Prime_Time_Fall_2019

Akaushi Matters Loni Soefje | Assistant to the Director | lsoefje@akaushi.com AMERICAN AKAUSHI ASSOCIAT ION UPDATE W hat a year it has been so far for the Ameri-

your neighbor but brand your cattle” comes into play here. Be very thorough when asking questions about the pedigrees of the animals you plan to purchase and ask to see their certificates. Full- blood animals will have a registration number with the prefix “AF” listed at the top right corner of the registration paper and “Parent-Verified” on the left side of the certificate only if the as- sociation has confirmed that the listed pedigree has been confirmed through DNA processing. If the animal’s certificate is not available, we suggest calling the AAA office to confirm you are buying from a trusted source or to deter- mine if a specific animal is registered and veri- fied with us. The AAA wants every Akaushi experience to be second to none whether it be through consuming an outstanding primal cut, building a successful branded beef program or upgrading your cow base with Akaushi genet- ics. Confirming you’re purchasing a parent- verified animal is the first step to ensuring an outstanding Akaushi experience. With that said, if there is anything you believe we as an association can do to increase the value of your experience, please do not hesitate to reach out to any of the team members. Although I mentioned this year has been quite success- ful for the AAA, we are continually looking for ways to grow and further serve our members. We look forward to hearing from you. PT great pride in what we produce, and we want to make sure your Akaushi experience is the best one yet! So, where will we be in the next 25 years? We hope to be one of the leading beef breeds that helps lead the charge to doubling the national average for the number of carcasses receiving Prime Quality Grades. The associa- tion is here to serve its members, but it is only as strong and progressive as its membership. Growing the breed is a group effort, and we invite you to serve the association in whatever capacity you can through trade shows, field days and simply sharing your closeouts and carcass data with your neighbors. Because together, we are AKAUSHI . PT CATTLE TALES Continued from page 6

can Akaushi Association (AAA)! We are celebrating 25 years of Akaushi being in the United States, our membership numbers are rapidly increasing, and this has been, by far, a record year for DNA processing.

I want to take a moment to say thank you to our members and supporters who have worked to build the quantity as well as the quality of the Akaushi breed throughout the past 25 years. Having such dedicated members who are driven to increase the quality of the beef industry is what makes being a part of the Akaushi team so enjoyable. Since the association originated in 2009, our mission has been to provide programs, servic- es, technology and leadership to enhance the Akaushi breed’s genetics, broaden its influence within the beef industry and expand the world- wide market for superior-tasting, high-quality Certified Akaushi Beef. Although the AAA provides several services to fulfill its mission and increase the efficiency of each producer’s operation, one particular aspect that is prin- cipal to the purity of the Akaushi breed is the parent-verification process. It is well known that the AAA requires all Akaushi animals, fullblood and percent- age blood, to be parent verified through DNA processing. But, why is this such an important and required process? Thanks to parent veri- fication, Akaushi offspring can be traced back to the foundation Akaushi breeding herd that was brought to the United States 25 years ago, meaning the lineage of the American Akaushi can be traced back more than 30 generations! Having this information can increase the prof- itability of any Akaushi herd, but more impor- tant, it has instilled a sense of integrity behind the Akaushi breed. The Akaushi team recommends that all Akaushi breeders and potential Akaushi buyers use the parent-verified system as a tool when it comes time to buy any Akaushi-influenced animal. The AAA considers this a tool because it allows anyone to buy with not only confi- dence, but with certainty. The saying “trust

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