At the 2024 Cattlemen’s Congress, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays had the chance to talk about the Brangus breed with Brangus producer Allen Goode. Aside from being a Brangus producer, Goode is also a past president of the International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA).
“It is a pleasure for the Brangus breed to be here once again at Cattlemen’s Congress,” Goode said.
Goode stays active in the cattle industry in numerous ways, and one of those ways is being a judge at livestock shows. Goode had the chance to judge the Santa Gertrudis show at this year’s Cattlemen’s Congress.
The spotlight that Cattlemen’s Congress has become has been a big boost for the registered Brangus industry, Goode said, and he is glad that the American breeds were included from the inception of the event.
“It is a very central location, of course, geographically,” Goode said. “For the Brangus breed, we have breeders from Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, all throughout the southeast that come here, and of course all the surrounding states- Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri. It is a big show for Brangus.”
Goode said this year will mark the 75th anniversary of the International Brangus Breeders Association.
“We are going to have a big celebration weekend in August in Fort Worth, so it is a momentous time for all of Brangus, and it has really come at a time when Brangus is hitting all strides in terms of the industry and the acceptance of the demand for our cattle,” Goode said.
Brangus checks many of the boxes when it comes to what a commercial producer needs, Goode said, and the breed fits into many different environments.
Goode also talked about a relatively new addition to the Brangus breed called the Ultra-Brangus. Ultrablack and Ultrared animals are registered composite animals with validated and documented lineage that are between 12.5% and 87.5% Brangus breeding. The remaining 87.5% to 12.5% must be a registered Angus to be an Ultrablack or Red Angus to be an Ultrared.
“For us, it is a way to bring in some of the newer Angus genetics into the breed, and what that has really done is helped us boost our carcass quality traits,” Goode said. “Our EPDs for marbling, ribeye, and intermuscular fat have really climbed high to be on par with any other breed in the industry right now.”
Overall, Goode said the adaptability from an environmental standpoint for Brangus cattle combined with carcass quality has expanded the demand for Brangus cattle.
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