Flying H Genetics 2015 Missouri Fall Newsletter

Flying H Genetics

Cattleman’s Chronicle

Fall Newsletter

2015

Vol.17

c at t l e m e n —

Celebrate Your Success

2014 was by far the most profitable year beef cattle producers have ever seen. And 2015 looks to be the second most profitable ever!

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That is worth celebrating.

t seems like forever, the cow/calf producer scrimped and

worked to try and make $20 or $50 per cow. Doing things

like breeding and calving that the backgrounder or feedlot and for sure the packer would never do. And the cowman only gets his reward once a year, not daily, weekly or monthly as the rest of the beef industry. Cow/calf producers are long term investors with thousands of dollars invested per cow, plus the land, equipment and facilities. Cowmen must be good at herd health—diagnosing and treating sickness, preventive vaccinations and proper deworming plus annual boosters and fly control are just a part of the job. Managing grazing and plant health and fertility and soil health is also a requirement.

Genetics, bull buying, selecting replacements and identifying culls is just part of the expertise needed to produce the beef calves that become the beef supply for Americans and the world. And we do this 24/7 job with little fanfare and appreciation—BECAUSE WE LOVE IT!

That, my friends, is a great problem to have and a great opportunity to “CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS”.

Take the family out for supper, take an overdue vacation or pay off the cow note and go out for supper would be a great, well deserved treat. But we are talking about hundreds of dollars profit per cow instead of $50 so there are thousands of dollars that need to be spent wisely. No one expected these windfall profits (it’s almost like winning the lottery without buying a ticket) so we couldn’t plan ahead for it but we sure don’t want to waste this opportunity to solidify our future in the cow business.

So, after a little celebrating, how do we invest these extra profits to get the most out of them?

Every cowman’s situation will be different but history tells us the first thing you should do is: 1) Pay Down Debt. (If you are a cowman without debt you are very fortunate and probably don’t need any help with investing your profits but most of us are not that fortunate.)

Pay off the smaller more current debts first to increase your

So when we get paid way above our wildest dreams, we don’t know what to do.

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Continued on page 2

Celebrate

... continued from page 1

sure it is right for you. Expanding during high prices increases your cost of production, especially if you are buying them. Retaining more heifers and selling more of your poorer producing cull cows or pairs is a way to increase your numbers and profitability without investing a large amount in expansion.

working capital. You may decide or not be able to pay off all your debts. That is ok as 2015 will produce good profits also so you can reduce additional debt with this year’s profit.

2) UPGRADE FACILITIES. Make expenditures that improve your efficiency or productivity. Maybe better water and more fences to improve grazing or better working facilities to improve cattle handling and safety make sense.

5) DIVERSIFY. There is not a law that says you have to invest all of your profits back into your cowherd. A non-agricultural investment may be a good option, especially if it is easily available if needed for an emergency.

3) UPGRADE GENETICS. Superior quality cattle are always worth more. Upgrading your herd with superior bulls and AIing to produce better replacements will make you cowherd and the calves you sell worth more. Some cowmen buy a superior bull, collect semen from him and AI their cows or heifers to get hundreds of superior calves from just one bull.

Or you can buy semen from Flying H Genetics. We sell thousands of dollars of semen each year and we give our customers a special discount. A superior bull or A.I. program is an investment not an expense because they will make you more than they cost you.

As cattlemen, we need to celebrate these good times and use them to help solidify our future. History tells us that these high profits will not last long as cowmen, just like other humans, will produce more to try and make more money, which will lower prices and profits.

CATTLEMEN, CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS, plan and invest your profits wisely and enjoy the ride!

Dick Helms, Owner of Flying H Genetics, LLC

4) EXPAND YOUR HERD. This can be a good move but be

TM “ ARE Grown On Grass ” BULLS BETTER? Our customers say

look better and sell for more money but the rust is still there and you are not being honest with your buyer. Adding a half inch of fat and hundreds of pounds to a bull makes him look thicker and weigh more but his genetics have not changed and none of that fat or those pounds will show up on his calves and the white muscle will disappear.

