PERFORMANCE!

WE ALL TALK ABOUT IT BUT

HOW DO WE MEASURE FOR IT?

UNTIL RECENT YEARS, MOST BEEFMASTERS HAVE BEEN MEASURED SUBJECTIVELY.  SOMEONE’S PERSONAL OPINION HAS BEEN THE MEASURING STICK, WHETHER IT WAS THE BREEDER, BBU CLASSIFIER OR CONSULTANT.

THIS MADE BIG, FAT, HIGHLY PROMOTED PEDIGREED CATTLE THE TARGET OF MOST BREEDERS, LARGE AND SMALL, NEW AND EXPERIENCED ALIKE.

EVERYONE IS IMPRESSED WITH A BIG, FAT, SHINY BEEFMASTER OUT OF THE LATEST FULL PAGE, FULL COLOR AD.  SO AM I.  THAT’S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES IT FUN.

HOWEVER,

EXCEPT FOR SELLING TO EACH OTHER, HAS THAT REALLY RESULTED IN THE MOST PROFITABLE STEAK PRODUCING ANIMAL FOR THE COMMERCIAL BEEF INDUSTRY? 

89% OF OUR BREEDERS THOUGHT IT WAS GOOD ENOUGH IN 2007.  ONLY 11% OF OUR BREEDERS TURNED IN ANY KIND OF PERFORMANCE DATA ON THEIR CATTLE IN 2007. 

SOME JUST GAVE UP AND WENT OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE, AS INDICATED BY OUR DECLINING MEMBERSHIP AND ANGUS’S INCREASING MEMBERSHIP.

NOW WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT THIS MESS WE HAVE GOTTEN OURSELVES INTO?

WE CAN BE OFFENDED EVERY TIME SOMEBODY POINTS OUT THE OBVIOUS OR WE CAN START IN OUR OWN PASTURES DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

PRODUCTION!

OBJECTIVE DEVICES.

WE HAVE PLENTY OF THEM AND VERY LITTLE EXCUSE NOT TO USE THEM IF WE REALLY WANT TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.

BIRTHWEIGHT, WEANING WEIGHT, YEARLING WEIGHT, SCROTAL MEASUREMENT, EPDS, ULTRASOUND, AND DNA, JUST TO NAME  SOME OF THE TOOLS AVAILABLE.

JUST REMEMBER, MR. LASATER USED ALL 6 ESSENTIALS FOR A BALANCED ATTACK.  IT TAKES AS MUCH INFORMATION AS WE CAN MANAGE TO COLLECT TO OBJECTIVELY CHOOSE OUR BEST ANIMALS TO IMPROVE OUR OWN HERDS AND THE BREED ALIKE.

WHAT DOES THIS ANIMAL LOOK LIKE, THE ONE WITH ALL THE OBJECTIVE DATA?  THEY CAN BE FAT AND PRETTY WITH A POPULAR PEDIGREE AS WELL, BUT THAT SHOULD BE AN ADDED BONUS AFTER THEY MEASURE UP FOR THE COMMERCIAL BEEF INDUSTRY.

I DIRECT YOU TO THE CATALOG FOR THE L2 SALE IN FEB. 2009.

 TAKE A LOOK AT LOT 71

 NOW, WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THIS ANIMAL?

SHE IS A YEARLING HEIFER, READY TO BREED TO CALVE AS A TWO YEAR OLD IN A SPRING CALVING SEASON.

SHE IS CLASSIFIED U.  THAT MEANS SHE HAS BEEN EVALUATED BY AS GOOD AND OBJECTIVE EYE AS WE HAVE AVAILABLE, A BBU CLASSIFIER.

WHAT ABOUT HER NUMBERS?

HER BIRTH WEIGHT IS ACCEPTABLY LOW FOR A HEIFER AND HER WEANING WEIGHT IS GOOD FOR A  HEIFER.  NOTE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE BIRTH AND WEANING WEIGHT.  THIS ALONE MAKES HER AN EXCEPTIONAL ANIMAL.

 EPDS.

THE BREED AVERAGE FOR 2006 BORN CALVES AS IN THE BBU WEBSITE:

BW.  0.4  WW.  7  YW.  12  MILK.  2  TM.  6  SC.  0.1

NOT A BAD STARTING PLACE FOR ANIMALS WE PLAN TO BUY AND KEEP.

THIS LITTLE GIRL IS WELL ABOVE AVERAGE ON ALL TRAITS SHOWN ON THE CATALOG EXCEPT ONE, BIRTH WEIGHT, WHICH IS STILL IN THE ACCEPTABLE RANGE.

NOT ONLY DID SHE DO WELL IN HER INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE, HER ANCESTORS HAVE BEEN DOING A PRETTY GOOD JOB TOO, AS INDICATED BY HER EPDS.

CARCASS DATA

HER RIBEYE AREA PER HUNDRED WEIGHT WOULD GIVE HER A GOOD 12.6 RIBEYE FOR A 1000 POUND FINISH WEIGHT AND BIGGER IF SHE FINISHED BIGGER.  THIS IS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ACCEPTABLE RIBEYE.

HOW ABOUT THE BACK FAT OF 0.20?  THIS LETS US KNOW THAT SHE PROBABLY WASN’T OVERFED TO GET A HIGH IMF.  HER YIELD SCORE SHOULD BE EXCELLENT.

NOW ABOUT THAT ALL IMPORTANT IMF, INTRA MUSCULAR FAT OR MARBLING.  THE US GOVERNMENT CALLS IT QUALITY.

HERS IS AN EXCELLENT 4.54.  WHAT DOES THIS TRANSLATE INTO IN GRADE?  THIS MAKES HER A CHOICE – ON MOST IMF CHARTS.  SHE MIGHT HAVE DONE BETTER IF SHE HAD BEEN PUSHED MORE ON HER FEED BUT SHE MIGHT HAVE RUN THE RISK OF AFFECTING HER YIELD GRADE.

BREEDER AND PEDIGREE

ALL PRETTY IMPRESSIVE BUT THESE ARE ALWAYS PERSONAL CHOICES.

WHAT’S THE POINT?

WE HAVE THE TOOLS, THE MEASURING STICKS TO IDENTIFY AND SELECT FOR THE TRAITS THAT THE REST OF THE BEEF INDUSTRY HAS BEEN SELECTING FOR FOR YEARS.  IT IS UP TO US TO USE THESE TOOLS AND LEARN HOW TO READ THEM SO WE CAN MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION IN OUR SELECTION AND BREEDING.

WE GET WHAT WE SUPPORT WITH OUR MONEY.

WHAT WE ARE WILLING TO PAY MORE FOR IS WHAT WE WILL GET MORE OF.