Spring 2022 FRONTLINE Beef Producer by International Brangus Breeders Association

SPRING 2022

VOLUME 14

ISSUE 1

BEEF PRODUCER

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER

SPRING 2022

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER

8870 U.S. Highway 87E, San Antonio, Texas 78263 • P.O. Box 809, Adkins, Texas 78101 210-696-8231 • Fax 210-696-8718 • info@gobrangus.com • gobrangus.com The Frontline Beef Producer (ISSN 0006-9132) is published by Brangus Publications, Inc. (BPI), as a segment of the Brangus Journal, 8870 US Highway 87 East, San Antonio, Texas, 78263, twice yearly in the spring and fall. Periodicals postage paid at San Antonio, Texas and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to: Brangus Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 809, Adkins, Texas 78101. BPI Officers and Board of Directors: Chairman: Allen Goode President: Darrell Wilkes, Ph.D. Secretary/Treasurer: Mike Weathers Subscriptions: info@gobrangus.com Subscription Rates: complimentary Information appearing in this issue may be reprinted only with written permission of Brangus Publications, Inc. Livestock Publications Council (LPC) Member

SPRING 2022

VOLUME 14

IBBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Allen Goode, Texas 1st Vice President Vern Suhn, Kansas 2nd Vice President Jeremy Jackson, Arkansas Secretary/Treasurer Mike Weathers, Texas East Region Trey Cuevas, Purvis, Mississippi treycuevas3@yahoo.com Chris Heptinstall, Marianna, Florida cgstall@yahoo.com Jeremy Jackson, Gentry, Arkansas jjackson101@gmail.com Rob Singleton, Seville, Florida singletons2002@yahoo.com Texas Region Lee Alford, Caldwell, Texas alfordcattle@aol.com Mary Douglass, Seguin, Texas twoheartsbrangus@yahoo.com

BEEF PRODUCER

Cover and inside photos by Marburger Media & Marketing

SPRING 2022

Controller

Brian Sadovsky - bsadovsky@gobrangus.com

Director of Genomics & Research

Macee Prause - mprause@gobrangus.com

Director of Registry & Media

Jessie England - jengland@gobrangus.com

Registry & Records Assistant

Callie DeLarm - cdelarm@gobrangus.com

Director of Shows & Youth Activities

Lori Edwards - ledwards@gobrangus.com

Product Manager

Andrew Sicotte - asicotte@goregstr.com

Senior Software Developer

Marcel Vieira - mvieira@goregstr.com

Software Developer

Raul Ramos - rramos@goregstr.com

Mike Weathers, Columbus, Texas mikeweathers@msn.com

Advertising Sales

Greg Romans, Vale, Oregon romansbrangus@yahoo.com 1

Darrell Wilkes, Ph.D. - dwilkes@gobrangus.com

Office Manager & Member Services

Shiloh Hall, Okmulgee, Oklahoma shiloh518@yahoo.com

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER

Executive Vice President

Allen Goode, Mabank, Texas allen@triocattle.com

West Region Troy Floyd, Roswell, New Mexico tfloyd@leaco.net

ISSUE 1

INTERNATIONAL BRANGUS BREEERS ASSOCIATION STAFF

Vern Suhn, Eureka, Kansas vern@geneplusbrangus.com At-Large Randy Schmidt, M.D., Texarkana, Texas doctorrand@me.com

Mandie Sadovsky - msadovsky@gobrangus.com Melanie Fuller - mfuller@gobrangus.com 979-255-3343

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER A News Source for Commercial Beef Producers

PRESIDENTS PERSPECTIVE

BULLISH ON BRANGUS by Allen Goode, International Brangus Breeders Association President Board of Directors

