Big Country Genetics has a simple and direct mission: to produce sensible cattle that generate profits for the operation, its customers and the greater beef industry. Although the mission is short and to the point, achieving the goal is far from simple. Almost every seedstock provider will tell you that they are doing exactly this; however, it takes a deep discerning look to truly predict profitability through genetics!
The cattle industry is incredibly diverse and unpredictable. As cattlemen and women, we are always making predictions on when to market our calves, assessing which supplements to feed and determining what genetic line will increase ranch profitability the most. We try our best, but sometimes we simply make the wrong decision and fall short. These failures are alright so long and we learn from them; and, make measured corrections. Our belief is that there is no perfect cow, but there are profitable cattle and unprofitable cattle. With that being said, we aren’t interested in the notion of falling in love with certain cattle. Instead, we like to set bench marks and the cattle that meet these marks get to remain within the operation, and cattle that don’t simply fall out.
The Bench Marks:
1) Fertility & Mothering Ability: Our cattle are expected to calve on their own, unassisted and outside – period. Every bull we sell and every heifer we keep had a mother that did exactly that, every year. As we grow, we do selectively purchase some early calving heifers that will have their first calf in a shed if needed. All home raised heifers; however, calve just like our mature cows and are checked once a day while calving outside. We are also excited to share that we have implemented a 45-day calving window this year. This is extremely significant as we do not prop our cattle up in the winter with feed and supplementation. Our cattle are expected graze the majority of the year with only a Riomax tub as a supplement. Due to grass restrictions we do feed some hay, however this is fed as long stem hay and absolutely no feed additives are added to the ration. This time of the year you often hear producers bragging about their weaning weights and cowherd breed up. Both of these things generate income and profits; however, we rarely hear producers talking about the cost they incurred to achieve these high breed ups and big calves. Remember for every pound gained and every cow bred, there was also a cost. Sometimes those cattle weaning 700 steers are less profitable than the cattle weaning 500 steers.
2) Type & Kind: When selecting a bull to use in our herd, our first consideration is his phenotype. Our primary focus is on a moderate framed, big bodied individual with the right leg structure and good feet. We like early maturing cattle whose growth curve is highest between birth and weaning. We find that higher growth cattle tend to fall out due to a lack in fleshing ability. With that being said; we like everyone else, like to have soggy calves at weaning. It’s simply that earlier maturing cattle lend to higher weaning weights while maintaining a moderate mature cow.
3) EPD’s & Genomics: EPD’s are one of the most profitable tools cattlemen have to make economically pertinent discussions. EPD’s are the only way one can compare an animal from one operation to another without environmental biases. When we evaluate EPD’s we need to remember that bigger is not always better! For example, if we like moderate cattle, we probably don’t want to use a bull with top 1% yearling weight as his daughters are probably going to be too big for our operation. With the use of Genomics and DNA testing, we are able to better predict how a young sire will perform and how to best to use him. This is why we have DNA tested every female on the ranch and will continue to test every bull we sell.
4) Heifer Development: Heifer Development is typically one of the highest costs of an operation. At first, we fell into this trap like everyone else; however, after thinking it over we decided to make changes. Over the last couple years, we have been weaning our heifers off for 60 days on nothing except a Riomax tub and long stem hay. After being weaned for 60 days replacement heifers are returned to the cow herd to graze through the winter. 30 days prior to breeding we sort the heifers off and feed them some long stem hay prior to turn out on summer pasture. Due to our management strategy, our heifers are fairly light at the start of breeding season and we do see a slight decrease in the first year’s breed up. However, we have found that the females that do breed are much better cattle in the long run and this allows natural selection to run its course. ShayLe’s grandpa always says “Your first loss is your cheapest loss.” If that is true (which I believe it is) why not let those females fall out prior to them having generations of negative influences on your program?
As seedstock producers it is our obligation and responsibility to make genetic improvements in order for the beef industry to succeed. It is obvious that we are making great strides in terminal traits such as marbling, ribeye area and growth. I firmly believe that these traits are vital and it is obvious when looking at our cattle that we breed for this as well. However, I believe that it’s also our obligation to produce cattle that will work for our customers and that are forced to perform in as harsh; or harsher conditions, than our customers. If we cannot make cattle that adapt and perform than we are not doing our job as seedstock producers.