6 minute read
A LOVE FOR THE BREED AND THE PEOPLE
A Love for the
BREED AND THE PEOPLE
by Lindsay L. Allen
Earning the rights and nomination for Breeder of the Year doesn’t happen overnight. As this year’s winner, Tracy Holbert, former co-owner of Blackwater Cattle Company and 40-year member of the International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA), said, “It’s been a lifelong love affair with the breed and the people.”
Holbert’s appreciation for the breed is the perfect example of the “domino effect.” In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, during graduate school at Texas A&M University, he was also coaching the livestock judging team. Holbert took advantage of the well-known and respected Willow Springs Ranch herd and their proximity to the university and spent a lot of time evaluating their cattle with his team. “In my role as a judging coach, I had the opportunity to evaluate a lot of cattle and ranches around the country. The Brangus herd at Willow Springs Ranch was superior to them all and I fell in love with the breed and developed a lot of respect for what these cattle can do,” he recalled, “So when the opportunity to work for IBBA after graduate school was presented to me – I took it!”
In 1981, Holbert became the first Director of Field Services for IBBA and has made his livelihood with Brangus cattle, alongside his wife, Cindy, ever since.
Fast forward to 2022 and Holbert is named the IBBA Breeder of the Year in recognition of his success and advancements made utilizing and promoting Brangus seedstock cattle.
Over the course of the last four decades, Holbert has worked hard to breed Brangus and Ultrablack cattle that are the “complete package.”
“When Mike Coggins and I owned Blackwater Cattle Company (before selling the Brangus operation in late 2021), we worked really hard to increase the quality of cattle we were making through extensive use of artificial insemination, embryo transfer, DNA technology, performance and data driven decisions, and ensuring our EPDs were enhancing the genetics of the herd to design cattle that were balanced and profit driven,” Holbert continued, “This breed is known for maternal traits, but I wanted to make sure my cattle were moving the needle when it came to performance and carcass traits as well.”
And the hard work paid off – Blackwater Cattle Company ranked in the top 65 of all seedstock breeders in the United States by the 2021 Beef Seedstock Top 100 list according to BEEF Magazine. Without sacrificing quantity over quality, their herd EPD averages annually ranked at the top for the breed as well. The ranch focused on producing Brangus bulls that could be utilized in any cow/calf operation across the country with the best possible balance of optimum calving ease blended with maternal, performance, and carcass traits.
“I have spent my life trying to make cattle blended in regards to antagonistic traits, which is not easy to do, but the balance of fertility and maternal traits mixed with high performing cattle that feed and hang well is important to me and the results are cattle that can create profit in any scenario, solidify the reputation of the breed and are highly sought after,” Holbert shared.
It’s not just his herd he has had an impact on, but also other Brangus outfits that rely on Holbert’s expertise to mate and produce high quality cattle. One of those operations is Mound Creek Ranch, which Holbert has been involved with for more than 30 years. Mound Creek Ranch has seen its fair share of success within their herd and a lot of that is credited toward Holbert’s genetic selections for the operation.
Eddie Blazek, owner of Mound Creed Ranch, said, “I have been involved in the Brangus breed for many years. In my experience, I know of no one that has been more deserving of the honorary “Breeder of the Year” award than Tracy Holbert.” He continued, “It is very evident that our breed has a special place in his heart and Tracy has shown this through his passion and drive to make a difference for Brangus breeders in the beef industry. Brangus genetics are in his DNA and the future of Brangus cattle has been greatly enhanced because of Tracy’s forty years of involvement and innovation.
Holbert’s passion for Brangus cattle stems from the fact that they “can do it all.” As he says, “These cattle can fit into so many segments; they are polled and solid colored with a tremendous maternal presence, but also economical and efficient feeders that can hang with the best of them. Any seedstock operation should have these type of end point goals, which means our cattle can fit into any program and offer value.”
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But as Holbert said earlier – it’s not just Brangus cattle that has kept him involved with the IBBA since the early 80s…it’s the Brangus breeders too.
“So many have influenced me and I owe a huge thanks to those who have allowed me to influence their genetic programs,” he continued, “The people I met and/or worked with when I began working for the Brangus association are still great friends to this day. This award is a reflection of a lifetime achievement, but I couldn’t have done it without the people in the breed who have allowed me to make my livelihood with Brangus cattle, be part of their programs and become true friends along the way. I’ve spent the last 40 years loving the Brangus breed, trying to breed the best cattle and spread the gospel about this breed’s great genetics.”
Holbert went on to say that when you look at Brangus breeders across the country, everyone is working to breed even better cattle and the results are being seen in the feed yards, packing houses, and heifer replacement pens.
“I have so much respect for our breeders, and over time our breed has adapted to industry needs. For example, the Brangus Value Project is pushing and supporting breeders with our quest to increase and prove the value of Brangus genetics in the feedyard and profitability on the rail through performance and high-end carcass traits. Our cattle are changing to better meet industry needs, and the demand is rising as a result.”
Holbert’s involvement and contributions don’t start and stop with his own herd and those genetic selections he is a part of; he has also been very active with the IBBA.
Over the course of the years Holbert has sat on most of the IBBA standing committees, and also served as chairman for the Breed Improvement, Promotion, and Long-Term Planning Committees and is currently on the Board of Directors for the International Brangus Breeders Foundation.
As a lifelong contributor to the Brangus breed, Holbert said that while he and Cindy are slowing their pace down slightly, and perhaps their volume of cattle has decreased, his chase for the best genetics and breeding systems is not wavering. Precision genetics will always be his goal within his own seedstock herd, and those he chooses to work with. “This has not been a career for me – but a passion. I could choose any breed of cattle to own and raise, but I love the Brangus breed, the people I continue to cross paths with, and will continue to try and be at the forefront of genetic improvement in our great breed,” he said.
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