature image: American Angus Association CEO Mark McCully
Other image: Stu Halliday, Juan Pablo Perez and Angus Australia CEO Scott Wright
