2012 BIF Annual Meeting Marketing Cattle of the American Breeds in the Real World the Ultimate Goal Briggs Ranches Cowman Selected

Serving the Bos indicus Cattle Industry of America | May 2012

2012 BIF Annual Meeting Marketing Cattle of the American Breeds In the Real World The Ultimate Goal Briggs Ranches Cowman Selected. Cowman Proven.

Santa Gertrudis Bulls Ready to work for your bottomline!

“Performance Measured” means... better Beef, better profits. “Ready to woRk bulls foR sale.” For more information please contact Joe Jones today. aPerformance Tested Briggs aFull Two Year Olds Ranches aGulf Coast Conditioned PO Box 1417 l Victoria, Texas 77902 (361)573-7141 Joe Jones, Manager (361)897-1337 l E-mail Joe Jones: l E-mail Robert Briggs: a60 Years Producing [email protected] [email protected] Traylor Division Performance Santa Gertrudis (Bloomington, Texas) San Roque Division San Carlos Division Cattle (Catarina, Texas) (Rio Grande, Texas) Behind every great bull, there is a great cowherd. Can your genetic supplier stack up?

The Salacoa Valley Farms cowherd has, cow for cow, the lightest birth, heaviest muscled, most pounds heavy cowherd in the breed as measured by their average EPD’s! BW WW YW Milk TM SC REA IMF SVF Averages +0.19 +29.3 +52.9 +15.4 +30.6 +0.76 +0.49 +0.06 SVF %’s 30% 20% 15% 20% 20% 20% 20% 30% Breed Average 0.7 20.6 37.2 9.8 20.1 0.37 0.21 -0.01

David & Susan Vaughan, Owner Can your bull supplier match this influential SVF cowherd? Chris Heptinstall, Gen. Manager PO Box 185 | Fairmount, GA 30139 Phone: 706-337-2295 Can they even come close? [email protected] www.salacoavalleybrangus.com

Sale Managed By: Buy The Numbers.

October 26th. Marketing Superior Genetics. www.amscattle.com www.aspenedgemarketing.com The EAR May 2012 | 1 I thought the 2012 Beef Improvement Fed- eration Research Symposium and Annual Meeting was an unqualified success! I would of course since Texas AgriLife Extension and the American Brahman Breeders Associa- tion sponsored and hosted it and Chris Shiv- ers and I worked on and worried over it for about 18 months. We could not have done it without the other Eared breed (Braford, Brangus, Red Brangus, Santa Gertrudis and Columns Simbrah) associations assistance in spon- 4 Have You Heard...the Truth sorships and ranch tours and the American Breeds Coalition’s sponsoring of the Nolan 6 The Science of Bos indicus Ryan Tender Aged Beef steak dinner! If you 6 missed it then you missed a really interesting two days of seminars and a day of really Features good ranch tours. I thought I would take a minute and cover some of the highlights of 8 Marketing Cattle of the American the first day particularly as they apply to our Breeds Eared cattle. 10 In the Real World...You Better Raise First of all, what designates an American What They Eat breed? Is it the fact that they are found in the south and/or southeastern states of the 12 The Ultimate Goal...Producing US? Does it mean that they are only found in hot, humid environments? Or does it More with Less mean that they must be descendants of the American breed of cattle developed by Art Jones on his ranch near Portales, New Mex- Departments ico? Perhaps a large hump and long ears 16 Beefmaster Headlines makes one an American breed. Many people have pre-conceived ideas or notions of 17 Brahman Headlines what the American breed is. However, the American Breeds Coalition (ABC) defines 18 Brangus Headlines the American breeds as bos indicus breeds 8 of beef cattle, developed in the United 20 Red Brangus Headlines States, that carry some amount of Brahman 20 Simbrah Headlines inheritance.

Dr. Randy Schmidt graduated from Ole Miss Other in Oxford and then attended medical school 22 Industry News at Ole Miss in Jackson. He is now a well recognized surgeon in Texarkana as well as 26 Bos inducus Bulletin Board the owner of Schmidt Farms located in the Advertiser’s Index rolling hills and bottom land of Northeast 27 Texas, just East of Simms, Texas. Like many 28 Calendar producers in the seedstock business, Dr. Schmidt got his start in the cattle business producing commercial cattle. 10

On the Cover: Let’s recap the past 12 months. Texas just went through the worst drought in about High quality F1 females 100 years. The state has had record March going through the ring rains, 500 lb calves are bringing over $2.00 at Caldwell Livestock and all of us are wondering who’s going to Commission in Caldwell, be our next President. These are fairly excit- TX. ing times if I do say so myself.

12 2 | May 2012 The EAR Selling 1150 Head June 9th, 2012 l 10:00 am l Walking T Ranch l Melissa, TX Cattle will be on display and available for viewing at Melissa Feeders beginning June 8th. For earlier viewing, contact Trey Kirkpatrick at 979/324-5518. ANGUS l BRANGUS l BALDIES l SUPERBALDIES Offering 1150 head of replacement females in groups of 5 & 10: Bred Heifers (many AI bred to low birth weight Angus & Brangus Bulls) Exposed and Open Heifers 80 Head of Mature Bred Cows & Pairs

Melissa, TX is located 40 miles NE of Dallas, TX. Area hotels are located in McKinney, TX. For more information contact: Mark Cowan, [email protected], 903/495-4522 Trey Kirkpatrick, treyk@amscattle,com, 979/324-5518 Richard Hood, [email protected], 979/224-6150 Brad Wright, [email protected], 979/219-4599 www.amscattle.com For additional viewing of cattle contact: Mark Quinn, DVM 214/384-7859 [email protected] Cattle Solutions Cattle

The EAR May 2012 | 3 Have You Heard....

Serving the Bos indicus the Truth Cattle Industry of America Cattle Marketing is the focus of this issue. The EAR Magazine Whether we are seedstock producers or commer- c/o AMS Genetics cial cattle producers, we often focus on the pro- PO Box 10 duction aspects and leave the marketing to chance. Wheelock, TX 77882 And while producing pounds of beef as efficiently and economically as possible is what we are all Physical: about, the other portion of the economic equation 10541 E OSR is to successfully market the pounds we produce. Hearne, TX 77859 Know the market. There are a number of excellent sources to assist you in market discovery. The Phone: 979/219-4599 extension services of most states have an excellent Fax: 979/828-5532 market reporting mechanism. Your local sale barn www.theearmagazine.com operator can tell you within the penny what cattle are bringing and on a national basis, Cattle Fax is an excellent source of current market news. All can provide you with seasonal and historic trends. Crystal Devoll Editor/Publisher Know and be aware of historical and seasonal market trends. Are cull 979/820-8358 cows higher in the spring? Consider planning your breeding and palpa- [email protected] tions to hit the high cull cow market. Is it economical for you to hold your cull cows in the fall and hit a higher market in the spring? What about Brad Wright cull bulls? When are they the fleshiest with the highest value per pound? I Billing realize cull cattle are not a large part of your income stream in a ranching 979/219-4599 operation, but an extra $100 or $200 per head on your culls puts money [email protected] in your pocket. When are feeder cattle the highest, in the fall or spring? When are Mark Cowan stocker cattle the highest? In your operation, would it pay to market a por- Advertising Sales tion of your calves as feeder cattle and a portion as stockers as a method of 903/495-4522 diversification and risk management? Are there times when you need to re- [email protected] tain ownership of your cattle through the feedlot phase? I think the answer to both of the last two questions is yes in terms of successful marketing Kyle Devoll and reaching seasonal high points at the time of marketing. However much Advertising Sales depends on your available forage resources and your available management 979/820-8362 resources. Taking cattle through the stocker phase will take more of both. [email protected] One marketing tool that is often overlooked is producing a uniform calf crop. How spread out is your calving season? When the majority of Richard Hood your calves are ready to wean, what is the weight spread within that group? Advertising Sales What is the quality variation within that group? Groups of calves of uni- 979/225-6140 form weight and uniform quality are worth more money. Consider us- [email protected] ing artificial insemination. This results in half your calves being born in a two week period, at the beginning of your calving season, all out of the Trey Kirkpatrick same bull. That alone should add 40 or more pounds per head to the gross Advertising Sales weight of your calf crop. The added pounds from using a superior sire and 979/324-5518 the value of his daughters back in your herd are all a bonus. This is a mar- [email protected] keting tool that can be used whether you are producing 10 calves or 500. Consider using half brothers as cleanup bulls. This will also aid you in your quest for uniformity. Member: Do you have a plan to successfully market your cattle? Is it in the same depth and detail as your plan to produce your cattle? It should be. Cattle producers I know, who consistently top the market with their products, all plan to successfully market their cattle. And while the above discussion is by no means complete, hopefully it will raise some questions in your Published on the first day of each month. Correspondence on all phases of program and provoke thought as you continue to produce the beef to feed the cattle business is invited. Publisher reserves exclusive right to accept the world. or reject advertising or editorial material submitted for publication in The EAR magazine. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to : The EAR c/o AMS Genetics, PO Box 10, Wheelock, Texas 77882, 979-219-4599, FAX 979-828- Sincerely, 5532. Mark Cowan

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The EAR May 2012 | 5 Notes from the The Science of Bos indicus featuring Dr. Joe Paschal Professor & Livestock Specialist 2012 Beef Improvment Texas AgriLife Extension Corpus Christi, Texas Federation Annual Meeting

