EFFICIENCY
PAYS
For 49 years, O’Connor Farms has focused
on efficiency at all levels of the production chain.
From the bulls and replacement females we market, to our
custom and meat business, our Limousin genetics are
built to be efficient every step of the way.
THE HERD SIRES DELIVERING EFFICIENCY
WULFS EQUIVALENT 3270E
HOMO PLD • Purebred
Wulfs Allstate x Wulfs Aryana
BW: 0.2 WW: 70 YW: 106
MK: 26 MB: -.02 $MI: 56
CELL 5710C
HOMO PLD • Lim-Flex 37%
Silveiras Mission Nexus x MAGS Xuzette
BW: -0.6 WW: 73 YW: 117
MK: 18 MB: .12 $MI: 59
FOR SALE PRIVATELY
Limousin & Lim-Flex
• Stout Yearling & 2-yr.-old Bulls
• Bred Females & Pairs
Red & Black • Many HOMO BLACK
ALL POLLED/DOUBLE POLLED
“Where function meets quality.”
FRANK & DON PHELPS • cell: 937/539-1442
8807 Township Rd. 98 • Belle Center, Ohio 43310-9551
email: [email protected]
“Home of the OCNR Prefix”
Breeding Performance Limousin Genetics Since 1971
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would feed and cut out well because they are dairy calves; however,
the carcass data is showing these cattle are grading and yielding very
well,” said Fanta. “As we collect more data on these cattle, we continue
to refine and build bulls specifically for this purpose.”
Utilizing the information derived from genetic testing has been
a large part of the Wulf Cattle’s exponential growth in recent
years. Collecting data has empowered Wulf Cattle to make genetic
improvements by leaps and bounds, and the potential for even greater
advancements is just around the corner.
“As we look to the future, we as producers shouldn’t fight change,”
said Jerry Wulf, of Wulf Cattle. “Change—it’s coming. Learn it,
embrace it and sort through it. Data plus genomics is a change, but
it’s the future. If we don’t embrace it and utilize the tools to make
our cattle and our genetics better, our colleagues will. And instead of
making it happen, we’ll be asking, how did this happen?”
What can other Limousin breeders take away from Wulf Cattle’s
incredible success in the dairy industry? Look no further than their
commitment to collecting data. Knowledge really is power.
“We are fortunate to have so many resources to collect and analyze
data on such a large scale with the dairies and feedlots,” said Fanta.
“One thing I’ve learned is the more data you collect, the more questions
you have. There is a trend in our industry right now to chase traits by
choosing outliers. Take marbling, for example. I have found it’s better
not to zero in on the single trait of marbling by selecting for bulls
with high values in this trait. Instead, the approach we have taken is
to work really hard to discontinue using the low value bulls. And it’s
exciting to see that as a breed, we have improved marbling but haven’t
lost ribeye size. And our cattle are becoming more accepted by the
feeding industry as a result.”
What’s next for Wulf Cattle? Expect the BeefBuilders™ to continue
to take off as dairies seek to add value to their calves through Limousin
genetics. Additionally, Fanta shared an ongoing project with Neogen,
where they are evaluating 22,000 feeder cattle in North Dakota. This
data, once collected, will again feed into NALF’s EPDs.
With so many tools available to cattlemen today, it can be easy to
get overwhelmed; yet, it’s an exciting challenge that continues to push
Wulf Cattle to learn and do more.
“You would think by now with all of the genomics, carcass data,
weights and other information for us to evaluate that we all would
have achieved the perfect beef animal,” said Fanta. “However, the
big challenge is tying all of this data together and applying it to
various environments and operations. It takes a lot of hours and a
commitment to sort through this information, but at the end of the
day, it can yield some dramatic genetic improvements much quicker
than we ever thought possible.”
To learn more about Wulf Cattle’s BeefBuilders™, visit www.
wulfcattle.com.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Amanda Radke raises Limousin cattle with
her family at NOLZ Limousin in Mitchell, SD. She is also a blogger
for BEEF Magazine and the author of ranch-themed children’s
books, “Levi’s Lost Calf ” and “Can-Do Cowkids.” Connect with
her at www.amandaradke.com.
• JANUARY 2020