February Profit Picture/Gelbvieh World by American Gelbvieh Association

February 2009 | www.theprofitpicture.com

In this Issue: Features Kentucky Producer Sold on Gelbvieh Mothering Ability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Keys to Managing Your Bulls this Winter . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Finding the Balance in Selecting for Calving Ease . . . 44 Missouri Producer Gets the Extra Pounds with Gelbvieh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 North Dakota Producer Finds Right Mix . . . . . . . . . . . 64

News Gelbvieh Profit Partners Realizing the Value . . . . . . . . 12 Transition Time Key for Purchased Young Bulls . . . . 16 Manure Value at Historic Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Media Push Gives Beef a Holiday Boost . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Matching Milk Production and Cow Size to Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Opportunities Abound for Gelbvieh Juniors . . . . . . . . 24 Roberts Named New NCBA Chief Executive . . . . . . . . 25 Industry Faces Emboldened Animal Rights Lobby . . . . 32 The Gelbvieh EPD Encyclopedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Why Balancers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 U.S. Beef Exports Defy Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Evaluate Management Strategies for Cost Effectiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Kansas Earns Bid for National Bio and Agro-Defense Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 New eTattoo Eartag Offers Advanced Technology . . . 60 SmartCross Cattle Prove Their Worth . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Columbia MO Permit No. 353

The ‘Best’ Bull is the One That’s Best for You

Successful bull selection begins with a hard look at your cow herd By Mark Parker When your neighbor brags that he’s got the best bull in the whole wide world, don’t you believe him? That critter just plain does not exist. What is out there just waiting for you, however, is a bull that fits your needs and resources—a bull that has the potential to make a tremendous genetic impact on your beef production enterprise. “There’s no one best bull for everybody,” says University of Nebraska animal scientist Twig Marston. “A good bull is one that fits your forage system and your marketing system. He’s a bull that genetically addresses the needs of your cow herd and is physically able to get the job done.” Beef producers have a wide range of selection tools, from EPDs and genetic markers to ultrasound and performance data. What’s important, Marston suggests, is a balanced approach that keeps the endgame in sight. The most obvious distinction is whether a bull is to be a replacement heifer producer or a terminal sire. Beyond that, however, producers have to weigh factors such as whether they’re selling weaned calves, stockers or retaining ownership through the feed yard phase. The art of bull selection comes down to balancing what your customers want with what your production system can profitably deliver. The degree to which you can utilize selection tools depends on your current situation. Matching cattle type to forage resources and addressing variability in the herd are good places to start, the former Kansas State University beef specialist advises, but a true fine-tuning of herd

Twig Marston genetics requires a more intensive approach. It begins with a solid understanding of the strengths and the weaknesses of the cow herd and, for that, the veteran animal scientist would like to see producers rely on more than gut instinct. “If you really want to know where you’re at and what direction you need to move in, you need to keep good records,” says Marston. “Data from your own operation gives you benchmarks. You can say, ‘I’m good here but I need a little help here.’ Without that information, you’re just guessing. With it, you can analyze the information that’s available on a bull and make an informed decision on whether his strengths match up with your goals.” Operations that retain ownership and sell on a meat-based grid, for instance, can make dramatic progress in carcass traits using EPDs Continued on page 4

Selling February 17, 2009 • Burwell, Neb. Incredible Quality ... selected from over 700 bulls you won't find a better set—Guaranteed!

250

Coming 2-year-old Bulls Sell Pick from a great selection of 2-year-old Bulls – NOT Last Year’s Leftovers!

Balancers® • Angus • Red Angus

• Complete Igenity DNA Testing • Semen Checked • Volume Discounts • 1st Season Guarantee • Free Delivery • Supreme Quality (Selected from one of the Nation's largest herds) • Range Developed • Carcass Tested • Never a single kernel of corn is fed to these bulls!

Buy top end, range-ready 2-year-old bulls on February 17th!

| February 2009

Cedar Top Ranch

Scott & Raberta Starr 212 Starr Drive • Stapleton, NE 69163 (H): 308-587-2293 • (C): 308-530-2720 308-587-2348 (Eldon) 402-368-2209 (Rich Johnson)

cedartopranch@gpcom.net

Commercial Breeders− If you need help selecting sires that'll produce the scale busting steer calves and heifer mates loaded with fertility and maternal strength ... give Cattlemen's Connection a call.

Your One-Call Convenience Semen Shipping Center...

H We are the largest supplier of H Gelbvieh & Balancer® genetics

(100+ A.I. Sires) Visit our website: www.cattlemensconnection.com For a complete listing of AI sires, their stats, pedigrees and EPDs.

40+ years AI expertise/25+ years traveling the Gelbvieh breed. Commercial Producers ... the majority of our AI sires are available to you at substantially discounted commercial prices. Shipping & handling FREE on orders of 50 or more units.

Call today for our 2009 Semen Catalog/Calendar

Scale Busting Fall Bull Calf Pair

Call Cattlemen’s Connection: 1-800-743-0026 P.O. Box 156 • Hiawatha, KS 66434 • 785-742-3163

The Profitpicture |

Bull Selection...continued from page 1 for ribeye area, fat thickness and marbling, but first cow-calf producers have to know what they need. If they don’t, they’re just rolling the dice when they circle those carcass EPDs in a sale catalog. Marston strongly cautions against single trait selection, noting that leaning too heavily on one area can have a detrimental effect on

Dave Sparks another. Selecting herd sire prospects exclusively for increased yearling weight, for example, will also increase birth weights and, ultimately, dystocia will impair the production ability of the cow herd. Selecting primarily for increased milk production is another potential case of “too much of a good thing.” Cows that have greater milk potential also have higher metabolic rates and that means they require more energy to maintain body condition. If they don’t get that extra nutrition, herd reproductive performance will suffer as body condition scores slip. “We certainly don’t want to hone in on one trait without considering the effect on others,” he asserts. “EPDs work—that’s the good news. EPDs will take you where you want to go but first you have to make sure that’s really what you want and you have to keep other important economic traits in mind.” EPDs represent the cattleman’s best opportunity for genetic improvement, according to Kansas State University animal scientist Dan Moser. One of the most common mistakes commercial cattlemen make when selecting a bull, he says, is putting too much emphasis on actual weights compared to EPD ratings. Birth weight is an excellent

| February 2009

example, he notes. A cow man may see a low actual weight in a sale catalog and buy himself a heifer bull even though the bull’s EPD for birth weight is on the high side. What the bull buyer needs to understand is that, first of all, the bull’s actual weight is already figured into the EPD and, second, the low actual birth weight probably has an environmental cause. “If the EPD and the actual weight disagree, there’s a reason,” Moser explains. “That low actual weight may be because he’s out of a first-calf heifer or any number of reasons. EPDs are by far the best indicators we can use in predicting the kind of calves a bull will sire.” The K-State beef cattle geneticist is also concerned that bull buyers are skeptical of EPDs for yearling bulls because their accuracy is relatively low. “Accuracy is going to be low in young bulls because they have no progeny to measure,” Moser says, “but those EPDs are still far more accurate than any other indicator you have.” Of course all the careful genetic study in the world doesn’t mean a darn thing if that new prize bull won’t settle cows in a timely manner. Oklahoma State University Veterinarian Dave Sparks is absolutely adamant that every bull—whether he’s a rookie or a veteran—should have a breeding soundness examination 30 to 60 days prior to turn-out. “I don’t understand why anyone would jeopardize their whole business to save the $25 to $50 it costs to get a breeding soundness examination,” Sparks says. “One of the most common things I see is the situation where a guy buys a bull

Dan Moser

that’s ‘guaranteed.’ Guaranteed to pass a breeding soundness examination means just that—it doesn’t necessarily mean that he has been checked. Getting him checked nine months later when you’re a little suspicious that he’s not getting the job done just doesn’t cut it because a lot of things could have happened to impact his fertility in that period.” Sparks points out that the aim of the examination goes well beyond the identification of infertile bulls. “We’re not really checking for sterile bulls because, in actuality, there aren’t a lot of sterile bulls out there,” he explains. “What there are far too many of, however, are marginally fertile bulls and you’re not going to be very happy with their performance. At best you’re going to get late calves. At worst you’re going to get open cows and that can really hurt your program because you may end up culling high-quality cows because they’re open when it wasn’t really their fault. When that happens you’re not just losing production, you’re losing the progress you’ve made in developing a quality cow herd.” And even the cows that get bred may cost you, Sparks adds. A 21-day delay in breed-back carries a weaning weight penalty in the neighborhood of 35 pounds. Additionally, it’s going to be tough to catch that late-calver back up so she’ll likely have younger, lighter calves for a good part of her productive life. In addition to a semen evaluation,

a breeding soundness exam will ensure that the bull has the general health, conditioning and the good feet and legs he’ll need to travel during breeding season. The other component of the exam is scrotal circumference since it is directly related to the quantity and normality of sperm produced, as well as having a relationship to the onset of puberty in the bull’s offspring. Simply put, bulls with larger scrotal circumference produce more sperm with a higher degree of normality and sire calves that reach sexual maturity sooner. And even though you really can’t completely judge a book by its cover, visual appraisal still plays a role in bull selection, the experts say. While a breeding soundness examination includes checking the structural soundness of feet and legs, it’s a good idea to make sure that the potential herd sire moves freely and visual appraisal can also give the bull buyer an indication of the animal’s disposition. So while there may not be one perfect bull for all operations, cattlemen can employ a combination of techniques to come up with the bull that has the combination of traits that make him an investment that will pay dividends when his calves hit the ground. Mark Parker is a freelance writer based in Parsons, Kan. He can be reached via email at markjeffparker@gmail.com.

The Profitpicture |

YOUR GENETIC SOURCE JBOB CAROLINA

FORTUNE

2564JET 137GV2930

JBOB CAROLINA CPR x MR SHERMAN TANK

The Breed’s Multi-Trait Big Hitter

Homozygous black, DNA tested homozygous polled #1 bull in the breed for registrations, use to enhance carcass merit Moderate framed with tremendous rib, fleshing ability A must use on everyone’s mating list __________ Performance __________ ___________ Maternal _____________

TRAIT CE BW WW YW SC MILK TM EPD 106 +1.6 +53 +108 +0.6 +32 +59 ACC

.45

.93

.89

.77

.71

GL -0.3

.55

CED STAY 107

.89

.75

__________________ Carcass __________________

TRAIT CW REA MARB DTF CV FM EPD +24 +.27 +.17 +4.7 +44.13 +43.31 ACC

.80

.77

.73

P TOP 25%

DAR PURE

POWER

29GV0079

FHG VVFG FLYING H EXCLUSIVE x RTC ATLAS 712G

The Complete Package

Homozygous black and polled Calves are attractive, heavy muscled with extra length Sire of sound, functional cattle Outstanding EPD profile combining moderate BW, very solid growth and carcass traits Sons have been the high selling group in the Chimney Butte Program __________ Performance __________ ___________ Maternal _____________

TRAIT CE BW WW EPD 107 +0.4 +40 ACC

.16

.69

.59

YW SC MILK TM +91 +0.5 +31 +51 .35

.48

GL -0.3

.19

CED STAY 106

.59

.47

__________________ Carcass __________________

REA MARB DTF CV FM +.03 +.17 +3.8 +13.16 +33.81

TRAIT CW EPD +0 ACC

.41

.34

.25

.23

P TOP 25%

RED CROWFOOT OLE’S

OSCAR

MLK CRK CUB 722 x RED PRICE 631

29AR0225

Proven Canadian Sire

Pedigree will offer flexibility – MLK CRK CUB 722 out of a Canadian bred pedigree Proven low birth weight with adequate growth and strong carcass traits One of the heaviest used bulls in Canada Sires moderation, muscle, substance, excellent feet and outstanding udders __________ Performance__________ __________________ Maternal ___________________

TRAIT EPD

CED +10

BW -3.7

WW +29

YW +60

MILK +14

ACC

.86

.92

.89

.88

.85

TM +28

ME +3

HPG +4

CEM +10

STAY +6

.54

.85

.23

________ Carcass _______

MARB REA +.13 +.20 .50

FAT -.01

.45

.25

P TOP 25%

DR J ANALYST M250 29AN1608

B C C BUSHWACKER 41-93 x G A R PRECISION 1680

Maternal Design and Carcass Proof

Combines the muscle, guts and fleshing ability of Bushwacker with the eye appeal and carcass value of the Precision 706 cow High maternal and beef value ranking in the top 1% for $W and the top 3% for $B First progeny reports indicate excellent capacity and thickness with moderate frame size and super disposition __________________ Performance _________________ _______________________ Maternal ________________________

Trait CED BW WW YW YH SC EPD +9 +0.3 +66 +109 -0.2 -0.58 ACC .80 .92 .89 .61 .64 .65 _________ Carcass ________ ____ Groups/Progeny ___

CW MARB REA FAT +18 +.59 +.41 +.042 .25

.35

.42

.29

Carcass

0 0

Ultrasound Steer Bull+Hfr

137

CEM MILK Hd/Dts MW MH HP +8 +22 2 I+61 I+0.5 .27

.28

$EN $ Values -5.74 P TOP 25%

.05

DOC +24 .46

$W $G $B +35.37 +29.72 +58.19

Angus Sire Alliance EPD Rank Top 15% Shear Force (lb) -.26 Intake (lb/day) +.39 ADG (lb/day) +.10 Top 10% Efficiency Index $5.62 Top 25% Total Profit Index $77.67 Top 2%

ABS is your genetic source for breed leaders in Gelbvieh, Angus and Red Angus. Contact your local ABS Representative or call 1-800-ABS-STUD to get your Spring 2009 Beef Directory. ©2009 ABS Global, Inc. · 1525 River Road, DeForest, WI 53532 · Ph: 1-800-ABS-STUD · Fax: 608-846-6392 · www.absglobal.com

| February 2009

Thorstenson Gelbvieh & Angus Your Carcass & Maternal Headquarters

STEAK Your Future on it! Selling 200 Bulls - Gelbvieh, Balancer & Black Angus 102 Steers fed at Royal Beef in Kansas sold 6/24/08: • 96% YG 1, 2, or 3

• 83% Choice or higher $74.40/head premium

Saturday, March 7, 2009 Mobridge Livestock Auction

In the top 20% of all steers slaughtered as USPB.

Lazy TV Sirloin U525

Lazy TV Prime Rib U939

Second Class / K033 / Torch (Balancer: 75% GV x 25% AR) Red, Multi-Polled

Admiral / Great Denims / Right Time (Black Angus) BW: 0.6 WW: 58 YW: 102 MK: 24 REA: -.03 MB: .34

BW: .0

WW: 52 YW: 94 MK: 21 REA: .28 MB: .01

All accuracies I or I+

Lazy TV Flat Iron U225

Lazy TV Porterhouse U167

Make Mimi / Gigolo / Louie (Balancer: 50% AR x 50% GV) Red, Multi-Polled BW: -.8 WW: 40 YW: 80 MK: 22 REA: .07 MB: -.02 All accuracies I or I+

Kahuna / Pegasus / Xtra (Balancer: 50% AN x 50% GV) Homo. Blk., Multi-Pld BW: .2

WW: 52 YW: 98 MK: 17 REA: .15 MB: .04 All accuracies I or I+

Thorstenson Gelbvieh & Angus 12980 Cedar Road, Selby, SD 57472

Ken & Jo Vaughn & Wendy Brian & DeDee 605/649-7304 605/649-6262 605/649-9927 Fax: 605/649-7361 • E-mail: vwthor@sbtc.net

www.BalancerBulls.com

Lazy TV Filet U347

Alliance 6595 / Maxim / Fearless (Balancer: 50% AN x 50% GV) Multi-Blk, Multi-Pld BW: -.4 WW: 38 YW: 81 MK: 28 REA: -.01 MB: .06 All accuracies I or I+

Lazy TV Delmonico U136 Exclusive / Gigolo / Full Season (Gelbvieh) Black, Multi-Polled

BW: -.2 WW: 41 YW: 88 MK: 27 REA: .23 MB: .13 All accuracies I or I+

Clip & mail for FREE 2009 Catalog Name _______________________________ Address _____________________________ City _________________________________ State _ _____________ Zip _ ___________

Mail to: Thorstenson Gelbvieh & Angus 12980 Cedar Rd., Selby, SD 57472

The Profitpicture |

%($67520 5$1&+ )(%58$5<

)7 3,(55( /,9(672&. 30 &67 )7 3,(55( 6' 6(//,1* *(/%9,(+ %$/$1&(5 %8//6

6,5( /01 75$,70$.(5 385(%5(' 5(' %8// )8// %5 27+(56 6(// 6,5( %($ '20,12 *(/%9,(+ %8// +$/) %527+(56 6(//

6,5( (;$5 3$< 678%

6&25(' 21 7(1'(51(66 %527+(56 6(//

-81,25 5(' $1*86 +(5' 6,5( 3,( '(:(=( %$/$1&(5 6216 6(//

5('a%/$&. %$/$1&(5a385(%5('

,*(1,7< '1$ 5(68/76 $9$,/$%/(

/(7 285 *(1(7,&6 %( 7+( %8,/',1* %/2&.6 72 <285 68&&(66

6+$' %5$1'< /8'(0$11

-,0 %$5% %($67520

%5,771(< %($67520

6DOH FDWDORJ ZLOO EH DYDLODEOH RQOLQH ZZZ EHDVWURPUDQFK FRP

| February 2009

Post Rock Cattle Co.