YES!

The big difference is Flying H bulls are adapted and ready to work.

Flying H Genetics has been growing and developing their bulls in Missouri on fescue grass for years. We have learned that identifying bulls that can handle fescue grass and developing them in paddocks on grass instead of feedlot pens really prepares them to do the work our customers demand. They are more athletic and aggressive breeders and in shape rather than being fat and lazy. Sure, fat feedlot bulls look better but think about it; what kind of football team would you rather have— an athletic, conditioned, muscular and ready to work team or some fat, pretty boys that look good but are not ready to play?

Another big advantage of “Grown On Grass” bulls is identifying bulls and genetics that do well on grass. We call it FORAGEABILITY! Since all beef animals spend most of their life on grass and are designed to convert forages into beef, it is important to identify those that do it well and eliminate those that don’t. So, whether your graze fescue grass or not, buying bulls that have proven they can make a living on grass is a winner.

Many seed stock breeders have been fattening bulls for years because it makes the bulls look thicker, weigh more and sell better. But fat does not change the genetics of the bull or his calves. A good analogy to compare fat bulls too is painting over rust to make your pickup look better. The pickup will

One of our 5 Star Indexes ranks our “Grown On Grass” bulls for forageability. Of course, just like the other indexes, the bulls that don’t meet our standards are culled and not sold as bulls.

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Home at Last

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om H t e e w S Home

It took a while but finally Flying H Genetics has our own place. Starting eight years ago with rented

grass and holding sales at Joplin Regional Stockyards—Thank You Jackie—we now have our own grass, sale barn and office just east of Butler, Missouri. In January, we purchased the old great location and set of facilities that will allow us to continue ER-lan-del Angus place just 6 miles east of I 49 on the south to grow and serve our customers in the Missouri region. side of Highway 52. The facilities are a big improvement over So for our hundreds of Missouri customers and all of our what we had rented and with new friends, neighbors and some updating and new paint customers, Welcome to our Welcome to Flying H Genetics we will be ready for our 16th Home!!!

Barn" "Bull Grown On Grass Herd Bull To initiate the new Bull Sale on October 24, 2015. barn we will be hosting an Flying H Genetics is a famopen house on September 19th ily owned business that makes with a free hamburger feed our entire living from cattle and some fun activities like September 19th, 2015 and crops. No oil wells or wagon rides, weight guessButler, MO investor money, so we have to ing contest and a bull judging make things happen instead of contest. Winners and prizes just throwing money around. That’s why, when we decided to will be awarded. expand into Missouri to better serve our fescue belt customers, Mark your calendar now and join use for a fun evening and we had to rent rather than buy. It did give us time to identify a get a preview of the super set of bulls selling on October 24th.

Open House

aron Ishmael A Manager

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Dallas Wicklund Cattle Manager

FLYING H GENETICS

The Tradition Continues

Clarence and Lois Helms. 1949 - 1st bull sold

“Doing our best” always means utilizing the best tools available. While taking and processing thousands of weights and measurements every year and extensive use of AI and ET, today’s tools include ultrasounding for carcass traits, EPD’s and Indexing and DNA testing. Flying H Genetics spends thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours every years utilizing these tools to identify and cull genetics that are not “industry improvers” and identifying and developing the genetics that make the cattle better and our customers more money.

We believe that a quality product is the first part of great customer service. And, our 66 years of experience has taught us how to take care of our customers after the sale.

Flying H Genetics 17 Quality Standards that every animal must pass before being sold, coupled with our industry--leading warranties and guarantees means our customers get great genetics and great service.

Although not perfect, todays tools help us build better bulls and females and identify their genetics so our customers can buy what they want, in the color they want, with the specific traits they need.

