Western Cowman - March, 2016 by EDJE

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CE+5.7 BW+1.3 WW+65 YW+92 MILK+26 M+G+59 FAT+0.017 REA+0.36 MARB+0.32

Please give us a call and come by the ranch to see the bulls we have available. All cattle sold private treaty at the ranch.

1975 E ROOSEVELT RD • EL NIDO, CA. 95317 2

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The Production Sale

An opportunity to add both calving ease and exceptional carcass genetics to your herd.

Pullman, Washington

Full Blood Wagyu Bulls, Females, Pairs, Semen & Embryos Home of Bar R Shigeshigetani 30T and many of the top Wagyu AI sires in the industry.

Selling Percentage & Purebred Polled Bulls & Females from the “30T” line. • Featuring Both Black & Red Genetics •

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Finally, a sequel even better than the original. GrazonNext ® HL herbicide with a high-load, concentrated formula, delivers broad-spectrum, residual weed control that conquers tough broadleaf weeds like thistles (including Canada thistle), horsenettle, ironweed and ragweeds. With a quicker, sharper burndown and improved environmental proﬁle, you’ll see healthier grass and better grazing land for your cattle.

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Label precautions apply to forage treated with GrazonNext HL and to manure from animals that have consumed treated forage within the last three days. Consult the label for full details. ® Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an afﬁliated company of Dow. GrazonNext HL is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine M a r c(01/15) h 2 0 6 W DARPRANG4075 e s t e r n C o wm a n if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions. ©2015 Dow AgroSciences LLC R38-392-013 BR1 010-58443

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F E A T U R E S

Oregon Cattlemen’s Association In 2013 the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association celebrated it’s 100th aniversary. By Heather Smith-Thomas Optimism Out West A visit with Berry Anderson of Treetop Ranches. By Kindra Gordon

Portland’s Oldest Restaurant Huber’s Cafe located in the Oregon Pioneer building is still one of the best. By Kindra Gordon

Focus on the Rocking K Ranch We highlight the Knieling family and their rising Hereford program. By KayDee Gilkey

Going Prime The extra advantages that come from using Wagyu bulls in a commercial program. By Heather Smith-Thomas

IZ Cattle Ranch Preserving heritage and improving genetics. By KayDee Gilkey

The World According to Hooter McCormick “Average is the Hardest Part.” By Wes Ishmael

50 REGULARS 7

Trails

47 Wanted

Riding the Gap

By Sherry Danekas

“Waste Not, Want Not.” By Wes Ishmael

Index

Thank you for your great advertising support.

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Featuring Kessler Angus

The Bull Board

COVER

“Spring Enters Oregon.”

BUSINESS&ADVERTISING

TR AILS “Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.” ~ John W. Gardner ~

Editor

Sherry Danekas sherry@jdaonline.com

Associate Editor

Mercedes Danekas-Lohse mercedes@jdaonline.com

Advertising

Mercedes Danekas-Lohse (916) 837-1432 (916) 685-8980

Graphic Artist

Circulation

Hannah Ballard hannah@jdaonline.com Morgan Fryer morgan@jdaonline.com

Mailing Address P.O. Box 410, Wilton, CA 95693 Office Phone P (916) 685- 8980 F (916) 685- 8996 National Sales Representative. THE POWELL GROUP, INC. 4162-B Carmichael Court Montgomery, AL 36106 (334) 271-6100 Attn: Davy Taff

Website www.westerncowman.com

WESTERN COWMAN, is owned and published monthly except May/June and July/August combined by James Danekas & Associates, Inc., P.O. Box 410, Wilton, CA 95693. Subscriptions are $20.00 per year. Presort Standard U.S. Postage Paid: Tucson, Arizona. Address corrections requested. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sherry Danekas, Heather Smith-Thomas, Kindra Gordon, KayDee Gilkey, and Wes Ishmael.

I’ve got a bit of housekeeping to do this month pertaining to last month’s recipe that appeared in the Bull Board. The recipe is the “Cowboy’s Coconut Cake”, it is a delicious cake but we somehow managed to leave out the amount of butter that went in the cake and had you using 7 cups of powdered sugar in the frosting. I can’t tell you how many of us read and re-read these things before going to press and in this instance we actually corrected some things in the recipe that were way off the charts and still managed to get it wrong. For those still wanting to make the cake you’ll need to use a half cup of butter for the cake and instead of 7 cups of powdered sugar for the frosting just use two and a half. The two things this mistake enlightened us about, is how many of you do try the recipes; we’ve had many calls and even a letter about our blooper. We also learned we need to check, re-check and check again. I also want to take some time on the trail to say thank you to the Red Bluff Bull sale committee for the very nice tribute they did for Jim prior to the start of the bull sale. It meant a lot to us and the gesture was truly appreciated. We also stayed the trail and headed north to Klamath Falls Bull Sale with two pen bulls, it was our first time to participate in the sale and on arrival we looked like the newbies we were. It didn’t take but just getting the truck door shut that our fellow consignors were on hand to give us advice on what we needed to do and show us the ropes. Our fellow group of consignors were terrific, and made the days fly by. I thank our pen neighbors for lending us their currycombs on a stick, an amazing tool, and their helpfulness. A big shout-out to the Klamath Bull staff, everything worked so well. This month we swing west out of Idaho and head down the highway to Oregon. Our first stop is at the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association that was started in 1913 in Baker, Oregon. The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association has been fighting for their ranchers for over one hundred years, this is a terrific piece. We then stop in for a chat with Berry Anderson near Burns, Oregon where he is the manager of a collection of ranches known as Treetop Ranches. Berry gives us his perspective on how he sees our industry for the future; a must read. In the article “Going Prime” we explore the growing number of commercial cattlemen that are using Wagyu bulls on their first calve heifers, and the advantages it gives them; you won’t want to miss this one. Heading east to Grant County we pull into the town of Izee, for a visit with IZ Cattle Company, a ranch that has more than a century of history to it. We sit down with Richard and Vicki Nelson to learn about the success of the ranch. We’re highlighting the Hereford breed in this issue and take some time out to learn more about the Rocking K Ranch and the very productive Hereford program that they’re assembling. In each of our states we spend some time researching the most iconic restaurant in that state and our Oregon restaurant is Huber’s located in downtown Portland in the Oregon Pioneer building. They’ve got quite the history and a delicious reading menu. This issue is jam packed with some very amazing reads so kick back and enjoy. My trail is staying pretty muddy, not something I’m going to complain about, although getting out of my muck boots a few hours a day wouldn’t hurt either. Things here in our part of California are very green and the grass has really come on, but I’ve spoken to a number of folks here in the state that still haven’t seen enough rain to help them out, so I will keep those rain prayers going. I had my first hen house break-in a few weeks ago. When I was out feeding I noticed the area around the chicken coop was covered in feathers and the girls were nowhere in sight, upon further investigation I found one dead hen carried over my very high fence and into another yard; not a pretty sight. The other girls were all in the hen house frightened for their lives. Mercedes came over and did a bit of CSI Wilton and we determined that a raccoon had used a planter to climb up the fence and push the wires apart to get in; we traced the coon prints in the mud. I realize that when we raise these animals things will and can happen, but I’ll always grieve for them anyway. When I stop doing that is when I need to move on to something else. The rest of the girls had a few tense days and are now locked inside the coop each night for their safety and are back to following me around on my daily chores. Things settled down after the raccoon ransack and all has returned to normal as we know it. My trail this month is going to take me into April and the celebration of blooms the rain has delivered. Easter arrives early this year on the last weekend of this month so as I ride off into the sundown, I pass on greetings for a very Happy Easter with your families and Happy Trails…………

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Cattlemen have always faced chal lenges. It is more to try to fight all effective to deal alone. There is str with some of thes ength in numbers numerous battles e challenges as a , and the Oregon for its members group than Cattlemen’s Ass for more than 10 ociation has been 0 years. fighting

A Bit of History An association that has lasted as long as this one is all about the people who belong to it—the ranching community. In 1913 a group of 51 ranchers met in Baker City, Oregon to address several issues. One was wolves, and another was cattle rustling. 8

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The ranchers decided to band together to work on these problems and formed the Oregon Cattle and Horse Raisers Association. Later the name was changed to Oregon Cattlemen’s Association. Statehood for Oregon at that time hinged on the wolf issue. In

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those early days Oregon could have chosen to be part of Canada, France, or the United States, depending on which one would back the settlers on the wolf issue. The United States did, and now it’s ironic that the U.S. government reintroduced wolves!

By Heather Smith-Thomas

In 2013 the OCA celebrated its 100th anniversary in Baker City. The 25th, 50th and the 100th anniversary were all celebrated in Baker County, because that’s where it all began. Many of the older members attended the centennial celebration and it was a fun event. In preparation for the 100th anniversary, OCA published the

“Oregon Book of Ranching” which featured many Oregon ranches. Any rancher who wanted to participate could buy a page for their own ranch history, photos, brand, etc. The oldest brand in the state belonged to Sam Dement (now deceased), at Myrtle Point on the coast. As a young kid, he rode with his grandfather who used to drive cattle through Oregon to Idaho to supply beef to the mines. There are many interesting stories and a lot of colorful history in the Oregon Book of Ranching. For a while the OCA marketed cattle trail maps. The original map was on cowhide and showed all the major cattle drive trails, including the ones coming north from Texas such as the Goodnight Trail. The OCA decided to reproduce and sell the maps as wall hangings. Walco printed them for the association many years ago. Walco paid all or part of the expense to print the Oregon Cattle Trail maps. They were nicely done—about 48 inches by 30-some inches. They came flat, in big packages, and FFA kids helped roll them for shipping or storage and put them into plastic sleeves. The maps were given away for various purposes, and sold to raise money for a museum. The OCA had started a museum in Portland and hired a new director about that same time. He was director for both the Beef Council and the OCA, and came from an advertising background. He changed the logo (from the traditional log with three branding irons hanging on it that spell OCA) to a cow and got the museum started, located near the Red Lion Hotel. Beef Council money was utilized to fund the museum. It was a tourist attraction; many people would take their kids, and schools would take classes there to see the historical exhibits. Eventually, however, they were spending all of the Beef Council checkoff dollars on the museum and still didn’t have enough. M