Bull & Female Sale

MARCH 21, 2009 1PTU 3 PDL $ BUUMF $ PNQBOZ 4 BMF ' BDJMJUZ t # BSOBSE , BOTBT

SELLING ?daTQaTS 6T[QeXTW 1P[P]RTaÂ&#x2018; 1d[[b &$ ?daTQaTS 6T[QeXTW 1P[P]RTaÂ&#x2018; 5T\P[Tb ALL 6 YEAR OLD FEMALES SELL.

!%D'

"%(D

D An example of the 10 Mytty in Focus sons selling including 4 ET sons of donor Twila 223M2. This one is from a 2 year old New Direction daughter.

Black, double polled purebred out of a Bennett G196 dam and the Sarge bull thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sired an outstanding sire group his first time out. A grandson of our Meadowlark Royale 192F donor.

$%D'

%#D!

If you need meat or milk in a homozygous black, homozygous polled purebred herd sire thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a true outcross check out this Sarge son. Dam is granddaughter of Post Rock donor â&#x20AC;&#x153;Baby Belle.â&#x20AC;?

!&<!

His sire Star topped the Midland bull test and produced a number of extra stout herd bulls. His grandam, a member of our Twila cow family, also sells as a 6 year old.

$&<!

Homozygous black, homozygous polled F2 Balancer sired by Chunky and from a Bravo first calf heifer. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s really good.

$<%

Double black, double polled New Direction daughter thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been an excellent producer with a 97 BW ratio and a 106 WW ratio on 5 head. She is due in February to Great Western. New Direction daughter from a Pacesetter dam that is an own daughter of 7W2 whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the dam of Black Savvy and the foundation of the famous Diamond cow family at Post Rock. Bred to Star.

Homozygous polled 3/4 blood Tabasco female whose dam is one of the best 1/2 blood cows weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve sold. She was purchased by Overmiller Gelbvieh for $2600. She is carrying a Great Western calf.

2EGISTERÂŹANDÂŹBIDÂŹLIVEÂŹONLINEÂŹATÂŹWWW LIVECATTLESALES COM ÂŹÂŹ0REVIEWÂŹENTIREÂŹSALEÂŹOFFERINGÂŹONLINEÂŹBEGINNINGÂŹ-ARCHÂŹ ÂŹ ÂŹ ÂŹ

ÂŹ ÂŹ

WWW MMS BZ

SALE MANAGEMENT BY: -ITCHELLÂŹ-ARKETINGÂŹ3ERVICE #HRISÂŹ-ITCHELLÂŹ 2ANDYÂŹ3IENKNECHTÂŹ 0 / ÂŹ"OXÂŹ ÂŹsÂŹ'LADBROOK ÂŹ)!ÂŹ

POST ROCK CATTLE COMPANY 3041 E. Hwy. 284, Barnard, KS 67418 Bill Clark: 785.792.6244 Leland Clark: 785.792.6208 &AX ÂŹÂŹ ÂŹÂŹsÂŹÂŹ%MAIL ÂŹPRCC TWINVALLEY NET h7HEREÂŹCALVINGÂŹEASE ÂŹPERFORMANCEÂŹANDÂŹEYE APPEALÂŹCOMEÂŹTOGETHER v

The Profitpicture |

Executive’s Corner The Importance of Cow Efficiency By Wayne Vanderwert The development of the GrowSafe technology to calculate residual feed intake (RFI), along with the swings in feed grain markets, has a lot of people looking at feed efficiency and the genetics that we might propagate to move this industry toward greater production efficiency. We need to. The EPD technology that we’ve enjoyed for the last couple of decades has been applied for advances in growth, identification of milking ability and set direction for carcass traits. In fact, for a lot of traits we’ve said, “if we can measure it, we can make improvement”. The reason we haven’t approached feed efficiency is the fact that it is hard to measure on an individual basis. That said, the GrowSafe technology can now be applied to identify differences in the ability to convert feed to gain. We’re even taking it a step further by coupling ultrasound with the feed intake technology to compartmentalize the composition of that gain. Unfortunately, this technology has a price tag and much of the focus is directed toward efficiency in the growth phase for application in the cattle feeding business. What about the cow? In any manufacturing business it comes down to the cost of the inputs and the value of the output. The U.S. automobile industry and you the taxpayer understand this principle. We can easily get a handle on the

Dear Reader:

value of the output. If you sell calves at weaning, pounds produced is a big factor in determining the size of your paycheck. Confusion exists in this business because four-weights bring a higher price per pound than five or six-weight calves. Do the math, all that higher price per pound provides are bragging rights at the coffee shop, it doesn’t pay any bills! If you feed cattle, carcass weight drives value. On the output side, Gelbvieh genetics have always provided more weight at either endpoint. What about the input side? The research on biological efficiency of livestock goes back many years. The animal nutrition tables you studied a long time ago were based on animal size…big cows need more groceries. Can a big cow be efficient? Sure, if her output value keeps pace with the higher input costs…but I seriously doubt that the cows of today’s popular breed have increased output as fast as they’ve increased their nutritional demands. A recent issue of Feedstuffs magazine addressed that very issue. An article by Bryan McMurry titled “Just how big are our beef cows these days?” compares the progress we’ve made in carcass weight of fed cattle since 1975 with changes in cow size. McMurry takes the approach of back dooring mature cow weight by using cull cow carcass weights with body condition score (BCS) and dressing percentage data from the National Market Cow and Bull Beef Quality Audit of 2007. His estimate

Welcome to the new and improved Profit Picture publication. This is a twice a year newspaper that focuses on issues affecting your bottom line. The American Gelbvieh Association publishes this newspaper in February and October each year. If you wish to be removed from the mailing list for this publication, there are two ways you can reach us. By mail: please cut off the label on the front and mail it

10 | February 2009

303/465-2333 Main Phone 303/465-2339 fax

is that the average mature cow is 1,350 pounds today, an increase of 300 pounds since 1975. We frequently point to increased carcass weight of fed cattle, and fewer beef cows in the national herd as an indication of this industry’s improvement in production efficiency. McMurry’s approach makes you scratch your head if output value has even kept pace with the cost of inputs. The most recent Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) evaluation of current genetics of the major breeds provided an interesting comparison when you consider the early MARC data and where breeds have headed since the days of continental importations. GELBVIEH is the only major breed that has kept a handle on mature cow size. These are the four-year old cow weights by sire breed.

Simmental Hereford Angus Charolais Limousin GELBVIEH

1353 pounds 1348 pounds 1342 pounds 1339 pounds 1330 pounds 1282 pounds

Higher output value, lower inputs…Gelbvieh genetics are uniquely positioned for improved production efficiency. If you are a commercial cow-calf producer, they should be part of your profitability equation. Wayne Vanderwert is the American Gelbvieh Association Executive Director. He can be reached at waynev@gelbvieh.org.

to: American Gelbvieh Association, attn: Profit Picture, 10900 Dover Street, Westminster, CO 80021. Or you can drop us an email. Please type in the label information exactly as it appears on the front and send the email to lorim@gelbvieh.org. We never want to put something in your mailbox that you don’t wish to receive. We hope you enjoy The Profit Picture and let us know what you think. Lori Maude, Editor

Executive Director Wayne Vanderwert (ex. 480) waynev@gelbvieh.org Director of Administration Dianne Coffman (ex. 479) diannec@gelbvieh.org Director of Communications Lori Maude (ex. 487) lorim@gelbvieh.org Director of Breed Improvement Susan Willmon (ex. 484) susanw@gelbvieh.org Director of Member Services Dana Stewart (ex. 488) danas@gelbvieh.org Production Manager/Graphic Artist Katie Danneman (ex. 486) katied@gelbvieh.org Customer Services Coleen Abplanalp (ex. 482) coleena@gelbvieh.org Dolores Gravley (ex. 481) doloresg@gelbvieh.org Patti Showman (ex. 478) pattis@gelbvieh.org Teresa Wessels (ex. 477) teresaw@gelbvieh.org Mailing address: 10900 Dover St., Westminster, CO 80021 General E-mail: info@gelbvieh.org Registration & Electronic Data Transfer: registration@gelbvieh.org Website: www.gelbvieh.org

EAGLE PASS R ANCH Selling RFI Tested Bulls in Volume

EGL Northern Wind P068

SAV Net Worth 4200

Northern Wind is the RFI Trait Leader at Eagle Pass. He is a consistent producer of superior feed efficient progeny. In addition to his RFI prowess, Northern Wind bulls are moderate framed and heavily muscled. Several Gelbvieh herdsire prospects sell by Northern Wind as well as a large number of Balancer sons.

We like to sell bulls with lots of muscle expression. That’s why we use Angus bulls that have the ability to grow and complement our hybrid program. Net Worth is a bull we have RFI tested and he is among the breed leaders with a 103 RFI ratio. A large selection of sons sell.

Cattleman’s Source Bull Sale

Wednesday, March 18 1:00 PM at the ranch

Selling 250 FE Tested Bulls

150 Balancers 50 Gelbvieh 50 Angus ✘ Free Delivery

✘ Volume Discounts

Live Internet Bidding

Steve Munger Managing Partner 605-226-1537 605-380-0092 (Cell) 34261 200th St., Highmore, SD 57345 Office: 605-229-2802 Fax: 605-229-2835

E-mail: steve@eaglepassranch.com Website: www.eaglepassranch.com

Video of All Sale Lots at

www.eaglepassranch.com Call For Details

March 1st

The Profitpicture | 11

News Gelbvieh Profit Partners…Realizing the Value The goal for Gelbvieh Profit Partners when it was established five years ago was not only to make a profit, but to also prove the value of Gelbvieh-influenced feeder calves. The cattle and corn markets were extremely volatile in 2008. As Slim Cook, Gelbvieh Profit Partners, Inc., operations manager, said in a fourth quarter shareholder report, the volatility works both for and against Profit Partners. Identifying genetics that perform in the feedyard and on the rail have kept Gelbvieh Profit Partners in the market. As Gelbvieh Profit Partners, Inc. enters its fourth year of cattle feeding, it has an inventory of 631 head on feed. This includes 488 head purchased this fall, which includes 337 calves and 151 yearling heifers. The calf placements include

three sets of repeat cattle that have proven their worth in previous years. These are the Hansen cattle from Crawford, Colo., the Shawcroft steers purchased in the Monte Vista, Colo., auction, and the NN Bar Ranch heifers from Creston, Wash. This will be the third year Gelbvieh Profit Partners has fed the Hansen cattle. The 75 head of 2007born steer and heifer calves from the Hansens posted an Average Daily Gain (ADG) of 3.02 and a Feed Efficiency or Conversion of 7.20 pounds of feed per 1 pound of gain. On the rail, the Hansen cattle were 55 percent Choice, 76.3 percent Yield Grade 1 and 2, along with a yield of 63.5 percent. The Hansen cattle earned a $2.95 per hundredweight (cwt) premium due to carcass performance.

This is the second year for both the Shawcroft steers and the NN Bar Ranch calves. The Shawcroft steers are being fed at a new partner yard, RR Feeders of Sioux Center, Iowa, and gives Profit Partners an initial run with the new JBS 70/70 grid. Last year’s calves from NN Bar Ranch gave Gelbvieh Profit Partners the opportunity to diversify its risk by placing cattle on feed in a different geographic area. The 86 head of NN Bar steers had the lowest cost of gain of all cattle fed by Profit Partners in fiscal year 2008 with a cost of $71.92 per cwt. The Washington-based feedyard utilized potato waste for a less expensive ration. The performance of the cattle was excellent with a dry matter conversion of 5.35 and an ADG of 3.12 pounds.

The fall 2008 calf purchases include 67 steer calves from the Figure 3 Ranch of Crawford, Colo., and 72 mixed calves from a research project that involves the American Gelbvieh Association and the Maxwell Ranch, which is operated by Colorado State University Foundation. Our yearling purchases represent our first set of cattle from Arizona. This purchase includes 99 yearling heifers from the Bar T Bar Ranch and the Hopi 3 Ranch of Winslow. For more information about Gelbvieh Profit Partners Inc., or to get more information about investing in this progressive feeding company, contact Slim Cook, operations manager, at 307-272-2024 or email him at slimck@tribcsp.com.

Your Source for POWERFUL Balancer Genetics

Swanson Cattle Company gous 50+ Homozy ell Black Bulls S

Annual Production Sale February 28, 2009 • 1:00 p.m. CST • at the Ranch

First Sons and Daughters of Ludacris Sell!

XXB

Sires Represented: Balancer: XXB Ludacris 039SET, DJS Rum-N-Coke 107R GELBVIEH: XXB Titus 880K, PCCI 9070J, ELK CK Maverick 850N ANGUS: B/R New Frontier 095, RITO 6I6 of 4B20 of 6807, SAV 8180 Traveler 004, Boyd New Day 8005

Selling

85 Bulls

• 80+ Balancers • 3 Angus Bulls • 24 Balancer and Angus Open Heifers 99% Black

100% Polled

Ludacris 039SET

2007 National Champion Balancer Bull Ludacris is producing moderate, easy fleshing cattle that are packed with maternal and carcass traits. 25 sons and 4 daughters sell!

12 | February 2009

Jeff Swanson

B/R

New Frontier 095

Sons and Daughters Sell!

308/337-2235 • 308/991-0727 (C) 72408 I Rd. • Oxford, NE 68967 scc@rcom-ne.com

Call for a Sale Book

The Profitpicture | 13

Join us March 21st for Selling

65 Purebred & Balancers

3/4 & Half Bloods â&#x153;Ś Reds & Blacks

Sale Bull Averages:

CTR Tomahawk 3715N

Birth Weight: 90 lbs. Weaning Weight: 726 lbs.

Balancer

EPDs: BW: 1.5 WW: 38 YW: 76 MK: 20 DNA Averages (from Igenity): Tenderness: 5 Marbling: 6 % Choice: 6 Yield Grade: 6.5 Carcass Wt.: 6 Fat: 5 Rib Eye Area: 5 Cherokee Canyon x Black Diamond

A unique carcass bull that sires exceptional, heavy muscled cattle.

PCCI 4162

PCCI 11N

11N, with a powerful 3/4 Tomahawk bull calf (8202U). Her daughter, 6054, first calf had a birth ratio of 91 with a weaning ratio of 103.

PCCI Tomahawk 8202U

BD: 4/19/08 BW: 82 lbs. WW: 740 lbs. (on Oct. 15)

14 | February 2009

Lifetime production record of Birth Ratio 100, Weaning Ratio 105, Yearling Ratio 109. Another standout Tomahawk bull calf. These 3/4-blood bulls are the real deal!

EPDs: BW: .1 WW: 39 YW: 79 MK: 19

PCCI Tomahawk 8119U

3/4 Balancer

BD: 4-9-08 BW: 88 lbs. WW: 812 lbs EPDs: BW: 1.5 WW: 48 YW: 89 MK: 19

The look and genetic makeup of these Tomahawk calves is consistent from one to another no matter the dam.

our Annual Bull Sale

DJS Rum-N-Coke 107R

50% Balancer

✦ Powerfully built ✦ Genetically designed ✦ Backed by generations of elite producers ✦ Selected for calving ease, performance and strong maternal traits. JBOB Apache Warrior G6 ET

PCCI Power Pac 9070J x Freightliner

We selected Rum-N-Coke to carry on the Power Pac lineage. Power Pac sired numerous champions and left an outstanding set of females behind. A bull ahead of his time, very moderate, easy keeping and highly efficient.

BD: 4-27-08 BW: 93 lbs. WW: 809 lbs.