“Bullish on Brangus” describes the growth and upward trajectory of the Brangus, Red Brangus and Ultra breeds and the International Brangus Breeders Association. As seedstock breeders for the commercial beef industry, Brangus breeders (encompassing all facets of our breed) appreciate good cattle for their phenotype and ability to thrive in a range of real-world environments. As seedstock producers, we are continuing to embrace genomics as the tool needed for the development of the next generations of Brangus. We blend the generational wisdom of fitting an animal to its environment with data-backed technologies to breed cattle that will perform. Brangus breeders are focusing on the complete range of qualities and traits that the beef industry is demanding of us, not just single trait selection. These include are our proven traits of adaptability, fertility and longevity that Brangus are known for. Reproduction is the most economically important trait in the cattle industry. If you are serious about making a profit in the cattle industry, utilizing a breed and known genetics that are proven for fertility and longevity must be a top priority in one’s herd. Now these attributes extend to the scientific proven carcass quality and merits of our breed. Brangus breeders and the IBBA have an intense emphasis on measuring the carcass traits that are most important to the end producers and consumers of our

product. This focus is revealing that Brangus is the solution for the Bos-indicus breed that will grade and yield consistently in the rail, and thus provide profitability to the feeders and packers. This edition of Frontline is packed with articles, data and advertisements that substantiate our facts. From the demand for Brangus females to data backed bulls that will be offered this Spring, we offer this publication as a resource to the beef industry. The IBBA website, gobrangus.com, and registry program, Regstr, are additional resources we have developed for cattlemen and cattlewomen from all segments of the beef industry value chain. Regstr offers any producer the ability to search for expected progeny difference (EPDs) profiles and return the seedstock animals that most closely align with one’s objectives and needs. Likewise, our website provides a plethora of data on the genetic trends and standings of Brangus cattle and genetics, as well education on our breed and genetics in general. We encourage all who are reading Frontline to not only learn from the articles, but study the ads placed here by some our breed’s leading producers. These pages tell a story and offer insight into the years and decades of breeding and investing in genomics it has taken to develop the modern Brangus cattle before you. When you come to the last page of the magazine, I can assure you that you too will be “Bullish on Brangus”.

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER

31st Annual

Roswell Brangus Bull & Female Sale and

Inaugural Southwest Ranch Horse Sale Saturday February 26, 2022

Females sell at 10am — Bulls sell at 1pm—Horses sell immediately after the bulls

Roswell Livestock Auction 900 N. Garden St. Roswell, NM

Online Bidding Now Available!! www.xitwesternproductions.com 50 Registered Brangus and Ultrablack Bulls 20 Registered Heifers 200 Commercial Females 10 Super Select Ranch Horses “ H e Sells”

H e Sells

Southwest Ranch Horse Offering www.xithorsesales.com Contact: Kade Wooton (575)-914-1283

For a sale catalog or more information please contact:

Bill Morrison at 575-760-7263 Accommodations

Hampton Inn & Suites - 575-623-5151 3607 N. Main Roswell, NM 88201 Mention the Roswell Brangus Sale for special rates!!

Floyd Brangus

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Brown Brothers Ranch

IT’S ALL IN BLACK AND WHITE

Beckwards T Ranch X15/B - R10330999 CEO 392W X Elixir

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MARCH 2, 2022 Lawton, Oklahoma

Summit cows and their progeny excel in early fertility, growth, carcass merit and longevity. Summit Cows Include 24H R721086 894J R736879 2K R767687 535/1 R794772

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Total Herd Dispersal! 22 SPRING BRED COWS 12 SPRING BRED HEIFERS 10 FALL 3 IN 1’S 8 OPEN HEIFERS

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4 FALL BRED HEIFERS 12 BULLS

Outcross Genetics for Most Beckwards T Ranch, owned by Tom Beck (IBBA #109433) Lawton, Oklahoma (580)351-4439 beckwardstranch@aol.com

View Cattle Online w w w.LIVESTO CKMARKET.com Key word “Brangus” B egin Bidding Online on 2/20/2022

Will Entertain Offers for Entire Herd Until 2/20

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER

5 BULLISH ON BRANGUS

Brangus breeders are focusing more on the complete range of qualities and traits that the beef industry is demanding of us. If you’re serious about making a profit in the cattle industry, utilizing a breed and known genetics that are proven is an absolute must.

10 MAKE THE MOVE TO QUALITY

Through the ups and downs of the beef industry, one thing has continued to improve. The realization is being made that embracing quality means embracing Brangus, a breed that has shown time and again to be consistent and predictable, coming from known genetics. A flight to quality for producers in tough environments is a flight to Brangus.

