PRODUCERS OF THE YEAR Honorees carry on legacy while
creating one of their own from the California Beef Cattle Improvement Association
Each year the California Beef Cattle Improvement Association (CBCIA) honors a progressive commercial or seedstock beef operation with their coveted Producer of the Year award. Awardees demonstrate and uphold the mission of CBCIA through progressive and systematic management in breeding, nutrition, animal health, handling and stewardship. The CBCIA is proud to announce that the 2021 Commercial Producer of the year is presented to Doug and Judy Parker of Williams. The Parkers are proud to build upon and honor the legacy started by Judy’s parents, Bob and Elma Griffith. Bob Griffith passed along his natural eye for cattle as well as the passion for the business to Judy. Judy’s nephew, Matt Griffith,, stated, “I see a lot of my Grandpa in Judy and the Griffith way she handles cattle – easy and quiet.” Matt also goes on to speak to Judy’s horsemanship by stating that, “One of the best cowboys in Colusa County is a cowgirl!” Doug is quick to point out that Judy is in charge of the cows while he mostly works with the farming enterprises as well as the water and infrastructure development on their ranches. He states, “Judy has a natural eye for cattle and can ride through a group of cows and, where he doesn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, Judy will pick out one that is ‘off,’ sick or lame.” Currently, Doug and Judy as well as their family work to manage multiple ranches in northern California and southern Oregon. Their roughtly 650 head of Angus and Angus-influenced fall and spring calving herds spend the winter and spring on annual-grass rangeland in the foothills of the Sacramento Valley and the summer and early fall on irrigated pastures on the Parker’s ranches in the Klamath area. The Parkers prioritize genetic improvement in their cow herd. They work to create good, solid cows – without a top or bottom end. They were early adopters of estrus synchronization and artificial insemination in commercial herds. They develop their own replacements and used artifical insemination for many years on their heifers with semen from bulls they purchased and retained ownership on from northern California seedstock producers. Judy and Doug have strong relationships with the Black Gold and Byrd Cattle Company Bull Sale breeders and purchase bulls that have trait measures, expected progeny differences (EPDs) and genomic 22 California Cattleman January 2022
measures that are in the top 10 to 20 percent of the Angus breed. This effort to purchase bulls at the top end of the sale helps to maintain a balanced and moderate cow herd that excel in maternal traits, low birth weights, high rates of growth and outstanding carcass genetics. While Judy's dad used to market cattle with a contract buyer, Judy and Doug transitioned marketing goals and have a long-time friendship and business relationship with Ellington Peek and Western Video Market (WVM), where they were one of the first California commercial ranches to begin selling cattle on the video in the late 1980s. Matt Griffith recalls that, “There is still the big TV satellite at the home ranch that was bought primarily to watch WVM sales.” In addition, Doug and Judy were progressive in their pursuit of offering non-hormone treated cattle (NHTC), Natural and GAP certified cattle. They work closely with their veterinarian on vaccination and preconditioning programs, which continues to pay off as their cattle are always at the top end of the sale. Furthermore, with a focus on selecting herd sires with desirable carcass characteristics, this past year their cattle finished-out 98 percent Choice or better – a goal the Parkers have been striving for in their genetic improvement plan. Making sustained genetic improvement and a solid cow herd has not always been easy. The Parker’s struggled with foothill abortion and were one of the first commercial ranches to sign up for the University of California, Davis, Foothill Abortion research trial with Jeff Stott, Ph.D., ...CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
