In this episode of The Angus Table, host Scott Wright sits down with Mark McCully, CEO of the American Angus Association, for a comprehensive conversation about leading one of the world's largest breed organisations.

Mark shares insights from managing 22,000 members across five wholly-owned subsidiaries (Association, Certified Angus Beef, Angus Media, Angus Genetics Inc, Foundation), the remarkable success of CAB brand with 27% of US fed cattle qualifying and $50+ premiums per head, the historic shift from 50% select grading to more prime than select today, developing functional longevity and udder EPDs, navigating methane research controversy with transparency, and the power of servant leadership.

They discuss some of the similarities and differences between US and Australian industries, the evolution from "where's my premium" to value-based marketing dominance, beef-on-dairy integration, and why keeping independent breeders independent through strong associations matters globally.

So pull up a chair at the Angus Table for insights from one of the breed's most accomplished international leaders.

Key topics covered:

• How the American Angus Association evolved from 1883 herd registry to five wholly-owned subsidiaries with 300 staff
• The scale of CAB brand: 27% of US fed cattle qualify today, creating $50+ premium per head at packing plant
• Why CAB gave producers a target aligned with consumer value rather than producer value perspectives
• The historic shift from 50% select grading (when Mark started) to more prime than select produced today
• How value-based marketing evolution transformed premium signal flow to producers
• The development of functional longevity EBV and teat/udder suspension EBVs incorporated into maternal weaning value
• The importance of phenotypic data as genomics foundation "only as good as phenotypic data breeders turn in"
• How non-traditional data (health traits, BRD, congestive heart failure, fatty acids) requires downstream collaboration
• Why beef-on-dairy integration (60% of 9.4M dairy cows bred to Angus) accelerates data capture in integrated systems
• The challenge of staying innovative as breed associations when private companies characterise economically important traits
• How World Angus Evaluation provides a common currency for breeders globally and helps prevent gene pool narrowing
• Why strong member-owned associations hedge against integrated systems taking genetic decisions from independent breeders
• The methane research controversy: objectives around efficiency in cows on grass, navigating funding source concerns, factual information challenges in social media era
• The importance of servant leadership principles shaped by "The Servant" by James Hunter
• Why focusing on consumer eating satisfaction rather than cattle producer value perspectives drives sustainable demand

Relevant links mentioned in the episode:

• American Angus Association: www.angus.org
• Certified Angus Beef brand: https://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/en
• Book: "The Servant" by James Hunter

Contact details:

This podcast is proudly brought to you by Angus Australia https://www.angusaustralia.com.au/

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CREDITS:

Host: Scott Wright, CEO. Get in touch via email ceo@angusaustralia.com.au

Producer: Mel Strasburg mel.strasburg@angusaustralia.com.au

Audio editing and post-production: Ellen Ronalds Keene at https://perkdigital.com.au