16 minute read
A Real, Casual Conversation about Promogen with Dr. Jeff Gower
Soaring Eagle of the Ozarks.
Springfield, Missouri
by Derek Sample Derek@ABPmag.com
Science matters. We get it...
But we asked Dr. Gower to tell it to us straight, and it's fascinating!
Q: Hi again Dr. Gower. We've been traveling all over the country this year and we keep running into happy Promogen customers. How is the Promogen testing coming along?
A: Well, we've been using Promogen in our Angus program since the beginning. The high-scoring bulls brought $1,500.00 more on average at the first sale, and that was enough of an eye-opener to see the value. Fast forward to today, all the cattle we sell are Promogen tested, as well as all the cattle we retain to keep building our program, so I think it’s going well.
Q: How did you originally become involved with Promogen?
A: We've been breeding champion Clydesdale horses since 1972. Our goal was to produce the best, but we kept hitting roadblocks, such as the ‘failure to thrive’ in our foals. We were only getting 30% of our foals born live and that didn't make any sense. Fortunately, about 12 years ago I crossed paths with Dr. Bill Julien (President of Anova Biosciences) at a horse sale, and he told me about this test his company was working on that measured previously unknown proteins that could predict the ability to resist stress. He also believed these proteins are inherited, and suggested that the problem could be linked to our breeding program itself. Sure enough, we're now in 2023 and we have 82% live foals on the ground! So we started Promogen testing our mares and studs and found that the horses we bought from breeders in western Canada all had high Promogen scores, likely because of the cold, the wind and that they have to make their own way in the world. It turns out that the mating from these horses produced foals that got up, took a deep breath, and were off to the races.
Q: The obvious next step was Promogen testing your cattle. What benefits did you find?
A: We found that Promogen was predictive of cow longevity, fertility, and the ability to fight disease. With that, we started looking for high-scoring bulls and cows to build our program. For example, I bought some bulls from Dr. George Williams in Tennessee, who based his program on breeding for $C. It turned out that the bulls we selected from the Williams herd also had very high Promogen scores. Then about 4 to 5 months ago, I started looking at feed efficiency as a trait to breed for. Several well-known programs focused on feed efficiency in Montana and Wyoming, and it was there that we started our search. Just like with the Alberta-bred Clydes, cattle raised on the high deserts of Montana and Wyoming must be efficient to survive. Surprisingly, we found that Promogen once again was predictive of just how feed efficient an animal really is. For example, a breeder sent what he thought was a uniformly outstanding group of bulls to a local test station. I had them all Promogen tested, and we found some good ones as well as some that were not as good as the breeder thought. He responded, “I’ve spent 50 years trying to come up with a formula for breeding for feed efficiency, and you guys showed me this test that identified the very best ones right away.”
Q: That’s basically survival of the fittest.
A: Yes, it goes back to that simple observation of survival of the fittest. Putting that in the context of a herd of beef cattle, successful survival means living a long, productive life with minimal input in time and money from our side. The proteins that are measured by the Promogen test increase the chances of this happening.
Q: Can you use Promogen on any animal?
A: Yes, they have tested buffalo, deer, goats, horses, hogs, and even dogs and cats. As a medical professional, I am impressed with their research using the test to study human diseases as well.
Q: This is such a simple answer to what could be a complicated situation. Do you find that people just don't believe you?
A: Yes. Most people will say this is too simple, so it can’t be true. Another criticism I hear is "how could this test do better than my dad, grandfather, or great-grandfather's methods to pick our next herd sire or breed that ‘million-dollar’ cow?" My answer is always the same, ‘this test is insurance that your eyes
Q: So, you have all this information right in front of you now, instead of waiting years to work out your genetics through EPDs and AI-focused breeding?
A: Yes. We found that the Promogen test identifies the animals we want to keep at birth, and that decision gets confirmed when we get our EPD projections later. We don’t want to spend two years depending on a bull to produce the type of replacements we want and need in our herd only to find we bet on the wrong horse. Promogen takes the guesswork out of that process.
Q: With that being said, Promogen seems to be a cost-effective investment?
