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Building on the Essentials

Continued from Previous Page the-line genetics.”

Once they began adding Beefmaster females to their herd, Marilynn said they incorporated an AI program to build their genetic profile. They typically AI heifers and rotate between AI and natural service.

The majority of the Pickle Creek Beefmasters-Chastain Ranch herd is spring calving, with a few stragglers in the fall.

“We like the spring calves because that coincides with the sales,” Jimmie said. “We have spring sales, and those calves need to be a year old for the futurities; it just works out better. Some production sales cater to earlier-than-spring calving, so we bred some this year to see if we can compete in another feed test in Texas. Those had to be January calves, and we usually have February calves.

Angus , Red Angus , Polled Hereford and Heat-Tolerant Bulls

April 6 th — Springfield, MO

“When you enter the feed tests and the yearling futurities, you want them to be as early in the window as you can so they will be bigger. I had a great bull, and it should be the number one bull, but there were two bulls bigger.”

Marilynn explained bulls in feed tests are typically kept on grass for two to three months, then put on feed.

“They look at the daily rate of gain on grass, then on feed, then an overall order is set by a group of judges,” she said.

Bulls raised by Marilynn and Jimmie have competed in three bull sales so far, and they had the top bull at an Arkansas sale last year. The number of bulls in a test or included in a futurity and the number each breeder may enter is determined by each breed association.

This year, Marilynn and Jimmie are also entering heifer futurities.

Participating in feed tests and futurities is a marketing tool, but the couple would rather sell animals directly from the farm.

“We like the competition and seeing how our bulls measure up, but you can’t have 10 number one bulls,” Jimmie said.

Marilynn and Jimmie are selective when evaluating their bulls, and both commercial and registered bulls must meet specific standards, including eye appeal and structure, to remain possible herd sires. Any bull not meeting the criteria is castrated. The couple also scans each animal to obtain a ribeye size and intramuscular fat.

“They have to be tame,” Marilynn added.

“Most of the time, I work them by myself. We start looking at them right before weaning to see how they are growing, how they are developing.”

Marilynn and Jimmie have retained most of their females to build their registered herd. Percentage females or heifers born into their commercial herd are sold as replacement heifers.

“We have sold more heifers this year than we ever have,” Jimmie said. “Right now, we have a Beefmaster bull with the commercial herd. Last spring, I sold my last Charolais bull. I still sell a certain amount of Charolais bulls, and I will probably put a Charolais bull back in with those Charolais cows. If not, we will keep a Beefmaster with them.”

Utilizing a Beefmaster bull on a commercial herd, Marilynn said, produces heavier calves for those looking the terminal market.

Females retained in the Pickle Creek Beefmaster-Chastain Ranch operation, or any females brought in as breeding stock, must meet Marilynn and Jimmie’s high standards.

“They have to have that eye appeal and docility,” Marilynn said. “They have to come from good mommas, and we always pelvic score them. Getting that pelvic measurement has really helped us improve. We also watch birthweights. When a calf hits the ground, you can tell if they are going to be a rock star or a dud. When we go to a sale, I get a catalog, he gets and catalog, and I build a spreadsheet.”

Jimmie said Marilynn looks at numbers and he evaluates the appearance, but they are usually on the same page.

“More times than not, we will come up with the same cows,” Jimmie said. “They might not be in the same order, but our top eight out of 10 will be the same.”

Heifers enter the Pickle Creek-Chastain Ranch breeding program at about 14 to 15 months of age.

“Most Beefmaster breeders want heifers that will calve by the time they are 2,” Marilynn added.

Because they want animals that stick to the six essentials of the Beefmaster breed, Marilynn and Jimmie will not keep a heifer that does not breed on the first breeding cycle, and those animals will not be sold as replacement animals.

Jimmie added that the Lasaters had a phi-