I thought the 2012 Beef Improvement Federation Research Following Dr. Sand- Symposium and Annual Meeting was an unqualified suc- ers, Dr. Stephen cess! I would of course since Texas AgriLife Extension and Hammack, professor the American Brahman Breeders Association sponsored and and extension live- hosted it and Chris Shivers and I worked on and worried stock specialist emeri- tus with the Texas over it for about 18 months. We could not have done it AgriLife Extension without the other Eared breed (Braford, Brangus, Red Bran- Center in Stephen- gus, Santa Gertrudis and Simbrah) associations assistance ville, discussed size, efficiency, and complementarity in beef cattle breeding. in sponsorships and ranch tours and the American Breeds As Dr. Hammack is fond of noting, his presentation was “based on the find- Coalition’s sponsoring of the Nolan Ryan Tender Aged Beef ings and ideas of many notable investigators and thinkers, and the reflections steak dinner! If you missed it then you missed a really inter- and opinions of the author”. I know that if you know Dr. Hammack, you esting two days of seminars and a day of really good ranch tend to put him in the former (as an investigator and thinker) rather than the tours. I thought I would take a minute and cover some of latter (solely reflections and opinions). Dr. Hammack had an interesting set the highlights of the first day particularly as they apply to of pictures of cattle beginning 200 years ago and you could see the changes in size (not only height but also weight) over the next 20 or so cattle genera- our Eared cattle. tions. He was not opposed to increases in size but he said that purpose deter- mines size. He showed genetic trends that indicated that most of the breeds On the first day Dr. Russell Cross, the TAMU Animal Science Department have all increased in size and are still increasing in size in spite of warning Head, welcomed the attendees and talked about the beef industry in Texas over the years, and that differences among them for size (especially among and some of the work that has been done and is being is done at Texas A&M the more numerous British and Continental) have essentially disappeared. University. I always find it interesting to listen to Dr. Cross. He has had a Hammack cited a former mentor of most of us, Dr. Tom Cartwright, who varied background in the industry as well as academia and he has tremendous wrote in 1970 that “We cannot recommend selection based on preweaning insight into where we need to be heading with our cattle and our industry. and postweaning gain for all herds and all breeds without constraints. The first three speakers of the first day were charged with covering how to Surely, the beef cattle industry will not benefit by having all breeds tend- raise cattle to fit the Southern environment. The first speaker was Dr. Jim ing toward the same size.” But sure enough here we are. Sanders. Dr. Sanders is a professor and section leader of animal breeding and genetics at TAMU and was my PhD committee chair long ago, longer Dr. Hammack also reviewed the different measures of biological efficiency than either of us want to admit. His topic was a historical overview of animal and said that time-constant periods tend to be the norm for the evaluation of breeding and genetics research in the South and I can’t think of many folks breeding stock (e. g. 205-day adjusted weaning weight, 140-day postweaning who would have more knowledge (or more interest in it) than he does. This gain tests, etc. Over the same period of time, larger animals appear to gain was an extremely interesting talk since many of us don’t realize the impor- faster and convert feed more efficiently. When cattle of varying size are fed tance and influence of Eared genetics (principally Brahman but the other to the same physiological or fatness endpoint, smaller animals often convert American breeds were developed soon after) in southern as well as US beef more efficiently. He said that research has not shown any simple biological production. Dr. Sanders even prefaced his remarks by indicating that much relationship in growing animals between size and efficiency. He said that of the information needed to give a complete overview was probably already residual feed intake appears to reduce misconceptions when comparing ani- lost to time. mals of different types. Dr. Hammack also addressed the topic of “biological efficiency of the cow” which has most often been defined as pounds of calf Dr. Sanders covered work done at Texas A&M University and then pro- weaned per cow exposed to breeding. He said that this could be misleading as ceeded to Louisiana (especially the research station at Jeanerette), Florida large cows can wean heavier calves if they have the resources to do so. How- (including the Belle Glade Center, Ona, Gainsville and the Subtropical Ag- ever he said that fewer large cows can be maintained on a fixed forage base. ricultural Research Station at Brooksville), Virginia (Front Royal Station), He said producers should think of efficiency in terms of the herd rather than Georgia (Tifton), Oklahoma (El Reno), Arkansas (Boonville), South Caro- the individual cow. In most cases he said measures of efficiency are biological lina (Coast Experiment Station), North Carolina (Umstead and Broughton), rather than economic, yet production costs and returns are extremely impor- and Alabama (Black Belt Substation). Many of these research stations used tant in determining profitability. Brahman or Brahman crosses in their early work and it was an excellent overview of nearly 100 years worth of research (since 1921) and it set the tone for Dr. Hammack’s final topic was the use of complementarity, a word that is the rest of the meeting. As a graduate student I had cited some of this work often misused and more often misspelled. He said breeds can be combined but did not fully realize the history of the research or the work that went to form new genetic packages more useful for some conditions, such as in into it. Dr. Sanders also covered the history of the Southern Regional Beef creating the American breeds. But in order to take advantage of the strengths Cattle Breeding Research Project which was created by USDA to coordinate of breeds while minimizing the weaknesses, they must be combined in the research funding for beef cattle breeding research in the South. There were right way. An example he gave was using large sires on small dams. This is and are several projects that were completed or are ongoing from which the complementarity, as proposed by Dr. Cartwright over 40 years ago. Effi- Eared breeders and their cattle are direct beneficiaries of this USDA spon- ciency is improved since more calf weight is produced from the cow weight sored program.

6 | May 2012 The EAR Cattle Frame Sizes Over the Years... Pictures courtesy of Dr. Hammack’s BIF 2012 Presentation Artist Rendering of Exemplary Angus Bull Champion Beef Steer Chicago Int. Livestock Expo. 1904 1950’s - 1960’s: Some of the smallest frame scores the industry has ever seen.

Artist Rendering of Exemplary Hereford Bull Champion Hereford Bull 1898 Champion Bull National Western 1980 Champion Hereford Female National Western 2001

“Surely, the beef cattle industry will not benefit by having all breeds tending toward the same size.” --Dr. Tom Cartwright, 1970

Champion Steer Houston, TX 1984 Champion Steer Houston, TX 2011 maintained. Maximum complementarity requires a terminal breeding system haul transportation and the potential for differences in ambient temperatures (where all calves go to market and none are used as replacements). He said (at grazing and feeding locations) were some of the biggest problems. Calves that complementarity in the South is best realized by crossing British and that are weaned and not backgrounded, hauled for long periods and then Continental sires on well adapted Brahman-base cows which would improve dropped off into cooler climates were more susceptible to sickness, especially the marketability of their calves. in winter.

In the South it is an accepted fact that we maintain cows and produce market Dr. Riley then reviewed the performance of Brahman cross stocker and feed- calves in an environment that is vastly different from the conditions where er cattle and then rounded his talk out with a review of their carcass traits. most of the calves are grazed and fed for slaughter. Dr. David Riley, As- In his summary, Dr. Riley indicated that Brahman crossbred cows are widely sociate Professor, Animal Breeding and Genetics at TAMU, reviewed how used in the Southern US, that calves with up to 50% Brahman influence Brahman crosses produced in the Southern cow calf environment perform do well in stocker and feeder programs in the Great Plains (especially in the in the stocker and feeder segments. He said that the advantages in heterosis summer), that Brahman crossbred carcasses have very good values for lean and adaptation offered by Brahman crossbred cows are too great to ignore. meat yield but lower marbling scores, that steers of 25% Brahman influ- Every crossbreeding study in the Southern US that has involved Brahman ence will qualify for many premium programs, and that selection for reduced has reported tremendous superiority of the Brahman crossbred cows and in- residual feed intake should be discouraged in Brahman and Brahman cross cluded heterosis estimates of 10 to 45% for traits like calving rate or weaning cattle as anything that would suppress intake on pasture by cows would be rate. This superiority of the Brahman cross cow has been shown in Nebraska undesirable. and in Canada and even on endophyte infected tall fescue. Dr. Riley then pointed out some of the problems that Brahman cross calves, which repre- If you missed the BIF meeting the proceedings are on their website: http:// sent 35-40% of the calves that enter the US beef production chain, have to www.beefimprovement.org/ contend with. Market discrimination, lack of proper weaning programs, long

The EAR May 2012 | 7 Marketing Cattle of the American Breeds Tommy Perkins, Ph.D., PAS Beefmaster Breeders United Executive Vice President

First of all, what designates an American breed? Is it the carcass merit may justify a retained ownership marketing strategy. fact that they are found in the south and/or southeastern Cattlemen must figure out where they want to be in the beef industry. Some states of the US? Does it mean that they are only found in may choose to produce calves that are sold for average prices in a commodity hot, humid environments? Or does it mean that they must market with little information other than high weaning weights. However, be descendants of the American breed of cattle developed these breeders must produce animals that are desired in that given market by Art Jones on his ranch near Portales, New Mexico? Per- place. They may be rewarded financially for having solid red cattle with just a haps a large hump and long ears makes one an American touch of ear and hump or the premium may be for a black hided animal. You must do your homework and know where and who you are marketing the breed. Many people have pre-conceived ideas or notions of cattle to. Others may choose to provide detailed information on the calves what the American breed is. However, the American Breeds from birth through the packing plant. Collection of detailed records on every Coalition (ABC) defines the American breeds as bos indicus calf from birth through harvest can be time consuming but may provide a breeds of beef cattle, developed in the United States, that higher return on investment in the correct situation. carry some amount of Brahman inheritance. I strongly suggest that producers make bull purchases according to their determined marketing plan and overall breeding objectives. Most commercial I am often asked what all is involved in marketing cattle by many of my Beef- bull buyers can expect to see post weaning gain, feed efficiency, ultrasound master cattle breeders I work with. It is a question that must be answered data, scrotal measurements, DNA and other performance traits provided on in a variety of ways because marketing techniques should be employed in seedstock bulls. These measurements are generally taken at the end of a all phases of the beef chain. It obviously starts at the larger industry level viable yearling performance bull test. Don’t be afraid to ask the seedstock with the help of groups such as the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association provider for additional information that you may need to make the most (NCBA), Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA), informed bull buying decision to meet your overall management goals. Texas Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA), Florida Cattlemen’s Association (FCA), and many other local, regional, state and national organizations. Marketing American breed cattle can be quite simple. For example, the American breed (Beefmaster, Braford, Brangus, etc.) offer the perfect balance For example, six U.S. beef breed associations (American Red Brangus of convenience, breed complimentarity, and heterosis retention. The use of (ARBA), American Brahman Breeders (ABBA), Beefmaster Breeders (BBU), American breed genetics will offer the advantage of breed complimentarity to Santa Gertrudis Breeders (SGBI), United Braford Breeders (UBB) and Sim- combine the strengths for multiple traits of importance. For example, a cross brah (ASA)) have partnered to create a unique synergy to promote the Ameri- between a commercial Angus cow and a Beefmaster bull would combine can Breeds through the ABC organization. Each American breed maintains high levels of marbling from the Angus with high efficiency and growth of a marketing plan to help merchandise their individual breeds. However, the Beefmaster. Thus, the resulting crossbred progeny should combine qual- they also know the strength in numbers and cooperate with each other for ity grade and cost of production attributes to maximize value in a retained the good of the American breeds. The goal of ABC is to spread the word ownership management system. This mating would allow the producer to about the role that bos indicus influenced cattle play in the beef industry. optimize Bos Taurus percentage in an excellent replacement female or a fast Throughout any given year, ABC will host or sponsor seminars, educational growing, efficient, high quality feeder calf. meetings, and other events promoting American breeds throughout the nation, particularly in the southern region. These associations have been part of This mating would result in larger economic benefits with retention of the the ABC since its inception and work together to spread the word about the crossbred cows. Retained crossbred females offer maternal heterotic improve- positive influence that bos indicus cattle play in the beef industry. ment, show improvement in reproductive performance, longevity, and efficiency. The crossbred cow improves calf survivability to weaning as well as Individual breeders must also do their part in marketing the end product increased weaning weights of those calves. Research has shown that crossbred whether it be weaned calves or harvest ready fat steers. However, many breed- cows offer about a 5% increase in calving rate and a 5-8% increase in lon- ers have a ranch management plan that doesn’t include an adequate compo- gevity. Lifetime productivity records indicate an additional calf or 550-600 nent for marketing their cattle. Breeders must develop a marketing plan that pounds of weaning weight over the cow’s life. accounts for their environmental restrictions, management constraints, and local market conditions. They must also have defined breeding goals that al- As a commercial cattleman and bull buyer, I ask that you consider what the low for production of marketable animals as defined by the breeding system American breeds can do for your operation. I believe that producers making employed. For example, selecting for fast early growth may justify a local sale the best genetic decisions today will see the most opportunities for profit in marketing strategy whereas selection for balanced traits with an emphasis on the next decade.

8 | May 2012 The EAR We had a banner year at the Houston 2012 All Breed Range Bull & Commercial Female Show! After winning the Champion Brahman Division, we are offering the heifer and bull mates to you. Come and see what we have to offer!

l Good selection of coming 2 year old gentle, low birth weight Brahman bulls. l Set of really neat coming 2 year old, gentle registered Brahman heifers, ready to breed to the bull of your choice. l Fancy 10-12 month old F1 Tiger Stripe open heifers. l Nice group of coming 3 year old Brahman heifers bred to Horned Hereford bulls to calve this fall. l Crossbred, coming 2 year old heifers bred to Angus bulls to calve this fall.