Eventually the museum became too expensive to continue, and the new Beef Council wanted to spend their money on promotion of beef rather than just the museum. The OCA changed directors, went back to their old logo, and stopped giving all the money to the museum. In the end they closed the museum and sold it to Union County. Then 19 years later one of the old board members of the museum wanted to do something more with the cattle trail maps—wondering if the OCA could take them and sell them. So they had one sample framed with barn boards and a rope around it. There were still many boxes of maps, 100 to a box. The president of the OCA at that time wrote to every cattle association in the U.S. and sold 1200 of them, and they are now collectors’ items. Many associations bought them to sell. Today there are about 10 left that were saved by the OCA to be donated at special auctions to raise money for worthy causes. Over the years the OCA has been involved in many issues that affected the members, whether wolves, water or public lands. At one point they intervened in the Camp Creek lawsuit, in which the government wanted grazing to have the same requirements for renewal of grazing permits as the big dams did on water use. The OCA helped with that case, and a companion case with the BLM, enabling ranchers to renew their grazing permits without having to go through all those extra requirements. The OCA has been in more than a dozen lawsuits, intervening on behalf of ranchers, and still is involved in lawsuits—now that the environmentalists have sued to put the wolf back on the endangered list in Oregon. It’s an ongoing battle to fight for ranchers’ livelihoods. The issues faced by todays’ ranchers haven’t changed very much in the past 100 years. Wolves have | CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 a r c h

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“I’m optimistic for the future; the outlook I think is good,” says Berry Anderson of his perspective for the next several years for the beef industry. He pragmatically acknowledges the current “glitch” in the U.S. and global economy, but adds, “We got used to those wonderful calf prices the last couple years, but things still look pretty bright.” Anderson, who lives near Burns, Ore., is manager for six ranches in southeastern Oregon that are owned by Larry Williams who operates several ranches in Oregon and Idaho collectively known as Treetop Ranches. The Oregon ranches Anderson manages encompass 750,000 acres – 130,000 acres of which are deeded ground with the balance being public lands owned by the Bureau of Land Management and state. About 6,500 mama cows are run on the ranches – a number that is currently lower than a typical year Anderson explains due to the last few years of drought and fires in the region. The Treetop cowherd is being developed with genetics from Con-

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tinental and British breeds. Anderson says, “We’re building a composite herd of SimAngus and Stabilizer cattle.” The Stabilizer composite includes approximately 25% each of four breeds: Angus, Hereford, Simmental and Gelbvieh. The ranches calve in the spring, with calves marketed via summer video auctions or direct to AgriBeef. Treetop cattle have established a great reputation and Anderson says, “We have a great relationship with our buyers.” Presently, Anderson oversees 24 employees and notes, “It takes good people to make the ranch work. We strive to take care of them.” During summer 2015, Treetop Ranches hosted King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management student Jase Taylor as an intern. Taylor worked to streamline an inventory system tracking cows and AUM’s across the several Treetop Ranches properties. Anderson is no stranger to the KRIRM program. With encouragement from Paul Genho, Anderson’s

two sons and son-law have all graduated from the program over the past decade. Currently, his son Austin Anderson manages four ranches for Deseret in Montana, his son Tyrell Anderson manages a buffalo ranching operation in Nebraska, and his son-in-law Les Nunn works with N Bar Ranch at Lewistown, MT. Anderson says, “I can’t say enough good about the KRIRM program. These kids were all raised on ranches, but the King Ranch Institute program was the icing on the cake. It broadened their knowledge of issues and introduced them to many influential people in the industry.” Looking toward the next 10 years, in spite of his optimism Anderson calls “environmental regulations and government agencies” the biggest challenge he faces as a ranch manager. He states, “Raising cattle is the easy and enjoyable part.” He believes the escalation of issues related to endangered species and government regulations, as well as continued harassment from extreme environmental groups, will become an increasing challenge for all ranchers – particularly those who rely on public lands to operate. Of present concern to Anderson is a 2.5 million acre national monument area being proposed in southeast Oregon. Anderson explains, “That would stifle our entire county. We are in one of the largest cow producing counties in the U.S. Our economy depends on agriculture, which helps keep communities and schools strong.” How can the industry combat these challenges? Anderson says, “I spend a huge portion of my time communicating with state and federal agencies and state legislators.” He explains that he and ranch leadership strive to meet at least twice a year with BLM district managers and other influencers and decision makers “We share with them what we are doing on the ranch, and we put a lot of pressure on them to get information to us on why they are doing what they are doing,” Anderson says. From his perspective Anderson offers this piece of advice for other ranch owners and managers, “You’ve got to stay in the game all the time.” WC

Photo: About 6,500 mama cows are run on Treetop Ranches’ six ranches in southeast Oregon with a staff of 24. Manager Berry Anderson says, “It takes good people to make the ranch work.”

By Kindra Gordon

Photo: The Treetop cowherd is being developed with genetics from Continental and British breeds, specifically the herd includes composites of SimAngus and Stabilizer breeding. The Stabilizer composite includes approximately 25% each of Angus, Hereford, Simmental and Gelbvieh. M M aa rr cc hh 22 00 11 66 --

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always been a big issue, along with water, and public lands issues. The Public Lands Chairman is usually the representative of the Oregon Cattlemen on the Public Lands Council. The Public Lands Council is a national organization advocating for ranchers across the West who graze on public lands. They raise their own money but work together with the various state cattlemen’s organizations to take on lawsuits, etc.

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Current Activities Kayli Hanley, Communications Director, says the OCA’s mission is to assist and represent all cattle producers in the state of Oregon. “The several things that we focus on are environmental and socially sound practices, positive industry image, providing a strong political presence, and protecting/looking out for our industry communities, and private property rights,” she says. “Along with that, we are currently representing the industry on

a number of issues, including wolves, the WOTUS ruling, and sage grouse recovery. We are also very passionate about sharing our love for the ranching industry with other people. There is a great need to connect the urban-rural divide. We work hard to help bridge that gap, and one of the ways is through external outreach,” says Kayli. “Something that we were able to participate in last year, that we hope to do again this year, is our minor league baseball team (the Kaiser Volcanos) here in Oregon. They did a tribute to agriculture week last year and we were able to be a part of that, along with the Cattle Women and several other groups. We were able to be there and interact with people from the urban community, to talk about ranching and the fact that cattle provide the leather for baseballs, etc. This was a

ANADA 200-495, Approved by FDA

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100 mg/mL Antimicrobial Injectable Solution

For Subcutaneous Use in Beef Cattle, Non-Lactating Dairy Cattle and Swine Only. Not for Use in Female Dairy Cattle 20 Months of Age or Older Or In Calves To Be Processed For Veal. Brief Summary: Before using Enroflox® 100, consult the product insert, a summary of which follows. CAUTION: Federal (U.S.A.) law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. Federal (U.S.A.) law prohibits the extra-label use of this drug in food-producing animals. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Each mL of Enroflox 100 contains 100 mg of enrofloxacin. Excipients are L-arginine base 200 mg, n-butyl alcohol 30 mg, benzyl alcohol (as a preservative) 20 mg and water for injection q.s. INDICATIONS: Cattle - Single-Dose Therapy: Enroflox 100 is indicated for the treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) associated with Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, Histophilus somni and Mycoplasma bovis in beef and non-lactating dairy cattle; and for the control of BRD in beef and non-lactating dairy cattle at high risk of developing BRD associated with M. haemolytica, P. multocida, H. somni and M. bovis. Cattle - Multiple-Day Therapy: Enroflox 100 is indicated for the treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) associated with Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida and Histophilus somni in beef and non-lactating dairy cattle. Swine: Enroflox 100 is indicated for the treatment and control of swine respiratory disease (SRD) associated with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Pasteurella multocida, Haemophilus parasuis and Streptococcus suis. RESIDUE WARNINGS: Cattle: Animals intended for human consumption must not be slaughtered within 28 days from the last treatment. This product is not approved for female dairy cattle 20 months of age or older, including dry dairy cows. Use in these cattle may cause drug residues in milk and/or in calves born to these cows. A withdrawal period has not been established for this product in pre-ruminating calves. Do not use in calves to be processed for veal. Swine: Animals intended for human consumption must not be slaughtered within 5 days of receiving a single-injection dose. HUMAN WARNINGS: For use in animals only. Keep out of the reach of children. Avoid contact with eyes. In case of contact, immediately flush eyes with copious amounts of water for 15 minutes. In case of dermal contact, wash skin with soap and water. Consult a physician if irritation persists following ocular or dermal exposures. Individuals with a history of hypersensitivity to quinolones should avoid this product. In humans, there is a risk of

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user photosensitization within a few hours after excessive exposure to quinolones. If excessive accidental exposure occurs, avoid direct sunlight. For customer service, to obtain a copy of the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) or to report adverse reactions, call Norbrook at 1-866-591-5777. PRECAUTIONS: The effects of enrofloxacin on cattle or swine reproductive performance, pregnancy and lactation have not been adequately determined. The long-term effects on articular joint cartilage have not been determined in pigs above market weight. Subcutaneous injection can cause a transient local tissue reaction that may result in trim loss of edible tissue at slaughter. Enroflox 100 contains different excipients than other enrofloxacin products. The safety and efficacy of this formulation in species other than cattle and swine have not been determined. Quinolone-class drugs should be used with caution in animals with known or suspected Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders. In such animals, quinolones have, in rare instances, been associated with CNS stimulation which may lead to convulsive seizures. Quinolone-class drugs have been shown to produce erosions of cartilage of weight-bearing joints and other signs of arthropathy in immature animals of various species. See Animal Safety section for additional information. ADVERSE REACTIONS: No adverse reactions were observed during clinical trials. ANIMAL SAFETY: In cattle safety studies, clinical signs of depression, incoordination and muscle fasciculation were observed in calves when doses of 15 or 25 mg/kg were administered for 10 to 15 days. Clinical signs of depression, inappetance and incoordination were observed when a dose of 50 mg/kg was administered for 3 days. An injection site study conducted in feeder calves demonstrated that the formulation may induce a transient reaction in the subcutaneous tissue and underlying muscle. In swine safety studies, incidental lameness of short duration was observed in all groups, including the saline-treated controls. Musculoskeletal stiffness was observed following the 15 and 25 mg/kg treatments with clinical signs appearing during the second week of treatment. Clinical signs of lameness improved after treatment ceased and most animals were clinically normal at necropsy. An injection site study conducted in pigs demonstrated that the formulation may induce a transient reaction in the subcutaneous tissue. Norbrook Laboratories Limited, Newry, BT35 6PU, Co. Down, Northern Ireland I01 March 2015 The Norbrook logos and Enroflox® are registered trademarks of Norbrook Laboratories Limited.

