RISING TO THE CHALLENGE OF

BY MEGAN UNDERWOOD, M.S.

The American Gelbvieh Foundation (AGF) has two programs that work to increase the volume of carcass data and provides members the opportunity to participate in breed improvement. The AGF Scale & Rail Sire-Identified Steer Contest is aimed at increasing the flow of sire-identified carcass data into the American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) database to assist in improving carcass traits of Gelbvieh and Balancer® genetics. The AGF Steer Challenge allows foundation supporters to donate a steer to breed improvement strategies such as enhancing EPDs and indexes.

Post Rock Cattle Company of Barnard, Kansas, is an annual participant in the American Gelbvieh Foundation Scale and Rail Contest and Steer Challenge and uses the data collected to make selection decisions in their herd.

“We use the contest to collect a lot of data and keep us in line. I think it’s one of the most valuable things the AGF does and it’s a wonderful opportunity to verify the genetics in your herd,” said Leland Clark, Post Rock Cattle Company.

While marbling score is not the main focus of the operation, the data collected has given an understanding of how the genetics perform in the feedlot and on the rail.

“We have learned a lot from participating in the contest. A couple of years ago, we had a bull that by his ultrasound data on his calves told us we had more marbling than the bull was showing on his carcass EPDs. So, we sent a group of six head in a herd sire group to the contest and sure enough, he won the sire group award and had the high individual,” explained Clark. “The contest verified the ultrasound data and when we turned the carcass data into the AGA, his EPDs now reflect the carcass traits he has.”

The data collected throughout the contest allows operations to see their genetics in different stages of the production cycle and determine the direction of their selection decisions.

“The main part of the success that our steers had is just picking the right kind of base cowherd. Cows that have real rib, the ability to gain some flesh, actual base width about them, and real yield,” explained Kyle Cavalli, Post Rock Cattle Company. “We like marbling in the carcass, but the ability to gain is really the bottom dollar there. I think that’s paramount to the performance you can seethe data we’ve got back allows us to see how well the herd sires perform and what they’re putting into the calf crop.”

Post Rock Cattle Company encourages all Gelbvieh breeders and commercial cattlemen to participate in the contest as the data collected will only propel the breed forward in the market and genetic accuracy.

For more information on how to participate about these programs, contact Tom Strahm, commercial marketing director at tom@gelbvieh.org.

We raise our cattle like commercial cattle! We expect them to survive the rigid conditions year-round with minimal inputs. As soon as our permit is ready, the pairs are taken to 10,000 feet to summer! If they can’t survive there, we don’t expect them to survive anywhere! Call today for more information or a sale catalog. Jeff