The hurrier I go, the behinder I get!

When I take the time to analyze and really study a subject, I can master it; the job will get done.  It will all be OK. There are times when I have too much to do, that I just dive in and am a flurry of activity.  Sometimes, as my wife will tell me, you try to get too much done in a set period of time.  If I take a day off of work to work at home on projects that need tending to, I always line up more than I can possibly finish.  That ends up with me feeling frustrated, and I don’t like that!

Along with that, thinking on my feet is a glaring fault of mine, particularly if I am not well prepared.  What I am is methodical.  I like concrete things. I like Step 1, Step 2, Step 3.  Summary: think things through, make a plan, and carry it out in a logical manner, and I can be very productive.

A well-designed cattle operation that meets your goals takes a lot of thought, planning, crafting, researching and consulting with others to make it successful.  Foresight doesn’t hurt, either.  I am about to share with you a very exciting new DNA tool for commercial Angus producers: it’s called GeneMax™ (also denoted as GMX™).  This test will enable producers with commercial Angus cowherds to plan and make selection decisions in a methodical manner (good for people like me!).

GMX is a DNA test that doesn’t require deep pockets (It’s $17.00).  It determines an individual animal’s ability to deposit marbling as well as it’s ability to gain weight (more specifically, yearling gain).  It was designed with the commercial producer in mind who utilizes registered Angus bulls on high-percentage Angus cows.

GMX can help the producer select breeding females and screen feeder cattle.  You can take DNA samples (blood) and submit them the day the calf is born and know what it’s outcome will be regarding these two traits.  Will I keep this one, or does it not fall into my goals and plans?  Rather than finding out three years later what kind of feeder calf or slaughter steer that heifer will produce, you can know now, at least in terms of feedlot performance and quality grade.

We have excellent tools available to us now in the form of Expected Progeny Differences (EPD’s).  However, on unproven, or low-accuracy sires, they are not quite the perfect thing until we get some data back on those bulls.

With GMX, we’ll know in about four weeks after the test has been submitted.  I feel certain that as we move along and this tool becomes more well known, it will become a standard for helping us select cattle. Eventually, more tests will be developed that will allow us to measure even more traits.

For now though, you really need to look into this.  Check out our GMX info on the www.cabpartners.com/GeneMax  website. You’ll be glad you did.

OK, now: hook up the bale fork; set that corner post; roll up that old wire; treat that cow; cut those cedar trees; call the COOP to fertilize the brome, order feed, clean the pens…………..shucks, what’s next?

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