A: A Promogen test today costs $35.00. Genomic testing is around $42.00? Plus remember that EPDs are guesstimates of an animal’s potential, a blueprint of what could be. We have further found that only some EPD traits, specifically those maternally linked, give a more accurate picture of what could be. For example, we've been working with a large commercial breeder in Wyoming who described his herd as “just cows”. “They‘re not
pretty to look at, but they always have a calf, they don’t need a lot of feed to keep in condition. The calf is always in a hurry to get up, get going, and stays healthy.” At my request, this gentleman Promogen tested 60 of these cows and 50 of them hit home runs in terms of their scores. His “grubby lookin' old cows” as he put it, ended up in the top 10% of the thousands of cows that have been tested over the last couple of years. Promogen forecasted performance carries over into feedlot cattle as well. Dr. Julien shared the results of a study that was done independently of Anova, and it showed high-scoring cattle gained 1 lb. a day more, but ate 2 lbs. less feed per day, over a 90 feed out. These results were used to project performance using the Dalex feedlot software. Assuming a starting weight of 700lbs and a finishing weight of 1,400lbs, the high-scoring Promogen cattle reached that finishing weight 30 days sooner. The net return on these cattle went up from $1.35/lb. for average scores to $2.35/lb. for high-scoring cattle. My take on this is if you are running a feedlot with an annual throughput of 300,000 per year, and you are feeding the high-scoring, more feed-efficient cattle, they would be getting to weight 30 days faster which saves over a buck a pound per head about 300,000 times! You do the math. Then we ran numbers for a feedlot operator friend of mine and found that if he fed only high-scoring Promogen animals, he could save $4.6 million a year, just in feed costs.
Q: Do you find a correlation between EPDs and Promogen results over time?
A: Yes. EPDs are a prediction of what could be. As I said before, to me, EPDs are a blueprint. How useful that blueprint is depends on a lot of things. Our program found that the Promogen score predicts how many of an individual’s EPD scores will put them in the top 1% of the animals currently tested. Knowing this for months before we get the EPD results is helpful, and we'll keep an eye on the ones that we believe will be winners.
Q: How often do you test your cattle?
A: You just do it once, and we do it on every one of our calves that hit the ground. Once you know the animal's score, you don’t have to redo it. It’s an absolute that doesn’t ever change. It's not a guess or a prediction of the future but absolute results that every cattleman can work with. Another benefit of the Promogen program is that Dr. Julien will explain to everyone how to work with the results after every test. He’ll make sure that you understand what every score means and what to expect from your cattle.
For us, our buying decisions are weighed on Promogen first, then we look at phenotype, which usually lines up anyway. This is when we know we’ve hit the sweet spot and it carries over into our culling system as well. Promogen will tell you the animals that are a risk, the ones that aren’t reproductively profitable, and the ones that are likely to have short productive herd lives. Those are the ones we get rid of.
Q: Is this the best method to improve everybody’s genetic program, regardless of their geography?
A: In my opinion, yes. In our search for high-scoring bulls and cows, we find them all across the country. They usually come from programs that recognize the value of cow families. These are Promogen overachievers that share the same natural abilities to succeed in the environment they were born into, be it the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia or the high desert of Wyoming. I am not a gambler, but our experience is that with a little bit of homework, knowledge, and the $35.00 cost of the test, we significantly reduce the risk while getting payback right off the bat. It's an immediate ROI!
Q: Are traits read into these scores as well, such as tenderness, marbling etc.?
A: Are tenderness and marbling linked to the Promogen score? My personal experience is that they are, especially tenderness. This is reflected in the EPD scores, which correlate with a Promogen score. We have begun to focus on tenderness in our own program because a tender steak is one that I prefer to eat, as well as most people out there. Marbling is important, but from personal experience and what I have learned from visiting with the owners and managers of the vertically integrated businesses, tenderness and marbling are very different things, with tenderness being more important.
Q: We talk to many ranchers that find it necessary to lease or purchase more and more land that’ll produce more forage to feed their cows. Will Promogen help them make better decisions with this?
A: That’s why we are currently working with Anova, Dr. Julien, and the State of Nebraska. By applying the results of Anova’s human medical research efforts, Promogen testing has been refocused to quickly identify beef and dairy cattle that are more feed efficient and significantly more productive. High-scoring cattle can produce more lbs. of meat or milk per acre at a cost that will benefit both the producer and the consumer, while conserving key natural resources such as water, along with the added benefit of reducing the carbon footprint. This project is a multistate enterprise and will use grant money to build a model that can be implemented across the country and the world.
Q: What about the Associations? How are they reacting? Do you get any pushback?
A: Pushback is an understatement! I can tell you that the most progressive breed association out there is Limousin. They realize that their EPD system doesn’t fully tell their story. They know that Limousins are feed efficient and produce a tender product that, thanks to a few breeders, have the data to prove it. So why are they crossing their animals with Angus? Well, it’s because the cross is usually black and marbles. This combination of natural tenderness, marbling, and color is the best of both worlds, right? In our experience, everybody we visit who breeds Limousins always talks about their crosses with Angus having the most potential.
