DELIVERING MORE OPTIONS WITH SELECT SIRES AND GENENET

Delivering More OPTIONS AND ADDING VALUE

WITH SELECT SIRES AND GENENET

by Sandra Utter

here are a lot of variables that impact the profitability of a cattle operation, but the two biggest factors that we can control are genetics and marketing. Your marketing plan needs to allow you to capture the value of those genetics and it must provide you with market access and flexibility that allows you to hit the optimum marketing window. Select Sires is driven by a singular passion – to help cattlemen utilize the best genetics in the world and help them to capture the value of those genetics through services that are easy to implement. That is why GeneNet is the perfect complement to your A.I. program.

Value creation extends through every segment of our industry. A little over a year ago Select Sires saw an opportunity to help producers who retain ownership of their cattle capture additional value and acquired GeneNet, a grid marketing company founded in 1998 by Dr. Ken Conway.

Wintergreen Farms, located outside of Clifton, Kansas, is a great case-study of an operation that has benefited from both A.I. and marketing their fed cattle through GeneNet. Wintergreen Farms is managed by two brothers, Trent and Cade Winter. Trent manages the farming and feeding side of the operation, while Cade takes on the role of ranch foreman, managing the hay and cow/ calf enterprises. The Winters had utilized A.I. in the past but found it difficult to implement on a consistent basis. That changed when a good neighbor introduced them to Select Sires representative, Tim Adams. With Tim’s expertise and help, the Winters have been able to implement a successful A.I. program for their replacement females on an annual basis. Tim’s role in helping to implement an A.I. program and ability to provide insight and suggestions on which sires to utilize has been invaluable. From Cade’s perspective, the greatest benefits to their operation have been the ability to rapidly improve genetics in areas where they needed to make progress, and the tighter calving window which has helped them market and manage their cattle more effectively. Trent’s son, Blade, is also involved in the day-to-day operations of the ranch and has seen the benefit of A.I. as well. “It has increased the value of the heifer calf crop from a uniformity standpoint due to genetic selection and getting more calves on the ground sooner in the calving season,” says Blade.

That is not to say there were not a few problems along the way. Initially, they found they were losing some A.I. pregnancies because of shipping the heifers to summer pastures. Working with Tim, their veterinarian and nutritionist, they were able to implement some nutritional and management changes to address the problem.

Winters’ market their A.I. sired calves through their cattle feeding enterprise. As Trent analyzed the carcass data they received from GeneNet, they realized they needed to improve the marbling ability of their cattle. They accomplished that with the use of Angus sires 7AN362 COMPOSURE, 14AN502 TAHOE and 7AN451 FLAT TOP. The results have been impressive, with quality grades improving significantly. The Winters had always utilized good genetics so it was surprising to them to see how much progress could be made through their A.I. program. The Winters utilize a balanced selection criteria, which is not solely focused on achieving carcass grid premiums, but is also focused on producing the “right” kind of females for their environment. Having data to make good decisions has been a key. “Without the data, it’s hard to see the progress or know the areas to improve”, states Trent. Through the years, Trent has been able to manage and sort cattle to optimize both premiums and yields on the grid.

Winter’s have a Red Angus/Gelbvieh cow base and buy bulls from reputable breeders in the area that also share their balanced trait breeding philosophy. They use calving ease Angus sires to take advantage of some black hided premiums but have yet to keep any heifer calves as replacements. They like the red hide and have seen their cattle improve on the grid through genetic selection and management.

When asked his thoughts about Select Sires purchasing GeneNet, Trent says, “It made sense and I was glad it was a company that understands the beef industry and will continue to provide the tools that have been of value in the past while combining it with their strength of product and service on the front end of the chain.” Trent values his relationship with GeneNet for various reasons, but the biggest is the ease to schedule cattle for harvest. With so many things going on in the farming side of the operation in the spring, he can make a phone call when he has a load ready and ships them the following week. The data allows Trent to see how the cattle are performing on the rail and to determine how their genetic selection is adding value on the rail. Blade’s parting comment represents what Wintergreen Farm strives to accomplish now and, in the future, “We want to knock it out of the park in creating this ultimate beef animal to help feed the world while maintaining a female that thrives in our environment and with our management.”

For more information regarding GeneNet please contact Sandra Utter at (307) 287-6647 or sutter@selectsires.com