Anthony & Kristi Kubicek Ranch: 979.567.4201 Tony Kubicek 979.324.7391 [email protected] 979.324.7392

The EAR May 2012 | 9 In the Real World... You Better Raise What They Eat Dr. Randy Schmidt graduated from Ole Miss in Ox- as the most sound, “If you are go- ford and then attended medical school at Ole Miss in ing to make money in the cattle business, you have to raise what Jackson. He is now a well recognized surgeon in Texar- they eat.” As a result, the goal at kana as well as the owner of Schmidt Farms located in Schmidt farms remains to mini- the rolling hills and bottom land of Northeast Texas, mize feed inputs while optimizing gain and forage for maintenance. just East of Simms, Texas. Like many producers in the They plant Marshall Ryegrass ev- seedstock business, Dr. Schmidt got his start in the ery fall, and use commercial fer- cattle business producing commercial cattle. tilizer on the hay meadows while using chicken litter on the grazing lands. On the grazing lands they Randy’s father, Howard, always had a dream that at retirement he would have in addition to Bermuda grass return to the cattle business and have a small herd of cattle, having left the interceded stands of clover, Vetch dairy and row crop farm that his parents ran. When his father was 60, Randy and Lespedeza. They manage the leased a small place and bought the cattle that were on the lease place outside clover annually to maximize re- of Texarkana. That herd was mainly crossbred Brahman cattle together with seeding. In addition the farm is set Beefmaster bulls. Part of the dream was not fulfilled as Randy’s father passed up to handle silage, with pit silos You better raise what they eat! Dr. Schmidt away three years later at the age of 63. The rest of the dream has become a examines a clover-ryegrass mix his heifers and the ability to distribute it to reality as he has grown his ranch and built his cowherd into one of the well are grazing. the cattle through bunks in the recognized Brangus seedstock operations in the country. He credits his wife, pastures. Excess forage in the spring is harvested, ensiled and used to supple- Karen, not because she has a great passion for the cattle, like he does, but ment the cowherd and yearlings. because she tolerates his passion for the breed. With the current home ranch purchase in 1999, he hired Richard Norris as As he was developing his crossbred cow herd, he continued to build cow a full time manager. Richard has been the force behind successful day to day numbers and ran on a small home ranch and 4 - 5 leased acreages around the operations of the ranch. Their original plan, with their upgraded bull power county. In the meantime, Dr. Schmidt became a real student of the industry, was to produce replacement females and market their steers in truckload lots. consuming massive amounts of literature available on ranching, forage pro- Their reasoning was simple, they could see the difference black hide made duction and the industry as a whole. He attended the beef cattle short courses in their steers at market time, they also noted that “Brangus replacement put on at Texas A&M, and visited the grass growing station at Overton. Soon females were always in the demand and remain somewhat recession proof”. he realized as he watched cattle sell at the local auction barn that he wanted While they remain diversified and maintain a set of commercial cows, mar- black calves to market. He replaced Beefmaster bulls with Angus; however, he ket commercial replacement heifers and sell steers in truckload lots, their was disappointed in the weaning weights of the resulting calves. He made a original plan diversified into the registered Brangus business. The same year purchase of Brangus bulls from MTG Brangus in Simms, Texas. Disappoint- they purchased the ranch, they attended an MTG production sale where ment turned to happiness as his calves weighed 100 to 150 lbs more than his they purchased several registered females. Today they are developing about Angus cross calves, and the heifers were good enough to use as replacements. 120 home raised commercial replacement heifers and about 160 home raised registered Brangus heifers. They try to buy back the heifers from their com- In 1999 he made the initial purchase of a portion of the land currently known mercial bull customers, but they are so good most of their customers won’t as Schmidt farms from Jack Watson. Mr. Watson was a “real cattleman” and part with them. a mentor to Randy Schmidt as he developed his cattle enterprise. “Jack was a grass farmer and manager, ran both stockers and commercial cows, owned As they became acquainted with Herb Murray and B.D. Richards, both of a piece of Canadian Feedyards and together with his wife, ran a brokerage whom fall into the mentor category, they decided the registered Brangus cow firm trading cattle and grain futures.” says Randy. He remembers this advice herd would be an important part of their ranching portfolio. Today the reg-

10 | May 2012 The EAR Schmidt Farms is an original member of the marketing cooperative, GEN- ETRUST. Dr. Schmidt recognized a need for marketing and exposure for the product he was producing, and the need for a venue to get his cattle in the public eye to build a higher profile. In addition he realized more could be accomplished together than would be possible by 10 different stand alone marketing entities. In addition, “I already knew several of the other members who eventually formed GENETRUST and knew they had similar philoso- phies and realized the synergy that could be built,” said Schmidt. Over the last few years that bond has become very close for the members of GENET- RUST, both professionally and socially.

For new seedstock producers just getting in the business, advice from Dr. Schmidt is simple. “Develop a plan. Look to successful breeders and see what you think they are doing right, write your plan down. Consider finding a mentor or other producer you respect or trust and together develop the plan, don’t be afraid or too proud to ask for help. After you have a plan stick with Dr Schmidt and manager, Richard Norris, with their gentle yearling heifers they will it, modify it after you see what is working for you, and remember that ranch- breed this Spring. ing is a marathon not a sprint.” istered herd dominates their passion and they look to long time Brangus If you are in the North east corner of Texas and in the business of produc- breeder and president of Genetrust, Vern Suhn, as a mentor and herd advisor. ing forage for cattle, are in the commercial business and considering buying replacements or in the registered seedstock business and wish to view a Every registered female at Schmidt farms is AIed at least once and most are real world operation with a good handle on where they are going, stop by detected for heat a second time, with the return heats AIed again. Artificial Schmidt Farms in Simms, Texas. It will be worth your time. Insemination gives Schmidt farms the ability to match each cow to the ideal sire providing more mating options and at the same time adding marketability to the offspring because they are out of “known, reputation herd bulls”.

Regarding embryo transfer, “I think it pays. It adds another layer of marketability and reputation when you are selling herd sires or daughters of proven donors and known herd sires,” says Dr. Schmidt. He adds, “Our ET calves have the lowest cull rates of all the cattle we produce, plus you must consider the quality of the female you are putting back into the herd.”

The Schmidt Farms philosophy regarding cleanup sires is a unique approach for many seedstock producers. “We feel proven herd sires are a bargain for us. When we purchase walking rights on a proven herd sire, we already know Commercial cows with ET Babies at Schmidt Farms. what he will do in our herd because we will have used him in AI already. We are buying not only the proven genetics and the replacement females he is capable of producing, but also name recognition and the marketing and pro- motion dollars already spent on that herd bull,” explains Schmidt.

At Schmidt Farms, they are looking for the best cattle available and not necessarily “outcross” cattle. They believe heterosis is a wonderful tool for the commercial cattleman, but as seedstock producers, Dr Schmidt feels it is his duty is to provide a closely bred, consistent genetic product so their commercial customers can take advantage of maximum heterosis. Their selection criteria and mating philosophy is designed to eliminate throwaways, increase consistency and build a cow herd with more and more herd cows of the genetic ability and reach of today’s donors. Donor cows at Schmidt Farms. Heat Watch patches are used for more accurate heat detection.

Dr. Randy Schmidt and some of the Fall bred registered Brangus heifers.

The EAR May 2012 | 11 The Ultimate Goal... Producing More Dustin T. Dean, PhD Director of Beef Programs with Less Sexing Technologies

Spacious pens encompass 12,000 square feet. The bases of the pens are a mixture of bottom ash and fly ash to add to the comfort and cleanliness of the animals.

Let’s recap the past 12 months. Texas just went through be able to develop and grow their bulls and heifers measuring average daily the worst drought in about 100 years. The state has gains, yearling weight measurements, carcass ultrasound data, etc. However, the GDC facility offers a unique twist. had record March rains, 500 lb calves are bringing over $2.00 and all of us are wondering who’s going to be The GDC comes fully equipped with individual animal intake measurement our next President. These are fairly exciting times if I equipment developed in Canada called GrowSafe Systems Ltd. Currently, there are only three publicly accessible GrowSafe bull tests in the United do say so myself. States. The GDC is the only one in the south. This system enables dozens of animals in a single gain test pen all eating out of the same feed troughs, while Efficiency still being able to measure individual intakes. As most of the nation’s southern beef cattle producers are getting back on their feet, many of them are taking a second look at refining their produc- The GrowSafe system is made of individual feed troughs that are electroni- tion practices to become more efficient. Yes it’s true, “efficiency” is one of cally activated. Upon arrival, each animal is given an electronic ID tag (EID) those words that gets thrown around in quite a few contexts. Reproductive in its ear that has its own unique ID number but also can be electronically efficiency, carcass efficiency, feed efficiency, etc, are all areas that, with a little scanned much like a food item in a supermarket. A few times each day, feed improvement, can add big dividends to the bottom line. Still, producing is administered in a regular mixing truck just like any other feedyard. animals that can do more with less is a goal all of us should aspire to. The animal identification tag is read every second when an animal is feeding What if you could produce calves that gained the same, or more, than your at the trough, load mechanisms and other sensors are sampled continuously. neighbor’s but ate half as much grass to do it? What if you could sell a bull or In a nutshell, the system weighs how much feed is there before it eats and replacement heifer to your commercial customers that passed on its genetic how much is left when it pulls its head out. Cattle can freely eat out of any ability to eat less and gain more? With forage and water being perhaps the trough as the system will recognize any EID that passes through it. In this most important assets on a ranch these days, it’s safe to say that ability would way, the system will record that, for example, animal “182” ate specifically “x” be unequivocal in value. amount of feed during that few seconds of consumption.

The key component in this equation is the ability to identify, select for, and GDC Features breed those types of animals. To do that, bull and replacement heifer produc- The length of the overall development phase can be the regular 112-day gain ers must have the tool to develop those animals in a way not only to measure test or whatever the customer prefers. During that time the typical carcass their group’s performance, but their individual intake efficiency as well. ultrasound measurements, yearling weights, breeding soundness exams, etc are performed. Within the 112-day test is a 70 day GrowSafe period, which A New Opportunity is the required time to optimally determine differences in intake. Ten miles south of College Station, a facility is in its final stages of comple- tion that will allow for that level of individual animal selection. The Genetic The GDC is designed for bi-annual gain tests aimed at developing bulls and Development Center or “GDC”, is a newly constructed bull and heifer de- heifers of all breeds. During one gain test, the maximum capacity is set for velopment facility opening July 1st. Like any other gain test, producers will 640 head. So, with two tests per year the GDC can successfully develop 1280

12 | May 2012 The EAR The GDC comes fully equipped with individual animal intake measurement equipment developed in Canada called GrowSafe Systems Ltd. Currently, there are only three publicly accessible GrowSafe bull tests in the United States. The GDC is the only one in the south. This system enables dozens of animals in a single gain test pen all eating out of the same feed troughs, while still being able to measure individual intakes.

head of bulls and replacement heifers to a saleable weight and condition while at the same time measuring individual animal efficiencies.

Another unique aspect of the GDC is its attention to detail in the areas of animal comfort and cleanliness. The bases of the pens are a mixture of bottom ash and fly ash from a local coal plant. When blended together with the soil, these materials harden up quickly to remove the cumbersome effects of boggy and muddy pens during heavy rainfall. Each pen is encom- passes 12,000 sq. ft. There are 4 Growsafe troughs per pen and each trough can handle 8 head of bulls or heifers. So with 32 head in a pen of 12,000 sq. ft, that’s a spacious 375 sq. ft per animal, which is more than double your regular feedyard.

The GDC also commissioned the famous animal behaviorist Dr. Temple Grandin and her team to design a custom working and sorting facility. Dr. Grandin single handily changed the way the beef industry handles cattle. Her sorting and receiving systems are designed with animal comfort in mind and can be found in a large majority of every major feedyard in the country.

GDC Opportunities Another benefit the GDC brings to its customers is international exposure. The GDC is located on the property of Sexing Technologies, the world leader in sexed semen and embryo production. Both the GDC and Sexing Tech- nologies are owned by the same parent company and Sexing currently has offices in over 10 countries. With that added exposure, customers will be able to showcase their cattle to buyers in countries around the world.

Bos Indicus influenced cattle have long been promoted to be efficient in multiple areas of economic importance, i.e. reproduction, average daily gain, feed efficiency etc. With the southern U.S. location of the GDC, this proves to be the perfect opportunity for Bos Indicus influenced associations and associated breeders to prove it. Pens of Bos Taurus cattle will be on test right alongside pens of Beefmaster, Brangus, Brahman, Santa Gertrudis, etc. This is a golden opportunity for these cattlemen to display real time proof of just how efficient these breeds can be.