PCCI 2099

Balancer

EPDs: BW: 2.3 WW: 46 YW: 90 MK: 19

Papa Forte x Echo • Homo. Black, Homo. Polled

With a 3/4 Rum-N-Coke Balancer Bull Calf (8251U)

His first sons sell. Few bulls can match his depth, muscle, phenotype and soundness of structure.

Raised in the Coteau Hills Region of northeast South Dakota PCCI Warrior 8085U

50%

BD: 4-07-08 BW: 98 lbs. WW: 810 lbs. EPDs: BW: .2 WW: 32 YW: 68 MK: 21

A standout herd bull prospect from a granddaughter of EXT. Many more just like 8085U will be selling on March 21st.

For more information, contact: PEARSON CATTLE CO., INC. 43523 111 St., Lake City, SD 57247-9714

Neal

Kermit 605.448.5596

Kenneth 605.448.5464

605.448.5653 or 605-470-0448 (cell) E-mail: njpearson@venturecomm.net

The Profitpicture | 15

News Transition Time Key for Purchased Young Bulls Young bulls that are purchased at production sales are often in “good” body condition. Lets face it, wellconditioned bulls look better on sale

day and sell better. Gain tested bulls have been fed for maximum gain while on test. Both of these scenarios, make commercial cow-calf producers

wonder about fertility and libido of these young sires when they are turned out in a pasture with a group of cycling females and very little, if

Schroeder Ranch Schroeder Ranch 11th Annual Gelbvieh & Balancer Bull Sale Saturday April 4, 2009 • 2 p.m. (CST) Mitchell Livestock, Mitchell, S.D.

Sires include:

• JCGR Bar GT Louie 2J • XXB Big n’ Rich 911P • SGRI M25 (Hank Jr.) • JRI Heavy Equipment • New Design 878 (Angus) • Messners Judge 36N (Red Angus) • Major League (Red Angus)

40 10

Gelbvieh & Balancer® bulls (Ultrasound & DNA tested)

Registered Gelbvieh-influenced Open Heifers

“Common sense cattle for real world cattlemen”

Sale managed by: Steve Schroeder • (605) 366-5693 Dustin Tolsma, herdsman (605) 539-0235 www.schroedercattle.com

16 | February 2009

any, grain in sight. Research at Kansas State University has illustrated that young “gain-tested” bulls have normal fertility and libido when allowed to return gradually to moderate fleshiness and hearty physical condition before the breeding season. In fact, many performance-tested bulls from central test stations are returned to the owner’s ranch after the gain test so they can be properly conditioned before the sale date. Test station sales usually offer bulls that completed their gain test about six months previously. Any rancher that purchases a young, highly fitted or conditioned bull should plan to gradually reduce the fleshiness of the bull before the breeding season. To let these bulls down, it is a good practice to start them on a ration that is not too dissimilar to the one they have been accustomed to, but at 60 to 70 percent of their previous intake. The amount of grain can be reduced at the rate of about 10 percent per week until the desired level is achieved. At the same time, substitutions should be made in the form of light, bulky feeds, such as oats or alfalfa hay. Ideally, this letdown should be completed prior to the time bulls are turned out. Dramatic nutritional changes can have an adverse effect on semen production, so it is important that these ration modifications be done gradually. Producers need to keep the total diet of these young bulls at, or near, 12 percent crude protein. Allow the change of diets to take place gradually, instead of allowing a rapid condition and weight loss during the first of the breeding season, which could be reflected in a reduced calf crop next year.

Learn more about the benefit of crossbreeding at www.smartcross.org

Every lot in our sale will be DNA tested for carcass and tenderness through

19th Annual Production Sale • Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 1:30 p.m. CST at Spring Valley

featuring Growth, Carcass and Tenderness We emphasize carcass traits without sacrificing performance or functional females. We have fed our own genetics and ultrasounded for 14 years. 2008 Bar Arrow results: Bar Arrow fed a group of steers that graded 94% Choice with no YG 4s or 5s. The heifer mates were 98% Choice. The group returned a profit of $99/head. Spring Valley 2008 results: Steers and heifers through USPB graded 95% Choice or better; 15% Prime, and 54% CAB. Profit per head: $107.25. Predictable results time after time!

Selling 150 Angus, Balancer and Gelbvieh Bulls (many herd bull prospects)

2008 Champion Pen of Three Balancer Bulls

& 30 Heifers

2008 Reserve Pen of Three Gelbvieh Bulls

MYTTY In Focus

• Gelbvieh and Balancer Sires: NORD Nagurski, DLW Stout, BAGC Maximum, TAU Landmark • Angus Sires: Genetics By Design, Bando 1961, MYTTY In Focus, Connealy Overtime, Performer,

Stuar t Jar vis 26 E. Limestone Rd. Phillipsburg, KS 67661 e-mail: bararrow@ruraltel.net 785/543-5177

Foresight, Analyst, Shear Force and Predestined

Mark your calendar for our 19th Annual Sale, March 10, 2009 at the Ranch. For a sale book, e-mail or call Lynn or Stuart or go online at

www.springvalleyfarms.com We welcome visitors to our program and would love to show you our operation.

“We Are Qualified Seedstock Suppliers”

The Profitpicture | 17

News

Manure Value At Historic Levels Source: Kansas State Ag Extension Manure from livestock producers, both large and small, has historically been viewed as a liability because of time needed to scrape, load, haul and spread. However, this is no longer the case. In fact, with the dramatic shift in fertilizer prices for nitrogen and phosphorus, the value of manure has never been higher and more economical to use as fertilizer. With overall input costs soaring, livestock producers will be ahead to utilize their manure effectively in their cropping operations and/or merchandise the manure as a potential revenue stream. Feedlot manure will generally contain between 10 to 20 pounds per ton of both nitrogen and phosphate (P2O5). The nutrient profile can be influenced by many

July 6-11 • Des Moines, Iowa

factors, including dietary nutrient levels, frequency of manure scraping, and length of stockpiling before spreading. As the diet fed increases in nutrient content above the animal’s requirement, the excess is simply excreted. There are circumstances where it is more economical to feed excessive levels of nutrients. One instance is the use of by-products, where increasing their use lowers cost per pound of gain, this also leads to overfeeding nutrients and increasing the levels of nutrient excretion. When lots are cleaned frequently, the nitrogen on the pen surface is captured at a higher rate. Since some nitrogen is volatile in manure, the longer it stays on the pen surface, the larger losses of nitrogen one can expect. Typically 50 percent of the nitrogen excreted is lost to volatilization before it is scraped and land applied. Also, for operations that scrape

Support Juniors through these Opportunities!

Selling 2 Donation Heifers at the

Iowa Beef Expo ~ Gelbvieh Gold Sale Feb. 10, 2009 • 2:00 p.m. • Des Moines, IA 1 Bred Heifer donated by Jim Horton 1 Open Heifer donated by Roy Holste Syndicate opportunity available by calling Ricky Linquist at 712-358-0978

Online semen sales to benefit the 2009 Nationals– Go to: http://gogelbvieh.com/gbi/index_page0003.htm To purchase or donate contact Chad Struthers: 515-291-6394 For more information on these three opportunities: Wendy Sperfslage at 319-934-3755 Book your room for 2009 Junior National: Sleep Inn, Pleasant Hill, 515-299-9922. Ask for the Gelbvieh block.

18 | February 2009

and stockpile manure for spreading at a later time, the nitrogen in the stockpiles will begin to breakdown over several months of storage. This is due to a compost type effect where microbes use the nitrogen as an energy source. However, since P2O5 is not volatile or reduced by composting, its levels are generally unchanged compared to the amount that is actually excreted. To obtain maximum fertilizer value of manure, proper nutrient crediting and timing of application and incorporation is needed. While all of this may seem complicated to those thinking about utilizing manure, in fact they are all very manageable. When relating to these issues, once again the nitrogen portion of manure is the most sensitive. Nitrogen in manure is in two forms, inorganic and organic. In the case of scraped beef feed lot manure, about 35 percent is in inorganic form while 65 percent is in an organic form. The inorganic portion, otherwise known as ammonium nitrogen, is readily available for crop use. This is also the type of nitrogen that is volatile and lost from the pen or field surface. Secondly, manure contains organic nitrogen, which needs to undergo mineralization to be available for crop use. Typically, 25 percent of the organic nitrogen will mineralize for the next crop utilization, with 12 percent mineralized for year two and 6 percent for year three. Thus, producers need to be aware of the nitrogen crediting that they can do to reduce cost on future years to fully utilize the nitrogen in manure that is applied. Finally, when solid manure is field applied, the impact of crop available nitrogen is directly related to the timing of incorporation into the soil. If manure is incorporated within 1 day of spreading, approximately 90 percent of the inorganic nitrogen will be retained. However, if incorporation does not occur for 7 days or longer, or in

the case of no-till is solely surface applied, only about 5 percent will remain for crop use. In the case of phosphate, all will be retained for use regardless of application timing and incorporation. Also, it is generally viewed that 100 percent of the phosphate in manure is available for crop use. Producers need to properly distribute nutrients to avoid a build up of an excessive amount of phosphate. Historically, most producers have spread solid manure to meet the nitrogen requirement for the upcoming crop, but this also spreads enough phosphate for multiple years. With many operations now implementing nutrient management plans, the basis of application is on a phosphate removal rate based on crops planted. While hauling manure longer distances was not previously economically justifiable in many cases, producers need to reevaluate their nutrient distribution based on current fertilizer prices. Given current fertilizer costs of $0.90 per pound of nitrogen and $1.25 per pound of phosphate, the value of manure is at historic levels. With an estimated 15 pounds of nitrogen per ton in feedlot manure, the value would be estimated to be $13.50 per ton. However, each producer must evaluate the true value of nitrogen based on potential nitrogen losses as described earlier. For phosphate considering an average amount of 15 pounds per ton of feedlot manure, the value would be $18.75 per ton. Thus, in a 15 ton box spreader of manure, the phosphate contribution would be about $280, without considering the nitrogen value. Only three years ago this same amount of phosphate was worth $60 to $70 per 15 ton load. Not only can livestock producers save on fertilizer input costs, selling manure to neighboring crop producers can be a revenue stream. The price that can be negotiated is situation specific and needs to be workable for both parties.

The Profitpicture | 19

News

Media Push Gives Beef Holiday Boost A multi-dimensional publicity effort, funded through the $1-perhead Beef Checkoff Program to give beef more visibility with consumers through the holidays is hitting the home stretch. The program has generated significant attention for preparing and serving beef while entertaining and at family gatherings. In fact, since Oct. 1, nearly 900 million consumer impressions have been generated through the checkoff ’s food communications program. Preparation for the publicity, however, began in March, according to Mary Bartz, who manages food communications programs for the Beef Checkoff Program. “These efforts help strengthen beef ’s position as the protein of choice among consumers. The grocery shopping tips, cooking guidelines and recipes developed through the years are highly regarded by both culinary media and consumers.” Among recent successes of the food communications program is a holiday editorial color page, Season’s Eatings, distributed through a syndication service to newspapers nationwide. To date, the effort has reached more than 19 million readers via print and online placement. It featured three recipes, with

accompanying photographs: beef tenderloin steaks, a tri-tip roast and beef bourguignonne made from beef chuck shoulder pot roast. Since national magazines such as Better Homes and Gardens, Bon Appetit and Everyday with Rachael Ray prepare their holiday editions six months ahead of printing, beef checkoff representatives approached editors with beef story ideas, recipes and cooking tips long ago. A holiday media outreach effort highlighting three lean-beef recipes was disseminated to magazine and newspaper food editors, and to online bloggers. As a result, several media outlets featured beef as the centerpiece entrée for holiday entertaining. For instance, an article titled, “A Cut Above” in the December 2008 Family Circle magazine carried background information from the checkoff, and the December 2008 Saveur magazine carried checkofffunded information about tenderloin roasts. The October 2008 issue of Gourmet magazine showcased a standing rib roast photo on the front cover, with a major story titled “Butchers’ Secrets.” Checkoff managers worked closely with the writer to ensure all details regarding the selected cuts were properly

represented. “The recipes, photographs and beef cooking resources we provide are just one piece of a comprehensive program to reach food editors and influencers,” Bartz said. “We have worked hard to establish the beef checkoff ’s culinary center as the resource for beef and veal information, connecting beef experts to magazine and newspaper food journalists, culinary professionals— and directly to consumers online.”

Internet a Key Online recipe and information searches have become critical to the checkoff ’s food communications program. “The program regularly disseminates beef cookery tips, recipes and images to the leading food and cooking blogs,” Bartz says. “Thanks to the beef checkoff, beef recently obtained a threepart placement on one of the most popular cooking blog sites, www. thekitchn.com. Chef Dave Zino, executive director of the checkoff ’s Beef and Veal Culinary Center in Chicago, was guest author. Each posting included photos and information about braising, encouraging visitors to experiment with this cooking method.

In addition, more than 42,000 subscribers to the weekly checkofffunded consumer e-newsletter, Beef So Simple, have received recipes and cooking suggestions for celebrating the holidays with beef. The newsletter serves as a dependable beef cooking resource for beef lovers, giving them direct access to recipes, shopping tips, preparation and cooking guidance, including the checkoff ’s www. BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com. In fact, Bartz says the web site has become a key point of contact with consumers throughout the country who are looking for more about beef – be it information or inspiration. The site recently was redesigned to create an interactive online experience. Consumers can easily locate the recipes they need, while food reporters are directed to the newsroom to obtain news, story ideas, recipes and images, as well as helpful tips and charts to pass along to readers. The “Celebrate with Beef ” section provides visitors special ways to create memorable holiday gatherings featuring beef.

Av Bre ail ed ab in le g Ye Sto ar ck Ro un d Stillwater, Oklahoma 20 | February 2009

405-747-6950

alane@c21global.com

r ar de Ye ree 17 h B vie

Registered Gelbvieh Cattle Homozygous Black — Homozygous Polled

lb Ge

LeGRAND

Friday, March 13, 2009

2008 Grand Champion Bull Consigned by T-Square Gelbvieh Farm Purchased by Padon Farms

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Selling: Bulls • Bred Heifers • Open Heifers Show: 1:30pm CST, Sale: 4 p.m. CST March 15: Open to the World Junior Gelbvieh Heifer Show Sale sponsored by the Tennessee Gelbvieh Association

Michael Butler 615-286-2799

Perry Pratt 615-384-5995

John Bartee, Jr. 615-696-2546

Tennessee Gelbvieh Association Meeting & Supper Thursday, March 12, 2009, 6:30 p.m. Davy Crockett’s Roadhouse, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

2008 Grand Champion Female Consigned by Silver Fox Cattle Co. Purchased by Lauren Dyer

Sale managed by Slaughter Sale Management 162 Hastings Lane • Fredonia, KY 42411 • 270-965-9909 or 270-556-4259 (C) Email: hmslghtr@aol.com

Saturday, March 21, 2009 Chenault Ag Center • Mt. Sterling, KY • Noon (EST)

Selling 45 Bulls: 15 Balancers 30 Gelbvieh All registered • Red & Black Many homozygous Black Several homozygous polled • All bulls have had breeding soundness exams • Current EPDs will be provided • Igenity tested for carcass traits

Sale managed by

• Individual Performance data • All bulls sired by breed-leading A.I. sires

Slaughter Sale Management For sale book or information contact:

David Slaughter 162 Hastings Lane • Fredonia, KY 42411 (270) 965-9909 • (270) 556-4259 (C) • E-mail: hmslghtr@aol.com

The Profitpicture | 21

Sales bred to RBMS SCC Just Right 122P. Mulroy Farms LLC of Mayetta, Kan., was the winning bidder. Another AB Farms consignment, Lot 174, was the next high selling female at $2,300. She was a homozygous black purebred

Seedstock Plus Fall Bull & Female Sale October 21, 2008 Carthage, Mo. Auctioneer: Curt Rodgers This black purebred Gelbvieh son of RHRT Liberty tied for top selling honors in the Seedstock Plus fall sale.

65 46 3 6 24 14 9

Balancer Bulls Gelbvieh Bulls Angus Bulls Fall Breds/Pairs Spring Breds Fall Open Heifers Spring Open Heifers

Gelbvieh spring bred heifer sired by DPWG Moneymaker and A.I. bred to Mytty In Focus. Grable Farms of Troy, Kan., is her new owner. The volume purchaser of the day was David Bowen of Hinesville, Ark.