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neat way to connect with people,” she says. The ranchers’ biggest challenge is communicating with and educating the public about the importance of agriculture and ranching. “We are adding new events this year and will be participating in the Mid-Valley Ag Fest. This is their first year and it will take place in February. We will be a part of that,” she says. “Every year we are a part of the Salem Ag-Fest, which attracts about 20,000 people. We work together with the Oregon Cattlewomen and have a booth there, talking about Oregon ranching, what it is, and why it is important. Many people don’t know that in 2014 cattle and calves were the number one commodity in Oregon. It’s neat to be able to talk to people about this and also the by-products side and the many benefits of beef production besides food, as well as the benefits of beef to good health,” says Kayli. It’s a big eye opener for people to realize that many of the things they use every day are byproducts or are made with byproducts of the beef industry— everything from vehicle tires to gelatin. “OCA has also jumped into the world of social media. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Linked-in and Instagram. We hope to alert Oregon producers to current industry issues, including some they can take action on—and social media is a great way of doing that. We also hope to provide a window into what life is like for the everyday Oregon rancher, so the public can get a glimpse of what we do. We are able to show pictures and videos that capture the passion that our ranchers have for their animals, along with our conservation efforts, and producing good food for Americans,” she says. Education is an ongoing challenge.

® ENROFLOX 100 enrofloxacin

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Single-Dose BRD Treatment & Control Same Active Ingredient & Dosing Regimen as Baytril® 100 In Beef and Non-Lactating Dairy Cattle Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. Federal law prohibits the extra-label use of this drug in food-producing animals. Cattle intended for human consumption must not be slaughtered within 28 days from the last treatment. This product is not approved for female dairy cattle 20 months of age or older, including dry dairy cows. Use in these cattle may cause drug residues in milk and/or calves born to these cows. A withdrawal period has not been established in pre-ruminating calves. Do not use in calves to be processed for veal. Use with caution in animals with known or suspected CNS disorders. Observe label directions and withdrawal times. See product labeling for full product information.

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www.norbrookinc.com The Norbrook logos are registered trademarks of Norbrook Laboratories Limited Enroflox is a registered trademark of Norbrook Laboratories Limited Baytril is a registered trademark of Bayer Animal Health

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By Kindra Gordon

For nearly 140 years, Huber’s has been earning acclaim for fine food.

istory and hearty meals – as well as a signature drink dubbed Spanish Coffee – all mix together to create a memorable dining experience at Huber’s in downtown Portland. Located in the Oregon Pioneer Building, also known as the Railway Exchange Building, the restaurant was established in 1879 and boasts being “Portland’s oldest restaurant. Given it’s nearly 140 year history, most people in the Pacific Northwest have heard of Huber’s or likely dined there. The historic ambiance of the restaurant is evi-

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WC 1879

dent, from the arched stained-glass skylights to the mahogany paneling and terrazzo flooring. Original fixtures such as brass clocks, an oldtime cash register and even a few spittoons hint to the days gone by. The building and restaurant were added to the Register of Historic places in 1979, their 100th anniversary. Today, menu items pay ode to the past – a traditional turkey dinner – while also offering modern day temptations such as Certified Angus Beef steaks and fresh seafood. Huber’s History In 1879, when the restaurant was established (at the corner of 1st and Morrison in downtown Portland), it was originally called “The Bureau Saloon.” A few years later, it was purchased by Frank Huber, who changed the name to Huber’s. In 1891, he hired Jim Louie, a Chinese immigrant, to do the cooking. At that time their special offered a free turkey sandwich if patrons bought a drink. This began the tradition of serving turkey at Huber’s. In 1910, Huber’s moved to its present location inside the Oregon Pioneer Building. When Frank Huber died in 1912, Jim Louie took on the management of the business for the Huber family. During the Pro-

hibition Era, Jim was going to close the bar, but with encouragement from patrons, kept the business going as a restaurant specializing in a traditional turkey dinner. Steaks, seafood, duck, and salads were added to the menu, and Manhattans were served in coffee cups. In 1941, Jim’s nephew, Andrew, joined the staff and helped formalize a partnership between the Huber and Louie families. In 1946, Jim died at the restaurant, and thus, Andrew took over the management. Huber’s son, Jack, sold his interest in the restaurant to Andrew in 1952. Fast forward to the 1970’s and Andrew’s son, James Kai Louie, joined the Huber’s staff. James is credited with developing Huber’s signature drink, Spanish Coffee. A Spanish Coffee at Huber’s consists of Bacardi 151 rum, Bols Triple Sec, Kahlua, coffee, fresh whipped cream and a touch of nutmeg on top. The drink is made tableside with great flair. The popularity of the drink has made Huber’s the largest user of Kahlua in the nation! Huber’s sells approximately 5,000 Spanish Coffees a month and 60,000 a year. With the passing of Andrew in 1988 and his wife Amy in 1990,

James, and his brother David and sister Lucille became the third generation of Louies to own Huber’s. The trio has been able to live up to the history and great food that Huber’s patrons are accustomed to. As testament, a January 2016 post on TripAdvisor stated: “It remains unchanged since the last time I was here 40 years ago. Great old woodwork, massive columns, stained-glass skylight, huge backbar, waiters in long aprons harkens back to a more traditional experience of dining. Put the cell phones away and soak it up. Basic fare, well prepared. Around our six-top we had hot turkey sandwich w/mashed potatoes & gravy, prime rib caesar salad, fried oysters, manhattan chowder and monte cristo sandwich. All were declared to be excellent and a good value. The waiters were friendly and attentive. Order the Spanish Coffee and your experience is complete.” Connect with Huber’s via Facebook, or online at www.hubers.com.

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Bull & Gelding Sale January 26-30 2016

The 2016

In The S how R Hereford ing With Bulls

le Crew Red Bluff Bull Sa 2016 Bull Grader, Guy Colyer

Around The Barns

o. Champion anolini Cattle C

Angus

ins Jack Owens Don Cardey W ll! Ideal Range Bu 18

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2016 Bull Graders At Work. Photos Courtesy of Miz B Photography Tracy Bjornestad www.mizbphotography.com

Bull Gra der While Ev s Taking A Brea k aluating 305 Bull s

2016 To p Sell Strickler ing Bull From Livestock

Celebrating 75 Years!

Bull Sale Results

f Loren Mrnak O est W s rd Mrnak Herefo

Gelding Sale Results 75 Geldings Avg. $10,070

6 Simmental Avg. Bull Price $7,666.67 5 Balancer Avg. Bull Price $5,750.00 1 Chiangus Avg. Bull Price $5,600.00 38 Hereford Avg. Bull Price $5,485.53 13 Sim/Angus Avg. Bull Price $4,988.46 18 Polled Hereford Avg. Bull Price $4,891.67 Jim Mickelson Of Sonom a Mountain Heref 169 Angus Avg. Bull Price $4,782.54 ords 20 Red Angus Avg. Bull Price $4,600.00 Dog Sale Results 26 Charolais Avg. Bull Price $3,763.46 17 Dogs 2 Shorthorn Avg. Bull Price $3,750.00 Avg $6,318 6 Lim-Flex Avg. Bull Price $3,108.33 1 ChiMaine Avg. Bull Price $2,800.00 305 Bulls Avg. Price $4,815.57

Auctioneer, Rick Machado

The Supreme Selection With Cindy Weimer At The Halter

2016 Supreme Champion Bull & 75th Anniversary Sweepstakes Winner From Chandler Herefords Of Oregon & Purchased By Gary Silva Of Herald, CA

WWW.REDBLUFFBULLSALE.COM

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2016

Supreme Champion

CHAN 0100 W304

DOB: 4-16-2014

Reg: 43502036 Sire: C Chandler 0100 Sire of Dam: CHAN 2010 026K Gold 2

Champion Over All Breeds & • • Supreme 75 Anniversary Sweepstakes Winner th

A Big Thank You To Gary Silva Herald, CA For The Purchase Of “W304” • CHANDLER HEREFORDS • www.chandlerherefords.com

Office: 541-523-2166 • George: 541-403-0125 • Duane: 541-403-0124 Email: chandlerhereford1889@yahoo.com

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The Bull & Gelding Sale Committee Would Like To Say to all of our 2016 Buyers, Consignors & Sponsors!

Thank You

Bull Sale Sponsor

Zoetis

Bull & Gelding

Gelding Sale Sponsor

2016

Consignment of the Year

Stock Dog Sale Sponsor

Rolling Hills Purina Pro Plan Casino Replacement Female

Red Bluff’s Buckin’ Sale Best Sponsor

Cinch Jeans

Sale Sponsor

Elanco/Animal Health

Foothill Distributing, Golden State Farm Credit, Taco Bell, Animal Health Int., CHS Nutrition, Boehringer/Ingelheim, Merck Animal Health, Red Bluff Dodge Allflex Alsco, Inc. American Angus Association American Hereford Association Artois Feed Banner Bank Bar Ale, Inc. Ben Sale Bengard Ranch Boot Barn Buckaroo Businesses Burnsini Vineyards Cal/Nev Hereford Association California Angus Association California Cattlemen Association California Cattleman Magazine Central Oregon Livestock Auction Cattlemen’s Livestock Auction, Galt Cline Cellars Conlin Supply Cornerstone Community Bank Corning Ford Crossroads Cattle Co. Daugherty Family Dave’s Tractor

Don Hansen Bits Dudleys’ Excavating El Rancho Capay Arena Growney Motors Hawes Ranch & Farm Supply I-5 Tires Impressive Print John Martinson Judd Miller Saddlery Kunde Family Estate Les Schwab Tires Martinez Ranch Management Accent Properties Merial Newport Labs Norbrook North Valley Hat Co. Orland Livestock Comm. Yard Oregon Angus Association Andrew Ospital Peacher Ag Construction Pine Creek Cattle Co. Pine Creek Solutions Quail Valley Ranch

Raley’s Supermarkets Red Bluff Round Up Redding Yamaha-Sea Doo Roger Nicholson Rolling Hills Equestrian Center Shasta Farm & Equipment Inc. Shasta Livestock Auction Yard Simplot Cattle Feed Smart Lic Southwest Fence Stromer Realty The Loft Thissel Saddle Shop Traynham Ranches Tri Counties Bank Treveri Triple Crown Turlock Livestock Auction Yard Urban Farmacy Vigortone Washington Federal Bank Western Cowman Magazine Western Horseman Willows Animal Hospital

670 Antelope Blvd. Suite 3 • Red Bluff, CA 96080 (530) 527-2045 • (530) 529-5097 fax • www.redbluffbullsale.com

Home of the 2016 Red Bluff

Champion Haltered Charolais Bull Champion Haltered Shorthorn Bull Champion Range Ready Angus Bull Jack Owen Ideal Range Ready Bull