With the population of red blooded Americans that love their beef growing by the minute, the long term future of the beef business looks good. Still, with the growing demand comes the need for producers to become more efficient with their resources, and that includes their cattle.

It’s no mystery the public wants ranchers to produce more “environmentally efficient” animals, but just as important is that rancher’s ability to stay profitable. Drought, diminishing land resources and feed costs are all factors that point to the need to develop more efficient and profitable cattle.

At the end of the day, staying profitable is all about a cattleman having the right tools. With the Genetic Development Center operating in the heart of Bos Indicus cattle country, it just might be the right tool to help them get there.

The EAR May 2012 | 13 NaTioNal Treasures

Moderate, big topped Jethro son and a maternal sib to Crusader. YellowstoneOrder your semen today! $40/Straw

MB Yellowstone 17Y2 R10207919 • DOB: 1/31/11 • MC JETHRO 00S3 x MB MS NEW DIRECTION 17R5*

BW WW YW MILK TM SC REA IMF FT 4.4 40 77 18 38 1 0.83 0.25 0.022

BW 205 Wt 365 Wt SC 365 ADG REA 365 IMF 365 FT 365

77(104) 572(102) 1281(115) 35.9 4.43 14.08(108) 6.146(119) 0.31(106)

D&K Brangus “Cattle You Can Count On” David and Kimberly Kemp 3762 Natural Bridge Road | Waynesboro, TN 38485 E.D. Miller PO BOX 23 Doyle Miller | M: 615-351-2783, W: 615-472-1886, EXT. 106, [email protected] Lumberton, MS 39455-0023 Bert Miller | M: 901-870-2300, H: 901-371-9797 Cell (601) 466-7485 [email protected] Bart Pope, Ranch Manager | M: 931-722-0244 [email protected] www.millerbrangus.com

14 | May 2012 The EAR Treasures

The high selling bull at the Miller’s 2012 Pounds on the Ground Sale. Powerful genetics! ProjectsYosemite a whopping 7 traits in the breed’s top 10%. Big bodied, easy fleshing and perhaps the most moderate Jethro son in the breed. Maternal sib to Crusader. Semen available, $40/Straw.

MB CRUSADER 17W9 MB Yosemite 17Y8 R10206808 • DOB: 2/5/11 • MC JEHTRO 00S3 X MB MS NEW DIRECTION 17R5*

BW WW YW MILK TM SC REA IMF FT 3.2 36 69 19 37 0.9 0.78 0.22 0.021 www.aspenedgemarketing.com BW 205 Wt 365 Wt SC 365 ADG REA 365 IMF 365 FT 365

70(86) 571(94) 1050(95) 35.1 2.99 12.3 5.161 0.36

Trey Cuevas 300 Doc Johnson Road Purvis, MS 39475 “Cattle You Can Count On” [email protected] 3762 Natural Bridge Road | Waynesboro, TN 38485 601-434-3045 E.D. Miller Coming Soon: www.T3Brangus.com Doyle Miller | M: 615-351-2783, W: 615-472-1886, EXT. 106, [email protected] Bert Miller | M: 901-870-2300, H: 901-371-9797 [email protected] Bart Pope, Ranch Manager | M: 931-722-0244 [email protected] www.millerbrangus.com

The EAR May 2012 | 15 Beefmaster

Beefmaster Wins Champion American Heifer in HeadlinesHouston Houston, tx - Ethan Saye and Connor Reed, Junior Beefmaster Breed- lations to Ethan, Connor and ers Association members, exhibited the Champion and Reserve Champion the rest of the junior exhibi- Beefmaster Heifers at the 2012 Houston Stock Show. Saye’s heifer went on tors. to be named the Supreme Champion American Breed Female as well. This is quite an honor and accomplishment for the Beefmaster breed. Congratu-

Beefmaster Wins Big in the Ft. Worth Steer Show fort worth, TX - Congratulations to Junior Beefmaster Breeders As- the Brahman, Brangus, Santa sociation (JBBA) member Seth Byers for exhibiting the Champion American Gertrudis, Braford, etc. cross Steer at the 2012 Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show in Ft. Worth, steers in the show. The steer Texas. Seth exhibited a Beefmaster Advancer steer that was produced by sold for $50,000.00 which a previous JBBA National Champion Female for his sister. This is quite was the highest of all of the an achievement as Seth had to compete against more than 120 Bos Indi- breed champions. cus influenced cattle that classified into the show. His steer topped all of

HLS Welcomes Thailand Beefmaster Delegation houston, tx - During the opening of the International Room for master Breeders United, also presented Vinit with special thanks and award foreign guests at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on February 29, for all of his hard work on behalf of BBU from 2009. Dr. Perkins awarded 2012, a special reception was held by HLSR Officials to welcome the dele- Vinit a leather Texas map showing all of the counties across Texas that Vinit gation from Thailand led by Vinit and Pawanee R. Dennis Steger, HLS&R and Pawanee have travelled providing ranch tours and educational events International Committee Chairman presented Vinit with a special com- concerning Beefmaster cattle. BBU started their Thailand Initiative at that memorative gold belt buckle honoring the 80th anniversary of the Hous- time and provided donated genetics for distribution by Yenwa to Thai uni- ton Livestock Show. During the reception, Mr. Steger recognized Vinit for versity and large and small beef cattle breeders. The first calves were born working with Beefmaster Breeders United to introduce another popular in December 2010 and now several hundred first cross Beefmaster calves Texas beef breed to Thailand, “Vinit, on behalf of the HLSR and Texas are exciting the beef industry across Thailand and neighboring countries. Agriculture we are honoring you today for your hard work in Thailand to Yenwa has worked closely with BBU members to import genetics from successfully introduce Beefmasters as the new cattle breed in Thailand. We leading bulls in the Beefmaster breed at substantial introductory discounts. welcome your guests as fellow cattlemen to our show in Texas and hope The importation process involves licensing through both USDA for export that their involvement with the Beefmaster breed will grow throughout and Thai DLD for imports. Over 5,000 straws of semen and several dozen Thailand and the neighboring regions. Enjoy your stay in Houston and frozen embryos have been processed for delivery to Thai beef farmers since come back often”. Dr. Tommy Perkins, Executive Vice President of Beef- the BBU initiative began in 2009.

JBBA Member Exhibits Supreme Champion American austin, tx - JBBA member Shawn Skaggs exhibited the Champion Beef- Beefmaster breed. Congratu- master female at the 2012 Star of Texas Stock Show and Rodeo in Austin, lations to Shawn and the rest Texas. Skaggs’s heifer went on to be named the Supreme Champion Ameri- of the junior exhibitors. can Female as well. This is quite an honor and accomplishment for the

Congratulations to JBBA Member from Mississippi dixie nation stock show - JBBA President Elect Michael Buck- demic scholarship. Mr. Buckley was also was awarded the $1,000 Eric ley from the Covington 4-H/FFA in Mississippi won the Dixie National Biedenharn Academic Scholarship Award for Beef. Michael and his sister Junior Round-Up Premier Beef Exhibitor at the recent Dixie National Amelia also exhibited the Grand Champion Beefmaster Bull and Heifer at Stock Show. He out dueled 31 other beef exhibitors to win a $2,000 aca- the show.

16 | May 2012 The EAR Brahman Headlines Carcass Evaluation Program Steers Re-Implanted, Data Updates gonzales, tx - On March 26, the American Brahman Breeders Asso- Blood samples were also collected March 26, and will be used to further ciation (ABBA) headed to Graham Land and Cattle Co. in Gonzales, Texas validate DNA markers for carcass traits. to re-implant its carcass program steers and to collect data. Statistics: One hundred fourteen (114) head of steers representing 11 breeders in three 114 head • 11 breeders • 3 states states went into the Gonzales feed yard in December and were started on an Averages- intermediate grow ration. On March 26, the steers were re-implanted and Frame Score: Medium weighed. Steers were then split into two groups based on their weights, and Muscle Score: 2 (Scores were started on a finishing ration. range from 1 to 4; 1 being the heaviest muscled, 4 being the One group, weighing 750 pounds and above, is expected to finish and be lightest) harvested in roughly 120 days. The other lighter-weight group, weighing 749 In Weight: 504 lbs pounds and under, should finish and be harvested in 170 days. Carcass data Re-Implant Weight: 789 lbs will be collected on these cattle at harvest. The data will be added to the ge- Days on Feed: 110 days netic evaluation, and used to calculate carcass EPD’s for six traits. Average Daily Gain: 2.5 lbs

Packed Crowd for the 14th Annual LBA F1 & Brahman Sale carencro, la - Saturday, March 24 played host to the annual Louisiana males followed the same pattern with pairs bringing an average of $2,800 per Brahman Association (LBA) Brahman and F-1 Sale held in Carencro, La. The head, bred females averaging $2,303 per head and open females averaging for sale followed the trend of this spring’s Brahman and F-1 sales, drawing a large $1,663 per head. crowd, selling quality ABBA program females and returning profits to ABBA members. Triple Son Farms of Cut Off, La. and Centerville, Texas received honors for con- signing the champion Certified and Golden Certified F-1 pairs. The champion Cattle sold well at this year’s sale. Registered Brahmans sold as follows: pairs aver- Certified and Golden Certified F-1 bred pen was consigned by Seven L Cattle of aged $2,320 per head, breds averaged $2,400 per head and open and exposed Roanoke, La. and the champion Certified and Goldent Certified F-1 open pen females averaged for $2,232 per head. Certified and Golden Certified F-1 fe- award was given to consignor Robert Doucet Cattle Company of Jennings, La.

Champion Pair Champion Bred Champion Open Pen: Triple Son Farms Pen: Seven L Cattle Pen: Robert Doucet of Cut Off, LA and of Roanoke, LA Cattle Company of Centerville, TX Jennings, LA

Packed Crowd for the 14th Annual LBA F1 & Brahman Sale madison, nj - The American Brahman Breeders Association (ABBA) accurate genomic-enhanced EPD for tenderness yet provided by ABBA.” is proud to release a new genomic-enhanced expected progeny difference (GE-EPD) for tenderness that now incorporates DNA information from GeneSTAR, a targeted panel of DNA markers, provides producers with GeneSTAR® and Pfizer Animal Health. The results show up to a 10 per- genomic information about key production traits in all breeds of beef cat- cent increase in accuracy for tenderness when compared with the previous tle. In addition to tenderness, results include Molecular Value Predictions tenderness EPD offered by ABBA. In addition, GeneSTAR enabled more (MVPs®) for feed efficiency, marbling and a Palatability Index. The reports animals to have EPDs computed for this especially difficult and expensive also include percentile ranks, which are determined by benchmarking each to measure trait. animal against hundreds of its breed contemporaries in the Pfizer Animal Health database. Brahman breeders were among the early adopters of GeneSTAR, which helped enable ABBA to incorporate this information into their genetic Shivers says that ABBA members can utilize these new GE-EPDs when evaluation for the calculation of GE-EPDs, says Chris Shivers, executive making breeding decisions to help improve tenderness in young breeding vice president, ABBA. stock and increase the marketability of the Brahman breed.

