February 2011 | www.gelbvieh.org
In this Issue:
The Role of Genetics in Cattle Feeding Calving Season Time to Evaluate Udder Soundness
It’s About Efficiency, Not Cow Size Ultrasound - Making a Difference in Selection Decisions for Bulls and Females
Putting Beef Quality Assurance to Work Gelbvieh
Breeders Focus on Performance Testing
The Role of Genetics in Cattle Feeding By J. Tom Brink, JBS-Five Rivers Cattle Feeding Since the formation of Five Rivers Cattle Feeding in 2005, our organization has finished over 4 million head of cattle. We’ve seen all kinds of genetics come through our feedyards---the good, the mediocre, the bad, the ugly, and occasionally, the really ugly. It gives us a clear picture of what U.S. cow-calf
It’s basketball season, so let us use a sports analogy to illustrate the importance of genetics in the cattle feeding business. Suppose you are the new coach of a small town junior high school basketball team. You walk into the gym on the first day of practice and see two 13-year olds boys standing side by side. One is 6’ 0” tall, with broad shoulders, an athletic build, and a
If the right raw materials (genetics) aren’t there, our ability to costeffectively produce the high-quality beef consumers want is severely limited. producers are doing with the genetics in their herds. We feed cattle from producers that have an excellent understanding of what the beef industry needs in both performance and carcass traits. We also see cattle from herds that don’t have a clue. Five Rivers does its best to manage all kinds of genetic variation toward its most economical and valuable endpoint. However, we can only do so much. Genetics are tremendously important in cattle feeding and the entire beef supply chain. You can take the simple principles presented here and help make the U.S. beef industry more competitive and prosperous, at the same time benefitting your own operation.
competitive look in his eye. The second boy stands 5’ 1” and resembles a 40-yearold couch potato. As their coach, you can undoubtedly help both boys develop stronger skills. Practice will make them both better. Yet there is only so much you can do to improve the smaller, less athletic boy’s game. The genetics just aren’t there to take him very far in basketball. The same is true of the cattle we feed. If the right raw materials (genetics) aren’t there, our ability to cost-effectively produce the high-quality beef consumers want is severely limited. Continued on page 2
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