Q: Do you find that EPDs are really delayed these days? It’s a common complaint, even a serious grudge with some.
A: I hate to say it, but the Angus Association appears overwhelmed. It’s frustrating but understandable due to the success of the Angus breed. For us, knowing we can depend on the reliability of the Promogen test to assist us in making early management decisions, some of the pressure is off, but for others, it is what it is.
Q: From what we can see, there's a lot more people adapting Promogen into their program
A: Yes, that's true. I know of several ranches and farms from California to Florida, both seed stock producers and commercial operations that are using the test as part of their management strategies. This is driven by the industry-wide realization that we must do something to get in front of a changing environment (being green is a key to success) and a brand-loving consumer market. If we don’t, things might be tough. For example, because of their inherent feed efficiency and stress resistance, high scoring Promogen animals need less feed and water to maintain themselves or reach a marketable weight quicker and that is amazing. In fact, there was a heifer that was sold 2 years ago, and I wanted to buy her. I had her tested, and 10 others at the same sale, but she was the only one with an extremely high Promogen score. I got outbid by a group from California, and I think they paid $190,000 for her. They put her on a truck straight through to California. When she arrived and was offloaded, she walked over, took a drink, and settled in. I told the buyer "I'm gonna tell you exactly what she did, and you tell me if I'm right. She drank water, entered the barn and laid down. You went in and gave her a little feed, and she ate, but she laid back down to get her legs under her. Then when you felt the time was right, you co-mingled her with some animals her age, and none of 'em bothered her." Then the buyer said, "How did you know that?" I said, "that's just the way they are. These animals know they are superior, and they really are. You can take that same heifer and put her in with a second group of heifers, and they won't bother her. She'll eat what, where and when she wants. We have several high Promogen donors at the Blue Stem Embryo Transfer Center in Kansas, and the two highest ones always pair up together. They eat, drink and sleep together and are our biggest producers.
Q. You mentioned that as a medial professional, you were impressed with the human medical research involving Promogen. Tell us more about that.
After graduating from the University of Tennessee Dental School in 1971, I got an MS in Orthodontics at St. Louis University in 1976 and completed a residency in Orthodontics. That was a lot of science. That background gave me an appreciation for the science behind the Promogen test and got me thinking about how I could apply that science to help me achieve my objectives as an Angus breeder. Today, Promogen is used to study why some people live normal lives even though they have been diagnosed with diseases like Multiple Sclerosis. It's been identified by another group of medical researchers as a method to determine disease susceptibility and its impact on longevity. Physicians working in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at a major East Coast research hospital are looking at using Promogen to assess surgical risk and projected outcomes of high-risk surgeries. A lot more is going on like this, proving that my early hunches were correct in putting science to work.
Q: Well, we’ve covered a lot of ground today. Is there anything else to share with our readers?
A: A couple of things. We just lost a bull called Williams Jonesboro. He had a Promogen score of 5.2. We have his full brother, Hollywood, who scored 5.0. The dam of both bulls has a 6.5 score and is the highest-scoring female in the Angus breed. Just before Jonesboro died, we had three of the top five producing bulls in the country for EPDs. That was for $C, $B, carcass weight, ribeye, $M, and efficiency. All that was predicted by their Promogen scores. It’s just that simple. Luckily, we collected enough of Jonesboro, and he's siring 6.5 calves! We intend to breed the high-scoring heifers to an outcross, 6.5 bull either home raised or one we find. We’ve had enough experience to know that like begets like. It’s that simple.
In my second career which is Sales, Marketing and Distribution for Anheuser-Busch, I learned much about consumer marketing. With that said, as beef producers we're at a crossroads. Successful marketing is ensuring your customer understands that you're truly providing what they want at a price they can afford, which involves finding a message you can support and believe in. At Soaring Eagle, we are breeding for the future and that future is the sale of a truly sustainable product, which is now more understood by the consumer. Sustainability to them has a different meaning than for us. To them, sustainability means a wholesome consistent product that was humanely managed without damaging the environment, and it's got to be affordable. To us, sustainability means a product that is profitable enough to allow us to continue to live the lifestyle we have chosen. In short, sustainability will only work when those two definitions become synonyms. I believe applying what we learn from Promogen makes this possible. High-scoring cattle are more feed efficient, environmentally friendly, and live longer, more productive lives. These types of cattle are not only more profitable to raise, but are also poster children that prove we, as ranchers and farmers, are committed to protecting both the planet and the food supply! The beauty of it all, is that we can make money doing it!
Don't miss Soaring Eagle's 3rd Annual Invitational Sale, September 30th, and their Bull Sale, October 7th, at their sale facility in Springfield, MO