14 FIRST SCHEDULED AUCTION OF BRANGUS VIGOR CALVES

Thanks to a combined effort of Arkansas breeders, the first Brangus Vigor feeder cattle will soon be coming to the first sale and being made available to the public. This effort is being made to help commercial Brangus producers of all sizes, but really focuses on helping smaller-scale breeders.

16 PEOPLE FIRST, CATTLE ALWAYS

Join us as we look at the Hurla Brothers Feed Yard in Paxico, Kansas. A feed lot that knows the value of their customers and the value of Brangus. Over the years they continue to find success in using Brangus genetics in all aspects of their operation.

28 VALUE OF GENETICS

Make sure you’re investing in your herd in the right way. Consider the value of using the right herd sires and the lasting impact one bull can have on an operation. Genetics are playing a major role in the cattle market prices, and this trend is only going to continue to grow.

34 STEAK YOUR FUTURE ON BRANGUS

The Brangus Value Project is a growing and innovative effort to continue to propel Brangus to the next level. This project is a comprehensive progeny test which will follow AI-sired steers through the feeding and packing segments and will capture data on feed efficiency.

36 STRONG DEMAND FOR BRANGUS REPLACEMENT FEMALES Top tier Brangus breeders are offering large numbers of commercial Brangus females. These vetted females being sold by reputable outfits are really making a statement, often bringing a substantial premium over local prices.

46 LEARNING FROM HISTORY

If expansion is on your mind, timing is vitally important. Expanding your herd at the right time may be the difference between a profitable expansion decision and one you’ll regret.

Spring2022 VOLUME 14

SPRING 2022

ISSUE 1

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER

EXECUTIVE CORNER

MAKE THE MOVE TO by Darrell Wilkes, Ph.D., International Brangus Breeders Association executive vice president

I am sometimes accused of being on a soapbox when it comes to the quality revolution that is taking place in the beef industry. I’ll gladly accept that criticism. Like many of you who are reading this article, I was deeply involved in the beef industry during the “non-glory” days. Demand for beef was in a nosedive. Anybody who owned cows during those years of the 70’s through 90’s, or anybody with a mortgage on their ranch, had to wonder if they were making a horrible decision by not bailing out while cows and ranches were still worth something (albeit not very much). Many of my rancher friends were encouraging their kids to pursue a career outside of the beef industry. Per capita beef consumption dropped by 20 lbs, or about 25%. And just to add some salt to the wound, while the per capita consumption was declining, the inflation-adjusted price was declining too. When an industry sells less of its product at a lower and lower price, there is no other way to say it – it is a demand disaster. Many factors were at play during this time. Beef was cast as a bad actor from a nutritional standpoint -- heart disease, cholesterol, fat in the diet – etc. The government started giving dietary advice that wasn’t very kind to beef (remember the food pyramid?). The beef industry fought back, thanks to the beef check-off, and began busting some of the misperceptions about beef. We discovered that some cholesterol is “good cholesterol”, and beef had more than its share. We started pointing out the nutrient density of beef – iron, essential amino acids, etc. As an industry, we threw our resources together and made a strong case that beef fits perfectly well in a healthful diet. In short, we fought back with facts and turned the tide. While the industry was fighting this fight and winning, we had other issues with our product that weren’t getting enough

