Isa Beefmasters Reports on Two Significant Research Projects

The first study involves a collaboration with Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) and the Nobel Research Institute (Noble) in Ardmore, Oklahoma. They used two leading Beefmaster bulls (L Bar En Fuego, C988569, raised by Isa Beefmasters and owned by Gene Haymon; and CF Nueces, C1059662, raised by Collier Farms and owned by Jim Colvin).

The sires were A.I. bred to their commercial Angus herd. Nobel’s initial intent was to develop and study the replacement females, and that is still ongoing. But BBU was able to buy, feed and harvest the steers, with some truly fantastic results.

The steers gained 4.47 pounds per day, finished in 160 days (40 days faster than projected), had 0 percent death loss, yielded 62.6 percent and graded 94 percent choice (indus- try average 75percent).

Additionally, Warner Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF) tests were conducted by West Texas A&M University, and the steers averaged 3.86kg. (Anything under 4.6kg is considered tender.) This phenomenal performance shows what can be achieved utilizing performance Beefmaster genetics in a crossbreeding program.

“We have long maintained that there is more to profitability than just quality grade. These results show that true success lies in a combination of feedlot performance, health, grade & yield, and the critical but hidden trait of tenderness. These Beefmaster-sired steers absolutely rang the bell in every phase,” Isa President Lorenzo Lasater commented,

The second progeny test took place in Panama between 2000 and 2022. The program included 13 breeds and measured 2843 calves. Ten Beefmaster sires were used on native Zebu or Brahman-cross cattle.

The intent of the study, which is ongoing, is to examine improving reproductive efficiency and increased growth as a means of improving profitability for beef cattle producers in the tropics. The study was conducted at the Gualaca Livestock Experiment Station by IDIAP.

The study showed that for AFC (age at first calf) Beefmaster crosses were the best among the 13 breeds, while birth weights held steady, and growth was significantly increased. The scientists are very excited about the significance of the results as it pertains to beef production in the tropics, where 80 percent of the world’s cattle reside. More importantly from our perspective, Isa Beefmasters sire L Bar En Fuego was the number one Beefmaster sire for both AFC and weaning weight.

“The cattle industry often loses sight of the fact that profitability at the cow-calf level is predicated on low-input cattle that can handle their environment, reproduce efficiently, and wean heavy calves. No female is better at this than a Beefmaster,” Lasater noted.

Each study is a testimony to the investment we have placed in pushing the genetic envelope and making L Bar Beefmaster genetics evermore useful to the beef cattle industry worldwide, he continued.

Full details of both studies will be in the Spring Isa Informer newsletter.

“We are proud of how well Isa Beefmasters genetics performed in both progeny tests,” Lasater said.

“While they encompass very different aspects of beef cattle production, they examine several fundamental concepts in successful operations: reproductive efficiency, adaptability, growth, health, and carcass quality.” ▫

Cattle

OFFERING: Black Angus Polled & Horned Herefords

Offering at Private Treaty: A Great Set of Heifers

Using Sires: Mead’s Discovery 427, Mead’s Charlo Fortune 979, Mead’s Upfront 839