WHO WE ARE
WHAT IS A BALANCER ®?
The American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) is dedicated to recording and promoting Gelbvieh, Balancer and Gelbvieh-influenced cattle, while providing members and their customers programs and services to advance the breed. The AGA consists of approximately 1,100 members with a registry database that contains over 1 million animals including approximately 40,000 currently active Gelbvieh, Balancer® and Gelbvieh-influenced cows.
Balancer cattle are registered hybrid seedstock that have documented pedigrees and expected progeny differences. The American Gelbvieh Association was the first beef cattle breed to recognize and include a hybrid animal as registered stock.
THE STRENGTHS OF GELBVIEH
AGA STAFF
FAST FACTS
The Gelbvieh breed is well known throughout the industry for their maternal strengths and superior growth. With attributes such as more pounds of calf weaned, added fertility, greater cow herd longevity and heavier carcass weights, just to name a few, Gelbvieh and Balancer offer genetics that work for the commercial cattle business. With the high costs associated with the development or purchase of replacement females, sustained production in a herd is essential. Gelbvieh females are proven to stay in the herd longer. U.S. Meat Animal Research Center data shows Gelbvieh females have the most moderate mature cow size of the seven major beef breeds. This reduced mature cow size allows for puberty to be reached at an earlier age, which leads to calving earlier in the season and producing a heavier calf at a younger age. Gelbvieh and Balancer cattle excel in traits such as growth, stayability, and productivity. Using Gelbvieh and Balancer genetics in a crossbreeding program can help increase profitability of an operation. See additional pounds and added profit through more efficiency and greater longevity of cows as well as heavier, faster gaining feeder cattle.
Balancer animals are 25% to 75% Gelbvieh with the balance of Angus or Red Angus. Balancer cattle combine the Gelbvieh growth, muscle, leanness, fertility, longevity and low yield grading ability with the carcass qualities of Angus. Balancer cattle offer a simple and powerful way to maintain hybrid vigor and a profitable blend of British and Continental genetics without a complicated crossbreeding system. These cattle fit well into all aspects of the beef industry, including commercial cow-calf operations and on the rail.
HOW DO GELBVIEH AND BALANCER® CROSSBRED FEMALES PERFORM BETTER? It’s all in the heterosis, or hybrid vigor, described as the increase in performance of the crossbred animal compared to the average of the straight-bred parents. Heterosis impacts traits with low heritability, e.g., reproduction. Producers with crossbred cows can see a higher percentage of their cowherd breed back on the first cycle due to maternal heterosis.
INDIVIDUAL HETEROSIS Individual heterosis is the improvement in performance by the individual crossbred animal above the average of its parents. Increased calf livability, weaning weight, yearling weight and carcass traits are examples of individual heterosis in crossbred calves.
MEGAN SLATER
TOM STRAHM
MEG VANDERBUR
JAKE RENNER
Executive Director megans@gelbvieh.org
Commercial Marketing Director tom@gelbvieh.org
Data Services Coordinator meganv@gelbvieh.org
Member & Youth Activities Coordinator jake@gelbvieh.org
10 | FEBRUARY 2023