Greater Montana Gelbvieh Select Female Sale October 17, 2008 Billings, Mont. Sale Manager: Purple Haven Enterprises $2,157 $2,070 $1,666 $1,321 $1,491 $ 940 $ 684

A nice fall day greeted a good crowd for the Seedstock Plus Fall Bull & Female sale. Two bulls share the honor of being the top seller—each bringing $5,000. The first was Lot 97, a black purebred Gelbvieh bull consigned by CJSD Gelbvieh of Ohio. Sired by RHRT Liberty, he sold to Marshall Cattle Company from Medicine Lodge, Kan. The second was Lot 127, a black purebred Gelbvieh bull consigned by Steffensen J5 Cattle Company of

Gainsville. This homozygous polled son of JBOB Carolina Fortune 2564J ET sold to WF Ranch in Edwards. The next high selling bull was a homozygous black Rito 6I6 Balancer bull consigned by J & R Cattle Company of Brookfield. He sold as Lot 10 and went to Chance Koppenhafer of Oxford, Iowa for $4,400. Selling at $3,900 was Lot 68, a homozygous black, homozygous polled son of OZZ Ext Govenor 3N. Mulroy Farms LLC consigned this bull and a partnership of Flint Hills Gelbvieh & Loire Creek Cattle Company of Alma, Kan., was the buyer. The top selling female for the day at $2,600 was a spring bred heifer consigned by AB Farms. Lot 165 was a homozygous black Balancer female sired by Mytty In Focus. She sold A.I.

5 Bred Heifers 17 Open Heifers

$2,000 $1,717

The quality was top notch and the weather beautiful on Gelbvieh sale day at the Northern International Livestock Exposition in Billings, Mont. The Montana Gelbvieh Association rolled out the red carpet and welcomed consignors from six states. Topping the sale at $3,750 was the Champion Futurity Heifer selected the day before by the Montana Heifer Futurity members prior to the Gelbvieh show. Lot 15 from Middle Creek Farms of Bozeman is a MCFG MCF Bruce Almighty 35P ET daughter out of an M/L Encore daughter. Sarah Gaugler of Almont, N.D., had the winning bid. Two lots tied for next high seller honors at $3,500. Lot 7 from Danell

Diamond Six Ranch of Lewistown is a black, homozygous polled daughter of JOB Danell Montana Infusion out of JOB Danell Black Rose 47L, an M/ L Encore daughter. The Danell family offering half possession of all natural offspring and half flush rights in JOB Danell Ruby Rose 3U ET. Jeanette Rankin from Kicking Horse Ranch, Oilmont, bought this opportunity. Genetics West of Berthoud, Colo., had the other entry at $3,500 with Lot 9, a daughter of RTRT Solution 137S ET. A runner-up in the Montana Heifer Futurity, this fancy purebred Gelbvieh open heifer found a new home with Friesz Livestock of New Salem, N.D. Rounding out the top sellers at $2,750 was the top selling bred heifer in the offering. SRIG Miss C Fortune 720T from Sieler Ranch Inc., of Plevna, is a JBOB Carolina Fortune daughter that sold bred to Mytty In Focus for a February Balancer calf. Prairie Hills Gelbvieh of Gladstone, N.D., took home this black polled purebred female.

Secret Weapon’s 2008 Dam of Merit dam is one of the top producing females at Judd Ranch with an 82 lb. Birth Weight / 719 lb. Weaning Weight spread on her 8 calves.

Semen Available Through Cattlemen’s Connection 1-800-743-0026 2008 Performance Plus Bull Calves Ready for Sale at the Ranch

JRI Secret Weapon 164T5 Black Polled Purebred Top Secret Son 2008 Champion Pen of 5 Bull 85 lb. BW

742 lb. WW

22 | February 2009

1278 lb. YW

6.4 Yrlg. Frame

42.1 cm Yrlg. Scrotal

IVERS FAMILY GELBVIEH ~ Steve & Rosalie Ivers 27813 540 Ave. ~ Austin, MN 55912 ~ 507.434.2290 ~ ivers555@gmail.com

News Matching Milk Production and Cow Size to Resources By Matt Spangler, University of Nebraska Beef Specialist Producers tend to pay attention to cow weight, but new research suggests that milk production by the cow is also worthy of attention. Cow weight is probably easier to wrap your mind around than milk production, but research has shown that cows with the genetic propensity to milk heavily require more nutrients year round, not just when they are milking. The National Research Council (NRC) data shows that a cow who produces 25 lbs. of milk at peak lactation requires 10 percent more feed energy than a cow producing 15 lbs. of milk at peak lactation. To see a 10 percent difference in feed energy with regards to mature weight it would require moving from a 1,000 lb. cow to a 1,200 lb. cow, or a change of 200 lbs. of body weight. There are breed differences in lactation yields so breed selection is critical in matching genetics to your environment. These breed differences can be found in literature from research at the Meat Animal Research Center (MARC). We know that selection for increased yearling weights has led to larger mature cows that are more expensive to maintain. Moderating mature cow size and selecting for an optimal window of milk production is beneficial when it comes to cutting costs regardless of your production environment. However, in limited feed environments females with high maintenance energy requirements may also have difficulty maintaining an acceptable body condition score and rebreeding. One study determined that with limited nutrient availability, breeds with a high genetic potential for milk production had longer anestrous periods which lead to lower conception rates during a fixed breeding season. Other researchers have concluded that selection for increased milk production past an adequate threshold is not economically or biologically efficient. Clearly identifying your production environment and realistic production

goals given that environment is critical. Profit lies in the optimization of expense and revenue and optimization is always

more challenging than maximizing outputs or minimizing inputs. It will require more effort, detailed financial

records, and a structured breeding objective that builds a cow herd based on optimum values and not extremes.

Since 1983

REGISTERED GELBVIEH CATTLE Our foundation is designed and built on 25 years of A.I. breeding.

REDS

BLACKS

BALANCERS 18th Annual

“Pot of Gold”

Gelbvieh, Angus & Balancer Bull Sale February 27, 2009 ®

Olathe, Colorado

Your source for calving ease and low birth weight EPD bulls! Females for Sale Private Treaty At Bow K Ranch we emphasize moderate size, quality udders, and built-in calving ease.

www.bowkranch.com David & Dawn Bowman • Andrew & Sarah Bowman 55784 Holly Rd. • Olathe, CO 81425 • (970) 323-6833 • Call Toll free: 1-888-267-8477; PIN# 4346 The Profitpicture | 23

News Opportunities Abound for Junior Gelbvieh Members The American Gelbvieh Junior Association has a strong line-up of events for 2009 including two regional shows and AGJA Pride of the Heartland Classic, the AGJA national show. The AGJA is 500 members strong and offers several opportunities for learning and fun. The first opportunity is an AGJA regional show. Regional shows are smaller scale shows that typically last a weekend and incorporate some of the contests from the annual Junior Classic. the The Tennessee Gelbvieh Association will host the Eastern Regional Show in Lebanon, Tenn. The South Dakota Junior Gelbvieh Association will host the Western Regional Show in Yankton, S.D. Both shows take place June 12-14. The highlight of the summer is always the AGJA Classic. Iowa Junior Gelbvieh Association is hosting this year’s national junior show, Pride of the Heartland Classic. The event takes place July 6-11 in Des Moines at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The show will feature divisions for Gelbvieh and Balancer females, Bred and Owned Gelbvieh and Balancer bulls, and Gelbvieh-influenced steers. The Pride of the Heartland Classic will feature many leadership contests in addition to the cattle shows. Contests slated are: Gelbvieh quiz bowl, livestock judging, showmanship, sales talk, impromptu speaking, advertising,

creative writing, team fitting, poster, photo, and carcass grading. Several scholarships will also be awarded during the summer. AGJA offers awards from $500 to $1,000 to qualified AGJA members. Scholarship applications can be requested from the AGA office or by visiting the Junior page at www.gelbvieh.org. During the Pride of the Heartland Classic, the AGJA membership elects its Board of Directors. Additionally, the classic participants will enjoy an offsite Fun Day activity. Throughout the week, AGJA hosts a benefit silent auction. At the close of the event, AGJA members and families enjoy an awards banquet. AGJA welcomes all members to participate during summer events. To become a member, dues are $20 annually. Member applications are available by contacting the AGA office. The ownership deadline for animals is June 1, 2009. To participate in shows and contests, AGJA members must be between the ages of 8 and 21, as of January 1, 2009. To find sales where Gelbvieh and Balancer show prospects are available, visit the AGA website and look for the “Places to Be” page. For additional information or questions, contact Dana Stewart, AGJA Advisor, at 303-465-2333 or danas@gelbvieh.org.

AGJA Ownership Deadline, June 1, 2009 AGJA Eastern Regional, June 12-14, 2009, Lebanon, Tenn. AGJA Western Regional, June 12-14, 2009, Yankton, S.D. AGJA Pride of the Heartland Classic, July 6-11, Des Moines, Iowa

Sponsorship Opportunities Several award sponsorships are available during the 2009 AGJA Pride of the Heartland Classic in Des Moines, Iowa. • Division Awards for the Gelbvieh & Balancer cattle shows are $150 per division. • Class Winner awards for the Gelbvieh & Balancer cattle shows are available at $100 each. • Contest awards are also available for sponsorship, ranging from $35 to $100. To sponsor an award, contact Dana Stewart at 303-465-2333 or email her at danas@gelbvieh.org.

Pride of the Heartland Hotel Information If you are planning on attending the 2009 National Junior Gelbvieh Show, make your room reservation soon. There is a headquarters hotel, as well as an overflow hotel. For additional information or questions, contact Dana Stewart at 303-465-2333.

Headquarters Hotel Sleep Inn & Suites of Pleasant Hill Ask for the GELBVIEH Block (must ask for this block) 515-299-9922

Overflow Hotel Super 8 of Ankeny Ask for GELBVIEH JUNIORS block 515-964-4503

Forbes Ranch

Gelbvieh & Balancer Bulls 4th Annual Sale

Thursday, March 19, 2009 Magness Livestock Auction Huron, South Dakota

24 | February 2009

Troy & Pam Forbes Arlington, SD 605.983.5701 or 605.530.4764 forbes_gelbvieh@hotmail.com

Leonhardt Cattle Co. Arlyn & Jacky Leonhardt Lake Preston, SD 605.482.8315 or 605.530.2586 leonhardt@alliancecom.net

Volek Ranch

Keith & Janice Volek Highmore, SD 605.852.2131 or 605.852.1528 kvolek@venturecomm.net

News Roberts Named New NCBA Chief Executive Officer The National Cattlemenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beef Association has announced Forrest L. Roberts will be its next chief executive officer. Roberts, 42, started on January 20. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are thrilled Forrest will be joining us as CEO of the National Cattlemenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beef Association. We are certain Forrest brings the right experience, vision and optimism to lead the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest, largest and most respected cattle organization,â&#x20AC;? said Andy Groseta, rancher from Cottonwood, Ariz., and NCBA president. Roberts grew up on a family-owned, diversified livestock operation in Uvalde, Texas. He worked side-by-side with his family when the operation expanded to include a retail meat market for â&#x20AC;&#x153;locally grown, corn-fedâ&#x20AC;? beef and pork. Forrest went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from Texas A&M University and a Master of Business Administration from University of North Carolina. Roberts has held several marketing and sales positions in two animal health companies. He started with Upjohn Animal Health in 1992, and he remained with the company through its two mergers to Pharmacia Animal Health and later Pfizer Animal Health. In 2004, he left Pfizer to join Elanco Animal Health where he most recently served as the Marketing Manager for Elancoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beef Business Unit. The search for NCBAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next CEO was competitive, attracting more than 70 applicants. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Forrestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agriculture background, business experience and his passion for the industry clearly made him the candidate we wanted to lead our association into the future. Forrest is a goal-oriented and dynamic leader, who will take NCBA to the next level to better serve the cattlemen of this country. We fully expect him to meet the challenges of our industry headon with innovative solutions that will help producers succeed in the global marketplace,â&#x20AC;? said Groseta. In addition to his agriculture and beef business experience, Roberts has served in several volunteer positions in NCBA. He has been a member of NCBAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Executive Committee, Board of Directors, Allied Industry Council,

Long-Range Planning Committee and the National Cattlemenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foundation Board of Trustees. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My roots, my education, my

passion, my career â&#x20AC;&#x201C; theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all linked to the cattle industry. I can think of no greater honor than to be CEO of NCBA. I look forward to working with NCBAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

staff, members, leaders, state and industry partners to ensure the future strength and sustainability of the U.S. cattle industry,â&#x20AC;? said Roberts.

&RIDAY ÂŹ!PRILÂŹ ÂŹ ÂŹsÂŹ ÂŹP M ÂŹ CST "LOOMlELDÂŹ,IVESTOCKÂŹ!UCTION ÂŹ"LOOMlELD ÂŹ)! 50+ SPRING YEARLING GELBVIEH, BALANCERÂŽ & ANGUS BULLS SELL ÂŹ",!#+ÂŹsÂŹ ÂŹ0/,,%$

ALL BULLS MEET THE DEMANDS OF THE PUREBRED AND COMMERCIAL CATTLEMAN sÂŹ sÂŹ sÂŹ sÂŹ sÂŹ sÂŹ

First Breeding Season Guarantee All bulls will have scan data sale day Several Homozygous Black Bulls Sell Performance data and EPDs on all bulls Sale book online at www.mms.bz Developed and conditioned on a high roughage ration, all fed and tested at Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, IA

MIDWEST PERFORMANCE BULL SALE BREEDERS Double D Farm Winslow, IL

,ONEÂŹ/AKÂŹ'ELBVIEH Mechanicsville, IA

Horton Gelbvieh Ft. Dodge, IA

Sienknecht Cattle Co Gladbrook, IA

Sienknecht Gelbvieh Clutier, IA

ÂŹ

WWW MMS BZ

3!,%ÂŹ-!.!'%-%.4ÂŹ"9 ÂŹ -ITCHELLÂŹ-ARKETINGÂŹ3ERVICE #HRISÂŹ-ITCHELLÂŹ 2ANDYÂŹ3IENKNECHTÂŹ 0 / ÂŹ"OXÂŹ ÂŹsÂŹ'LADBROOK ÂŹ)!ÂŹ

Previous Midwest Performance Bull Sale Features Bulls like these sell this year!

The Profitpicture | 25

Kentucky Cattle Producer Sold on Gelbvieh Mothering Ability Thad Padon keeps busy with farming and his family. Pictured with Thad is his wife, Tonya, and daughters, Tiffany, front left, and Tabby.

By Lori Maude For Thad Padon of Salem, Ky., more pounds of weaned calf is what puts money in his pocket. With that in mind, he began using Charolais bulls on his Angus-based cows. He got the pounds, but wasn’t totally sold on the maternal abilities of the Charolais x Angus cross female. Eight years ago, he tried his first Gelbvieh bull in his commercial cow-calf operation. Padon runs single sire pastures so he knows which bull sires the heavier calves and the productive females. The Gelbvieh-cross females really caught his attention when they went into production as cows and he’s never looked back. Padon Farms runs about 120 spring-calving cows and 80 fallcalving cows. The spring cows calve in February and March, while the fall-calving cows begin September 15th. He makes sure to pull the bulls so he doesn’t have any calves during June, July or August. “I just don’t like calving in summer,” says Thad. “It’s too hot and we have other things that take a priority in summer.” Thad farms with his dad, John, and brother, Shawn. In addition to the cattle operation, the Padon family has about 1,300 acres of corn and soybeans. “We are spread out nearly 15 miles with farmland and pasture ground,” says Thad. “It takes all of us to keep things going smoothly.” Today, Padon runs two Charolais bulls on his black cows and three black Gelbvieh bulls on the rest of the cows. “I like the single-sire pastures to really see which bull is getting the job done,” says Padon. “Each calf is tagged with the dam’s identification number and a sire is recorded in the calving book. By knowing the sire of the calf I can also make sure replacement females aren’t going back in with their sires in the future.” Thad retains 20 to 25 heifer calves each year as replacements and develops them on the farm. “You really can’t beat that Gelbvieh x Angus female when you keep the heifers,” says Padon. “I have kept some of the Charolais-cross females, but I prefer the Gelbvieh-cross cows.” The spring calves are weaned in August and usually weigh between 500 to 550 pounds at weaning. Padon utilizes fence-line weaning to reduce the stress on the calves and the cows. “The fence-line weaning works really well as long as you have a good fence between the pastures. The calves will eat better and be less stressed because they can see the cows across the fence. Within a week, both cows and calves are quiet and the bawling has stopped.” The calves are fenceline weaned to reduce stress. Fresh water and a starter ration help the calves transition from the cows. 26 | February 2009

Circle M Farms Gelbvieh & Balancer

Circle M Farms

3rd Annual Production Bull Sale Saturday, March 7, 2009

40 Bulls Sell!

1:00 pm (CST) Justin Pemberton Memorial Arena Woodbury, TN This moderate-framed black Gelbvieh sired heifer is the type of female Thad Padon keeps as a replacement heifer.