“Since 2003, ABBA utilized a general genetic carcass evaluation test for six “This information increases the accuracy for tenderness on many young different traits — one of those being tenderness,” Shivers says. “Now, work- sires,” Shivers says. “It’s also useful with animals in the pedigrees without ing with Pfizer Animal Health and our breeders, we’ve compiled the actual progeny that have gone through ABBA’s carcass evaluation program.” field data from our carcass evaluation program with the results from Gene- STAR and these two sets of information combined are what form the most Scott Bormann, global business director, Pfizer Animal Genetics, says the

The EAR May 2012 | 17 introduction of GE-EPDs for tenderness with ABBA is yet another milestone breeders,” Shivers says. “We look forward to a continued relationship with for the organizations. Pfizer Animal Health to keep developing new DNA markers for other traits.” About Pfizer Animal Health “ABBA and Pfizer Animal Health have a great history of joining forces to Pfizer Animal Health, a business of Pfizer Inc., is a world leader in discover- help keep the breed at the forefront of technology. Being one of the first ing and developing innovative animal vaccines and prescription medicines, breeds to embrace GeneSTAR, Brahman breeders have helped lead us to investing an estimated $300 million annually in animal health product re- where we are today and now, with the incorporation of such data into EPDs, search and development. For more information about how Pfizer Animal breeders can gain valuable information directly from the association,” Bor- Health works to ensure a safe, sustainable global food supply from healthy mann says. “Pfizer Animal Health is excited about the continued opportuni- livestock and poultry; or helps companion animals and horses to live longer, ties to partner with ABBA towards genetic progress.” healthier lives, visit www.PfizerAH.com.

With the new GE-EPD for tenderness, Shivers says that ABBA breeders can About American Brahman Breeders Association streamline the genetic evaluation process — ultimately improving their herds The American Brahman Breeders Association is the world registry for Brah- and accomplishing their goals. man cattle, the #1 beef breed for efficiency, hybrid vigor, and environmental adaptation. For more information about Brahman cattle and the American “ABBA believes in technology, as indicated by the early adoption by our Brahman Breeders Association, visit www.brahman.org.

Brangus

Miller Brangus Pounds on the Ground SaleHeadlines Spectacular! waynesboro, tx - Miller Brangus hosted their first ever live auction sion of Lot 117, MB Great Basin with outstanding results and strong demand for the bulls and females offered. 329Y5. He is a heavy boned, big Buyers from 10 states snapped up the pounds heavy offering of 76 yearling growth Nuff Said son that ranks in bulls and 51 female lots for a total of 187 lots and a $3,053 average. the top 1% of the breed for YW.

The top selling female lot was Lot 1, the flush of the choice of the 2 year 187 Total lots Grossed $387,700 to Average $3,053 old heifers. The lot included the most powerful and cutting edge females in the program and featured daughters of Mytty In Focus and New Direction. Brangus Female Averages They had an average breed EPD ranking in the top 4% WW, 2% YW and 2 Flushes Grossed $16,000 to Average $8,000 Milk and top 7% REA. The flush sold for $10,000 to Brian Truitt, Auburn, 10 Spring Pairs Grossed $40,050 to Average $4,005 AL. $7,400 was the bid price on the second high selling female. She was Lot 15 Fall Pairs and 3N1s Grossed $46,700 to Average $3,113 36, MS Brinks New ERA 535N60 and her Blanda bull calf at side, con- 3 Fall Breds Grossed $9,550 to Average $3,183 signed by 5K Cowbelle and Calyx Star. The purchaser was M-B Ranch, San 9 Spring Breds Grossed $20,900 to Average $2,322 Antonio, TX. 12 Open Heifers Grossed $34,400 to Average $2,867 51 Total Female Lots Grossed $167,600 to Average $3,286 Black X Ranch, Rome, GA purchased the third high selling female. They paid $6,500 to own Lot 12, MB Ms Nimitz 75S7. She boasts top 10% IMF Brangus Bull Averages and Milk as well as top 30% growth and sold with her Revelation heifer calf 76 Yearling Brangus Bulls Grossed $220,100 to Average $2,896 at side. Lot 16, MB Something Special 99Y, an open heifer that posts 7 traits in the top 30% of the breed or better, was the fourth high selling female. Kim Purchaser of High Selling Bull: Cuevas T3 Brangus of Purvis, MS Dunn, Apopka, FL paid $6,250 to own this powerful young female. Larry bought MB Yosemite 17Y8 for Auxier, Irvine KY also paid $6,250 to own Lot 43, Ms Brinks Sonar 596R5. $11,000. She is a proven donor with over 28 progeny on record and was consigned by 5K Cowbelle and Calyx Star.

The top selling bull was Lot 82, MB Yosemite 17Y8. This big topped and extremely moderate Jethro son, sold 1/2 interest and full possession to Cuevas T3 Brangus, Purvis, MS for the sale topping price of $11,000. He projects 7 EPD traits in the top 10% of the breed. His full brother, Lot 80, MB Yel- lowstone 17Y2 was the second high selling bull. D&K Brangus, Lumberton, Purchaser of Secoond High MS paid $9,000 to own 1/2 interest and full possession of this Jethro son. Selling Bull: D&K Brangus of He boasts top 1% of the breed YW, 2% WW and 4% WW and IMF EPDs. Lumberton, MS paid $9,000 to own MB Yellowstone 17Y2. $7,500 was the price paid for 1/2 interest and full possession of the third high selling herd sire prospect as Triple J Farm, Red Bay AL purchased Lot 126, MB Shenandoah 535Y8. He combines Jethro, New Direction and Lead Gun in his pedigree and projects big growth and carcass EPDs with top 30% Milk. Black X Brangus, Rome, GA purchased 1/2 interest and full posses-

18 | May 2012 The EAR 2012 GENETRUST At Suhn Cattle Co. Highlights the Depth of the GT Program eureka, ks - March 27th found an extremely astute crowd of cattlemen gath- High selling Angus was lot 179 Valley View Protégé 1640 commanding a $6,500 ered to evaluate the bulls presented by the GENETRUST@Suhn Cattle Co. bid from Danny Wright, Hinton OK. This son of Protégé was impressive for his partners and cooperators. The overall enthusiasm of the crowd and online bid- depth of rib, thickness, excellent carcass data and strong EPD’s. Another repeat ders was indeed a testimony to the quality of the bulls presented. The first lot in customer, Roger Bechtel, Eureka, KS took home Lot 180 Valley View Star 1685 the ring, an exciting young herd sire prospect, Lot 40 Oaks Next Step 541X32, a son of Garden’s Prime Star for $5,250. This lot was a long sided, thick topped garnered much attention as the day’s high selling lot at $27,000 for ½ interest individual who was the second high gaining yearling Angus bull. and possession from Tony Westbrooks, Bushley Creek Cattle Co., Olla, LA. This deep sided, big footed prospective herd sire combines the great maternal genet- Bulls were sold into 11 states and Mexico with volume purchases being made by ics of his sire Suhn’s Next Step and is complemented by the growth and carcass Danny Wright, Hinton, OK; Frosty Tipton, Winnemucca, NV; Salvador Ro- genetics of his dam’s sire, Csonka of Brinks. Mike Vorel, Luther, OK was the driquez, Mexico; and Center Ranch, Centerville, TX. breeder of the second high selling Brangus bull Lot 149 Vorel Onstar 918Y3. This true calving ease prospect with a 68 pound actual birth weight combined Averages: with outstanding growth and carcass numbers sold to Joe and Catherine Kassler, 42--18 Month Old Brangus Bulls $5134 The Oaks, Newnan, GA for $20,000. This Onstar son out of an outstanding 89 Yearling Brangus Bulls $4429 producing Suhn’s Affirmed daughter was a crowd favorite especially among those 7—18 Month Old Ultrablack Bulls $4878 seeking calving ease genetics. Another yearling bull creating a lot of attention was 9 Yearling Ultrablack Bulls $4922 Lot 113 KB Newt 402Y5 bred by Dale and Nancy Kirkham, Eureka, KS. This 11—18 Month Old Angus Bulls $3059 young prospect was purchased by Jack Moore, TJM Ranch, Kerrville, TX for 13 Yearling Angus Bulls $3161 $10,000. He combines calving ease with tremendous individual performance. Fourth high selling Brangus bull was Lot 26 Suhn’s Alydar 331X78 who found a new home with Tom and Betty Davis, Cold Creek Ranch, Marietta, GA for $8,500.

The Ultrablack bulls continue to draw much interest. For those looking for a little less Brahman influence these bulls fit the bill and folks are finding them a great fit in a planned cross breeding program. An extraordinary EPD package SCC BT-S33 894X41 brought a bid of $9,500 from Doug Ferrell, Kansas City, MO for his progressive commercial operation. Lot 83 Vorel Final Answer 117Y12 had lots of interest and active bidding with the new owner Danny Wright, Hin- ton, OK making the last bid of $9,000 for this outstanding individual. He was sired by the prominent, highly respected Angus sire SAV Final Answer. ShermanSherman 548W9548W9 ROBERTSONROBERTSON XX MS BRINKS CAPTAIN 548N2

BW WW YW MILK SC REA IMF

1.8 40 54 11 0.10 0.55 0.00

BW 205 365 SC REA 365 IMF 365

78 763(118) 1414(128) 37.3 14.78(117) 3.74(97) He’s Impressive! Powerful Growth with Added Bone, Muscle, and Rib in a Moderate Framed, Extra Eye Appealing Package. His First Calves are on the Ground Semen Marketed By: and They’re Consistently Mark Cowan | [email protected] | 903-495-4522 Thick and Attractive. Trey Kirkpatrick | [email protected] | 979-324-5518 Richard Hood | [email protected] | 979-224-6150 R Semen $40/Straw Brad Wright | [email protected] | 979-219-4599 www.amscattle.com River Bend Ranch Michael, Carol, & Jason Candler Live Oak, Florida - (386)208-3967

The EAR May 2012 | 19 Red Brangus

IRBBA Memorial Scholarship AnnouncesHeadlines “Foundation for the Future” The International Red Brangus Breeders Association Memorial Scholarship was To further the goals and sustainabil- established as a tribute to pioneering Red Brangus breeders to further the edu- ity of the Memorial Scholarship the cation of young Brangus cattlemen and cattlewomen. The initial funding for IRBBA has established “Founda- the scholarship program was donated in honor of two beloved members of the tion for the Future”. This campaign will begin to create a sustainable foundation IRBBA: Mr. Jim Hunt and Ms. Wilma Buffaloe. In the first three years of the upon the program will grow and continue to recognize and award young Brangus program, twelve scholarships totaling $18,750 have been awarded. All of these breeders. The campaign will officially launch during the IRBBA Annual Meet- scholarships would not be possible without the generous support of our Red ing. There are five recognition and support levels at which donors can support Brangus Breeders. They continually answer the call for funding to help our youth the efforts of the program. Full details of the campaign were announced during extend their educations and further their futures. the launch at the IRBBA Annual Meeting, April 28th in College Station.

“Foundation for the Future” Donation Heifer To launch the “Foundation for the Future” campaign, Don and Gina Cox Chair Tracee Buffaloe-Price commented “The entire Red Brangus breed has of Cox Excalibur donate the proceeds from their consignment in the “Divas embraced the scholarship program and supported its goals generously. The in Red” sale to the Scholarship fund. The donation female is CX Ms Home “Foundation for the Future” campaign will further insure that we as Red Run’s “Wilma” 503/Y, a June 2011 daughter of CX Home Run 135/P. In dis- Brangus breeders can contribute to the future of young Red Brangus and cussing their gift, Don Cox remembered, “I know how Ms. Wilma felt about Brangus enthusiasts. We are deeply grateful to Don and Gina Cox of Cox the young kids and I want to keep her feelings going. I can still remember Excalibur for their thoughtful and generous gift to the fund, its goals and the Ms Wilma coming to me before every sale to make sure I got her bid first for legacies of Wilma Buffaloe and Jim Hunt”. the donation heifer and she never missed.” IRBBA Scholarship Committee

“Divas in Red Futurity” The “Divas in Red” Premier Red Brangus Female Sale has become an annual sale as well as heifers purchased in the 2012 Genetic Edge sale in Houston highlight of the IRBBA Annual Meeting. The sale showcases the elite young will be eligible to compete for monetary awards and prizes. The “Divas in females of the breed and provides an opportunity for breeders and junior Red Futurity” will be held in conjunction with next year’s sale and IRBBA cattlemen alike to obtain show and herd prospects. In 2013, the IRBBA will Annual Meeting. host and sponsor the “Divas in Red Futurity”. Heifers purchased in this year’s

Simbrah

American Junior Simbrah Roundup SetHeadlines for June rio grande valley, tx - Attention all junior Simbrah exhibitors and Please be sure to check back at www.simbrahroundup.com for additional families, the AJSR is on for June 13-16th in the Rio Grande Valley! information. Also MAS VII will be held on the evening of June 16th!