As Flying H Genetics transitions into this high tech era of seed stock production, it is exciting to think about the future. But, knowing that our future is grounded on a solid foundation of family heritage, honesty and integrity and a vision of providing superior genetics and service is what makes me smile.

Dick and Bonnie are current owners of Flying H Genetics. With the help of family and friends they operate two locations in NE and MO marketing semen, females and around 400 bulls per year to over 1000 customers in almost every state and some foreign countries. They are proud of the fact that they are helping over 20 families participate in and build the beef seed stock industry of the future.

My Great Grandfather came to America in 1867.

My Grandfather Henry was born in Nebraska in 1889 and my Father Clarence was born in 1921. Cattle and Farming is what we had always done but in 1947 Clarence purchased a Hereford heifer for $385 and bred her to a Polled Hereford bull. In January 1949 he showed and sold the resulting bull calf at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO for $4975. The Helms family has been producing and selling superior seed stock ever since.

In 1976, Dick and Bonnie moved back to the farm/ranch after graduating from the University of Nebraska with degrees in Animal Science, Ag. Economics and Ag. Journalism. They purchased the farm where Dick’s mother was born and developed it into the bull development headquarters for the operation.

Dick and his three brothers were members of 4-H and FFA with their experience and profits paying for their cars, college education and first heifers to start their herds.

In 1968, as part of an FFA project, they purchased a scale and took their first weaning weights. That was followed by breeding their first cows with Artificial Insemination in 1971 and utilizing the new technology of Embryo Transfer in 1973.

Dad always said, “If you’re going to do it, do it the best you can”.

The demand for good bulls and females continued to grow as the industry continued to change. This lead to the addition of Gelbvieh genetics in 1982, the development of Gelbvieh X Angus hybrids in 1995 and the addition of Simmental genetics in 2008. These additions allow Flying H Genetics to offer their customers more genetic choices to utilize heterosis (crossbred vigor) and complimentary breeds and genetics to produce better cattle.

In 2005, to better serve their customers in the southeastern United States, Flying H Genetics added a ranch in “the fescue” belt. This production and marketing center is located at Butler, MO. “Grown On Grass” bulls are developed grazing fescue grass with some supplementation to identify bulls that can tolerate entophyte infected fescue grass and are muscular, athletic and ready to go to work.

This niche has grown into sales the third Saturday of March and the fourth Saturday of October plus private treaty sales providing over 250 “Grown On Grass” bulls annually.

Top selling bull March 2015 sale.

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It Should Be Expected... ing the beef industry since 1949 and we would not be one of the top seed stock programs in the country (number 31 on the BEEF top 100 list) if we didn’t produce and service some of the best genetics in the business. History is a good teacher and a great asset when it comes to knowing what works, what doesn’t, what’s important and what is necessary when it comes to producing and servicing the genetics that are the foundation of America’s beef business.

When one realizes that the bulls you buy influence 50% of your calf crop’s genetics and profitability and if you retain daughters from your bulls they will influence up to 80% of your genetics and profitability for generations to come.

Bull buying is serious business that has a great impact on your profitability and the quality of your herd and calf crop.

Do you really want to risk that on a “New” outfit that has no track record and questionable reliability? Flying H Genetics is working with the second and third generation of many ranchers. We can be your partner and genetic provider for many years to come as the fifth generation is solidly in place to continue producing beef genetics and servicing your needs for many years.

Why should the bull business be any different? When prices are high everyone thinks they can make a

killing by selling bulls. It can’t be that hard and it sure looks like easy money.

You’ve seen them and probably got their bull sale catalog.

These “New” bull selling company’s pop up with pretty, four color pictures and lots of “bull” in their catalogs. And they have a story that all of a sudden they have the best bulls and the best service money can buy. Kind of like the Used Car Salesman that just opened a business on the corner of…THIS IS EASY and I WANT YOUR MONEY. Why trust your future to someone that will probably last less than 5 years and has no track record on actually guaranteeing and standing behind the bulls you buy?