Padon has city water at the farm to ensure a fresh water source for the calves during weaning. Thad preconditions and vaccinates all of the calves. The calves are fed square bales of grass hay and cracked white corn at weaning. “I incorporate the hay to add bulk to the feed because I want the calves to add pounds, not just grow large framed,” says Padon. “We use white corn because that’s what we raise on the farm.” He usually sells the steers and cull heifers in a special sale at Livingston County Livestock in October. The sale barn is about 30 miles away and during the fall feeder calf run the barn averages around 2,000 head per week, which help attract order buyers. Thad pays close attention to the mature cow size on his cowherd. He prefers to run a cow that weighs 1,100 to 1,200 pounds. The cows are fed fescue/ orchardgrass hay in the winter, along with a liquid supplement. “If I keep a moderate cow size, then they can keep really good body condition without a lot of extra supplementation,” says Padon. When he added Gelbvieh bulls to the crossbreeding picture, he said birth weights increased to 80 to 85 pounds, but he had no calving problems. “Even if I lost every 15th calf due to slightly higher birth weights, in the end I’m going to beat the producer that has a 100 percent calf crop using low birth weight bulls because of the added pounds at weaning with Gelbvieh,” emphasizes Thad. “Those added pounds put dollars in my pocket and the slightly heavier calves at birth are worth it for me.” Padon also added value to his cowherd by using a portion as recipient cows for embryo transfer. He has raised embryo transfer calves for S&S Gelbvieh, as well as Gelbvieh Bar None Ranch. “I raise the calves and sell them back to the breeders at weaning,” explains Padon. “It adds yet another value to the commercial cows.” Padon recently added a few registered Gelbvieh cows into the mix. “I don’t want to get big into the registered business, but it is a way for me to raise some of my own bulls in the future and control the genetics more,” says Padon. With his wife, Tonya, at his side and two daughters, Tiffany, 11 years old, and Tabby, 8 years old, Thad Padon looks at opportunities to expand and improve the farm. Whether it’s improved crop varieties or getting more pounds and maternal traits by adding Gelbvieh in the commercial cowherd, Padon Farms is all about taking good and making it great. Lori Maude is the American Gelbvieh Association Director of Communications. She can be reached at lorim@gelbvieh.org.

95% Qualify for TN and KY TAEP Enhancement Program

95% AI Sired

100% Black • 85% Homozygous Black 75% Homozygous Polled

Partisover Anchor “RJ”

A sample of the offering: 2 2 4 1 1

BR Midland x JBOB 3298 Lemmon Newsline x JBOB 3298 Leachman Right Time x JBOB 2413 OCC Emblazon 854 x JBOB 2408 Leachman Right Time x JBOB 2408

2 2 3 2

Montana Infusion sons Bear Mountain Freight Train sons RJ Partisover Anchor sons Flying H Atlas 101 sons

Also Selling 45+ Black Females: 10 Registered Gelbvieh Cows–some with calves at side

10 Balancer Open Heifers 20 Commercial Bred Heifers

M Circle M Farms

JBOB 3298 Call for a Sale Book

Circle M Farms Thomas Mears 300 Underwood Trail McMinnville, TN 37110 615-563-5066 (H) 615-849-6199 (C) The Profitpicture | 27

Keys to Managing Your Bulls This Winter

Jason K. Ahola

On cow-calf operations, bulls provide half of the genetics in a calf crop. And, bull fertility far outweighs cow fertility.

28 | February 2009

By Jason K. Ahola, University of Idaho Extension beef specialist

Have Your Checked Your ‘Battery’ Lately?

With so much time spent catching-up on things during the winter months, it’s not uncommon for producers to put their bulls on the “back burner.” Unfortunately, many bulls are nutritionally forgotten, leading to potential problems the following year. At a time when hay prices at are record highs, it’s possible that some producers might inadvertently underfeed their bulls this winter in order to save some money. But, proper nutritional management of bulls at this time of year is crucial to success during next year’s breeding season. This is particularly true for thin bulls and young bulls that just completed their first breeding season.

As funny as some folks think the words “bull battery” sound, they need to be taken seriously. On cowcalf operations, bulls provide half of the genetics in a calf crop. And, bull fertility far outweighs cow fertility, at least if you consider that a bull should breed about 25 to 40 cows in a season. Thus, with over 90 percent of operations using only natural service to get cows pregnant (USDA survey data), nearly every operation could easily have just one poorperforming bull cause a lot of open or late bred cows. Getting cows to conceive early in the breeding season is crucial to the long-term reproductive and financial success of an operation. Otherwise, more open and late-

bred cows will result in a longer calving season. And, late-bred cows will produce younger and lighter weight calves next year, reducing income. On spring-calving operations, most bulls have been pulled from the cowherd (or at least should have been) by early fall. It’s important that these bulls be given a period of postbreeding season “R & R” (rest and recuperation), particularly since it is not uncommon for bulls to lose upwards of 10 to 15 percent of their body weight during a breeding season (i.e. 200 to 300 lbs on a 2,000 lb bull). Each bull in your bull battery should be evaluated annually for health and ability to breed, including structural soundness and vigor. After culls are removed, bulls should be divided into

Keys to Managing Your Bulls This Winter

Table 1. Nutrient requirements of bulls at varying levels of gain Body weight ADG (lbs) (lbs/day) 1,200 1,200 1,400 1,400 1,600 1,600 1,800 1,800 2,000

1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.5 0.0

Dry Matter Intake (lbs) 25 26 27 28 27 30 29 31 31

Diet nutrient density TDN CP (% DM) (% DM) 56 63 56 64 48 56 48 52 48

7.8 8.4 7.5 8.0 6.9 7.3 6.8 7.0 6.8

TDN = total digestible nutrients (energy); CP = crude protein; DM = dry matter. Adapted from Hersom and Thrift (2008), based on Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle 1986 and 1996.

two groups: 1) older and more dominant bulls that have decent body condition, and 2) young and thin bulls. It is important to separate bulls, since these two groups have significantly different nutritional needs.

Meeting Winter Nutritional Needs Most mature bulls in good body condition can get by on a 100 percent forage diet, without additional supplementation from grain. A hay

diet consisting of 7 percent CP (crude protein) and about 50 percent TDN (total digestible nutrients) will meet a mature bull’s requirements, but only if he doesn’t need to gain weight. A daily intake of about 1.5 to 2.0 percent of body weight (2,000 lbs × 2% = 40 lbs/day; dry matter basis) should be targeted, and body condition should be monitored closely. In contrast, young bulls that lost weight during the past breeding season (but are still growing) often need to gain upwards of 2 lbs/day during the off-season. Older bulls that are thin due to significant weight loss also need to put on substantial gain, commonly 1 to 2 lbs/day. Nutrient requirements for growing, thin, and mature bulls at varying levels of gain are included in Table 1. “High risk” bulls (young and/or thin) need a diet that consists of roughage at about 2 percent of their body weight (1,400 lbs × 2% = 28 lbs/day) and enough grain to make

the total diet consist of about 7.5 to 9.0 percent CP and 55 to 65 percent TDN. Typically, about 3 to 6 lbs of most grain products will help to meet this requirement. Ultimately, proper winter nutrition will enable a producer to turn-out young bulls at the start of the breeding season with a body condition score of 5.5 to 6.5. In addition to supplying energy and protein to bulls, there are a few trace minerals that are needed. Zinc is of particular importance since it directly affects sperm production. Based on research by John Arthington at the University of Florida, several measures of fertility can be improved via the supplementation of Zinc (Zn) at 60 parts per million (ppm). This is twice the current recommendation. In addition, this research suggested a benefit in fertility if some Zn was fed in an organic form. Continued on page 30

14th Annual Bull Sale

March 28, 2009 • Lewistown Livestock Auction 28 Individual Gelbvieh & Angus Sires Represented. (Many will be tested for Tenderness markers)

Huge offering of Homozygous Polled and Homozygous Black ✔ 85+ Bulls

✔ 100% Black

✔ 100% Polled

✔ 60% Balancers

✔ 35% Gelbvieh

✔ 15% Angus

Cutting Edge Genetics to Meet All Your Seedstock and Commercial Needs Members:

Danell Diamond Six Ranch

Guest Consignor:

Kalina Gelbvieh

Don Danell (406) 538-5622

Dave Kalina (406) 464-2331

Goettlich Gelbvieh Ranch

Pine Ridge Gelbvieh

Trent Goettlich (406) 462-5554

Linhart Angus

Doug Linhart (406) 423-5445

Dave Strouf (406) 538-8112

The Profitpicture | 29

Keys to Managing Your Bulls This Winter Continued from page 29

Jason K. Ahola

The most crucial thing you can do for your bull battery’s fertility is to evaluate the semen quality on every bull about 30 to 60 days before breeding season starts with a Breeding Soundness Exam (BSE).

30 | February 2009

Prepare Bulls Early for a Busy Spring Even though your bulls may try to convince you that they don’t have to work until turn-out, it’s important to spend considerable time during the spring to get them ready for the breeding season – especially after feeding them all winter! Bull fertility is generally affected by four variables: 1) testicle size (scrotal circumference), 2) semen quality, 3) libido (generally not measured in the U.S.), and 4) structural soundness. The most crucial thing you can do for your bull battery’s fertility is to evaluate the semen quality on every bull about 30 to 60 days before breeding season starts with a Breeding Soundness Exam (BSE). This evaluation of their reproductive capacity (via measurement of scrotal circumference and collection and analysis of a semen sample) helps to eliminate bulls that aren’t able to do their job. Numerous datasets have proven the value of a BSE, including data from the late Dr. Jim Wiltbank where semen classifications were compared to subsequent conception rates (Table 2). Interestingly, results of a USDA survey indicate that 57 percent of operations that purchase bulls had a BSE conducted on newlyintroduced bulls. However, only 17 percent of cow-calf operations had a BSE done on bulls that were already on their operation (i.e. not purchased recently). Larger herds were more likely to have a BSE done (54 percent) than small herds (11 percent). This is a great opportunity for producers to easily identify subfertile bulls that is generally not being done. Beyond conducting a BSE, it is important to annually process bulls in order to vaccinate, control insects (particularly lice and flies), test for trichomoniasis (particularly in states with regular outbreaks), and check feet and legs prior to turn-out. It is also important to plan ahead so that bulls expected to share a pasture during the breeding season can be grouped together in advance.

Table 2. Effect of bull semen quality on conception rate Semen classification Satisfactory Questionable Unsatisfactory

No. of bulls 29 11 11

Conception Rate 60% 48% 30%

Range 14-100% 31-57% 0-69%

As summarized in “Reproductive and Nutritional Management of Beef Bulls” by Corah, Ritchie, and Selk.

Table 3. Relationship between severity of frostbite and semen quality of affected bulls Breeding Soundness Score Satisfactory Questionable Unsatisfactory

Severity of Frostbite (%) Mild 89.5 9.5 1.0

Moderate 48.0 25.3 26.7

Severe 2.1 9.2 88.7

As summarized in “Reproductive and Nutritional Management of Beef Bulls” by Corah, Ritchie, and Selk.

Avoid Lazy, Injured, or Frostbitten Bulls Unfortunately, in the wintertime some bulls get demoted to the poorest facilities on an operation. Yet, the design and layout of a bull pen can be critical for several reasons. Some have suggested that bull wintering facilities should include approximately 2 acres per bull, especially if fighting is common. This may seem excessive, but an effort should be made to promote activity by bulls. This can also be done by putting substantial distance between feeders/bunks (if used), waterers, and loafing areas. If bunks are used, plenty of room (at least 2 feet per bull) should be provided. Protection from severe winter weather (particularly wind chill) should also be provided to bulls. Extreme cold can freeze the lower part of the scrotum, leading to damage and reducing semen quality. The relationship between BSE score and severity of frostbite in bulls (Table 3) indicates how seriously frostbite can affect fertility. For instance, the percentage of bulls that had an “Unsatisfactory” BSE score increased to 26.7 percent when frostbite was moderate, and up to 88.7 percent when severe. Tissue damage due to frostbite

will appear as discoloration, a scab, and/or sloughing of the lower portion. Frostbite can be prevented by providing a shelter, windbreak, or heavy bedding (e.g. straw) for bulls to burrow into.

The Bottom Line Even during times of high feed prices, nutritional management of bulls is critical – a bull contributes half the genetics to your cowherd and his fertility far outweighs that of any single cow. One bull that is unable to breed due to soundness, body condition, or fertility problems can cause many open or late bred cows. After fall culling, older bulls should be separated from young and thin bulls. Mature bulls in good condition can be sustained on a 7 percent protein and 50 percent TDN forage-only diet. But, bulls that need to gain 1 to 2 lbs/day require at least 8 percent protein and 55 percent TDN. Give bulls plenty of room in large pens, and offer protection from severe weather to avoid frostbite. Severe frostbite will cause most bulls to become infertile. Finally, have a Breeding Soundness Evaluation performed on each bull 30 to 60 days before the start of the breeding season – the cost can easily be overcome by identifying just one subfertile bull. Reprinted with permission from www.americancowman.com.

Junior Voice Falling in Love with Gelbvieh By Katie Sullivan, AGJA Director

love. They have beneficial characteristics such as their laid-back temperament, feed efficiency, and their ability to adapt to different climates. These traits make them enjoyable to tend to. It is obvious to see how simple it is to fall in love with the Gelbvieh breed. The American Gelbvieh Junior Association has many opportunities

When I started writing this article I wasn’t sure what I wanted to write about. I began thinking of all the things I was passionate about in the Gelbvieh breed. I thought for a long time and came up with—I love everything about Gelbvieh cattle! The cattle themselves have My Gelbvieh cattle are my excellent traits. The junior association offers many passion. It is important, no opportunities for its members matter what your passion is, to get involved and take action. The places you will go you should always follow it. and people you will meet in the industry are all reasons to for its junior members. During the fall in love with Gelbvieh cattle. summer, the Eastern and Western My passion for the Gelbvieh breed Regional Shows, along with the Junior started when I was 10 years old and has National Show take place. At these continued to grow ever since. I started events, juniors have the opportunity my first heifer project with a calf I was to participate in competitions that bottle feeding. I fell head over heels for provide them with skills that not Gelbvieh cows. It’s such an easy breed to

only help them in the cattle industry, but also aid them in everyday life. Some of the competitions include public speaking, livestock judging, creative writing, and sales talk. The Gelbvieh Association also helps junior members by providing scholarships for college. The Gelbvieh Junior Association is one of the reasons I love the Gelbvieh breed so much. When I look back at all the places my cattle have taken me, I realize how much of an impact my cattle are in my life. I cannot even begin to count the number of fairgrounds I have been to. From a small town in Alabama, my Gelbvieh cattle have taken me completely across the country. Not only have I traveled across the entire country, but I have met so many people who have influenced my life in a positive way. Many of the people I have met throughout the Gelbvieh breed and

the livestock industry have become some of my closest friends. If it were not for my Gelbvieh cattle I would have never met any of these people. Since my first time in the show ring with my bottle fed heifer, I have fallen more in love with my Gelbvieh cattle every day. Thanks to the excellent traits Gelbvieh cattle possess, taking care of them is very easy. The unlimited opportunities the Gelbvieh junior association offers and the countless number of friends I have met throughout the cattle industry will benefit me in the future. It is easy to see why I love Gelbvieh cattle so much. My Gelbvieh cattle are my passion. It is important, no matter what your passion is, you should always follow it. Katie Sullivan is an American Gelbvieh Junior Association Director from Robertsdale, Ala.

Oklahoma & Texas

Breeders

Randy & Pam Gallaway 15182 N. Midwest Blvd. Mulhall, OK 73063 (C): 405-742-0774 rgallaway@itlnet.net www.GallawayGelbvieh.com

Noel Senogles Gonzales, Texas 281-635-3416 www.TXCATTLE.com

LeGRAND

Chris Markes 200 W. Flynn Road • Waukomis, OK 73773 580-554-2307 Chris@MarkesFamilyFarms.com www.MarkesFamilyFarms.com

Oklahoma’s Largest Gelbvieh Breeder. Exceptional Purebred Bulls and Heifers For Sale Private Treaty All Year Long. Give us a call.

