Welcome back to the American Cattlemen Podcast. Just ahead, we have Gale McKinney, he's the Owner of American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with Kelly Smith, Director of Commercial Marketing for the Red Angus Association of America. In this episode, Kelly and Gale discuss the growth, philosophy, and future of the Red Angus breed and its role across the entire beef supply chain, from cow-calf producers to consumers.
Kelly begins by sharing his background in southern Missouri as both an Angus and Red Angus breeder, and his 37-year career in animal nutrition before joining the Red Angus Association about two and a half years ago. He emphasizes that his team focuses on the commercial side of the industry, working with cattlemen, feeders, and industry partners to connect Red Angus genetics with market-driven opportunities.
A key theme is the strength of the Red Angus cow, particularly her maternal excellence and suitability for cow-calf country. Kelly stresses that whatever changes the industry pursues, producers should not “mess up that Red Angus cow.” He explains the association’s Total Herd Reporting (THR) system, where every registered cow must have annual production reported—good or bad. This mandatory data collection underpins more accurate EPDs, higher integrity, and has helped fuel the breed’s growth from around the tenth-largest breed to roughly third in the U.S.
The conversation moves into crossbreeding, including popular Red Angus–Simmental combinations that offer growth, carcass merit, and strong maternal traits while qualifying as Angus beef when properly described and verified. Kelly outlines efforts to secure market parity for red-hided cattle with black-hided cattle by working directly with packers and major retailers. He highlights collaboration with the new Sustainable Beef plant in North Platte, Nebraska, partially owned by Walmart, where red-hided Angus cattle can earn prices comparable to premium Angus programs.
They also address consumer expectations, ribeye size, and carcass weights, as well as the rising cost of beef and its position as a premium protein. Finally, Kelly describes the Red Angus junior program, its growth, and the balance between supporting youth show programs and maintaining a strong commercial focus, including phenotype-genotype shows that reward both looks and data-driven performance.
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