SPRING 2022

Quality

attention. The first National Beef Quality Audit was completed in 1992 and showed that the beef industry was not producing the mix of quality grades that the marketplace preferred. As a result, we were not only giving up some money, we were turning off some consumers. We learned that up to a third of less-thanChoice steaks failed to satisfy consumers – lacking tenderness, flavor, etc. This shouldn’t have surprised anybody. There was a time when carcasses that would not grade Choice were not quality-graded at all. They were not rolled with the ink roller used by graders and were called, literally, “no rolls”. No-rolls comprised nearly half of the carcasses from fed steers and heifers in the mid 80’s – a time when demand was declining rapidly. That category contained carcasses that would grade Select today, along with a good number of carcasses that would grade Standard under today’s grading system. A friend of mine in the packing industry told me that they offered this product under the label of SES – “Special Economy Selection”. He then quipped that, internally, they called it SES for “Sure Enough S#&t” – use your imagination. The beef industry finally had to admit that the demand decline for beef was not only a perception problem, it was a quality problem. Not everybody in the beef industry was willing to accept that, so they denied it and lagged behind. Others accepted the challenge and started RAISING BETTER CATTLE!! Today, nearly 85% of all beef produced from fed steers and heifers grades Choice or higher. The percent Prime has jumped from 2% to 10%. Beef in the upper section of the Choice grade has doubled. Meanwhile, the demand curve for beef has turned sharply higher. The demand curve is virtually parallel to the quality curve. It is not a coincidence. It is an obvious cause-and-effect relationship. Better quality equals stronger demand. Again, this should not surprise anybody. It holds true in virtually every industry. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, this quality revolution is seen by many as a threat to indicus-influenced cattle because, historically, indicus influence has been a negative factor when it comes to marbling, which is the primary determinant of USDA quality grade. The biggest mistake that breeders of indicusinfluenced cattle can make is to chalk this all up to a “perception problem”. Just like the beef industry at large had to finally admit that it had a genuine quality problem (not just a

EXECUTIVE CORNER perception problem), cattle producers in the southern tier where indicus influence is essential to productivity need to understand that quality is still a concern but there is a way to address it. There is a way to produce the highest quality beef from indicusinfluenced cattle. It’s all about GENETICS. I was invited to a conference call several months ago involving a number of gulf state cattle associations and all of the “American breed” associations. Also on the call was a feedlot owner from the panhandle of Texas with a feedlot full of “eared” cattle, as he referred to them. After listening to complaints about the perceived unfair discount on “eared feeder cattle” from several parties on the call, the feedlot owner offered up some data from two pens of cattle that he had closed out that very week. He described both pens as “eared”, period. The fist pen graded 75% Choice, yielded very well, and brought back a live equivalent premium of $4 per hundred. On a 1,400-lb steer, that’s $56/hd which is real money to a feedlot with tens of thousands of cattle on feed. The second pen graded 17% Choice and, although not stated, they were probably at least 17% Standard grade (a notch below Select and heavily discounted). The second pen was hammered with a live equivalent discount of $7/hundred. That’s about $98/hd discount on a 1,400-lb steer. The feedlot owner was very diplomatic in the way he presented his data. He wasn’t being defensive or accusatory at all. His point was that “eared cattle”, as he described them, were not predictable. They might be pretty good, or they might be pretty bad – when sold on a carcass grid. It’s a crap shoot! Following the call, I was compelled to do a little math exercise. If you average the premium and discount on those two pens of cattle, it comes out to about $42/hd net discount. Specifically, $42/hd less than the prevailing live price. I then pulled up the research paper from Kansas State University where they summarized 20 years of price data from Superior video – involving millions of cattle. On 6-weight feeder cattle sold on

Superior in recent years, Brahman-influenced cattle averaged about $7/cwt discount compared to English and English cross cattle. That’s about $42/hd. Ponder that. Coincidence? I’ll get hate mail for this, but I offer up a photo of cattle that I describe as “indicus soup”. I submit that there is not a sire breed in existence that can be bred to these cows and consistently create something that is predictable and meets the quality expectations of the beef industry in 2022. Moreover, these cows were born in herd where half of the calves were steers and were sent to a feedlot. If somebody wants to prove me wrong on this point, please bring your data. No matter what sire breed is chosen, you’ll have every chromosome pair in a contest to see whether the quality genetics win or lose. At best, they average out which might have been good enough to hit the industry averages of the 1980’s but not the averages of the current industry. Embracing quality means embracing consistency and predictability, which only comes from known genetics. Brangus cattle were developed to leverage the beef quality characteristics of Angus with the thermotolerance of Brahman. In other words, quality beef was a goal from the very beginning even before the quality revolution kicked in. Nobody imagined back then that the beef industry could produce 85% Choice or better beef across the board. Today, we see Brangus cattle routinely topping the industry average for quality grade while the cows that produce those kind of steers work for 10+ years in hot/humid country, vast western deserts and toxic fescue pastures. A flight to quality for producers in tough environments is a flight to Brangus. With retained heterosis, comprehensive genetic evaluation and a hearty embrace of genomic technology, members of the International Brangus Breeders Association have what you need to participate and win in the era of quality. Cows like these, complemented with registered bulls from Brangus breeders, are the key. Go Brangus. Embrace quality!