Nature makes millions of bulls each year. Professional Full Service Genetic Providers like Flying H Genetics take the time and do the work to make sure that the bulls you buy deserve to be bulls. We also have the history and reputation that backs up our genetics, guarantees and warranties.

Flying H Genetics has been producing bulls and servic-

Celebrate Your Success Sale Selling 110 AGED Advantaged Bulls

east of

Saturday, Oct. 24th at the Bull Barn Butler, 6 miles MO on Hwy 52.

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If you like what you see…you really need to go to our web site. There is a lot more information about our cattle, herd bulls, family history, warranties and guarantees, a lot of customer testimonials and past newsletters just like this one. You can also request more information and sale catalogs on line, and prior to the sale we post videos of every bull selling. We work very hard to produce the best beef cattle genetics possible and then we test them and cull them so you end up with the best of the best. We have been doing this for 66 years and have families that have purchased their bulls from us for three generations. We have been and will continue to be in the beef business for the long haul. Why trust your future to anything less?

Go to flyinghgenetics.com 5

Standards of Excellence– For the fun of it.

We set the Standard— We believe that true Cus-

Get ‘er Done! Traits – It is dollars time’s pounds that pays the bills. And the smaller the bill the more there is left for you.

So pounds and costs both contribute to net profit. That’s why optimum is better than maximum and why we eliminate unacceptable genetics on both ends of the genetic curve. Too big or too little, too coarse or too fine boned, too much or not enough.

The following standards ensure you will get genetics that fit the profit window year after year.

tomer Service starts with a high quality product. To make sure you have a great cattle experience we developed and initiated the following Standards of Excellence over 20 years ago. Combined with our Customer Satisfaction Guarantee and Services, Flying H Genetics offers you the best in beef genetics in various breed and composite packages. To make sure you get the most from your Flying H Genetics purchase, we test, cull and guarantee the following traits. We do the work so you can have the fun.

11) optimum frame score with appropriate body type and condition—no elephants, no fat hogs

Functional Traits – necessary traits that are the basis to a productive, profitable beef animal.

12) minimum growth of the right kind of pounds—efficient beef production

10) minimum weaning and yearling performance--even on heifer bulls

Carcass Value – We are in the beef business!! Producing quality beef should be the goal of every cattle producer. We make it easy by providing genetics that fit the needs of feeders, packers and consumers. This includes standards for the following traits.

1) a calm disposition—wild cattle are dangerous and don’t gain well 2) a slick summer coat and year around foraging ability for adaptability 3) guaranteed calving ease bred in

13) appropriate carcass weights, the major value driver since we sell by the pound

4) genetic, structural and functional soundness, especially feet and legs.

14) optimum rib eye area and back fat because we are in the beef not the fat business

5) no maintenance teat and udder quality Reproductive Traits – Profitable cows must produce marketable calves every year worth more than they cost. The bulls we sell and their dams must exhibit the following traits or they are culled.

15) minimum marbling standards to assure beefs flavor and juiciness 16) tenderness scoring for a great eating experience Disease Prevention – 17) Cows and bulls can spread disease and insects. Our complete herd health program prevents that and with the discovery and spread of two very costly diseases — Persistently Infected BVD and Johne’s—we have added negative tests for both to our herd health protocol.

6) proven fertility/longevity, no free lunches—produce or become hamburger 7) optimum milk genetics to convert forages to beef 8) minimum scrotal circumference and fertility score, to get the job done

More details are provided at www.flyinghgenetics.com

9) complete breeding soundness exam on both bulls and heifers

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Cattleman Approved Customer Testimonials “Buying Flying H bulls has given us a HUGE improvement in the quality and weight or

our calves. We bought our first bulls from Flying H in 2012 and now are exclusively a Flying H Genetics customer. They produce great bulls and stand behind them 100%. They have a large number of bulls to choose from and the calves out of our FHG bulls are the best we have ever produced."