• A Big Thank You To Our Buyers • ers: y u B peat Gary Silva Hearld, CA • Powers Ranch Myrtle Point, OR

• Joe Russ Fernadale, CA • Russ Cattle Co. Eureka, CA • s: Fred & Sandra Hanks Arcata, CA M & A Livestock Red Bluff, CA • Holdenried Ranch Kelseyville, CA • Emmerson Investments Redding, CA

uyer New B

Cardey Ranches/Roadrunner Angus Don & Diana Cardey 9233 East Ave. Turlock, CA 95380

Don•209-606-5093 Diana•209-585-5650 Home•209-634-5491

2015 Western Nugget National Hereford Show Bumper Sticker

$10.00 + Shipping & Handling

Champion Pen of Bulls Thank You to our bull buyers in 2016 Paul & Karin DeForest Adin, CA Ron Anderson Cattle Co. Eagle Point, OR

Also Thank You to

Mike Doyle, Richard Lawson, BB Cattle Company, and Wes Woolery, for their purchase of our Western Nugget National Golden Anniversary Sale Entries on December 5th, 2015 in Reno, NV

T-Shirt

$20.00 + Shipping & Handling

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By KayDee Gilkey

ave and Becky Knieling have Rocking K Ranch and raise both polled and horned purebred Hereford cattle. Dave’s father Alfred purchase his first Hereford in 1962 and began Knieling Polled Herefords. Dave said growing up he was busy showing cattle in 4-H and really enjoyed it. It was about eleven years ago, that Dave and Becky’s daughter Haley began to show cattle in 4-H and at Junior Hereford shows. That is when Rocking K Ranch near Salem, Ore., was established and Dave then became very intentional in his breeding program. They began by purchasing a select group of Starlake Herefords out of Skiatook, Oklahoma, and then purchased the Forrester herd. They quickly developed an embyro transfer program with their foundation purebred females. The herd consists of half registered cows and the other half are recipients cows. “Our ET program has played a very important role in our breeding program. It has allowed our genetics to improve more rapidly,” Knieling said.

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Unlike many purebred producers, Knielings’ focus is on providing project heifers and steers for interested youth. Their second production sale will be held on September 10, 2016. “Nothing makes me happier than watching a 4-Her or Hereford junior have success with a heifer or a steer that they have purchased from us,” Knieling said. And success in the show ring is something they know about. Their cattle have won across the region and just in the 2015 they personally had: Grand Champion Bull at the Ft Worth Stock Show and Reserve Grand Champion Bull at the National Western Stock Show with their bull, KF Blue Chip 7Z. He was also the 2014 Grand Champion at the Oregon State Fair as well. In 2014, one of their steers, KPH Custom Chrome, was the High Selling Steer at California Classic Hereford Sale, Champion British Steer, at the Western Bonanza as well as Grand Champion Steer at Salinas Valley Fair. They had both the horned and the polled Grand Champion Cow/Calf Pair at the Washington State Fair

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and the Linn County Fair Supreme Champion Female as well. “It is my competitive edge that drives me to continually look to improve our herd and our genetics. I like having good cattle. If you are going to raise cattle, they might as well be good ones,” Knieling said with a smile. “Promoting and marketing our cattle is something I really enjoy. The show ring has proven very effective in getting the word out about our breeding program. Once someone purchases a heifer or a steer from us, we continue to pay attention and watch them show and support them,” Knieling said. So what began eleven years ago with their daughter’s first market steer, will continue to provide excellent genetics for interested youth to show and use the females in their herds. It also allows those youth a way to gain the many positive attributes that come with raising cattle: a strong work ethic, good sportsmanship, drive and responsibility. To learn more about Rocking K Herefords go to their website www.rockingkherefords.com or find them on Facebook.

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JOIN US AT THESE EXCITING 2015 SALES!

WORLD ANGUS HEADQUARTERS

Box 660, Smithville, MO 64089-0660 Phone: 816.532.0811 • Fax: 816.532.0851

E-mail: angushall@earthlink.nett 2016 American Angus Hall of Fame calendars are now available, free of charge and by request. Call the Hall today.

BREAKING NEWS!

We are in the process of scheduling 2016 sales. We would be delighted to work with and for you.

CALL US TODAY!

Cattle for sale? If you have a herd of cattle for sale, whether it is a complete herd or a group of cattle, call us TODAY. We will be glad to come to your farm or ranch at NO OBLIGATION to advise you on the best way to merchandise them.

WANTED TO BUY:

Angus Journals – August 1919 through December 1939 Airyland Dispersal Catalog, March 17, 1947, in Montana

Jeremy Haag 816/516-1309

MARCH 1 3 5 5 5 7 8 10 11 12 12 12 12 14 15 15 16 16 16 17 17 19 19 19 19 20 20 20 21 21 22 23 24 24 24 24 24 25 26 26 26 28 28 29 30 31

Jindra Angus 16th Annual Production Sale, Clarkson, NE, sale at Creighton, NE Pasture View Angus Bull Sale, Dunlap, IL, sale at Valentine Livestock, Valentine, NE Buford Ranches 8th Annual Spring Angus Bull Sale, Welch, OK Double R Bar Ranch Angus Bull Sale, Plymouth, IN Wood Angus Farm Production Sale, Willow Spring, NC Knop Farm/Collison Angus Joint Performance-Tested Bull Sale, Ida Grove, IA Ascent Angus Farm Online Bull Sale, hosted by Angus Live (Arcola, IL) McCurry Angus Ranch Bull Sale, Burrton, KS Schlager Angus Production Sale, Canton, MO, sale at Palmyra, MO Grand River Angus Bull & Female Sale, Grand Rapids, MI Sunnyhill Angus 26th Annual Production Sale, Fairview, IL Tennessee Agribition Angus Sale, Lebanon, TN SF Farms 15th Annual Performance-Tested Angus Bull Sale, Garnett, KS Chapman Angus First Production Sale, Elmore City, OK Quirk Land and Cattle Sale, Hastings, NE Stertzbach Cattle Co. Online Show Heifer Sale, hosted by Angus Live (Louisville, OH) Minnesota Angus Breeders Sale, at Olmsted County Fairgrounds, Rochester, MN Reid Angus Ranch Bull Sale, Akron, CO Sunrise Sunset Farms/Cates Farms/Haggard Angus Online Show Heifer Sale, hosted by Angus Live (Modoc, IN) Boss Cattle Co. Online Angus Bull Sale, hosted by Angus Live (Chappell, NE) DBL/Pinehurst Angus Bull & Female Sale, at Bullodge, Fullerton, NE East Tennessee Angus Association 98th Annual Sale, at University of TN, Knoxville, TN Molitor Angus Farm 37th Annual Sale, Zenda, KS Musgrave Angus 21st Annual Sale, Griggsville, IL Smith Angus & Hereford Annual Production Sale, Wadley, GA April Valley Farm Performance-Tested Angus Bull & Female Sale, Leavenworth, KS, sale at St. Joseph, MO LC Land & Cattle Online Angus Bull Sale, hosted by Angus Live (Noble, OK) York Farms Annual Angus Sale, Palestine, IL Lindell’s High Tech Beef Angus Production Sale, Leonardville, KS M/M Cattle Co. Online Angus Show Heifer Sale, hosted by Angus Live (Bowdon, GA) Double Diamond Angus Online Production Sale, hosted by Angus Live (Chrisman, IL) Henning Farms Online Angus Sale, hosted by Angus Live (Janesville, WI) Four Corners Farms Online Production Sale, hosted by Angus Live (St. Francisville, IL) Glasoe Angus Production Sale, Wildrose, ND, sale at Sitting Bull Livestock Auction, Williston, ND Hurlbut Cattle Co. Angus Bull & Female Sale, held at Glacial Lakes Livestock, Watertown, SD Kentucky-Tennessee Performance-Tested Bull & Commercial Female Sale, Glasgow, KY McCabe Genetics Angus Bull & Commercial Female Sale, Elk City, KS Pennsylvania’s Finest Female Sale Volume XXIII, at Livestock Evaluation Center, Furnace, PA Kramer Farms Performance-Tested Angus Bull & Female Sale, Farina, IL Sauk Valley Angus Bull Sale, Rock Falls, IL Whitestone Pasture Performance-Tested Angus Bull & Female Sale, Aldie, VA Penner Ranch Performance Angus Bull & Commercial Female Sale, Mill Creek, OK Iron Mountain Performance-Tested Angus Bull Sale, Belle Fourche, SD Dameron Angus Online Show Heifer Sale, hosted by Angus Live (Lexington, IL) Colburn Cattle Co. Online Embryo & IVF Slots Sale, hosted by Angus Live (Visalia, CA) Ashlynn Angus/R Cattle Co. Online Show Heifer Sale, hosted by Angus Live (Lincoln, MO)

Kurt Schaff 816/520-6447

Tom Burke 816/853-2697

WANTED: Any old sale catalogs you’d like to have a safe and happy home for! We are also looking for Breeder’s Gazettes, all issues from 1881 through 1913, and Eastern Breeder Magazines. CONTACT American Angus Hall of Fame (816) 532-0811.

