Cracking the case

February 17, 2011

I get ridiculously excited about good carcass data—especially considering I don’t have any cattle of my own. But I do have a logical reason for doing a little happy dance when someone shares good numbers with us. It means I might get to do one of my favorite things in the world: a ranch visit.

When cattlemen show us they’re getting groups of cattle where half of them qualify for the Certified Angus Beef ® brand (national average for Premium Choice was 27% recently) we say, “WOW!” and then we wonder, “How?”

So our industry information team gets activated in detective mode. That’s what happened when Dave Guenzi, near Sterling, Colo., fed at CAB-licensed Chappell Feedlot and had groups that reached those marbling levels.

We keep a list of folks we’d like to visit with so we can tell their story, with hopes that others will read it and want to replicate those results. Dave was on that list and when I heard Colorado was going to get a sunny, 70° February day, I decided it was the perfect time to get out of the office.

And was it ever. Sun, 70° and NO WIND—now that never happens at the same time out West does it?

But it was about more than a day away from the computer. I was there as a sleuth,on behalf of farmers and ranchers everywhere who want to improve their carcass quality. How did he get such phenomenal carcass results? Why does he care? Is he solely focused on carcass with reckless disregard for maternal traits?

It might take the entire feature story that I’m working on now to answer the first question,but he cares because what he’s doing now makes him more money and Dave would laugh at the last question. I sneakily found out (ok, it’s public knowledge, but I thought that sounded more detective-like) that he has a heifer development program.

In a sprint to both upgrade and build his herd, he saved back replacement heifers like crazy. In the process he got good at breeding, growing and developing them. So when his family’s herd was built he decided to keep that enterprise going and reap the rewards.

In the process his customers are getting the benefit of his focus on calving ease, performance and grade all in the same package. (Maybe that makes them want to do a little happy dance of their own.)

I know this blog entry isn’t going to get the attention of the FBI—no special agent job offers for this reporter—but maybe I’ll get some from you. Anybody know of a ranch that’s got results worth investigating? I’m sure there are more sunny days in the future….

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

Miranda

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