Bulls & Heifers Private Treaty

Ed LeGrand 809 S. Redlands Rd. Stillwater, OK 74074 405-747-6950 alane@c21global.com

Homozygous Black, Homozygous Polled Breeding Stock Available

Visit the Texas Gelbvieh Association Booth at the A&M BCSC August 4-5, 2009.

Miller Gelbvieh

Bernard Miller – Cody Miller P.O. Box 504 Florence, TX 76527 Bernard: 254-793-2814 Cody: 512-626-2721 codyrmiller@gmail.com Gelbvieh ~ Angus ~ Balancers® Black Bulls and Heifers Available Year ‘Round

The Profitpicture | 31

News Meat Industry Faces Emboldened Animal Rights Lobby By Janie Gabbett

Steve Kopperud

The key in talking to the public is using messages that include strong, trust-building messages about producers and production practices.

32 | February 2009

When California voters on Nov. 4 voted in favor of Proposition 2, a measure that phases out gestation crates for breeding pigs, veal crates for calves and battery cages for egglaying hens, it sent a shudder up the spines of many involved in animal agriculture. And well it should have, according to Steve Kopperud, senior vice president of Policy Directions Inc., a Washington, D.C., government affairs and communications firm, specializing in production agriculture and food processing and retailing. Kopperud founded and served as the first president of what is today the Animal Agriculture Alliance, a public education organization dedicated to countering animal rights propaganda. Meatingplace. com asked him to elaborate on what is ahead on this issue.

How significant is California’s passage of Prop 2 in the overall debate about what constitutes animal welfare in production agriculture? Should the meat industry be concerned? The meat industry should most assuredly be concerned because it may redefine “welfare” in that it’s an indictment of proven, sciencebased, producer-endorsed and well being-enhancing housing practices. It gives the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and its allies a major lever with the new Congress to try and move federal legislation based upon precedents set in Florida, Arizona, Oregon, Colorado and California even though the overall welfare of the animals is diminished and the safety of meat, poultry and dairy may be compromised. It also demonstrates we still

have a lot to learn in fighting such initiatives and getting our message of professional and consistent topquality animal care to the public.

PETA and HSUS seem to garner the most press. Should the industry be trying to engage these groups? The key in talking to the public is using messages that include strong, trust-building messages about producers and production practices. However, engaging PETA — whether you’re a fast food chain, supermarket, meat processor or farm group — is a waste of time. You will never negotiate successfully with an animal rights group. PETA is there to be the freak of the movement. This allows groups like HSUS to come in behind “scary” PETA, leverage their image as dog and cat protection groups, and pose as the “moderate” groups with which companies can work to make the animal rights issues go away. This never works. It simply signals the movement your company is vulnerable. When you peel away the rhetoric and posturing of all animal rights groups, the bottom line is the same: “You have no right to be in business. Animals should not be used for food. We’ll continue to fight to make it unpopular or uneconomical to be in the livestock and poultry business.”

What is on your radar in Washington regarding animal rights policy or legislation in 2009? I fully expect HSUS to leverage its political contributions in the last election to continue to push its agenda. That agenda includes: • leveraging the California Prop 2 victory with Congress • major rewrites of federal humane slaughter laws, with a push to include poultry

• a ban on transport of horses for export if they might be heading to slaughter in Mexico or Canada • a ban on federal purchases of meat, poultry and dairy from farms not practicing HSUS's definition of "welfare" • a move to federally regulate the transport of all animals to all destinations, and active alliances with environmental and food safety groups to attack animal biotechnology, the use of animal drugs by anyone other than a vet, and other conventional production practices.

What kind of work is there to be done so that livestock producers, processors and retailers speak with one voice on this issue? The first step is for every producer, processor and retailer group, as well as individual companies, to understand they cannot battle the animal rights movement on their own. Swine must and will support cattle, with cattle returning the favor; ditto for dairy. The fourleggers must and will support poultry and vice versa. All producers must stand with or in front of their processor and retailer customers, making sure they understand the consequence of illadvised public relations gambits when animal rights attacks come. We have many of the national producer groups in an ad hoc coalition I manage called the Farm Animal Welfare Coalition, but it needs to include every group, not just some groups.

What would you like to see the meat industry doing to engage consumers directly on this issue? I’d like to see a cooperative

Sooner Select Sale

2009 consumer education campaign that sells farmers and ranchers, their expertise and the systems they use while selling the products they provide as cheaply, safely and abundantly as they do. I’d like to see the smallest chunk of checkoff dollars dedicated to selling producer and production practice along with product. I’d like the public to know organic and “natural” are legitimate product choices in the marketplace, but they’re not better than conventionally produced, just different. I’d like to see our organic and natural brethren promote their products without bashing conventional production, because production practices notwithstanding, if the animal

welfare movement’s goal is no food animal production, then no one gets a pass. But bottom line, I’d like the consumer to assume the great food they’re fortunate enough to be able to buy comes from great people dedicated to what they do and how well they do it. That’s the only way they’ll turn a deaf ear to the animal rights noise.

Janie Gabbett is the Executive Editor of Meatingplace magazine. To receive free email newsletters to keep in the loop on what is happening with processors, retailers and the livestock industry, go to www.meatingplace.com and sign up.

March 21, 2009 • 1:00 pm CST OBI Bull Test Facility, west of Stillwater, OK Call for information on consigning or to learn more about the offering.

Selling registered

H Bulls H Bred Females H Cow-Calf Pairs H Open Heifers H Gelbvieh Influenced Females For more information call: Randy Gallaway Charlie Enyart 405-649-2410 918-256-2303 405-742-0774 (C) 918-944-0513 (C) Ronn Cunningham 918-479-6410 918-629-9382 (C)

Dusty Bode 405-649-2374 405-612-2185 (C)

www.oklahomagelbvieh.com

Montana, Wyoming & South Dakota Breeders

Gelbvieh, Balancer and Angus Cattle Silent auction bull sale held annually in mid-March. Females for sale private treaty.

Arlyn, Jacky, Kelly & Catherine Leonhardt

21444 444th Ave. Lake Preston, SD 57249 (H): 605-482-8315 • (Cell): 605-860-1674 (Cell): 605-530-2586 leonhardt@alliancecom.net

Jim & Genny Priest 142 Spur Road • Brockway, MT 59214 406-485-2775 haglundranch@live.com www.haglundranch.com

Miles & Tiffany Rives P.O. Box 392 • Buffalo, WY 82834 307-684-7858 mtrctco@vcn.com

Leonhardt Cattle Co.

Triple Play Sale March 19, 2009 Magness Livestock, Huron, SD

“Gelbvieh since 1973” George & Jeanette Rankin 406-937-3728 Jim & Kathleen Bjorkman 406-937-4815 1285 Nine Mile Rd. • Oilmont, MT 59466

krankin@northerntel.net www.kickinghorseranch.com

Performance Tested for 35 Years Production Sale March 26, 2009

Julie Maude or Marvin Maude Hermosa, South Dakota Julie (Cell): 605-381-2803 Marvin: 605-255-4448 cj_LLivestock@yahoo.com

For sale private treaty black Balancer and Gelbvieh bulls. Developed with longevity in mind. Call for a viewing appointment.

The Profitpicture | 33

Reference The Gelbvieh EPD Encylopedia In order to make a truly educated bull-buying decision, it is helpful to understand what all those EPDs measure and stand for. Following are the definitions and abbreviations for the EPDs produced by the American Gelbvieh Association. At the end of each definition is listed the breed average EPD for that trait in Gelbvieh cattle and Balancer cattle. The average EPDs are from the winter 2009 National Cattle Evaluation.

Weaning Weight (WW): predicts the difference, in pounds, for weaning weight (adjusted to age of dam and a standard 205 days of age). This is an indicator of growth from birth to weaning. Gelbvieh, 41; Balancer 35

Calving Ease Direct (CE): an EPD that is expressed as a ratio, with a higher ratio representing better (easier) calving ease. This value represents the direct influence a sire has on calving ease. Only first-calf heifer data is included. Gelbvieh, 104; Balancer, 104

Milk (MK): the genetic ability of a sire’s daughters to produce milk expressed in pounds of weaning weight. Gelbvieh, 17; Balancer, 18

Birth Weight (BW): predicts the difference, in pounds, for birth weight. Gelbvieh, 1.3; Balancer, -0.1

Yearling Weight (YW): predicts the expected difference, in pounds, for yearling weight (adjusted to standard 365 days of age). This is an indicator of growth from birth to yearling. Gelbvieh, 74; Balancer 74

Total Maternal (TM): a value that combines growth and milk information and a prediction of the weaning weight performance of calves from a sire’s daughters. This value does not have an accompanying accuracy

value. Gelbvieh, 38; Balancer, 35 Gestation Length (GL): this EPD is expressed in days and measures the days under or over normal gestation length a sire’s daughters can be expected to calve. Gelbvieh, -1.5; Balancer –1.0 Calving Ease Daughters (CED): an EPD expressed as a ratio for a sire’s daughters’ calving ease with a higher ratio being a more favorable calving ease. This value represents the calving ease that a sire transmits to his daughters. Only first-calf daughters are considered in calculations the EPDs. Gelbvieh, 105; Balancer, 103

Carcass Weight (CW): expressed in pounds of carcass weight adjusted to a constant fat endpoint. Gelbvieh, 7; Balancer, 7

Scrotal Circumference (SC): value is expressed in centimeters of adjusted yearling scrotal circumference. Gelbvieh, 0.4; Balancer, 0.3

Marbling (MB): expressed in degrees of marbling score, a determinant of USDA Quality Grade. Value is adjusted to a constant fat endpoint. Gelbvieh, -.05; Balancer, +.02

Stayability (ST): predicts the genetic

Colorado & Kansas Breeders

S Half R Ranch Linda Shafer 7175 S County Rd 157 • Strasburg, CO 80136 303-622-4338 shafer7175@aol.com

LC C Teddy Ladner Argonia, KS 620-435-6942 (H) • 620-332-3958 (C) ladnercattleco@hotmail.com “Good bulls are not cheap and cheap bulls are not good!”

34 | February 2009

difference, in terms of percent probability, that a bull’s daughters will stay productive within a herd to at least six years of age. Stayability EPD is one of the best measures currently available to compare a bull’s ability to produce females with reproductive longevity. Gelbvieh, 5; Balancer, 4

18th ANNUAL BULL SALE Gelbvieh • Angus • Balancers® Feb. 27, 2009 • Olathe, Colorado Top Quality Registered Herd Bulls Low BW EPDs • PAP Tested

Dave: 970-323-6833 • Mark: 970-249-1453 dbowk@juno.com • www.gelbviehbulls.net

Rib Eye Area (RE): expressed in square inches of rib eye muscle area adjusted to a constant fat enpoint. Gelbvieh, .06; Balancer, .08

Days to Finish (DtF): expressed in days to reach a constant fat endpoint, which is commonly used in the feedlot to determine when an animal is finished with the appropriate amount of fat cover. When evaluating two potential sires with comparable EPDs for other traits, the sire with the lesser value for DtF will produce progeny that will finish sooner with potentially lower feed costs. Gelbvieh, 3.6; Balancer, 2.7 Feedlot Merit (FM): expressed in dollars per head, value passed to progeny. The Feedlot Merit EPD measures the dollar value associated with the expected gain and feedlot efficiency of progeny when fed in a “typical” feedlot arrangement. Gelbvieh, 7.55; Balancer, 14.10 Carcass Value (CV): expressed in dollar value per head, comparing progeny of one animal to another in dollar differences when progeny are sold on a grid. This value is a true economic comparison; it is not grid merit at a standard carcass weight as many breeds calculate. Projected carcass weight, penalties for “out” weight carcasses (too heavy or light), quality grade and yield grade premiums and discounts are all included in calculating this $EPD value. Gelbvieh, 2.52; Balancer, 9.38

24th Annual

Private Treaty Bull Sale Saturday, February 28, 2009 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Since 1886

“Proud of our Past,

focused on the Future”

at the Farm near Goodhue, Minnesota

Located 7 miles north of Goodhue, Minnesota on Hwy. 58, then 2 miles east on County Rd #3

Selling 75 Balancer®, Gelbvieh & Angus Bulls Featuring sons of: MYTTY In Focus +14 CED, 55 WW, 28 MK, +.44 MB Woodhill Foresight 62 WW, 28 MK, +.43 MB BC Matrix 60 WW, 21 MK, +.15 MB Bennett Kingpin 58/.80 WW, 19/.35 MK, +.16/.69 REA, +.01/.65 MB, 15.94 CV Schafers N473 6132S 0.6 BW, 23 MK, +.21 REA, +.05 MB, 25.36 CV EGL Tenderloin -3.1/.77 BW, 46/.65 WW, 20/.15 MK, 0.18/.48 MB, 25.36 CV Lazy TV Classic -2.7/.73 BW, 50/.63 WW, 24/.22 MK, 0.41/.51 REA, 0.04/.45 MB, 30.95 CV Bieber Romero -3.9 BW, 31 WW, 26 MK, +.24 MB, +.13 REA 5L Norseman King 1.7 BW, 32 WW, 22 MK, +.11 MB, +.52 REA And Others!

EGL Tenderloin N407

Buyer Benefits:

Lazy TV Classic

• Quality and Volume • Complete Information & EPDs • DNA Tested • Tested Negative for PI BVD and Curly Calf • Fertility Tested–Breeding Soundness Guarantee • Sight Unseen Purchase Satisfaction Guarantee • First Breeding Season Guarantee • Volume Discounts • Free Delivery** • Housed Until Needed** • Interest Free Deferred Payment Available** • And more! **Some restrictions apply

MYTTY In Focus

Woodhill Foresight

Put our experience to work for you Our cattle are backed by 120 years of experience in the industry. We invite you to reap the rewards of our years of experience by adding Schafer Genetics to your breeding program. Our philosophies on the seedstock business are derived from years of experiences in the commercial cow/calf sector, as well as our extensive involvement in the commercial hog industry which we feel gives us a realtime glimpse into the future of the cattle business. These experiences give us lead time and confidence in trying to develop the genetics of tomorrow, today. Beyond offering quality genetics we offer a wide range of buyer benefits such as our Interest Free Deferred Payment Program, which allows buyers to defer half of the purchase price interest free until April 1, 2010. We have offered this program for 23 years and without question, this program would not work if the product we were selling wasn’t meeting or exceeding expectations. If you would like to learn more about our program and how we can benefit you please contact us.

Schafer Farms

25765 Cty. 3 Blvd. • Goodhue, MN 55027

Brian Schafer Lowell Schafer Brandon Schafer 1•888•226•9210 651•923•4587

651•923•5078

Email: brian@schaferfarm.com • Fax: 651•923•5426

www.schaferfarm.com

Turning the Impossibilities of Yesterday into the Realities of Tomorrow The Profitpicture | 35

Judd Ranch 31 Gelbvieh, Red st

at the ranch, Pomona, Kansas • Saturday, March 7

✔ Judd Ranch has been the #1 ranked Dam of Merit Cowherd in the Gelbvieh Breed for eleven consecutive years! ✔ 99% of the sale bulls are out of an American Gelbvieh Association honored Dam of Merit dam or Dam of Merit cow family. ✔ Average Daily Gain on fall yearling bulls: a whopping 5.71 lbs./day! (79% averaged over 5+ lbs. a day!)

✔ ✔ ✔

83 lb. average birth weight: 831 lb. actual weaning weight average on the sale bulls. Maternal cow power behind every sale bull: calving ease, growth, carcass, fertility. Several ET Full Brothers Sell. Judd Ranch bulls are very affordable. Annually 95% plus sell to commercial producers.

Judd Ranch Gelbvieh Herdsires & AI Sires

JRI Free Agent

JRI Top Secret

Rob Roy

Collateral

JRI Profit Agent

JRI Black N Stacked

Sleep Nights

Cherokee Canyon

Morgans Direction

JRI Extra Exposure

36 | February 2009

Angus & Balancer Bull Sale ®

• 1 p.m. • 1 hour southwest of Kansas City

220 Plus

Gelbvieh, Red Angus & Gelbvieh/Angus Balancer® Bulls Sell

“The Complete Package” Calving Ease • Growth • Carcass • Fertility

• 130+ 17-19 month old Bulls • 90+ 12-14 month old Bulls ✔ 97% Sired by Breed Leading AI Sires ✔ 102 Black Polled Bulls ✔ 100% Polled & Multiple Polled ✔ All Judd Ranch major herdsires are enrolled in Carcass Testing Programs ✔ Quality Acceptance Guarantee on all Sight Unseen purchases ✔ Free Trucking in U.S. on purchases of $15,000 + ✔ Trucking is very affordable because Judd Ranch bulls annually sell into 20+ states

Visit our website • www.juddranchinc.com Judd Ranch Inc.

