For most cattlemen it’s time to turn out the bulls and get the cows bred. Breeding season presents one of the most important decisions a rancher can make. We spend most of the winter months feeding the cows but also going through mountains of sale catalogs trying to select bulls that will advance our genetic purpose to get calves that come easy and grow. That’s pretty much it for most guys.
On our Osage-Ozark tour a couple weeks ago we met a couple commercial breeders who go way deeper in their genetic selections. Jim Moore in Charleston, AR, is truly one of those unique commercial breeders who really could be a registered breeder.
Jim has one basic goal in mind: Produce high value cattle. He feeds his own cattle, so he has a true scorecard to measure from. In Arkansas a 265-cow outfit is considered a big ranch; yes, they can run a cow to two acres. But their challenges are so much different than they are in the Rocky Mountain West.
Jim does breed his cattle AI with a timed estrous system and understands the value of keeping those heifer calves that come in the first 30-day cycle. He has a 60-day breeding season and has about a 98 percent bred rate. Fertility is job one for him. He has developed his entire cow herd through his breed-up program and strict culling pressure for fertility.
He was just like everyone else in the early days and had a rainbow herd of cows. In 1990 he decided to turn to the Angus breed. He has never introduced an outside-purchased female to the herd. He selects for a moderate-framed heifer that has plenty of volume, and body type. He also DNA tests everything. His mature cows might weigh 1,250 pounds. This would be considered a small cow in this part of the world.
Jim is like most cattlemen except for one thing: He pays attention. He keeps detailed herd records on everything. His animal health program is top-notch, he takes no shortcuts, and he must worm three times a year. What impressed me about Jim was his passion to measure, breed and feed cattle that will grade high Choice or Prime. His 2017 cattle graded 85 percent CAB, which included 28 percent Prime with just a couple Yield Grade 4s. He does it all with just his wife, Missy, and himself.
He said that he has seen an $800 difference between his worst-performing and best-performing cattle, which is what opened his eyes to producing high value cattle, efficiently. Moore Cattle Company is a no-frills outfit. In 2017 Jim received the Commercial Commitment to Excellence award from CAB.
He doesn’t select for extremes in cattle. He wants what everyone else wants—calving ease and growth and exceptional fertility. He figured out a long time ago that he can make his bull selections on that criteria, but he can also select for those carcass traits that will give him that high value fed steer or heifer. He’s not one of those guys who will say that bull is good enough. If he’s going to drop $8,000-10,000 on a bull, he’s going to try and get it all. But he also AIs to the very best bulls that meet his needs. Jimmy Moore was a big hit for our tour members and they learned a lot from this man, who pays attention.
Next week in Loveland, CO, the Beef Improvement Federation will hold its annual meeting. Every cattleman should attend this meeting at least once. The information will just rub off on you and force you to think about what you’re doing. This meeting is all about getting live, healthy performance calves. There really is something for everyone to learn. The meeting runs June 20-23.
One of the sessions got my attention on an age-old problem—pulmonary arterial hypertension, or PAP. Tim Holt from Colorado State University is the guru on this subject but there is an extra twist in his presentation—late-term feedlot death. Let’s call it “LTFD” for short. Slowly, over the years the cattle feeding industry has been noticing more LTFD associated with hypertension. It’s no secret that we’re growing cattle bigger and bigger. The genetics we’ve selected for years allows us to raise 1,500-pound steers in 16 months and grade and maintain performance. It’s an economic thing. PAP has always been associated with high-altitude brisket disease. Over the years it has been turning up in feedlots in Nebraska—at 2,500 feet elevation!
As an industry, are we pushing the boundary on growth and what the bovine beast can do? Can an animal’s vascular system keep up with the rapid growth rates we now expect? There are lots of questions to be asked and answered at this meeting. Hope to see you there. — PETE CROW
