Management
will be discounted to an even greater degree
and will have a hard time finding a home. good calves throughout the calf crop and a
large percentage of poor or average animals.
But from a producer’s small dot on the GPS map,
the question becomes - what are good genetics
and how do you create and maintain them? “If it takes more than two sentences to describe
your cattle to a buyer, plan on getting discounted,”
said Tom Brink, CEO of Red Angus Association
and a past president of J & F Oklahoma Holdings,
Five Rivers Cattle Feeding. “What does that say
about your calves? You just told the buyer you
don’t have a breeding program; your genetics
are all mixed up, and you’ve been on this path
to nowhere for a while. These calves have
already been discounted in the buyer’s mind.”
At the basic level, calves are a result of their
parentage, thus it’s impossible to have a
high quality genetically superior calf crop
with a deficient cow herd and scrub bulls.
To create a desired product, there must first
be a top shelf biological delivery system.
Recent issues of LIMOUSIN TODAY have re-
iterated the importance of excellent quality
herd sires and superior maternal dams. This
should not be ignored. Weak parentage will
undoubtedly produce deficient offspring.
While cattle buyers throughout the country may
not all agree on a preferred color, ears or hair
coats, they will all be on board with certain traits.
Universally, they want well rounded, balanced
calves that will grow and gain weight efficiently
plus finish quickly with carcasses that yield and
grade well. They want healthy, properly framed,
vigorous calves with acceptable dispositions,
strong structure and realistic conformations.
Before making drastic changes to conform a calf
crop into a more desired commodity, producers
should realistically assess the bare bones of
their cattle operation and the genetics they
already have. Are the bulls good enough to
create the desired offspring or are replacements
needed to raise the bar? Does the cow herd
measure up or is substantial culling and a new
direction the way to bring the focus of the
calf crop into more desired parameters?
Making it even more complicated, cattle buyers
also demand uniformity in larger groups. Higher
profits are not achieved with a smattering of
When making changes to upgrade genetics,
trim the edges and dispose of the weak spots.
Bring the focus and target of the calf crop to the
positive side of the scale, not accepting that only
a few calves will reach that target but working
consistently to propel a large percentage of the
calf crop onto that side of the ledger. Work the
genetics for uniformity in frame size, weights,
disposition and vigor, then worry about the
preferred color for your area of the country. Having
the right color of calves is useless if they aren’t
quality animals. “Good genetics are going to be
good genetics, no matter what color it is,” said
Jack Frost of Springfield Livestock Marketing.
It’s impossible to predict the exact feed efficiency
and average daily gain for any calf crop, but they
can be positioned properly with high quality
genetics. Demanding good fertility, conformation,
easy calving and other desired traits of herd
bulls plus the strong maternal traits and qualities
of the cow herd will move the genetic needle
in the right direction. Combined with strong
management practices and smart realistic health
protocols, producers will be able to provide the
commodity that cattle buyers in their area desire
with much greater accuracy, in turn increasing
the always important profit margin. LT
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