Dave & Cindy Judd Nick, Ginger, Brent & Ashley Judd Ranch Gelbvieh Maternal Strength

423 Hwy. K-68 • Pomona, KS 66076 785/ 566-8371 or 785/566-3770

Judd Ranch Red Angus Maternal Strength

Sale Consultant— Cattlemen’s Connection Call Toll-Free: 1-800-743-0026 For Your JRI “Complete Package” Sale Catalog The Profitpicture | 37

38 | February 2009

News

Why Balancers? By Wayne Vanderwert Hybrids. It started with single-cross corn; it has dominated broiler and swine production, the state conservation department releases hybrid game fish, and now the car companies are promoting hybrids. All for the same reason; there are advantages to hybrids. The movement to hybrid seedstock in beef production is in its infancy and increased usage in commercial beef production is inevitable. Why…because hybrids simplify many of the challenges a commercial beef producer faces and increases profitability. Hybrids also stabilize breed composition; in turn that provides more, not less, consistency in a calf crop. I remember sitting in Beef Production class and a number of Animal Breeding classes while the professor diagrammed crossbreeding systems for beef production. I caught myself wondering how anyone could sleep though such a stimulating lecture. It’s all about heterosis, breed complementarity, maternal heterosis and potentially utilizing terminal breeds, what could be better? I’ve since figured out it was all about maximizing complexity, ignoring simplicity and real-world application… the smartest students may have been the ones napping. Let’s take a look at a basic two-breed rotation. The textbook model assumes that you’ll have bulls of each breed and separate your cows into two breeding groups based on their sire breed. In big herds, where it is feasible, it requires extra labor to sort cows and calves, making sure you don’t split a pair, and it doesn’t fit with improved management practices like rotational grazing. The three-breed textbook model, to take full advantage of maternal heterosis, is just one step more complicated.

The Crossbreeding Reality The reality approach in most herds is to buy a bull of one breed use him two years and then replace him with

one from the second breed. This is especially true in small, single herd sire cowherds, but for simplicity even many big herds rotate breeds every other year. Keeping replacement females every cycle in this system means the resulting calf crop has a variety of percentages, from 50 percent and up, of the sire breed used in that cycle. How does that provide consistency? The temptation might be to consider straight breeding commercial cows. But the merits of crossbreeding are too great for a commercial cattle producer to ignore. Crossbreeding provides heterosis in many traits but in particular the traits that are the most difficult to apply selection pressure for improvement. Cow longevity, lifetime productivity and calf survivability, are examples where heterosis can give a 25 percent or higher advantage. The heterosis advantages in growth

and milk are smaller, and in carcass traits we see little hybrid vigor. In these traits breed complementarity, combining breeds with offsetting strengths and weaknesses comes to play.

The Balancer® Advantage As a commercial producer, if I had straightbred or high-percentage British cattle, I’d use Gelbvieh bulls until I had some Gelbvieh influence in a majority of my cowherd. At that point, I’d switch to Balancers® to stabilize the level of Gelbvieh and British in my herd at a desirable level. Under this scenario, the skeptics argue that somehow the parent breeds will genetically segregate in the offspring, yielding more variability, but this just isn’t the case. Consistency in the calf crop comes from the progeny being very similar in breed composition. The data from the Gelbvieh Alliance

and Meat Animal Research Center agree that combining continental and British influence at the right levels pay big dividends in feed efficiency and targeting a desirable, and profitable, level of Yield and Quality grades. In the pasture, Gelbvieh influence in your cowherd that will provide great fertility, milk and growth, while keeping mature cow size in check. There is a reason commercial beef producers appreciate the advantages of Balancer bulls. They take the headaches out of crossbreeding, provide heterosis, and let producers focus on the windows of acceptability for feedlot performance and end product merit. Balancers are the easy shortcut to profitability. Wayne Vanderwert is the American Gelbvieh Association Executive Director. He can be reached at 303-465-2333 or via email at waynev@gelbvieh.org.

Iowa, Minnesota & Wisconsin

Breeders inquist

inquist

arms

Ricky Linquist 1135 190 Street • Fonda, IA 50540 712-288-5349 (H) • 712-358-0978 (C) rickylin@ncn.net • www.linquistfarms.com th

Bulls and Heifers for Sale

Swenson Gelbvieh Dean & Mary Swenson 17513 Hwy. 10 Little Falls, MN 56345 320-632-5848 SWEN@CLEARWIRE.NET

Polled Purebred Gelbvieh Cattle Minnesota State Gelbvieh Sale Sunday, March 1, 2009 Albany, Minnesota

KENYON Cattle LLC Jack Welle 2645-180th Avenue • Milford, IA 51351 712-338-2143 or (C): 712-251-4641 jwelle@evertek.net Our main focus is to produce: “Awesome Reds” Available private treaty and at consignment sales.

The Profitpicture | 39

News

U.S. Beef Exports Defy Expectations Source: U.S. Meat Export Federation

Erin Daley U.S. Meat Export Federation Economist

While the U.S. agriculture community undoubtedly has been feeling the significant effects of the global economic downturn, the export numbers for October continue to show progress over the previous year. The story for U.S. beef remains positive. Although smaller than the summer peak, beef plus beef variety meat exports were relatively strong in October, exceeding October 2007 volume levels by 16 percent. U.S. beef and variety meat exports for the month reached 89,205 metric tons (196.7 million pounds) valued at $348.3 million, exceeding yearago export value totals by 31.4 percent. January through October beef exports, including variety meat,

11th Annual

State Opportunity Sale Central Livestock Market, Albany, Minnesota

Sunday, March 1, 2009 • 1:00 p.m. All Minnesota cattle will have a Negative Whole Herd TB Test

✦ Bulls & Heifers ✦ Breds and Opens ✦ Reds and Blacks ✦ Gelbvieh and Balancers ✦ All Polled

As the name would imply, this sale truly is an “Opportunity”. The offering comes from some of the premier breeders and programs in the country. Programs that are committed to producing the right kind, the productive kind. We encourage each of you to join us on March 1 to find the bull or heifer that will take your program to new heights.

Featuring Sons and Daughters of these Sires and others:

JRI Heavy Equipment 125M3

OZZ Ideal Direction 8N

For a sale book contact: Mary Swenson (320) 632-5848 or Email: swen@clearwire.net or see www.minnesotagelbvieh.com

40 | February 2009

increased 31 percent to 840,121 metric tons (1.8 billion pounds), with value surpassing $3.1 billion, an increase of 43 percent. “The effects of the global economic turmoil are being felt in many markets, and these market conditions almost certainly have tempered the export numbers that we might have seen from U.S. beef and pork had the credit markets not taken such a hit,” said Erin Daley, economist for the U.S. Meat Export Federation. “However, we are continuing to see the value and quality of U.S. exports reflected in the export numbers,” she said. “Even with the depreciation in the value of many countries’ currencies, we’re still seeing strong performance by our beef and pork products, defying many expectations. USMEF does understand that some countries are having difficulty distributing imported meat due to dampened consumer demand. This is especially critical in areas like China, with large stocks of frozen pork, and Korea with large volumes of beef in storage. Prices were much higher, even for meat imported just a few months ago, making it difficult to sell under current market conditions.”

October Beef Export Highlights Mexico: beef exports to the largest U.S. beef export market fell again in October, down 22 percent from the prior month and 27 percent from a year ago. Still, exports for the first 10 months of 2008 remain up 14 percent at 339,137 metric tons (747.7 million pounds). Those same exports were valued at $1.2 billion, a 21 percent increase in value. Daley noted that the weak Mexican peso has more than offset the decline in U.S. beef prices, making round cuts more expensive than this summer, when prices peaked in U.S. dollar terms. Canada: exports to our No. 2 trading partner also declined again

in October to 13,150 metric tons (29 million pounds), down 17 percent from September and 20 percent from a year ago. Totals for 2008 remain up 25 percent in volume to 133,005 metric tons (293.2 million pounds) valued at $623.2 million, a 28 percent rise. Daley expects that the weak Canadian dollar, fewer live cattle exports to the United States and the COOL implications will continue to influence beef trade with Canada.

“Even with the depreciation in the value of many countries’ currencies, we’re still seeing strong performance by our beef and pork products, defying many expectations.” Japan: exports here rebounded some in October to 7,170 metric tons (15.8 million pounds), the largest volume since July. January through October exports were up 63 percent to 64,679 metric tons (142.6 million pounds) valued at $333 million, a 61 percent jump in value over 2007. When compared to the first 10 months of 2003, beef exports to Japan in 2008 are equivalent to 20 percent of export volume and 28 percent of export value. “Since the yen is basically the only currency that is strong relative to the U.S. dollar at this time, exports to Japan should continue at a strong pace, though limited by a smaller number of cattle under 21 months of age being processed through the winter months,” Daley said.

News

South Korea: the second-largest destination for U.S. beef exports in October, South Korea imported 15,561 metric tons (34.3 million pounds) of beef and variety meat valued at nearly $83 million, down slightly from September totals. For the year, exports weighed in at 46,946 metric tons (103.5 million pounds) valued at nearly $245 million, up 87 and 107 percent, respectively, compared to last year. “With the three major retailers resuming U.S. beef sales since Thanksgiving, U.S. beef is finally moving into the Korean market in significant volumes,” Daley said. “Unfortunately, Korea has been hit especially hard during the global financial crisis, with the won losing about 30 percent relative to the U.S. dollar over the past few months, although the won is rebounding slightly in December. Luckily U.S. beef is a high quality, affordable option for Korean consumers, at

a much lower price than domestic Hanwoo beef.” ASEAN: this region continues to import at a healthy rate: 5,363 metric tons (11.8 million pounds) in October, up 46 percent compared to last year. Total 2008 volume is up 261 percent to 45,083 metric tons (99.4 million pounds) valued at $137 million, up 325 percent. Vietnam is still taking the majority of the beef, accounting for 33,969 metric tons (74.9 million pounds) for the year and 4,348 metric tons (9.6 million pounds) in October. Thus far in 2008, exports to Vietnam are up 318 percent in volume and 500 percent in value, reaching $107.2 million. Middle East: exports rebounded 28 percent in October from the previous month. Compared to October 2007, exports are still down 15 percent in volume but are up 17 percent in value. For the year, exports are down 5 percent in volume (76,122 metric tons or 167.8

million pounds) but up 33 percent in value to $121.9 million. Egypt still accounts for the bulk of export volume, mainly livers, with growing beef markets in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Russia: while reduced from the previous three months, U.S. beef exports to Russia continued in October at 6,929 metric tons (15.3 million pounds), mainly comprised of variety meat. Total 2008 exports were 43,671 metric tons (96.3 million pounds), of which 15,438 metric tons (34 million pounds) were muscle cuts compared to just 3,568 metric tons (7.9 million pounds) in all of 2003. Taiwan: exports in October of 1,817 metric tons (4 million pounds) were about even with September volumes and lower than the large volumes seen earlier in the year. January through October exports of 23,021 metric tons (50.7 million pounds) already have set a new annual record for beef exports to

Want in on a Secret?

65 Quality Bulls & 25 Prime Females Sell Saturday, March 14, 2009, 1:00 p.m. at the Midwest Beef Alliance Sale • Tina Auction, Tina, MO 110 years of Beef Improving Genetics Quality is Excellent • Prices are Reasonable

Bulls: 20 Gelbvieh • 10 Balancers • 35 Angus

The bulls are developed from weaning to sale date at Rogers Valley Feedlot. They are tested for 112 days with only the top gaining bulls (85%) offered for sale. The bulls are ‘Roughage Ready’ bulls, having been fed a high roughage ration to maintain sound feet & legs.

Females: 15 Gelbvieh • 10 Angus

(Cow/Calf Pairs

• Bred Females • Open Heifers)

Excellent EPDs • Carcass Quality • Affordable Prices • Ultrasound Data • Many Calving Ease Bulls For additional information or to request a sale book, call: Larry Robuck Richard Lincoln Ron Rogers (660) 295-4205

(660) 895-5008 • Email: lincoln@grm.net

(660) 375-7266

The Secret: The best bulls available, at reasonable prices

Taiwan, and are up 29 percent from last year to date. Daley noted that buying pressure from Korea has led to higher U.S. beef prices. When combined with larger beef inventory volumes and weaker consumer demand, these factors have pressured U.S. beef export volumes to Taiwan. This trend is expected to continue, likely with increased competition from Australian beef. European Union: October exports to the EU were the largest yet this year at 1,947 metric tons (4.3 million pounds). Year-to-date exports total 17,298 metric tons (38.1 million pounds) valued at $87.1 million, an increase of 63 percent in volume and 134 percent in value versus 2007. Again, EU import data should be used, as this volume would exceed available import licenses for the HQB (high-quality beef) tariff quota of 11,500 metric tons (25.4 million pounds) for the July-June period. Daley noted that USMEF is aware of some frozen beef trade outside the HQB, but not likely to the extent reported by U.S. export data. Regardless, U.S. beef is becoming more widely distributed in the EU though exports could be pressured by falling beef prices in the rest of the world and thus the widening gap between U.S. beef prices and those from South America and Australia, heavily influenced by the strong U.S. dollar.

Gelbvieh Bulls

• Bred by Rogers Gelbvieh & Lincoln Gelbvieh • Many AI sires represented • Igenity Test Results on several bulls • Several homo. black & homo. polled, 99% polled bulls

RWL 973

Balancer Bulls

• Bred by Rogers Gelbvieh & Lincoln Gelbvieh • Igenity Test Results on many bulls • Very thick, “commercial man” bulls

RVFG FKIT

Angus Bulls

• Bred by Robuck Angus • Very high performing, high gaining–backed by 35 years of performance testing • Large scrotal, thick made bulls LR 947

The Profitpicture | 41

News Evaluate Management Strategies for Cost Effectiveness By K.C. Olson There is a simple two-part formula for success in the cow-calf business: 1) produce cattle that will succeed reproductively, grow efficiently, and yield a valuable carcass and 2) produce those cattle inexpensively. A beef herd that consistently performs well in all economically relevant areas is the result of decades of work. Improvements in any performance trait come only after the trait is measured over time and steps are taken to move the herd average for that trait to a more economically attractive level. One of the most effective ways of improving a herd average for any trait is to identify and cull animals that are consistently poor performers. The second part of the formula for success is arguably the hardest to accomplish. Cow-calf production is typically a capital intensive, low-margin business. Moreover, it is a tradition-

bound business in which habit and experience determine management practice, not necessarily least cost. One way to produce cattle less expensively is to audit the performance of individual management practices and cull those that are least cost-effective in the same way that producers cull underperforming animals.

• Develop Business Sense:

Producers must commit themselves to making their operations financially successful. They must measure and monitor progress toward production goals and financial goals. Their production and marketing strategies must continually evolve with the marketplace.

• Monitor and Control Feed Costs:

Feed costs explain over 50% of the variation in herd-to-herd profits according to an Iowa State University study. High-cost, low return feeding

Markes Family Farms

Selling Exceptional Bulls & Heifers

Transportation Available

42 | February 2009

management options at the cow-calf level include calving at seasonally inappropriate times, allowing calves to suckle dams too long, unnecessary grain processing, creep feeding, self feeding, and over-reliance on harvested forages. Consider replacing them with these higher returning alternatives: 1. Schedule your calving season so that calving and lactation coincides with peak forage quality 2. Wean calves before body condition of cows slips 3. Avoid feeding harvested forages during winter 4. Graze cool-season forages or graze dormant warm-season forages and supplement with ruminallydegradable protein during winter 5. Offer supplements on an alternate-day basis.

• Minimize Machinery Investment:

Minimize investment in highcost assets that depreciate rapidly. Consider leasing needed equipment (e.g., tractors) or hiring machine work done on a custom basis (e.g., haying, silage making, earth work, etc.).

• Specialize Production:

Most beef herds in the United States (greater than 90 percent) are composed of fewer than 100 cows. Managers of small beef herds typically find it very challenging to raise both quality replacement heifers and quality terminal-type feeder cattle. The reason for this challenge is that herd improvement comes very slowly when selecting for both maternal and terminal characteristics within the same small herd. Managers of large beef herds (more than 400 cows) minimize this problem by dividing their herds into maternal and terminal breeding programs. Managers of small beef herds can take a similar tack by specializing in either terminal or maternal-type calf production.