Smith Genetics Cow Camp giddings, tx - Smith Genetics Annual Cow Camp will be May 19-20. will cover the educational competitions that are part of the TJSSA Futurity, Yes, this is a week earlier than normal and as previously advertised. American Junior Simbrah Roundup and AJSA Classic as well as fitting and grooming. Watch the Smith Genetics website, www.smithgenetics.com for The camp will start at 9 a.m. on the 19th and end at 2 p.m. on the 20th. It details.

20 | May 2012 The EAR LMC $ellabration Simbrah Weekend a Huge Success! linn, tx - Over 600 spirited Simbrah enthusiasts were in attendance at Simbrah enthusiast Martha Garrett. the inaugural LMC $ellabration Sale and $28,000 SHOW held March 23rd & 24th at the La Muneca Ranch near Linn, TX. “This one of a kind two Savannah Chappell from Lyford won the $ellabration Junior Division and day event was dedicated to our forefathers especially my great grandmother Grand Champion honors with her RGV/LMC heifer. She won $3,300 in Antonia who like so many still today came to this great country in 1873 as premiums. Hunter Wells from Harlingen won the Calf Division and Reserve a widow looking for a better life for her three sons. We are very fortunate to Grand Champion Purebred Simbrah with his 5W Cattle Co. (home raised) have so many of our clients and friends show up to help us with the execution heifer and received $2,100 in premium checks. Other division winners of this great event included Reserve Calf Champion – Victoria Villanueva (La Negra/LMC), which awarded Reserve Junior Champion – Kalllie Fuchs (BETM, 6G & LMC) and Senior over $43,000 in Champions, Olivia Vela and Daniel Galvan with their La Muneca pairs. premiums to our juniors, raised Christopher Martin from Wharton won the $ellabration Simbravieh show over $22,000 for with his La Muneca heifer and received $1,000 in premiums, a banner plus our family schol- a buckle. Blake Schultz from Louisiana was Reserve Grand and won $500, a arships and mar- banner & buckle with his LMC-Rafter M Simbravieh. Morgan Arnold and keted 160 plus Elizabeth Quintanilla won Grand and Reserve Brahman heifers both spon- State of the Art sored by La Muneca. They won $600 and $400 plus a banner and buckle each. The Champion and Reserve Cham- pion Simbrah Bulls were both exhibited by Dawson Raub with Carlie Cope from Katy showing the Reserve. They won $600 and Simbrah and Simbravieh cattle all over the Simbrah $400 plus a banner and buckle each. World” stated Carlos X. Guerra, sale host. “The competition was fierce but fair and “Again La Muneca rises to the occasion and put forth fun” as stated by Dean Fuchs. Long time a new event that headlines any event I have been as- Simbrah guru Ken Persyn judged the 86 sociated with. The $ellabration sale was a new and head of cattle in the LMC Sellabration show exciting event which only adds to a line of successful that awarded over $12,000 in premiums events produced by La Muneca. It was truly an enjoy- and buckles won by each Simbrah class win- able event which featured an excellent set of cattle ner and all champions. Judge Persyn was to tempt any cattle buyer. The Friday Show was an impressed with the depth of quality and outstanding event and the level of participation was progress made by Simbrah. high. Saturday’s events were one of a kind and only La Muneca has the ability to stage such events. The food was excellent, the facilities were outstanding and the event was well coordinated and organized. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to participate and be a part of the weekend. It was great to see so many people and so many new faces. Our Twenty-five lucky $el- cattle did exceptionally well and we are pleased with the results.” stated long labration exhibitors time LMC buyer and supporter Fred Grahmann of 6G Ranch. also won $200 scholarships drawn out of A highlight of the weekend was the $28,000 awarded in premium money to a hat at the conclusion the LMC $ellabration Junior Simbrah Exhibitors who exhibited their Sim- of the show thanks to brah, Brahman and Simbravieh heifers. $11,000 + was awarded in Show- the LMC $ellabration manship premiums and buckles to five different age divisions paying ten sponsors. deep in each class. The top two in each division won belt buckles plus cash. Winners were (8 & 9 yrs. old) – McKenna Tschirhart and Dawson Raub, La Muneca Cattle Co also had their annual LMC Jackpot and awarded (10 – 11 yrs.) - Andres Villanueva and Hannah Wells, (12 – 13 yrs.) – Vic- $15,000 in premiums to their junior clients. $7,500 was awarded in the toria Villanueva and Jane Hunt, (14 – 15 yrs.) – John Paul Rodriguez and showmanship show. The Top Seven heifers were - Champion Simbrah Fe- Maycie Wells, (16 – 18 yrs.) - Kallie Fuchs and Nevada Huffman. male was exhibited by Kallie Fuchs from Columbus, Reserve – Victoria Vil- lanueva from Edinburg, 3rd – McKenna Tschirhart from Castroville, 4th – The Supreme Champion Showman Kallie Fuchs won $2,000 and the Re- Savannah Chappell from Lyford, 5th – Hadley Baker from Lott, 6th – Jane serve Supreme Champion Showman Nevada Huffman won $1,000. The Hunt from Orange Grove and 7th – Dawson Raub from Lampasas. There LMC $ellabration Showmanship judge was Ingrid Tusa who along with her were 59 head in the LMC Jackpot Show. ring steward Rickey Burch commented on how polite and polished all of the junior exhibitors were. Andrew Morris from Pittsburg won the farthest The LMC Jackpot Simbravieh show was won by Caleb Fuchs from Burton. traveled bonus. The Reserve was shown by Andres Villanueva from Edinburg. . Morgan Arnold and Beth Quintanilla both from Edinburg exhibited the Grand and “The LMC $ellabration really reaches kids and their families. It offers great Reserve Champion Brahman females. The cattle were judged by Joe Seale. prize money, but more than that it provides a forum for kids to learn, network and visit with breeders throughout the weekend. It also provides a The Champion Junior Showmen were 1st – Victor Moreno, 2nd – McK- great avenue for junior exhibitors and their families to market their heifer enna Tschirhart, 3rd – Hannah Wells, 4th – Jane Hunt, 5th - Addison projects and become involved in the breed. It’s a fast paced two days, with Trojanowski, , 6th – Olivia Vela, 7th – Victoria Villanueva, 8th – Amelia lots of opportunities and great Guerra family hospitality” stated long time Stavinoha, 9th – Morgan Arnold and 10th - Beth Quintanilla. The Cham-

The EAR May 2012 | 21 pion Senior Showmanship winners were 1st – Kallie Fuchs, 2nd – Brance LMC for $6,500 with Cameron Younts from Orange Grove buying the 6th Crowell, 3rd – Nevada Huffman, 4th – Dustin Black, 5th – Micahel Stehle, top selling heifer for $5,900 for ½ interest from BETM and LMC. 6th – James Baker III, 7th – Blake Schultz, 8th – Liana Flores, 9th – Regan Duleba and 10th – Tanner Feldhoff. Showmanship was judged by Erin The top selling Simbrah pair was consigned by Rafter M, Littlefoot Land Lockhart. & Cattle and La Muneca selling for $6,000 to Smith Genetics and Pete Ni- eschwietz. The top selling cow was consigned by 6G Ranch, Louie Flores, Another highlight of the sale was the donation lots for the Rafael A. & Car- Rafter M and La Muneca selling for $5,250 to BETM Ranch from Castro- men Guerra Memorial Scholarship Funds. The top two selling lots were ville. Overall 58.5 Simbrah females averaged $3,332. two Whitetail buck hunts donated by the Carlos X Guerra family selling for $6,500 apiece to Tom Zulim and Nick Goodrich. The third top selling The top selling Simbraviehs were consigned by La Muneca and sold for donation lot was three units of semen on the legendary LMC EF JW Black $3,200, $2,800 and $2,700 to Floneca from Linn, Damian Rangel from selling for $4,500 to Hagan Cattle Co. Other donors were Gilbert & Emma McAllen and Sigifredo Cantu from HIdalgo. 7N Ranch from Falls City, Garza, Franco Trevino, Darryl Caraveo, LMC and Ava Barker. A total of Paul Estes from Oklahoma, Sigifredo Cantu, Diamond V Ranch from De- $22,800 was raised for the Victor, Arcadio, Rafael & Carmen Guerra Me- catur, Sam Correa from Mission and Twisted D Ranch from Edinburg all morial Scholarship Funds. RGV Cattle donated a Simbrah heifer that sold put together some great starter sets of Simbravieh heifers which averaged to Pepe and Victor Guerra for $1,350. That money will go to the American $1,808 on 71 head. Junior Simbrah Round Up. The Top Ten Volume buyers were: Ronnie Smith, 7N Ranch- Pete Ni- The top selling Simbrah bull, the popular champion LMC Soldier was con- eschwietz, Paul Estes, Sigifredo Cantu, Diamond V Ranch, Sam Correa, signed by La Muneca & Alejandro Guerra and sold to Hernando Guerra Hernando Guerra, Jorge Urriegas, Twisted D Ranch and BETM Ranch The from Mexico for $14,000. The 2nd top selling bull was LMC 6G Pap- total LMC $ellabration sale grossed $420,100 on 163 lots for a $2,577 aver- padeaux selling for $5,250 to Newt Huffman and Victor Guerra. The third age per lot with 69 buyers. Another sale highlight was the fact that several top selling bull was consigned by Darryl Raub & LMC and sold to UTmost new Simbravieh breeders were established and the many buyers came from Cattle Co. of Katy, Texas for $4,500. The top selling Braunvieh bull was as far away as Oregon, Kansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas and Mexico. consigned by La Muneca with ½ interest selling to Pedernal Cattle Co. of Leo Casas was the auctioneer. Cattle in Motion helped to market over Linn for $2,500. Overall 21 Simbrah bulls averaged $3,188. twenty lots online.

