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Tag: Seedstock

cows walking

In their Prime

When cattle are mooing in the background of a phone interview, it’s a good indication to me that my source is grounded in the “real world.”

Of course, I already knew that when I dialed up South Dakota producer Rich Blair, of Blair Brothers Angus, but I was reminded of that with each story he told about their journey to produce the best beef. (They aim for CAB and Prime, with some loads hitting as much as 50% of the latter.)

I’m sure I’ve talked about this myth before, but in case you wanted to hear it put to rest by one of your own, I’ll bring it up again. Plus the way he told the story made me smile.

Myth: You’ve got to have some pretty fancy cattle to produce great beef.

Fact: It’s really not about looks, as Rich found out back in the mid-90s.

“I can still remember the first time I got a Prime carcass and I thought, ‘Wow, that cow must really look special.’ So I went out and found her in the herd and I can still vividly remember looking through the cows and…..well, there she was.

I was never so disappointed in all my life! She just looked like the rest of ‘em.

But the thing she did, is that she made me $200 more than the cow standing next to them and it didn’t cost me a thing. Her calf ran with the bunch, he just had the genetics to grade Prime and the rest of ‘em didn’t.”

His suggestion for making more of those Prime-makers?  Study the data, and that will lead you to one solution: straightbred commercial Angus. But that’s another real-world story for another day…

May your bottom line be filled with black ink,

Miranda

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Partners in Mexico; partners in progress

October 18, 2011

On the road, but not far from home!  Recently, I assisted the Wooster, Ohio crew in hosting some folks from Mexico associated with ComNor,  a group that is a beef wholesaler for our product, Certified Angus Beef.

Our company has invested a lot of time, money, and effort in educating our customers about our product: where does it come from; who are the producers; how are the cattle treated; what are they fed; do they receive humane care, and how much does it cost to raise one? The group from ComNor was was no different.

On this particular trip, we visited a CAB-licensed feedlot (Pratt Feeders, Pratt, KS) and an Angus seedstock producer (Gordon Stucky at Kingman, KS).  In addition, the group got a tour of one of our many packing partners, Cargill in Dodge City, KS.

Gordon Stucky did an excellent job of explaining to the group the process of designing a genetic program takes time; he spends hours studying Expected Progeny Differences, talks to other seedstock producers, and visits with his bull customers to determine which A.I. sires he might use on his purebred cows.  Once the semen has been purchased, and cows synchronized and bred, 283 or so days later, those cows have a calf.  Eighteen months after that, he has a product (a bull, or rather several bulls) to finally sell.  He told the group that if he doesn’t make sound decisions on genetic selections, and produce the kind of bulls that his customers demand, he has just spent a great deal of time and energy wasted if he cannot please them.

Gordon Stucky explains his Angus seedstock operation to licensed partners from Mexico.

Jerry Bohn, manager of Pratt Feeders in Pratt, KS, stressed that when cattle arrive at the feedlot, they are fed a diet that is designed for them to Continue reading “Partners in Mexico; partners in progress”