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growing number of commercial cattlemen are discovering the advantages of using Wagyu bulls (or semen) in their herds, especially for heifers. Jerry Reeves, PhD (retired from Washington State University, Animal Sciences Department), raises black Wagyu that are wintered along the Snake River near Lower Granite Dam in Washington and summered in Washington valleys and Idaho mountains. He sells and leases bulls to commercial cattlemen. “We now have a few large ranches in the Western U.S. that are using Wagyu in their programs. These ranchers are breeding heifers to Wagyu bulls for ease of calving, and receive a premium on the calves—selling them to companies like Agri-Beef, Masami Foods, A-Z Feeders, JDH, Premium Beef and other Wagyu feeders. After that first calf, they breed those cows to Angus or growth bulls. We are seeing more of this type of program, since the halfblood calves from those heifers are in high demand as beef.” Several large ranches in Idaho, Montana and the Dakotas lease Wagyu bulls from Reeves. Some of them started by using Wagyu semen on heifers, and then began leasing or buying bulls. “These are big commercial ranches with Angus-based herds. They are not hobby farmers; they have been ranching a long time and make their living raising beef animals,” Reeves says. “They have found several advantages in using Wagyu bulls on heifers. The first benefit is calving 24

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ease, particularly for large operations that may be calving out 150 to 700 heifers. If you happen to get even one bad bull in a battery of 20 to 25 bulls, you could have a disaster. If there’s one that sires calves that are too big, and he happens to be dominant, this can cause many calving problems. We see this less in the Wagyu than in other popular beef breeds. Producers really like the calving ease.” The second plus is better breed-back on two-year-old heifers. If they don’t have any calving problems, they breed back a lot better. “Producers are finding that they are not having to cull as many heifers after that first calf. There are fewer that come up open or late calving for their second calf,” says Reeves. You don’t lose that investment by having to sell an open heifer after her first calf. “The third advantage is that the big outfits feeding these animals are paying a premium on those calves in spite of the fact they are lighter than your herd average. To get calving ease, you end up with a lighter calf, particularly out of a heifer and sired by a Wagyu bull. So if you get a premium on those smaller calves (an additional 5 to 15 cents per pound), this is more incentive to do it,” he explains. “You have to be selective on the bulls, however, as in any breed. Just because they are Wagyu doesn’t necessarily equate to calving ease. Some lines of Wagyu are fairly large and produce large calves. You have to be a little careful, just like when you buy Angus

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bulls. You still need to select calving ease bulls,” says Reeves. “Another advantage to this cross, according to some of the cowboys, is that those Wagyu calves really stick with those heifers. They don’t let that heifer out of their sight. This makes it easier when handling, moving cattle; they don’t get separated from mom.” “We lease 60 to 80 bulls each year, but are now leaning more toward selling them. We were leasing bulls in a program in which we bought the calves back,” he says. “The commercial producers see a place for this cross; most of the ranchers we’ve been dealing with are using Angus and some Charolais bulls on their mature cows, but found an advantage to Wagyu bulls on their heifers,” says Reeves. “I am not sure what’s going to happen with cattle prices dropping, but this might be a good time to take advantage of the Wagyucross market and premium for F1 Wagyu calves. When prices were so high, people maybe weren’t as interested in a premium as in weaning weight. When times are tough, however, people try to find ways to make a little more money, and this could help. I was talking to a cattleman recently who said he’s more interested in the Wagyu bull program on heifers now, since calf prices dropped.” Most ranchers are only interested in using Wagyu bulls on heifers, rather than cows. “The Wagyu-sired calves weigh less. Not too much less, on the heifer end of it, compared with calves from

By Heather Smith-Thomas

mature cows. The big advantage is with the heifers, so that’s basically where the commercial industry is using Wagyu bulls,” says Reeves. MONTANA PRODUCERS Chase Hibbard (Sieben Livestock Company, in central Montana—30 miles east of Cascade) has been using Wagyu bulls for more than 15 years and is pleased with this crossbreeding program for first-calf heifers. This ranch has been in business since 1907. It was historically a sheep ranch, but has been mostly in the cattle business since the mid 1960’s. “My brothers and I are fourth generation and in the process of transitioning to the fifth. We have a cow-calf and yearling operation and also run stockers— and we still have a few sheep,” says Chase. “Our use of Wagyu genetics came about through our acquaintance with Dr. Jerry Reeves and his partner at that time, Gerry Pittenger. Jerry, through his academic connections knew David Cameron, who was also our neighbor and a teacher at Montana State University. Jerry got us onto the benefits of Wagyu early

EASE

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on. It made sense to us, and the same reasons that we did this initially still hold true today,” Chase explains. “It made sense to breed heifers to bulls that would produce a smaller calf—which is easier on the heifer. You have all the benefits of a smaller calf which include easy birth and fewer calving problems (less work during calving season), less recovery time for the heifer, etc. The hybrid vigor of the calf is also a plus. These calves are not quite as big at weaning as an Angus calf would be, but we sell them as yearlings,” he says. “Wagyu are late maturing, but we have great success birthing them. We calve in June so there is minimum management. We have a man who watches the calving heifers but he rarely has to assist any. In June there’s no problem with cold weather. The heifers are calving on summer pasture; all he has to do is ear-tag the calves at 26

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birth,” says Chase. “When we sell them as yearlings the steers weigh about 775, much lighter than our Angus calves of the same age, because they are all out of 2-year-old heifers whereas the Angus calves are out of mature cows, and yearlings from first calvers tend to be smaller. In spite of the fact they are lighter, they generally bring considerably more money per head because of the premium.” The calves are contracted before they are born. “We dealt with Jerry for a long time, selling our calves to him. Now we are dealing with Agri-Beef (Snake River Farms). It works well, with the premium, and raising them is very profitable. The only downside is that it reduces your replacement pool because every calf is sold. It’s a terminal cross.” You can only keep replacements from your mature cows. “Some people breed more than

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just their heifers to Wagyu bulls, and then it does become challenging to keep enough replacements. But this program works very well (if you can figure out a supply of replacements), because the crossbred calves from mature cows are bigger than the heifers’ calves. We just breed our heifers to Wagyu, however, and breed the cows to Angus and black composite bulls. This brings hybrid vigor to our cow herd; they are more a composite now instead of straight Angus,” says Chase. “If we were buying our replacements we would breed some of our mature cows to Wagyu bulls, too, but at this point we are retaining replacements from our cow herd,” he explains. The ranch keeps 300 heifers each year, and breeds them all to Wagyu. Wagyu are different than traditional beef cattle. “They don’t look like what we are accustomed to seeing in a beef | CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

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Klamath Bull & Horse Sale 2016

February 4-7, 2016

• Sale Results •

Bulls 90 Bulls Avg. $4,487.22

•••

8 Pens

Heifers Avg. $7,787.50

•••

Horses 4 Horses Avg. $5637.50

Photos Courtesy of Country Couture Photography 30

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Klamath Bull & Horse Sale 2016

Thank You

SupremeChampion

Thank You

Don-Lo Ranch Macdoel, CA for the purchase of our Supreme bull & our Champion Lim-Flex Bull!

sold to Drost Land & Cattle Klamath Falls, OR!

Jimmy Lyman Tulelake, CA for the purchase of our high grading Limousin Bull!

Our Top Graded

Pen of Heifers

•

541-884-4881

• CIC Confident Asset 27B •

DOB: 2-07-14

Sire: Connealy Confidence 0100 REG: 17938471 Sire of Dam: CJ SH Liquid Asset 8660

Lee & Glenda Stilwell

14043 Algoma Rd. Klamath Falls, OR 97601 • cicattle@gmail.com

u o Y k n a Th

541-892-8966

We Would Like To Take This Moment To Thank The Following Producers For Their Support & Interest In Our Genetics!

Klamath Bull Sale

Lot 57

Reserve Overall Champion Bull Purchased By: Ford Livestock Willits, CA Klamath Bull Sale

Lot 58

Third Highest Grading Pen Bull Purchased By: Whiskey Creek Sprague River, OR

Pheasant Trek

“Low on quantity and high on quality.” The Danekas-Lohse Family 916.849.2725

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Klamath Bull & Horse Sale 2016

FOR EARLY CASTRATION ...

Thank You

MADE IN THE USA!

To Our Buyers

7 CWT Illusion 1410 Lot 2Purchased by Ford Livestock Willits, CA CWT Maverick 7235-1411 Lot 28 Purchased by WHISKEY CREEK SPRAGUE RIVER, OR Lot 29 CWT CC & C 7 1403

Purchased by Bryan Penterman Saint Helena, CA CWT Final Answer 7235-1405 Purchased by Tim Louie Montague, CA

Lot 30

Craig & Wendy Tupper 20500 NW Reservoir Road Yamhill, OR 97148

503-662-3805 • barlazyct@frontier.com

animal. You look at the bulls and say, ‘You’ve got to be kidding!’ They have small testicles, but they certainly get the job done. Mature bulls are wiry, rangy things that look like they are small and not grown out. There are a few more management challenges in keeping them contained!” says Chase. “The calves have a little different disposition than the Angus we are accustomed to running and a little more flighty. But when you get used to working with them they are not a problem,” he says. They are very hardy, with the added benefit of hybrid vigor. “We also enjoy the chance to have a Wagyu steak. Any animals that don’t make it to the sale end up being really good eating here at home!” he says. Another Montana rancher (near Lewistown, in central Montana) who uses Wagyu bulls on commercial heifers is Joe Delaney.

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“Gerry Pittenger was a school teacher from Scobey, Montana. He was going back and forth to see his relatives, after he’d moved to Washington, and came past our ranch one day in 2000, and saw a bunch of black cattle along the road. He stopped in and asked if those were our cattle. We were calving about 400 head of heifers at that time. He asked if we’d ever thought about breeding to something that might calve easier. I was pretty open-minded about it, so he gave me some steaks to try— and said he’d be back through in a week or so,” says Delaney. “He didn’t even tell me about the Wagyu or what he was doing, and I was pretty busy that day so I just threw those steaks in the freezer. A few days later we cooked them and they were good. He stopped in later and we made a deal to breed our heifers to Wagyu bulls and have been doing it ever since. This will be our 15th

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HUMANE BLOODLESS DRUG FREE

calf crop this year. Most years these calves have brought more than our Angus calves per head,” he says. The easy calving is better for the calves and the heifers. “There’s no stress, no drama. You’ll see a heifer with the water bag out and figure on checking her in a half hour. You come back and the calf is already sucking! The only downside to the smaller calves in our part of the country is cold weather. The calves are finer boned, with less body mass, and they chill quicker than a larger calf. In our country you wouldn’t want to calve them in January!” Delaney starts his heifers calving the first of March. “Most of them are born in March and a few in early April. We always sell the calves the third week of September so they are not very old, but we like to get the calves off those first-calf heifers so they can recuperate before winter,” he says.

“In doing that, the steer calves normally weigh about 475. Our buyers take every calf. Right now we are marketing them through Snake River Cattle Company; they feed a lot of Wagyu and part Wagyu cattle,” says Delaney. “I get all my bulls now through Jerry Reeves; he’s really great to deal with. Before that, I started this program with Gerry Pettinger. Then Snake River took it over. I deal directly with Jerry for the bulls and he stands behind the bulls as good heifer bulls.” Delaney calves about 300 heifers each year. “If you are calving in a confined area, you still have to be there. If you get 4 or 5 new babies in a small area there might be some mix-ups because those heifers may not know which one is theirs,” he explains. “My wife and I do it all ourselves. Our cows don’t start calving until mid-March but basically the cows and heifers are all calving at the same time. We do all the calving, feeding and ranch work on this place. My boy is down at our other place and he’s going to take some of the cattle this year, but in the past my wife and I have been doing all of it.” It helps if the heifers calve easily. “In our operation we only end up helping about 1 out of 60. Once in a while it might be a big calf, but usually it’s just a leg back or something like that,” says Delaney. “We’ve appreciated this cross. We started with a 10-cent premium over CattleFax price. Then cattle prices started going up. By then I was dealing with Snake River. About 3 years ago I called them and said I didn’t think I was getting enough for these calves, and suggested a 10% instead of 10 cents. They agreed to that, so for the past 2 years I was getting 10% more. Last year that meant a 30cent premium,” he says.