• Consider Alternative Income Streams:

Even well managed cow-calf herds offer only modest returns on investment. Cow-calf operators should consider dual-purpose land

management as a means to generate additional revenue. Things such as fee hunting and the carbon credit market are two possible income streams that can complement a cow-calf operation. Imagination and entrepreneurial spirit are the only factors limiting other possibilities.

• Control the Breeding Season:

Confining the breeding season to 45 or 60 days greatly improves calf crop uniformity and marketing opportunities.

• Avoid Industry Fads:

There is seldom a shortage of novel nutritional supplements, management techniques, or animal health products on the market. Invest only in those that have been scientifically evaluated and found to have a reasonable likelihood of enhancing profitability.

• Avoid Tax Shelter Investments:

All investments should be made with the expectation of an increase in after-tax equity.

• Be Willing to Accept Additional Risk:

It is relatively easy to add value to beef calves through health programs, improved genetics, and special nutrition. Unfortunately, adding value is not synonymous with value capture. Most of the value added by the cowcalf producer through management and breeding is harvested after weaning. It is nearly impossible to significantly improve value capture without retaining ownership for some length of time past weaning. Backgrounding, retaining ownership through finishing, and marketing alliance membership each offers a means to improve value capture; however, all come with increased investment risk. K.C. Olson is an Associate Professor with Kansas State University. He can be reached at kcolson@k-state.edu. To subscribe to the Beef Tips e-newsletter, contact Sandy Johnson at sandyj@ksu.edu.

News Wisconsin School Receives $5,000 Prize in Alpharma Contest Alpharma Inc. Animal Health has announced that students from the University of WisconsinMadison are the $5,000 grand prize winner of the 2008 Alpharma Student Video Contest. Second and third place was awarded to students from the University of Florida and the University of Arizona, each receiving $2,000 and $1,000, respectively, for their efforts. “We are extremely pleased with the outcome of the student video contest and the amount of participation we had from students,” says Jeff Mellinger, Global Leader, Sales & Marketing for Alpharma Inc., Animal Health. “I would like to congratulate the University of Wisconsin-Madison group for their video One and the Same (OatS) and the important message it delivered regarding the humane, ethical ways animals are treated on America’s farming operations.” The video contest began in the fall of 2008 as college agriculture students from across the country were asked to compile short video clips related to food production. Students received a $25 gift card for each video accepted, up to 10. More than 150 clips were uploaded to

the contest web site. In the second phase of the contest, students were asked to compile these clips, along with their own footage, to complete a video telling a story about how food is produced. Five videos were submitted to the contest and voted on by participants and the public. More than 7,000 votes were cast when voting ended on December 19th. The winning videos will be posted on the contest Web site (www.meetwhatyoueat. com), YouTube and other social networking sites where visitors will be able to watch the videos and have a better understanding of how food is produced, as well as the care that is given to farm animals. Alpharma Inc., Animal Health is a leading manufacturer and marketer of animal health feed additives to the cattle, poultry and swine industries worldwide. Alpharma is committed to providing feed products that foster health and welfare in livestock animals. This not only helps livestock producers in their operations, but also lets consumers feel confident about the meat products they buy.

Video titles and winning universities are as follows: • • • • •

Today's Agriculture – University of Florida Beef: Our Priority – University of Arizona Myth or Fact!? – Ohio Northern University Antibiotics in the Dairy Industry – University of Tennessee OatS – University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Profitpicture | 43

Finding the Balance in Selecting for

Calving Ease By Susan Willmon Through the years the economics associated with calving difficulty have been well documented. The only item within this discussion that seems to change over time is the higher annual cost to the beef cattle industry that dystocia represents. Increased death loss, increased labor and veterinary costs, reduced subsequent reproductive performance of the cow, potential loss of the cow and reduced milk production represent the range of economic effects that high calving difficultly can have on a cow-calf operation. In a time when larger operations are managed by smaller labor pools and many owners or managers already put in time at an 8 to 5 job, the question remains, “Can we maintain acceptable calving ease and still produce cattle that will perform from a growth and efficiency perspective?” The answer may lie in a Gelbvieh or Balancer bull with the right balance of calving ease and growth.

Sire Selection for Calving Ease in Heifers In many herds, sire selection with

44 | February 2009

a calving ease focus is relegated to breeding first calf heifers, though an increasing number of smaller producers with off-farm jobs look at this for their mature cowherd as well. Over time producers have evolved from using actual birth weights or birth weight ratios, to Birth Weight EPDs to finally Calving Ease and Calving Ease Maternal EPDs as the sire selection tools of choice. Old habits die hard though and many producers still want to know that the “Calving Ease” bull they’re purchasing has a low actual birth weight as well. The reluctance to let go of actual birth weight has lead many a producer down the path to long nights in the calving pen. A bull with a low actual birth weight may produce just as many calving problems as a higher birth weight bull, especially if his sire or dam has less desirable calving ease genetics. Actual birth weight is influenced by too many environmental factors to be a reliable indicator of calving ease. Birth Weight EPDs are a better indication of the birth weight potential of the bull rather than his own values. As most purebred cattle breeds are collecting a significant number of Calving Ease records the Calving Ease EPD is by far a more reliable means of insuring that calving ease genetics

are present in the sire of choice and not just a low birth weight. In the Gelbvieh breed, the Calving Ease EPD Sire average is 104. A sire search for animals with this Calving Ease EPD produced a range of Birth Weight EPDs from -3.1 to +3.0, offering a range of options in terms of managing birth weight as well. Producers looking for a heifer bull in the Gelbvieh breed would typically look for a Calving Ease EPD above 106, higher numbers are better. Consideration should be made as to the heifers as well. Selecting a bull for heifers that are in smaller size at calving may need a bull with a Calving Ease EPD higher than the 106 mentioned above; larger heifers may be able to handle a bull closer to breed average. As well, if the producer is also keeping heifers from their own breeding program as replacements the Calving Ease Daughters (or Maternal) EPD should also be considered. Current breed average Calving Ease Daughter value is 104. The Calving Ease Daughter (CED) EPD looks at a sire’s first calf heifer daughters; a higher number indicates a better ability for a sire to transmit those calving ease genetics to his daughters. When trying to balance this complicated equation, possibly the

best solution is finding a bull with an acceptable Calving Ease number and a Birth Weight EPD value not above a certain number to keep a lid on higher birth weight calves. Consideration should also be given to the accuracies of a bull’s EPDs. Choosing a young herd sire with a Calving Ease value at or above these levels, out of a sire with a higher accuracy, minimizes the risk associated with this selection. Similar criteria will apply to A.I. sires. In most cases, A.I. bulls will have higher accuracies on their own EPDs, as they have been used in larger numbers of herds.

Correlations to Other Traits The ideal Calving Ease value comes down what is the ideal range for a specific operation and at what point does too much calving ease cause some downside consequences in other traits. Most discussions about EPDs and sire selection discuss the correlations or genetic relationships that exist between traits. Lighter birth weight calves typically calve easier, thus Calving Ease has a negative correlation with birth, weaning and yearling weights. This means as we select for increased

calving ease, we are also reducing the growth genetics in the resulting offspring. In many herds this is a minor consideration as the calves from these heifers represent a small portion of the marketed animals. Sacrifices on growth are tolerated here in exchange for a live calf on the ground and a heifer that rebreeds quickly. However, selection can be made for “curve bender” animals with desirable Calving Ease and Birth Weight EPDs, but still possessing adequate growth genetics. The same sire search cited above (Calving Ease = 104) produced bulls that ranged from 20 to 64 for Weaning Weight EPD and 40 to 106 for Yearling Weight EPD. Options again exist to help producers not have to give up too much growth at weaning. This is especially true for that producer that wants to use a calving ease bull on mature cows that can handle a bit bigger birth weight calf and also produce profitable calves in terms of total pounds at weaning or out of the feedlot. Other genetic relationships include a negative relationship with milk (increased calving ease, lower growth, lower milk production in mature females), so looking beyond the Calving Ease and Birth Weight number is important. The Milk EPD is more important if daughters are retained in the herd as replacements. If wading through the increasing forest of EPDs seems daunting, simpler tools are available. For Gelbvieh and Balancer bulls the

Feedlot Merit ($FM) and Carcass Value ($CV) can be used a measures of growth and balanced carcass performance rather that looking at each individual EPD.

Calving Difficulty Versus Calving Ease Just last year a producer called frustrated that while continually selecting for bulls with good birth weights and calving ease numbers, he still had too much dystocia. Potentially this producer while reducing cow size had also produced heifers with pelvic areas that were disproportionate to the even smaller sized calves. With the Calving Ease EPDs available today, fewer producers routinely use a Rice Pelvimeter to obtain pelvic measurements on yearling heifers. Most Extension publications recommend the use of this measurement again as a tool to eliminate those females with small or abnormally shaped pelvises. Tables in these publications also detail what is “too small” based on heifer weight and age, as well as targeted birth weight of the calf crop. Balance again is called for as selection for replacement heifers based on the largest pelvic measurements will likely result in increased in skeletal size that might not be desired either. Other factors such as gestation length, inadequacies in heifer development, body condition of the cow at calving and abnormal presentations of the calf at birth all

play a role in calving difficulty and must be factored into determining the culprit for the cause of calving problems.

Finding the Balance If you are trying to find your sweet spot with Calving Ease and Birth Weight, possibly the best investment a producer can make is a calf scale or birth weight tape. Many times producers only know the weights of the big and little calves. Most producers can talk about what they think their ideal birth weight should be, but in many cases cannot cite a true average birth weight for their last calf crop. In many cases, producers will argue the value of the data when the calves are not sire-identified. This data can be looked at from a multi-sire perspective. What was the average EPD for Calving Ease

and Birth Weight of the groups of sires that produced those calves? What values should you change for next year’s sire selection to move you in the direction that optimizes profitability in that calf crop from a growth performance perspective (birth, weaning and possibly through the feedlot)? If your birth weight range was pretty wide could use of a higher accuracy group of sires tighten up the birth weight window while keeping calving ease in check? Armed with answers to some of the above questions will take some of the guesswork out of choosing the optimal Gelbvieh or Balancer bull to use in your next breeding season and work towards keeping balance on all sides of this complicated equation. Susan Willmon is the American Gelbvieh Association Director of Breed Improvement. She can be reached at susanw@gelbvieh.org.

16th Annual All Black Bull Sale March 19, 2009 • 1:00 p.m. (MT) Belle Fourche, South Dakota

✖ 35 Black Polled Purebred Bulls ✖ 20 Black Polled Purebred Open Heifers

www.elkcreekgelbvieh.com

See our website

for more information

Elk Creek Gelbvieh

6866 Elk Creek Rd. ✖ Piedmont, SD 57769 605-787-4595 ✖ Email: elkcreek5@msn.com Since 1971

The Profitpicture | 45

New Members The following individuals and operations joined as members of the American Gelbvieh Association and American Gelbvieh Junior Association during the month of December. Junior members are denoted with an asterisk (*).

*Garrett Vincent Conley, Pleasonton

Arkansas

Iowa

Clover Ridge Gelbviehs, Berryville

Epes Gelbvieh, Danville

Colorado

Kansas

Ben Racke, Cold Spring

Ann Marie Covington, Montrose *Allie Morgan Miller, Galeton

*Jordan Renee Pine, Lawrence *Coltin Ray Wilson, Pleasonton

Missouri

It’s Not New Math

Kentucky

MAC Farms, Piedmont Brad Rumfelt, Lebanon *Brice Budd, Hume

Nebraska Lauren Gemar Gelbvieh, Sutton

Pounds pay more dollars. It’s not new math—it’s a fact. The highest price per pound doesn’t always equate to Profit. Even on today’s carcass grids, weight still drives value. Profit comes from pounds of calf at weaning, the ability to gain efficiently in the feedlot and go to the rail with more pounds of high quality, high yield carcass. With higher input costs, isn’t it time you did the math and put Gelbvieh into your crossbreeding program? Gelbvieh or Balancer bulls will give you more pounds…AND more profit. As a bonus, you get a set of replacement heifers that will be your hardest working cows.

South Dakota *Sutton Murphy, Lake Preston

Texas Kyle McGill, Howe R&R Cattle Company, Dale George Mauldin, Dale *Rebecca Chaney, Brookshire

Wisconsin *Kajal Russell, Brooklyn The cost for an adult membership

with the American Gelbvieh Association is $75 per year. Included in those dues is a $35 subscription to Gelbvieh World/ The Profit Picture each year. Junior dues are $20 annually. Junior members can do business with the American Gelbvieh Association at member rates and are also responsible for paying annual herd assessments on cows each year, just as the adult members do. Junior members do not receive Gelbvieh World or The Profit Picture. To learn more about the American Gelbvieh Association, American Gelbvieh Junior Association or the Gelbvieh breed, request an inquiry packet by calling 303-465-2333 or by emailing a request to info@gelbvieh.org.

10900 Dover Street Westminster, CO 80021 (303) 465-2333 Fax: (303) 465-2339

www.gelbvieh.org • info@gelbvieh.org

46 | February 2009

Find a Bull Sale Near You – go to page 68 for a complete event listing.

News Korean Women’s Magazines Feature U.S. Beef Two prominent South Korean women’s magazines featured U.S. beef in their December 2008 issues, signaling a possible change in the public attitude toward U.S. beef in this key export market. Woman Chosun and Woman Sense each produced lengthy and very positive articles in their current issues that are targeted to a key audience – the housewives who purchase groceries for family meals. One editor already has reported that the articles have been positively received. The timing of the articles is fortuitous, coinciding with the return of U.S. beef to the “big box” retailers that serve Korean consumers. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) staff in Seoul have been engaged in an ongoing education campaign to help South Korean reporters better understand the science behind food safety and the comprehensive food safety protocols utilized by the U.S. beef industry. This has laid the foundation with editors for their decision to again feature stories about U.S. beef in their publications. The 33-page full-color article in Woman Chosun, which has a circulation of 50,000, provides an overview of the U.S. beef industry with information on cattle feeding, processing, inspection and U.S. consumption trends. The article also provides 16 recipes that all utilize U.S. beef, including chuck eye roll, LA ribs, boneless short ribs, rib eye, brisket

point, back ribs, bone-in chuck short ribs and brisket. The 12-page full-color article in Woman Sense, which has a circulation of 80,000, featured U.S. beef menus from a number of prominent U.S. restaurants. The article also made the point that U.S. consumers happily consume our own beef—refuting an unfounded rumor that circulated in South Korean media and internet commentaries during the peak of antiU.S. beef protests last summer. “We are delighted to see two wellregarded women’s magazines publish very positive and factual articles about U.S. beef,” said Jihae Yang, USMEF director for South Korea. “We believe this shift in the media’s willingness to report in a neutral manner will help consumers once again welcome U.S. beef back to the Korean market.” U.S. beef exports to South Korea have rebounded in recent months. Korean media reported earlier this week that since sales resumed a week ago at the “big box” discount stores, Lotte Mart had sold a total of 79 metric tons (174,163 pounds) of U.S. beef. During the same period, 29.5 tons (65,035 pounds) of Australian beef had been sold. Home Plus stores sold 119.9 tons (264,331 pounds) of U.S. beef for the week, 10 percent more than Australian beef. At another chain, E-mart, Australian beef was discounted and narrowly outsold U.S. beef. A total of 175 tons (385,805 pounds) of U.S. beef was sold at E-Mart for the

week compared to 180 tons (396,828 pounds) of Australian beef. In 2003, prior to the discovery of BSE in the United States, South Korea was the third-largest export market for U.S. beef. Beef exports to Korea

that year totaled 246,595 metric tons (543.6 million pounds) valued at $815 million, accounting for 19.3 percent of U.S. beef exports by volume and 21.1 percent by value.

Tennessee, South Carolina & Mississippi Breeders

Brendy Hill Farm

••

Virgil Wall P.O. Box 3009 Greenwood, SC 29648 864-942-2380 or 864-229-0361 Bulls or heifers for sale private treaty.

doLally Cattle Company E. J. Lally, owner D.L. Edwards, ranch manager 7298 Jones Road • Summit, MS 39666 601-567-0089 • dolallycattle@aol.com

Purebred Black and Red Gelbviehs Balancers® & Gelbvieh Influenced Heifers

Quality Gelbvieh & Balancer® Cattle

Clinch Mountain Gelbvieh John & Liz Loy 7611 Dyer Rd. • Luttrell, TN 37779 (H): 865-687-1968 • (C): 865-235-8869 j.b.loy@att.net All Black, All J-Bob Breeding Most Homozygous Black & Homozygous Polled Bulls & Heifers for Sale

The Profitpicture | 47