The highlight of the sale and female offering was the Lot 27 Uno’s Pretty The next big Simbrah event will be MAS VII on June 16-17th and will be Neat show heifer prospect consigned by Top C and La Muneca Cattle Co. held in conjunction with the American Jr. Simbrah Round Up at the Rio selling for $21,900 to Ronnie Smith from Fort Worth. The 2nd and 3rd Grande Valley Show Grounds in Mercedes, Texas. The LMC $ellabration tops sellers were consigned by La Muneca, BETM and 6G and sold for Sale II is being planned for March 22-23, 2013. For more information, $11,000 apiece to Olivia Vela and Ronnie Smith. Louie Flores consigned please call Carlos X. Guerra at (956) 802-1641 or email lamunecacattle@ the 4th top seller selling for $8,000 to Andrew Morris from Pittsburg, TX. aol.com. Rowdy Baker from Lott, bought the 5th top seller from BETM, 6G and Industry News

New Website Launched to Connect Buyers, Sellers of Bulk Feed Ingredients Feed manufacturers and livestock producers have a new tool to save time and dients and easy-to-use functionality,” Cooney said. reduce costs when buying bulk feed ingredients. A newly launched website, www.feedpail.com, is designed to connect buyers and sellers of bulk feed Feed costs are the largest single component in raising livestock. Therefore, ingredients quickly and easily. any efficiency gained on sourcing ingredients can have a large impact across the industry. Feedpail streamlines the price discovery and purchasing process Dairy, beef, swine and poultry producers, as well as other bulk feed buyers, of buying and selling feed ingredients. Anyone who buys or sells bulk feed now have direct access to the feed ingredients they need through Feedpail. ingredients, or is involved in the feed industry, can use the site to stay current com. The free service allows users to see prices and availability of more than on bulk feed ingredient costs and make purchasing decisions. 50 bulk feed ingredients such as fats and oils, animal proteins, grain byprod- ucts, minerals and more. Feedpail is easy to use. Once an account is set up, sellers post available tons and buyers have the option to buy outright or bid on the tons. Users can Each week more than $200 million of bulk feed ingredients are bought and search by feed ingredient and geography to find prices and availability. Once sold outside of the futures and option exchanges. The buying and selling pro- a quantity and price are agreed to, the contact information of the buyer and cess often requires multiple phone calls, emails and negotiations to complete seller is shared so they can complete the transaction. All sales are kept confi- a transaction. This time-intensive trading is solved through technology with dential and are subject to each party’s terms, conditions and policies. the free Feedpail online service. Feedpail not only simplifies a complex feed ingredient buying and selling Feedpail was developed by Ryan Cooney, who wanted to create a quicker, system, it also offers new opportunities to both parties. easier and more enjoyable way to buy and sell feed ingredients. He says people involved in feeding livestock are considering a larger number of ingredi- “Feedpail helps meet customers’ demands, but it can also open up new cus- ent options today than ever before. But more and more these same people are tomers and markets for buyers and sellers, expanding the network for both limited by their available time and network of sellers they know. groups,” Cooney said.

“FeedPail solves that with instant access to a large network of available ingre- Price discovery is an added benefit of the new feed ingredient exchange.

22 | May 2012 The EAR Feedpail makes it easy to spot check prices and users can use the service to monitor price changes, which will allow them to make more accurate buying “The Feedpail service has the potential to be used by anyone in the livestock and selling decisions. industry who is following bulk feed ingredient markets. All participants in the industry will benefit from being able to easily track and monitor prices Feedpail has also developed an email newsletter to distribute regular updates and availability,” Cooney said. on bulk feed ingredient prices. Everyone who signs up for a free account on FeedPail can receive the newsletter to help them stay up-to-date on price To learn more, visit the website at www.feedpail.com. changes and trends. AgriMarketing

Coalition Formed to More Aggressively Fight HSUS, Other Radical Animal Rights Groups One of the leaders of a new coalition of farmers, ranchers and hunters says tion standards-and pushing for more restrictive animal care laws at the state they are “willing to play more aggressively” against radical animal rights and federal levels. groups, including the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Helland says the so-called “egg bill” in Congress is just the latest example. Erik Helland of Johnston, Iowa is a member of the board of Protect the Harvest, a group that grew out of the Proposition B “puppy mill” campaign “They’re going to come at this, and as soon as they get that, they’re going to in Missouri in 2010. Helland says agriculture needs to go on the offensive come from a different angle-and then they’ll come from another angle-and against the radical animal rights fringe. they’re never going to stop,” he says. “They’ve clearly stated that their goals are to come after animal agriculture-and we can’t sit idly beside and let that “I think in the past a lot of groups have been willing to play defense once an happen.” initiative has been brought to the legislature-and I think they’ve done a great job,” Helland says. “Where our concern is, in the long run, we’ve got to go on Helland says the founder and owner of Lucas Oil, Forrest Lucas, has been the offense. We’ve got to start staking out ag turf and making HSUS justify one of the driving forces behind formation of the Protect the Harvest coali- their attack on rural America.” tion. Lucas also owns a cattle ranch in Missouri.

Helland says HSUS is using a multi-faceted, incremental approach to slowly Helland is an Iowa state legislator and serves as majority whip in the Iowa put livestock and egg producers out of business. Those tactics, Helland says, House of Representatives. include pressuring restaurants and grocery chains to adopt tougher produc- AgriMarketing

Effect of Initial Prostaglandin on Fixed-Time AI Pregnancy Researchers hypothesized that beginning a fixed-time AI program by admin- 74 hours after CIDR removal. istering prostaglandin might increase pregnancy. A total of 501 multiparous Ovulation response was evaluated at one of the locations using ultrasound at postpartum beef cows at three locations received one of the following pro- time of GnRh and 48 hours after GnRh. Among cows with follicles >10 mm tocols: diameter, more (P = 0.03) PG-CIDR (88%) ovulated compared to 5-DAY • PG-CIDR = prostaglandin (PGF2α) injection, followed three days CIDR (68%). More (P = 0.04) PG-CIDR (64%) were pregnant compared later by GnRH injection and CIDR insertion, followed six days later by to 5-DAY CIDR (55%). Pregnancy was not influenced by location, cow age, removal of CIDR and prostaglandin injection, followed by AI 66-72 hours cycling status, or Body Condition Score. The authors noted that GnRH ini- after CIDR removal or tiation of a new follicular wave had been shown to depend on stage of the es- • 5-DAY CIDR = GnRH injection and CIDR insertion, followed five trous cycle and concluded that the PG-CIDR protocol improved synchrony days later by removal of CIDR and prostaglandin injection, followed four of follicular waves resulting in improved pregnancy. (J. Animal Sci. 90:489; to eight hours later by another prostaglandin injection, followed by AI 70- So. Dakota St. Univ., Pfizer Anim. Health)

National Academy of Sciences to Hold Summit on Herbicide Resistant Weeds The issue of herbicide-resistant weeds is serious enough that the National “But I would say the general public is only slowly coming to understand the Academy of Sciences is organizing a one-day summit to hash out the prob- challenges that farmers and the agri-chemical industry overall are facing in lem. the next few years,” he told Brownfield.

“We’re holding a meeting in Washington, D.C., to bring together leaders The program, Thursday, May 10, at George Washington University, is to be who will help us first understand the nature of the problem of herbicide resis- presented mostly by university specialists addressing what to do about weed tance and then figure out what possible opportunities we have to ameliorate resistance. the problem from spreading further,” said Dr. Charlie Arntzen, who chairs the steering committee for the National Summit on Strategies to Manage “It’s been easy to control weeds now in cotton and soybeans for quite a num- Herbicide-Resistant Weeds. ber of years,” said Arntzen. “Mother Nature doesn’t like that and is coming back with a vengeance.” Among many other positions in the scientific community, Dr. Arntzen is the founding director of Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute. Farmers, said Dr. Arntzen, need to spend time in their fields looking for the occasional pigweed, or whatever it might be, and take care to not let weed Most people close to agriculture are aware that glyphosate resistance is seeds get established. spreading from where it began in the southeastern United States, according to Dr. Arntzen. “The best tool of prevention is to get out and don’t let it get started.” AgriMarketing

The EAR May 2012 | 23 Missouri Bill Criminalizes Undercover Videos at Farms JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Missouri House has endorsed legisla- at agricultural facilities under false pretenses. tion seeking to make it a crime for undercover activists to produce videos portraying poor conditions at agricultural facilities. Supporters said the measure is needed to stop undercover activists who produce propaganda against agriculture, particularly where livestock are The legislation given first-round approval Tuesday would create the crime being raised or slaughtered. of “agriculture production facility interference.” The crime would apply to people who produce or distribute photos, videos or audio recordings of the Opponents of the bill said some of those undercover investigations have activities at an agricultural facility without the consent of the owner. helped improve conditions at agricultural facilities.

Unfairly Smeared by ‘Pink Slime’? Officials with two area cattle producer organizations say recent media at- side of the story. tention on so-called “pink slime” in beef has been unbalanced and that consumers need to focus on reliable scientific evidence. Bob Montross, a Desmet, S.D., farmer and cattle producer, tells Agweek that heʼ “toured the plant (in Nebraska) personally and itʼs a perfectly safe “This name-calling approach isnʼt good for anyone. Itʼs unfortunate. There product.” He says the plant is modern and committed to food safety. needs to be more public education,” says Dale Lueck, an Aitkin, Minn., cattleman and a spokesman for the Minnesota State Cattlemenʼs Associa- Lueck and Ellingson say their respective groups havenʼt taken an official tion. stand on the controversy.

In North Dakota, many cattle producers are upset by the controversy, But consumers need to make decisions on “science-based information,” which unfairly calls into question the safety of beef, says Julie Ellingson, not on news media reports that arenʼt necessarily accurate, Ellingson says. executive director of the North Dakota Stockmenʼs Association. Cattle producers and the beef industry in general take food safety very seriously, she says. “It does hurt beefʼs standing with consumers,” she says of the controversy. Federal regulators say the product, which the industry calls “lean, finely Ellingson says her organization hasnʼt received any questions from con- textured beef,” meets food safety standards. According to the Associated sumers about the product, though a school food-service provider did ask Press, the ingredient is made from fatty bits of meat leftover from other for more cuts. The bits are heated and spun to remove most of the fat. The lean mix information about it. then is compressed into blocks for use in ground meat. The product is exposed to ammonium hydroxide gas to kill bacteria. Lueck says heʼs not aware of any consumers who have complained to his group about the product. Critics say the product is unappetizing, and there are concerns — widely disseminated by the news media and in social media — about whether the He says itʼs common for some food or food product to receive widespread product is safe. Thatʼs led a number of retailers to quit selling items that negative coverage in the news media. contain the product. Itʼs also led the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow school districts to quit using it. “Itʼs our turn in the barrel this time,” he says.

The controversy has caused Beef Products Inc., which makes the product, The real issue is providing consumers with “safe, wholesome food at an af- to close three of its four plants. The plant in South Sioux City, Neb., con- fordable price,” which the beef industry is doing, Lueck says. tinues operations. “We have nothing to hide or be ashamed of,” he says.

Beef Products Inc. has created a website, www.beefisbeef.com, to tell its Jonathan Knutson, Agweek

Beef Industry Welcomes Columbia Trade Deal US - The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) welcomes recent Mr Bacus says the FTA will immediately repeal the 80 per cent tariff Co- news that the free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and lombia currently has set on high quality US beef. The agreement will phase Colombia will begin implementation on May 15, 2012. out the tariff on all other cuts over the next 15 years.

NCBA Associate Director of Legislative Affairs Kent Bacus says: “This is a Mr Bacus says the trade pact will also establish science based standards for great opportunity for US beef. This is something NCBA has been working Colombia based on standards set by the World Organisation for Animal on for several years,” says Bacus. “We will finally have a presence in Co- Health. lombia. The 80 per cent tariff has essentially kept us out of that market.” TheCattleSite News Desk

The new industry standard for Bos indicus. Your ad could be here! Advertising Sales: Call us to find out how. Mark Cowan: 903/495-4522, [email protected] Phone: 979/219-4599 Kyle Devoll: 979/820-8362, [email protected] Fax: 979/828-5532 Richard Hood: 979/224-6140, [email protected] www.theearmagazine.com Trey Kirkpatrick: 979/324-5518, [email protected]

24 | May 2012 The EAR How to Curb Discharge of the Most Potent GHG US - Meat consumption in the developed world needs to be cut by 50 In a draft of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report, four scenarios, known per cent per person by 2050, and emissions in all sectors – industrial and as representative concentration pathways (RCPs), have been adopted, and agricultural – need to be reduced by 50 per cent if the most aggressive these represent possible means of reductions for a number of greenhouse strategy is to be met, set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate gases. Dr Davidson evaluated the scale of changes needed to meet the pre- Change (IPCC), to reduce the most potent of greenhouse gases, nitrous dicted N2O pathways. oxide (N2O). The findings are results of a study by Dr Eric Davidson and are published Three of the IPCC’s less aggressive scenarios could be met by reducing meat in IOP Publishing’s Environmental Research Letters. Dr Davidson, who consumption, improving agricultural practices, or reducing emissions from is President and a Senior Scientist at the Woods Hold Research Center in industry. The most aggressive scenario, where atmospheric N2O concen- Massachusetts, demonstrates the magnitude of changes needed to stabilize trations stabilize by 2050, can only be met if a 50 per cent reduction, or N2O concentrations in the atmosphere. improvement, is achieved for each of the above.