Todd Lawson Missouri

“The Grown On GrassTM bulls I purchased last spring held their condition remarkably well for yearling bulls and worked hard enough to get every cow I put them on bred. In fact, they worked so well, I purchased a handful more last fall. I am also very anxious to see this years calf crop out of my SimAngus cows bred to Balancer bulls.”

John Parrish Oklahoma

“As a young family starting our cattle program, Flying H Genetics has really helped us

make tremendous progress with both their advice and their high quality genetics. We bought our first bulls from Flying H in 2004 and the last few years our calves have been either the high selling or next to high selling group for their weight class. When they come in the ring it is quite noticeable they are heavier muscled than straight Angus calves. What we really like is the consistency and high quality of their bulls and it shows up in our calves."

Jason and Kelsey Kunkel Nebraska

“I have received nothing but 110% effort from Flying H Genetics’ bulls and services. I have bought

close to a dozen bulls in the last two years and they are thick, gentle, and easy calving. Their customer service is excellent, and they are always willing to help out and go the extra mile for me."

Bohannon Farms Missouri

How May I help?

Once we know what you need, Our Five Star Indexing System helps identify bulls that fit your specific needs to make choosing the right bull even easier. If you need a bull to add some growth and muscle—look at the 4 and 5 star Growth and Muscle bulls. Want a bull to add some carcass quality genetics—pick one of the 4 or 5 star Carcass bulls.

Need a bull that does it all—buy one with all 4 or 5 Stars and you will know that you are getting a bull with breed leading genetics in all of the important traits. If a good disposition is important, mark the 4 and 5 Star Disposition bulls. Our Five Star system helps you narrow your selection from hundreds to the ones that fit what you need. We also specifically identify bulls that genetically will work of first calf heifers using the Show Me Select criteria.

Are you needing a heifer bull?

What type of cows do you have? Do you want the bull to be homozygous black? How do you sell your calves? Do you retain replacement heifers? How important is a good disposition? Do you need more muscle?

When you call Flying H Genetics we will have a lot of questions. We need to know more about you and your cattle and what you want your bull to do so we can help you get the right bull.

It’s all about customer satisfaction! Making sure you get exactly what you need is very important to us. That is also why we offer several options—black or red; Angus or Simmental or Gelbvieh or SimAngus or Balancers or Fusions; heifer bulls or growth bulls or balanced genetics; larger or smaller frame and hundreds to choose from. We can satisfy more customers because we have more to choose from. And, no matter which bull you buy, he is guaranteed for calving ease, disposition, structural soundness, breeding soundness and backed by 66 years of experience satisfying bull buyers.

We know our bulls, you know your cows. If we ask the right questions we can help you get exactly what you are looking for. That will make you happy and that will make all of us at Flying H Genetics happy.

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Flying H Genetics

Celebrate Your Success reward yourself ...

Invest in Superior Genetics with . . . ✦ Guaranteed Calving Ease and... ✦ Guaranteed disposition, soundness and structure and... ✦ Grown On Grass/Fescue adapted bulls and... ✦ Complimenting genetics and heterosis to produce superior cattle and more profits generating more success!

66

years experience producing superior cattle and taking care of cattlemen!

Call, Text or order on line at flyinghgenetics. com for your free sale book!

Selling 110 AGE Advantaged Bulls

Oct. 24th at the Bull Barn

Balancer®

6 miles east of

Butler, MO on Hwy

52.

FusionTM

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fescu

The Tradition Continues...

SimAngusTM

Angus

FLYING H GENETICS Aaron Ishmael, MO 417.309.0062 Cody & Casie Helms, MO, NE 303.842.9071 Kyle & Kayla Helms, NE 308.962.6940 Dick and Bonnie Helms 308.962.6500

SimAngus TM | Balancer ® | Simmental | Gelbvieh | AnguS | Fusion TM

www.flyinghgenetics.com