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t would be very difficult to argue that the GelbviehCross cow is not a valued part of the cowherd. Besides the tremendous benefits of hybrid vigour, the Gelbvieh influence brings a wealth of quality maternal traits to the mix as well as some added performance to a calf crop. While maternal influence on calf performance is relatively obvious, it is often difficult to objectively measure the contribution of that female. This becomes very important through this fall season, as weaning records represent the “result” of how each cow did her job. The CGA operates a Herd Assessment program that places the focus on female performance/productivity in order to address this, but it is vital that as a member each cow is reported on every year. The first step in a cow’s maternal ability is the ability to conceive. Fertility is a key component of profitability and the first step is getting a cow bred (rebred). Reporting on pregnancy test results is an objective way to start to identify
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genetics that are fertile within a given contemporary group. Once a cow is bred, we move to the next step. At calving, other traits are important. As a CGA member you have the ability to report on various “convenience traits”. In essence these represent some of the cow’s ability to save you time and effort. This includes traits such as calving ease, and udder score. It is also possible to report on weight/body condition and frame at this time. Pre-calving scour shots are a good time to collect this weight data. As the cow progresses through the production year, her ability is expressed through her calf. This certainly includes growth rate on the calf, but it also goes a little deeper. Weaning records on all females, including those that may have lost a calf is key to determining which females and what genetics have successfully or unsuccessfully produced a calf. At weaning, there is also an opportunity to provide weight, condition score and frame size (hip height) information on those females as well. This data can put the pro-