“They’ve been good to work with and they like my cattle. They called me last year and offered me 40 cents if I would be willing to breed my cows to Wagyu. I thought about it, but in our program we keep a lot of replacement heifers and I didn’t want to keep Wagyu females as cows. They are not the best maternal cattle (not as much milk as the Angus),” says Delaney. “Everybody in this part of the country thought I was crazier than

hell, breeding to Wagyu bulls. But over the past several years some of my neighbors starting doing it, too. Now there are more than 1200 Wagyu F1 calves going out of this Grass Range area.” “Even on a niche market like Wagyu, if the economy gets tough the meat might not be so popular (because it’s more expensive) but currently there’s not enough to supply the demand. I have a friend who came out here hunting and he’s a | CONTINUED ON PAGE 41

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Preserving Heritage and Improving Genetics By KayDee Gilkey

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The IZ Cattle Ranch is located in Eastern Oregon’s Grant County near the town of Izee, which was named after the historic ranch’s brand. With more than a century of history, the ranch has been owned by Richard and Vicki Nelson since 1993. The Nelson family has combined the rich heritage of the ranch with their passion for improving their cattle herd’s genetics and improving the land. Nelson said that it was two of his life’s biggest passions that motivated him to purchase a ranch — family and cattle. “I raised Holstein heifers in FFA and always enjoyed listening to my father share his stories of life on the farm in Iowa growing up. I knew that I wanted my family to benefit from the opportunity to develop stronger relationships in a ranching environment with my grandchildren. The opportunity to teach them the importance of work and how to care for cattle and the land has been very special,” he said. Now it’s the third generation, their seven great-grandchildren, who will soon be learning the lessons of ranch life. The ranch has an Angus-based cow herd. A portion of the females are dedicated to breeding a terminal cross with Charolais bulls and then another segment of the herd’s breeding focus is on producing replacement heifers. “The key to improving the eating experience for our end customers is to look for and purchase premium genetics. For the last 10 years, we have used genomics. We rely on genomics and DNA scans for selecting bulls and replacement heifers. That has advanced our breeding program a great deal and paid off dramatically when it comes to carcass quality,” he said. Nelson said it’s all about providing an excellent beef eating experience | CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

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Obituary for Louis Hans Madsen Louis Hans Madsen entered into rest on January 7, 2016. A lifelong resident of Livermore, he was born on October 3, 1937 to Louis C. and Elsie C. Madsen. After graduating from Livermore High School in 1955, Louis joined the U.S. Army and served his tour of duty stationed at Regimental Headquarters in Ft. Benning, Georgia. Louis’ passion has been his love for the outdoors, his sheep and cattle. He was married to his sweetheart Joan for 51 years. He has a daughter Annette (Annie Madsen) (Roy) Warner of Livermore, son David (Becky) Madsen of Scottsdale, AZ and, as well as the “apple of his eye” grandson Austin Andrade (presently a mechanical engineering major attending Cal Poly, Pomona). Louis was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Wanda Bonde. Louie, Joan, Annie and Austin are owners of the Madsen Herefords and Angus Ranch of Livermore, CA raising and selling many champion Hereford and Angus bulls. Louis and Joan are also owners of Joan’s Farm and Pumpkin Patch which has provided 25 years of unforgettable memories for so many families throughout the Tri-Valley. Louie and Joan spent many years attending various antique shows in Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and California looking for appropriate items that could be displayed in the old west town at the pumpkin patch because they felt it so important for today’s children to experience what it would have been like in the “old west”. A favorite by many was when Louie made his “famous” potato salad for their many BBQ’s. He loved to cook and rarely shared his “secret” recipes with others, including his daughter. He worked for several ranchers throughout the valley in his younger years doing customized hay cutting and ranch work. He never expected anyone to work harder than he did but that work ethic was a hard one to follow. He survived many health issues and was known as the “ever ready battery” as he continued to surprise many by his ability to just go, go, go until this last battle with cancer. He is now resting in peace! A Celebration of his Life will be held on March 26, 2016 at 1:00 pm at 4351 Mines Road, Livermore, CA.. In lieu of flowers, please donate in his memory to: Continuum Hospice, 7677 Oakport Street, Ste 110, Oakland, CA 94621 or Jr. Livestock Auction Boosters, P.O. Box 3176, Livermore, CA 94551

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for the consumer. Last year’s steers that were sent to Tyson graded 30 percent prime, 69 percent choice and 1 percent select. About every other year, Nelson retains ownership on their calves so he can study the data. They have sent their calves to be feed at Beef Northwest’s feed yards. The numbers speak for themselves, according to the Certified Angus Beef program the national average of black-hided cattle able to make the cut for the CAB program is 20 percent while 62 percent of the IZ Ranch steers (according to 2014 data on IZ Ranch’s website) were accepted into the program. As far as the national percentages of feed conversation, IZ ranks in the top 15 percent and in the top 11 percent for cost of gain. Recently the IZ Ranch has joined the Country Natural Beef Cooperative, so this year’s calves will end up on grocery shelves under the CNB label. Nelson said, “When you are done learning you are indeed done! CNB offers the opportunity to continue to learn from a uniquely successful group of producers and to provide quality beef to a select customer base with whom we can have growing relationships.” Because the Nelson family doesn’t reside full-time on the ranch, the success of the day-to-day operations relies on the commitment and dedication of ranch’s hard-working managers Micah and Jessica Wilson. “Commitment from current and prior employees has allowed the ranch to be recognized as a leader in the industry,” Nelson said. Nelson’s commitment to genetic excellence can also been seen in the company he founded in 1985, Plant Sciences, Inc. What began in the Nelsons’ basement, is now an international agricultural company. PSI is committed to research and development in many areas including plant breeding, plant tissue culture, seed production, crop growing techniques, and pest management. PSI is truly a family business as three generations of Nelsons are actively involved in the company. Their research focuses on strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, | CONTINUED ON PAGE 40

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39 | table grapes, and artichoke breeding programs. Another important foundation in the Nelson family is faith. Nelson shared that his wife, Vicki, in December of 2014 was diagnosed with leukemia and given seven weeks to live by doctors. “We prayed very hard. After several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, perfect match was found for a bone marrow transplant. Now eight months following her bone marrow transplant she was told she is cancer free. The doctor said that at her age with the type of cancer she had, there is only a 1 percent chance she should be alive. We are very thankful and blessed that she is doing very well,” Nelson said. Another way the family lives their faith is through their company’s partnership with Lifesong for Orphans, which is a Christ-centered international organization dedicated to serving orphans in need around the world. According to PSI’s website, PSI is an agricultural partner and seeks to amplify Lifesong’s effectiveness in serving the world’s orphans by targeting and supporting specific ag needs such as sustainable development in food production and teaching sustainable skills to provided a future and hope for the orphans and their communities. Sales of the produce to local grocery chains helps to support the orphanages as well.

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Conservation and Sustainability Improving the land is another passion for Nelson and in the past 23 years much time and effort has gone into improving the ranch’s timber and grazing lands as well as the watershed. Nelsons are deeply committed to improving their land — not only for future generations — but to also maximize growth of renewable forage and timber as well as improvement of habitat for wildlife. “We have a couple of sage grouse lechs on the ranch and have been removing juniper trees to improve ground water, spring health and maximize riparian health as well as improve habitat for our sage grouse,” said Nelson. Over a ten-year period, they planted 250,000 Ponderosa pine trees. The have also fenced Aspen stands to protect the young seedlings from both elk and cattle. Every spring the winter feeding grounds are seeded to spring wheat to reduce erosion and provide enhanced feed grounds for the next winter. “All of the ranch’s riparian areas are fenced, but are grazed for short periods. More than 10 miles of the South Fork John Day River on the ranch have been fenced. This has created riparian pastures for cattle management and has allowed enhanced stream bank stabilization, reduced erosion, and cooler water tempera-

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tures for ideal trout habitat,” he said. He continued, “We’ve decided that this next grazing season that we will be moving to an intensive grazing program. All of our hay ground is natural meadow grass so we will be grazing it through the summer, rather than having to bale it, store it and then feed it.” Nelson sits on the South Fork of the John Day Watershed Council. It is a very active group that not only meets once a month but also encompasses ranchers, state and federal agencies, and tribe interests on the Council. They are active in pursuing grants to benefit the watershed on both private and public land. “This group really looks at finding improvements that benefit all the users of our watershed,” Nelson said. “We are all products of the sacrifices and investments others have made in shaping our lives. Each generation should not forget and be grateful for all of the previous generation’s work and dedication to improving our lives and the land. We are responsible for passing it to the next generation so their lives and the land are better as they rise to the responsibilities to do the same,” he said. The IZ Ranch honors its rich ranching history and traditions but at the same time uses the latest genetic technology to improve the herd’s carcass qualities thus ensuring a positive eating experience for the consumer.

restaurant owner in Long Island, New York. He serves Wagyu on the menu, but only seasonally, because he can only get a limited amount. It goes like hotcakes. He gets $100 for an 8-ounce Wagyu steak on his menu. The Certified Angus Beef is priced at $40-something, and a regular steak is $28. There’s a place in Denver that has Wagyu on the menu year-round now. It is $95 for a 12 ounce Wagyu steak—about double the price of the other top-of-the-line steaks.” “I’ve never had a signed contract with any of the buyers. They’ve always been good to deal with and we’ve never had a problem. They like my calves, and I’m happy with this program. It’s worked very well for us. I think there will be more of these niche programs, like grass fed beef, becoming more and more popular in the future.” Delaney says that raising cattle is something he’s always enjoyed, and the heifer breeding program has been good. “As Charlie Russell, the famous artist, once said, ‘Any time you can do what you love and love what you do, and make a living doing it, you gotta be the luckiest guy in the world!’ That’s true, because I am doing what I love!” David Wickhorst is a neighbor who is now using Wagyu bulls on heifers. “My great granddad homestead here in 1884. This is our 7th year using Wagyu. Our neighbor Joe Delaney has been doing it for at least 10 more years than we have. Since it works so well for him, we decided to get in on it, too. Joe gave me Jerry Reeves’ phone number, and Jerry brought us some bulls,” says Wickhorst. “We lease the bulls, paying $650 a year for the lease on a bull. This is reasonable because when you go to an auction to buy a low CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33 |

birthweight Black Angus bull they are very expensive. For a really good one, it used to be about $6000 and now you have to pay about $8000 to $10,000. We can also keep the Wagyu bulls a little longer than the Angus bulls for heifers, because Wagyu don’t get as big as Angus.” They are not as hard on the heifers. “We typically keep 200 to 225 heifers each year to breed. We like the calving ease with the Wagyu

