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Ranchers turn to yellow tag program to add profitability to calf crop

Mikalena Randazzo
Red Angus Association of America

Ranchers are taking advantage of value-added programs to increase the profitability of their calf crop, and more ranchers each year are enrolling their Red Angus-influenced calves in the Feeder Calf Certification Program (FCCP).

The Red Angus Association of America (RAAA) reported that for the first time, the FCCP program enrollment surpassed the sale of 20,000 yellow Red Angus tags in the month of January. This figure exceeds previous sales by 2,300 tags. The FCCP program is on track for the third consecutive year to enroll more than 100,000 Red Angus calves.

Enrollment in the FCCP program entitles producers to tag their Red Angus-influenced calves with the yellow tag, satisfying USDA age, source and genetic verification requirements for all four major packing plants – Cargill, Tyson, JBS and U.S. Premium Beef.



“Traceability to age, source and genetics continues to be important for cattle markets,” said Myron Edelman, RAAA director of added-value programs. “Feeder cattle are reaching new highs and market-ready cattle are capable of generating more dollars than ever before. However, cattle that have age and source verification maximize revenue for all classifications of cattle, making them the most profitable.”

There is no enrollment fee for the program – only the cost of the tags at 99 cents each. By enrolling in the FCCP, all Red Angus bull customers are privilege to the RAAA marketing programs such as the FeederFax and the Red Angus Stockyards. In addition, they have access to special video sections featuring Red Angus throughout the summer and organized Red Angus Feeder Calf sales held in livestock markets all across the U.S. All of these marketing options give producers the opportunity to add value to their calf crop.



The tag is available as a combination visual and RFID tag for $3 per tag or visual-only tag for 99 cents per tag. Calves must have at least one registered Red Angus parent and ranchers need to answer a few calving and breeding management questions.

“Producers can still enroll this year’s calves into the FCCP program,” said Mikalena Randazzo, RAAA commercial marketing specialist. “Calves just need to be tagged before they leave the ranch of origin.”

Producers can call the RAAA office at (940) 387-3502 to enroll in the FCCP program, making them eligible to purchase the Red Angus yellow tags. The enrollment process takes less than 15 minutes. For additional information on Red Angus marketing programs, visit redangus.org.


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