N2O is the third highest contributor to climate change behind carbon di- To make these calculations, Dr Davidson relied on data provided by the oxide (CO2) and methane (CH4); however, it poses a greater challenge for Food and Agricultural Organization, which assume that the global popula- mitigation since nitrogen is an essential element for food production. It is tion will increase to 8.9 billion by 2050 and the daily calorific intake per also the most potent of these three greenhouse gases, as it is a much better capita will increase to 3130 kcal. They also assume that the average meat absorber of infrared radiation. But total anthropogenic emissions are about consumption of each person in the developed world will rise from 78 kg 6 million metric tons of nitrogen as N2O, compared to 10 billion metric per year in 2002 to 89 kg per year in 2030 and from 28 kg per year in 2002 tons of carbon as CO2. to 37 kg per year for each person in the developing world.

The main sources of N2O in the atmosphere are due to the spreading of Assessing the likelihood of reducing meat consumption in the developed synthetic nitrogen fertilizers onto agricultural soils and the use and storage world by 50 per cent, Dr Davidson said, “If you had asked me 30 years ago of livestock manure. The nitrogen contained in fertilizers and manure is if smoking would be banned in bars, I would have laughed and said that broken down by microbes that live in the soil and released into the atmo- would be impossible in my lifetime, and yet it has come true. Similarly, sphere as N2O. In order to reduce emissions, it will be necessary to apply there would be beneficial health benefits for most Americans and western certain changes to the food production process. Europeans to stop ‘supersizing’ and rather to reduce portion sizes of red meat.” Dr Davidson believes that this can be achieved through improved management of fertilizer and manure sources, as well as through reduction of the Are such changes possible for diet? “That will depend,” says Dr Davidson, developed world’s per capita meat consumption that will relieve pressure on “not only on education about diet, but also on prices of meat. Some agri- fertilizer demand and reduce growth in the amount of manure being pro- cultural economists think that the price of meat is going to go way up, so duced. “We have the technical know-how and the tools to greatly improve that per capita consumption will go down, but those are highly uncertain efficiencies of fertilizer use in agriculture,” states Dr Davidson, “although projections.” several economic and political impediments often stand in the way of their adoption.” TheCattleSite News Desk

Make the Most of Calf Vaccinations US - It’s often said that the most expensive vaccine is one that fails to work. a severe BRSV infection. For this reason, a recent trial tested young calves’ And with current calf prices, it’s crucial that producers protect their calf crop ability to respond to BRSV vaccination in the presence of maternal anti- just like any other investment — starting with guarding against summer bodies received from colostrum. The results demonstrated that calves vac- pneumonia at branding or summer turnout, writes Michael Nichols,DVM, cinated with an intranasal respiratory vaccine had almost half of the lung Cattle and Equine Technical Services, Pfizer Animal Health. lesions — 44 per cent fewer — and reduced morbidity compared with non-vaccinated calves. A strong immune system begins with the calf’s colostrum intake. Antibod- ies are passed from dam to offspring and help provide protection during The bottom line is that this intranasal vaccine has been demonstrated to the first few months of life. While these maternal antibodies decline over override BRSV maternal antibodies, helping kick-start the calf’s immune time, it has been shown that those specific to bovine respiratory syncytial system against this important virus and the BRD complex. However, this virus (BRSV) are often still present in 6- to 8-week-old calves, which is is not true of all vaccines. Research has shown that the ability to stimulate the typical age at summer turnout. When BRSV maternal antibodies are immunity in the presence of BRSV maternal antibodies has historically present, multiple studies have shown a lack of detectable response to BRSV been inconsistent. Now, there’s a three-way intranasal respiratory vaccine vaccination. that has been demonstrated to override BRSV maternal antibodies, and it has the highest level of label claim to date for BRSV. Plus, it helps protect This is especially important in branding-age calves, as BRSV is frequently against infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus and parainfluenza 3 the primary cause of viral pneumonia from birth to weaning. It can play a (PI3) virus. major part in the bovine respiratory disease (BRD) complex because of its frequency of occurrence, tendency to settle in the lower respiratory tract Using the right vaccine at the wrong time or the wrong vaccine at the right and ability to predispose the respiratory tract to secondary bacterial infec- time can make or break a vaccination program. Producers should work tions. with their veterinarians to build a respiratory vaccination program that gets the most out of the vaccine and the calf’s immune system. The perfect storm for summer pneumonia could occur when a calf with maternal antibodies that interfere with a BRSV vaccination is exposed to TheCattleSite News Desk

The EAR May 2012 | 25 26 | May 2012 The EAR Advertiser’s Index 2H Brangus...... 26 Garrett Brangus...... 26 Peaceful Valley Farms...... 26 5K Cowbelle Ranch...... 26 Harris Riverbend Farm...... 27,IBC Pine Ridge Ranch...... 27 Advanced Genetic Services, LLC...... 27 Hengst Bros. Brangus...... 26 Quail Creek Brangus...... 26 AMS Genetics, LLC...... BC Indian Hills Ranch...... 26 Reynolds, Greg...... 27 Bailey Brahmans...... 26 J.D. Hudgins, Inc...... 26 River Bend Brangus...... 19 Briggs Ranches...... IFC, 27 JLS International...... 26 Robert Yates Ranch...... 26 Buckner Polled Beefmaster...... 26 Lambert, Doak...... 27 Roop Cattle Co...... 13 Calyx Star Ranch...... 26 Livestock Photography by Nancy...... 27 Royal K Ranch...... 9 Cattle Solutions...... 27 M & W Cattle Service...... 27 Salacoa Valley Farms...... 1 Cavender Ranches...... 26 McCreary Farms...... 26 TCR Genetics...... 27 Champion Genetics...... 27 Miller Brangus...... 14,15 Triangle K Farms...... 26 D&K Brangus...... 14 Nunley Bros. Ranches...... 27 Truitt Brangus Farms...... 26 Doguet’s Diamond D Ranch...... 26 Oak Creek Farms...... 26 Walking T...... 3 Don Thomas & Sons...... 26 Oakley, Lakin...... 27 Westall Ranches, LLC...... 26 El Rancho De Trabajo...... 26 OvaGenix...... 27

The EAR May 2012 | 27 Calendar Please note that events/sales in bold have ads placed in this issue. Check them out! May Brangus Female, Bull & Commercial Female 5 - JLS International Winning Tradition IX Sale - Sale - Concord, AR Devine, TX 3 - Indian Nations Fall Sale - TBA 5 - Deep South Brahman & F1 Sale - Hattiesburg, 10 - The Stockmen’s Kind Bull Sale @ Blackwater MS Cattle Co. - Lake Park, GA 5 - Lone Star BBA Spring Sale - Sulphur Springs, TX 13 - Heart of Texas Simbrah Assn. Fall Fest Sale - 5 - East Texas Simmental/Simbrah Assn. Sale - Hearne, TX Athens, TX 12 - Central States BBA Spring Sale - Cehcotah, OK 12 - Santa Gertrudis Breeders of the Carolinas Sale - Chester, SC 12 - Royal B Brahman Consignment Sale - Henderson, TX 19 - Buzzard Hollow Ranch Sale - Granbury, TX 19 - Mound Creek & Friends Female Sale - Leona, TX Because 19 - Emmons Ranch Production Sale - Fairfield, TX 27 - The Chosen Few 2012 Internet Heifer Sale - Nacogdoches, TX we want to June 2 - Five Oaks Ranch Santa Gertrudis Sale - Clifton, hEAR TX 9 - Walking T Ranch Commercial Female Sale Melissa, TX from 9 - Carolina’s Brahman Sale - Clemson, SC 16 - “The Event” A Showcase of Red Brangus YOU! Genetics - Brenham, TX 16-17 - MAS VII - Rio Grande Valley Show Grounds, We’re all about getting the word out, let us know Mercedes, TX about your next Bos indicus influenced event or sale. Contact: August Crystal Devoll Brad Wright 4 - Bama Breeze Beefmaster Sale - Falkville, AL Phone: 979/820-8358 Phone: 979/219-4599 9 - Carolina’s Brahman Sale - Clemson, SC [email protected] Fax: 979/828-5532 16 - “The Event” A Showcase of Red Brangus [email protected] Genetics - Brenham, TX

October Your ad could be in here! 4 - Advancing the Breed II - Lake Charles, LA Call us to find out how. 13 - CX Advantage Sale - Weimar, TX Advertising Sales: 26 - Salacoa Valley “Buy the Numbers” Sale - Mark Cowan: 903/495-4522, [email protected] Fairmount, GA Kyle Devoll: 979/820-8362, [email protected] 26-28 - Synergy V Sale & Showcase - Giddings, TX Richard Hood: 979/224-6140, [email protected] Trey Kirkpatrick: 979/324-5518, [email protected] November Fax: 979/828-5532 2-3 - GENETRUST @ Chimney Rock Registered www.theearmagazine.com

28 | May 2012 The EAR Our NEXT Generation of Herd Sires Give Yourself The Edge

FOR SALE Herd Reduction 64 Santa Gertrudis Cows Spring Bred to Red Angus & Hereford Bulls DP 161/0 (Scurred) - Semen Available Soon 6 years & younger Top 30% BW, REA & Marbling Co-owned with Winrock Farms

AJH 12/0 (Scurred) - Semen Available at $30/Straw Top 20% Maternal Co-owned with Strait Ranches

FC PISTOL 28/0 - Semen Available Soon Top 10% WW, YW, REA - Steller First Season Show Career Co-owned with Super S Cattle Co. & Flying C Ranch The New Generation Santa Gertrudis Harris Riverbend Farm Private treaty bulls David & Laurie Harris and females for sale PO Box 691 l Cleburne, TX 76033 at all times. 817/641-4159 home Give us a call! 817/641-4771 office 817/996-5866 mobile June 9th Feature: Walking T Ranch of Melissa, TX 1150 Head of Angus l Brangus Baldies l Superbaldies

Offering to include: Bred Heifers (many AI Bred to low BW Angus & Brangus bulls) Exposed & Open Heifers 80 Head of Mature Bred Cows & Pairs

ATTENTION CATTLEMEN: Let AMS help you market your calves! American Marketing Services is now a licensed Superior Livestock Auctions representative. Contact AMS today to schedule to market your commercial calves or replacement cattle sale today on Superior Livestock Auction. Not familiar with Superior Livestock Auctions? In 1987, Superior Livestock Auction introduced satellite video marketing to the nation’s livestock industry and forever changed the way load lots of cattle are marketed. Superior has grown to become the largest livestock auction in the United States, marketing well over one million head of cattle annually. With over 300 representatives located throughout the United States, Superior provides a complete national marketing network serving both buyers and sellers.

Unlike conventional marketing methods, buyers have the opportunity to view, evaluate and make selections from cattle across the country in the convenience of their office or home. Sellers can offer their cattle, viewed in their natural surroundings, to a nationwide buyer base. Load lots of country fresh cattle are sold on contract for immediate to future delivery using the most accurate form of price discovery available….competitive bidding. Superior has created a national livestock market, where prices are discovered without regard to local climate conditions or demand. LEARN MORE AT WWW.SUPERIORLIVESTOCK.COM Or Call an AMS Representative Today Mark Cowan | [email protected] | 903-495-4522 Trey Kirkpatrick | [email protected] | 979-324-5518 Richard Hood | [email protected] | 979-224-6150 Brad Wright | [email protected] | 979-219-4599 www.amscattle.com