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bulls. The calves are small and a little thinner-skinned than Angus, however, so if you get bad weather you might have to bring them in and dry them off. Other than that, they are very hardy. Usually they are up sucking quicker than the Angus calves. They are very vigorous at birth,” he says. “We sell the calves in the fall after weaning. This has worked very well for us; we typically ship these calves a week or | CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

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“Our greatest risk is doing nothing,” explained Robert Fraley, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Monsanto at the recent annual Cattlemen’s College sponsored by Zoetis. Fraley was talking about the challenge to global agriculture to double food production by 2050 as the global population grows from about 7.3 billion today to an estimated 10.0 billion by 2050. “We will have to produce more and waste less,” Fraley said. “We’ll have to produce food with less water, tighter regulations and continually changing weather patterns.” Never minding the growing global appetite for beef, Fraley’s thoughts regarding increased production and reduced waste seem to be wise advice for cattle producers in general. Lower Cost Chatting with various agriculture lenders recently, asking what general advice they offer clients about risk management, a common answer ran something like this: “Focus on being as competitive as possible, which means lowering and managing costs, then you have the chance to profit no matter where the market is at any point in time.” The low cost refrain can sound like a broken record, but time and again, it emerges as the key to economic survival in a commodity business and being able to windrow profit in the good times. “Almost three-fourths (72.4%) of the average difference in net return to management between high and low-profit farms is due to cost differences,” explained Kevin Dhuyvetter in the summer of 2011 when he was an agricultural economist at Kansas State University. “The other 27.6% 42

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is due to differences in gross income per cow, part of which is a higher price but also high-profit farms had heavier calves.” Dhuyvetter was referring to an analysis he conducted—Differences Between High, Medium and Low Profit Producers, an Analysis of 2006-2010 Kansas Farm Management Association (KFMA) Cow-calf Enterprise. Cow-calf enterprise costs and returns from the KFMA Enterprise Analysis for individual producers were divided into three profitability groups, high, middle, and low, based on the per cow return to management. Net Return to Management is gross income less total costs, which includes unpaid labor, depreciation, and a charge for owned land. Multiyear averages were calculated for all variables (e.g., returns, herd size, costs) for each of the operations with a minimum of three years of data. At the time, returns over total costs for the top third of operations in profitability was a negative $74.99 per cow. Returns were a negative $229.97 for the middle third and negative $419.89 for the lowest third of operations. Higher-profit operations sold calves at slightly heavier weights and at slightly higher prices than those in the other profit categories, along with some other advantages such as the amount of labor devoted to the cow-calf enterprise. But, Dhuyvetter emphasized, “Differences in costs between operations were much larger than the revenue differences. High-profit operations had about a $250 per cow advantage over low-profit farms (-28%) and a $119 advantage over the midprofit farms. High-profit operations had a cost advantage in every cost

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By Wes Ishmael

category compared to the low-profit operations.” Again, this was several years back before the massive, historic run-up in cattle prices. Similar studies conducted by various organizations over time come to same general conclusion— costs rather than revenue are the key to cow-calf profit. Keep in mind, depending on the study, producers with the lowest total cost aren’t necessarily the lowest-cost in every category. For instance, one study sticks out in my memory where the most profitable producers spent more on genetics and animal health. “While numerous factors beyond the producer’s control impact the absolute level of profitability, producers’ management abilities impact their relative profitability,” Dhuyvetter explained. “In a competitive industry that is consolidating, such as production agriculture, relative profitability will dictate which producers will remain in business in the long run. Thus, it is important to recognize which characteristics determine relative farm profitability between producers.” Reduce Waste No one wants to knowingly squander hard-earned resources. After all, entire studies have been devoted to topics as seemingly mundane as whether one type of bale ring or another offers more cost efficiency (the differences are enormous). Other research and subsequent adoption validates and quantifies the economic advantage of cows bred in the first 21 days of the breeding season. These days,

folks are identifying opportunity and disadvantage at the molecular level through genomics. But how often are opportunities wasted, opportunities just as hard to earn? Maybe they are opportunities ignored for good reason because they don’t fit current resources and goals. Sometimes, though, maybe it’s an opportunity dismissed out of hand because it’s something too different than anything imagined as being part of the operation, or the breeding scheme or nutritional plan. For that matter, there’s plenty of old, proven, effective technology that’s often under-utilized in the cow-calf business, everything from artificial insemination, to ionophores to implants. Then, there’s all of the new stuff. As an example, recent research from Oregon State Univer-

sity suggests significant gains in weaning weight, hot carcass weight and reduced BRD incidence can be had in calves simply by supplementing cows with trace minerals during the last trimester. None of the cows in the study were mineral-deficient, but calves from those supplemented with organic minerals in the last trimester performed significantly better. Yes, it’s a single study in need of replication. Given the low cost and risk, though… None of this suggests forgetting common sense, taking on added risk willy nilly or taking a flyer on something unproven when the risk is too great. It serves as a reminder, though, especially given the long generational interval of a cow, that opportunities to change management, let alone the complexion of the herd, are sparse over the course of a producer’s lifetime. Such infre-

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quent opportunity places a premium on having as much assurance of success as possible. It also magnifies the cost of leaving such opportunity to gather dust. Fraley was named a World Food Prize Laureate in 2013 for his contribution to founding, developing and applying modern agriculture biotechnology to helping agricultural producers feed the world. He is confident that agriculturists will meet and exceed the daunting increased needs for global agricultural production. “I absolutely believe we have the tools to address it,” Fraley, says. “We have not only the tools to meet the challenge of achieving food security, but we can to the extent that we’ll also be able to take some marginal lands out of production.”

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two before we ship our Angus calves. The summer that these first-calf heifers are raising their Wagyu calf, we put young Angus bulls with them and they breed back better for us than our heifers did in the past. Heifers that turn up open after their first calf go down the road, and that doesn’t happen as much anymore,” says Wickhorst. There are several benefits, though people who have never used Wagyu think it’s a big change. “It really isn’t that much different from what we normally do, and fits very well with our operation. It’s not any extra work; we simply have different bulls for the heifers. We turn these bulls out in the winter with our Angus bulls and in the spring just sort them off and haul the Wagyu bulls to the heifer pastures and the Angus bulls to the cow pastures,” he says. “Snake River Farms buys the Wagyu-sired calves and gives us a 20% premium over the market. It’s not like you are raising calves that aren’t worth much—like when people tried to breed their heifers to other easy-calving breeds like Longhorns or Jerseys. The Wagyu cross is a high-end meat and goes to nice restaurants,” he says. “We’ve also kept several steers to butcher. One steer was almost 5 years old by the time we butchered him, but was great eating! It’s a highly marbled meat. You have that nice, expensive meat and don’t have to pay for it in a restaurant!” says Wickhorst.

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ANGUS MEANS BUSINESS. A reliable business partner is difficult to come by. At the American Angus Association®, a team of skilled Regional Managers can guide your operation toward success. Contact your regional manager to locate Angus genetics, select marketing options tailored to your needs, and to access Association programs and services. Put the business breed to work for you. Jake Troutt, Regional Manager

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SOUTH DAKOTA PRODUCER Boyd Parsons, in western South Dakota, has been ranching for more than 40 years. He began using Wagyu bulls on heifers in the mid 1990’s. “I got started on this program through the Padlock Ranch at Ranchester, Wyoming, and Dan Scott. My father

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and I set up an alliance with them and bought our bred heifers from them every year. Then my dad retired and moved to Rapid City. I was out at the Padlock ranch one day and Dan asked if I’d like to try the Wagyu program. Gerry Pittenger was our contact person. In the beginning the Padlock Ranch bred our heifers by AI and used semen from Wagyu bulls,” explains Parsons. Then he started leasing bulls from Pittenger and Dr. Jerry Reeves. “There were not enough Wagyu bulls available before that; our only option was AI on the heifers. After we got the bulls, we started breeding the heifers here on our place in South Dakota. We calve between 250 and 300 heifers every year,” he says. Using Wagyu bulls makes it much easier to calve out that many heifers. “We pasture calve; the heifers are grouped in several small pastures that are about 80 to 100 acres. They start calving early April, for a 55-day calving season,” says Parsons. “We only use Wagyu bulls on heifers. After the calves are weaned we background them through winter, and ship them to Agri-Beef in early March. Gerry Pittenger was our first contact for the calves, and Jerry Reeves was a later partner, and then Jerry sold his interest to Agri-Beef. So AgriBeef has been the recipient of our calves for the past 5 years.” The calves have been bringing a $20 premium. “We use CattleFax data (for North and South Dakota) for the base pricing, with the premium added on top of that. There is also a 10 cent slide if the cattle don’t weigh the target weight.” This has been a good market to get more money for those calves. “Agri-Beef contacted me to see if I would be interested in breeding my entire cow herd and they

would furnish the bulls. They have bulls that work well on cows (siring larger calves), but at this point I’ve only wanted to breed heifers to Wagyu. I don’t want all my eggs in one basket.” The heifer program is very beneficial, however, with the calving ease, hybrid vigor and premium for those lighter calves. “It’s been a delightful experience for us. Every year we have a 92 to 95% calf crop out of the heifers, and the biggest bonus is that the coming three-year-olds (pregnant with their second calf) are 90-plus percent pregnant. The first-calvers breed back quickly and stay in the herd. These are the fragile, high-priced group of cattle, and

you want to get them past that stage. Once we get them pregnant with their second calf then about the only thing that can cause us problems is bad weather or bad luck!” The Wagyu bulls are a good fit for heifers. “The premium is there and you don’t have to go on the open market with those calves. Calving ease is especially appreciated because labor is always a problem; it’s hard to find help,” he says. The thing he really likes about the calves is their vigor. “When they are born, they want to live. They jump right up and start nursing. Even if you get a storm and have to bring them in because

they are chilled, once you warm them up they are eager to find mom. Most other two-year-olds’ heifers that you have to bring in seem to die, but these perk right up and get going. Other heifers’ calves that are listless and cold just don’t have that kind of vigor,” says Parsons. “We calve out in the open, in their natural habitat, so we have no problems with heifers mothering their calves (compared to heifers in confinement that sometimes get confused). Then these little buggers get right up and want to nurse and keep working at it until they get ahold of the teat. They have a strong instinct to get the job done.”

