PRODUCING COMMERCIAL FEMALES THROUGH VALUE ADDED PROGRAMS by Lance Bauer, Beefmaster Breeders United Director of Breed Improvement
Value-added programs are on the rise in the beef industry as input costs increase and margins remain tight. Enterprising beef producers are exploring new ways to improve their return on investment and open doors to new marketing avenues. Beefmaster Breeders United offers a value-added program through the Beefmaster E6 Commercial Female. The BBU Essential Commercial Female Program is a prime example of expanding the market for Beefmaster cattle. The program, referred to as the E6 program, focuses attention on the strong maternal traits of Beefmaster cattle and helps commercial cattlemen develop stronger markets and greater value for their Beefmaster and Beefmaster cross heifers. The word “essential” is included in the name because of the six essentials upon which the breed was founded - weight, conformation, milk production, fertility, disposition and hardiness. While attractive, hearty bulls are often known to steal the spotlight, the modest hero of this legendary breed is without a doubt the essential Beefmaster female. She’s universal – in tropical climates of the South, high altitude or sparse sections of the West. Throughout the Fescue Belt and stretching into the High Plains, the Beefmaster female remains constant. What is an E6 Certified Female? The E6 program is a commercial Beefmaster female. This female was labeled as an E6 based off the essential six traits that were used to develop the Beefmaster breed. This program has been around now for about 20 plus
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years. The National E6 Sale in Columbus, Texas, and others like it throughout the Plains and Florida, ensure there’s verified and top-quality females available for purchase. The National E6 Sale as been held for 15 years plus. Commercial breeders from all over the country are constantly looking to restock their pastures with Beefmaster cross females. “They are needing that genetics and they realize that in hot and humid and tropical regions they need cattle that can go out there and eat really low quality forage, that has high water content, fight mosquitoes, fight pests and go out make money for them in a hostile climate situation,” said Trey Scherer, a Beefmaster breeder from Brenham, Texas and a consignor to the National E6 Sale. The essential Beefmaster cross, there’s no better cow. In today’s beef cattle industry, branded programs are the main topic of discussion. The Beefmaster E6 Program is a branded program for those highly sought-after replacement females. This program also gives the buyer assurance that these cattle are at least 50 percent Beefmaster and that they have been inspected for quality. The program serves as a marketing tool for the cattle producer. “When you get around trying to find these kinds of cattle, they’re hard to find. They are popular,” said Anthony Mihalski, a long-time auctioneer and sale manager for the Beefmaster industry. The advantage of these commercial Beefmaster ...CONTINUED ON PAGE 64