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KESSLER ANGUS

Milton-Freewater, Oregon

Kessler Angus was started in 1961-1962 when Randy Kessler acquired his first Angus heifer as a 4-H project. Kessler Angus is located west of Milton-Freewater, Oregon in a small community called Umapine. The year 2016 brings us to Randy Kessler’s 55th year in the Angus breed. He knew as a 9-year-old boy that he wanted to raise Angus cattle and since making that statement, he has never looked back. One of Randy’s favorite traditions is to exhibit cattle at the Walla Walla County Fair in Walla Walla, WA. He has taken Angus cattle to the WWF for 54 consecutive years and looks forward to this fall being number 55. Randy sold his first bull in 1964. He continued to merchandise the bulls through private treaty and

consignment sales while building his reputation. In 2007 the family held their first production sale at the ranch. The Kessler cowherd has grown to about 350 momma cows and they merchandise 130 bulls annually. In 2012 Kessler Angus was recognized as a Historic Angus Herd by the American Angus Association. Randy grew Kessler Angus to the level that is is with the help of his late wife, Dawn. “Their skill sets matched seemingly perfectly and they were very successful in building upon the connections and reputation that Randy had started in his early years in the business,” explains Tierra Kessler, oldest of the three Kessler children who help Randy run the ranch, Tierra, 23,

Cheyenne, 20, and Cody, 17. Kessler Angus began with a vision to produce highquality purebred Angus bulls for commercial cattlemen. They focus on the traits of a cow that have kept them in business for 55 years. “A female at Kessler Angus has to calve unassisted, mother up quickly, let us handle the calf, breed back for January to March, and wean a calf that makes the bull sale or goes into the replacement heifer pen. As EPD fads change, we respond accordingly but the bottom line is a cowherd that gets the job done and produces the kind of bulls that will make our customers money,” says Tierra The Kessler Angus annual bull sale is held on the third Tuesday in February. The next sale date will be Tuesday, February 21, 2017. “We are always available to discuss our program and visitors are welcome to the ranch at any time,” says Tierra. Those interested in learning more about Kessler Angus can visit kesslerangus.com or join us on Facebook at “Kessler Angus.”

ANGUS

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Robert & Kathleen Buchanan P.O. Box 12822 Everett, WA 98206 425-350-1455 rollin_carlson@msn.com Cattle with eye appeal, backed by Profitable Numbers Look for Us!

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Jim Coleman, Owner Doug Worthington, Manager 2702 Scenic Bend • Modesto, CA 95355 209/521-0537 • www.vintageangusranch.com

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Producing Quality, Dependable Red Angus Bulls & Heifers MARK PEACEMAKER

1704 Gregory Mountain Road, Montague, CA 96064

530-340-0223 • pbarranch@sbcglobal.net 48

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Over 42 Years Experience! Make your next event a JDA sanctioned event. Brown Alliance X7795 Reg# 1384813 Doug, Betty, Dave Dunn

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Representatives

JAKE PARNELL........................... (916) 662-1298 GEORGE GOOKIN....................... (209) 482-1648 MARK FISHER............................. (209) 768-6522 REX WHITTLE.............................. (209) 996-6994 JOE GATES.................................. (707) 694-3063 ABLE JIMENEZ............................ (209) 401-2515 JASON DAILEY............................ (916) 439-7761

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Steven, Amanda & Joseph (530) 864-2855

P.O. Box 391 • Gridley, CA 95948 e-mail: ricencows@schohr.com www.schohrherefords.com

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By Wes Ishmael

“It’s over,” Uncas said. The voice Hooter heard amid the static on his phone line at 4 a.m. was so unlike that of his old friend that it took him a couple of seconds to pinpoint the caller’s identity. “Uncas, is that you? What’s…” “I’ve checked and rechecked, but there’s no mistake.” “Uncas, slow down, now what’s…” “All that time,” Uncas rambled on. “Obviously I missed something but what?” “Uncas…” “No matter. It’s done now. I wanted you to know.” Click. Hooter kept calling back as he pulled on his clothes. No answer. He was more than concerned as he pinned the ears back on his pickup, heading north of the river to Uncas’ place. After all, Uncas Bingelemeyer’s disposition was always preternaturally sunny and sanguine, if somewhat erratic. The lines connecting his logic were akin to the path of a hyper-electric pinball that never dropped out of play, but it always seemed to make sense to 50

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him. Never, in all the years since he first got acquainted with Uncas on the 4-H judging team, had Hooter known him to be anything other than calm and pleasant, no matter the circumstances. Not once in all of the years had Hooter sensed any sort of melancholy or introspection. Uncas was one of the few folks Hooter had ever met who seemed to be truly at peace with their maker, their world and themselves. Hooter guessed the shop-cumlaboratory was the best first place to look. He was right. But, it took him a while to spy Uncas beneath a pile of crumpled and torn greenbar computer paper. It looked as though boxes of reams of the stuff had exploded. “Uncas! Uncas! You O.K.?” Hooter shouted. Like a sedated turtle trying to ease its neck from within its shell, Uncas’ eyes gradually focused on Hooter. “Uncas, what’s going on? You’ve had me plumb spooked.” “This,” Uncas replied in a dejected tone, sweeping his hand across the peaks and valleys of paper. “This.” Hooter ran to his pickup for his thermos. He poured a cup for Uncas. “Supposing you tell my what this is, and what exactly is over.” “Huh?” “You called me, remember? You called to say it was over and thought I should know.” “Oh that.” Uncas sipped on the coffee. “Well, it is.” “And?” “The Bingelemeyer Composites,

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Hooter. All done. All over.” “Huh?” Uncas swept his hand across the papers once again. Hiding in Plain Sight The Bingelemeyer Composite II was a questionable mixture of genetics that Uncas had been crafting and honing for most of the years since Hooter had known him. The patriarch was a sire that Uncas called Sir Loin-A-Lot, the oddest melding of misaligned cattle parts Hooter had ever seen. “He’s an eighth Angus, an eighth Hereford, a sixteenth Simmental, a sixteenth Maine Anjou, a sixteenth Watusi, an eighth Nellore, and the other seven-sixteenths is the Bingelemeyer I composite. That’s the secret. That’s the information I can’t tell anybody,” Uncas had told Hooter years ago. Hooter always suspected the secret ingredient included Peruvian Warthog. Sir Loin-A-Lot was brindle colored with a white face and socks; one massive horn curved up, the other down; Uncas said they were heavy scars. The bull had to be at least a frame score 10, more than a decade after anyone wanted tall cattle. He hid his muscle well and travelled like a drunken sailor. Using a liberal scale, Hooter had guessed the bull’s yearling scrotal circumference would stretch the tape at about 15 cm. “I defy you to find a patch of prickly pair he can’t get through with his unmentionables still intact,” Hooter remembered Uncas telling him. “Can you imagine the heterocyst?”

Uncas had confided in a hushed tone. “He can make the ground shake.” Suffice it to say, the Bingelemeyer Composite was not one Hooter cared to sample; he knew of no one else besides Uncas who ever had. But, Hooter also embraced that old maxim about one man’s trash being another’s treasure. He appreciated anybody who could make their cattle work for them. By all accounts, Uncas’ cattle did just that for him. Or, at least they had. “Last time we talked, before this morning, you were so excited about them,” Hooter said. “You told me it was your best year yet and you owed it all to your composite.” Uncas nodded, slurped more coffee. “That’s part of the problem.” “Huh?” Uncas motioned to the piles of paper again. “It’s my selection index. I’ve maxed out. Making further progress requires genetics that I don’t possess.” Hooter stifled a smile and remembered how tickled he was to find his old buddy upright and coherent, at least coherent by Uncas standards. He fought hard to keep from suggesting that introducing genetics of most any kind from outside the composite would surely represent light years of progress. “Well, if your index is right, maybe your goals are wrong,” Hooter tried. “Huh?” Hooter finally saw a spark of interest. “First off, what is your selection index or indexes? What are they relative to and what are using to calculate them?” “Huh?” Hooter was no animal breeder, but he knew folks who were. And, he’d enjoyed more than a few latenight sessions picking their brains. “You know me Uncas, statistics get to be deep water in a hurry,”

Hooter explained. “But, I’m assuming you’re using some sort of estimated breeding value for particular traits, weighted for economic value, relative to a given situation, like a maternal index being weighted more in that direction versus an index weighted toward keeping and feeding the calves.” Uncas straightened up in his chair. “As you well know, I calculate EPDs for my herd, always have.” Hooter did know that. At least he knew that Uncas calculated something he called EPDs, which were unlike those employed by the industry. “What are the indexes and what are the breeding values used in their calculation?” Uncas rubbed his chin. “I still don’t know if I follow you. I have a breeding index. The better cattle score higher and the lesser cattle score less. Understand, of course, even the lower scoring ones are good cattle.” Hooter nodded. “So, to score the best, they have to be above average in everything, or they have to excel in a few things.” Hooter nodded again. “And by that measure, you’re saying enough of them are good enough that you can’t make enough others better enough to make a difference—what you called maxing out.” “That’s about the size of it.” Uncas sniffed and looked completely hopeless once again. Hooter knew he and Uncas were talking about entirely different things, that he wasn’t the one to impart the finer points of genetic evaluation tools and that Uncas would pay no attention to them anyway. Hooter also knew that wasn’t the point. “I don’t know much about selection indexes, but it seems like if your cattle are at the maximum, then either you need to add some-

thing else to the index, or the game becomes getting rid of the variation so the numbers can be maintained.” Uncas set down his empty cup. “I’m not sure I follow you.” “I’m not sure I do either,” Hooter said. “If the cost of making incremental gain to the index or the pieces that make it up outweighs the returns, then you either have to find something else worth working on that responds to selection, or you have to shift your focus to maintaining at the current level. On the one hand, it seems to me that you’re genetics have grown beyond your index. On the other hand, they’ve fulfilled it completely and accomplished exactly what you were after to start with.” Uncas blinked a few times, got up and headed to the worn blackboard in the corner of his shop. He picked up a piece of chalk and started scribbling equations that made no earthly sense to Hooter. “Yes, yes, yes. So, this is what you’re saying,” Uncas declared with excitement, banging a forefinger on the chalkboard. “Ummm….” “This changes everything,” Uncas muttered as he scribbled more statistics. “Well, sort of… yes...in fact, this is exactly the same approach I took in developing Sir Loin-A-Lot…”

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A 6 Gener at ion Califo r ni a T r a dit ion Join Us

September 13th, 2016

Oakdale, CA

Thank you to all of last year’s buyers!

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