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 11

SPRING 2022

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Don’t miss the

rare opportunity to invest in a flush out of 3 cows of this caliber at our

Inaugur al Production Sale March 12, 2022 at the ranch in Bunnell, FL Tim & Todd Phillips, Owners Rob Singleton, Manager 770.862.0983 | singletons2002@yahoo.com www.phillipsranchllc.com FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 13

BRANGUS VIGOR

FIRST SCHEDULED AUCTION OF BRANGUS VIGOR CALVES FEBRUARY 9, 2022 IN GREEN FOREST, ARKANSAS

by Darrell Wilkes, Ph.D., International Brangus Breeders Association executive vice president

The place to be on February 9th is the North Arkansas Livestock Auction in Green Forest, AR. The first public auction of Brangus Vigor feeder cattle will take place there, thanks to the effort of area Brangus breeders. Anthony Giffin, Giffin Brangus, also works as a representative of the auction market. “We believe that a program like this is needed to separate genuine Brangus feeder cattle from the mix of indicus cross cattle that are frequently referred to as ‘Brangus-like”, Giffin said, adding, “we won’t fill the pens at the market with Brangus Vigor steers this year, but we are determined to get this program kicked off in anticipation of much larger offerings of these premium feeder cattle in the years ahead.” North Arkansas Livestock Auction has a history of hosting value-added calf sales. Calves that are pre-conditioned and packaged into load lots are just what feeder cattle buyers want. “When we presented this idea to the management of the auction market, they jumped all over it”, Giffin said. All the steers will have been weaned more than 60 days, have received two rounds of vaccination, are genetic-verified and age-and-source verified. Producers with smaller herds – even with good genetics – generally miss out on the market-topping bids for their calves simply because they cannot fill a 50,000-lb load. Loads have to be assembled by order buyers who approach an auction with orders and hope they can get enough of the right cattle that fit together well and can fill a load to send to a feedlot. Typically, they are bought and sold several times in this process. Extra transaction costs, extra loading and unloading and general overhead forces order buyers to discount smaller groups of cattle on the front end because the extra costs all add up by the time the cattle are unloaded at a feedlot. Jim Singleton, Singleton Brangus, said that the program can help commercial Brangus producers of all sizes but can be particularly beneficial to smaller producers. “The next step in this process is to get our bull customers introduced to this program”, Singleton said, adding, “our group of area Brangus seedstock breeders made a commitment to experience the program first hand so that 14

SPRING 2022

we can be more helpful to our bull customers. There is some paperwork involved, but it is pretty simple. We just needed to experience it ourselves to become better advisors to our customers”. Dr. Dwaine Dickey of Rock Creek Ranch Brangus emphasized the difference between genuine Brangus feeder cattle and other feeder cattle that might be black with a touch of ear and may even be described as ‘Brangus’ by an auctioneer. Dr. Dickey elaborated, “Brangus are not as simple as an Angus-indicus cross. Through generations of selective breeding, we have created a unique breed. When we dug down and analyze the DNA of these cattle, we discovered that we have locked in Angus DNA where we want it for traits such as early puberty, rapid early growth and marbling. Meanwhile, we have kept the Brahman DNA in those parts of the genome where we need it to achieve heat tolerance. We have to differentiate genuine Brangus from other feeder cattle that might be confused with Brangus. This program does that.” Jeremy Jackson of Jackson’s Double J Brangus took a broader view of the situation. “Northern Arkansas is no different from many other parts of the country where more than half of the cows are in herds of fewer than 100 head and, therefore, cannot create a full load of feeder cattle. Because of that, they sell smaller groups for lower prices at local auction barns. There are plenty of progressive auction operators around the country who are anxious to work with progressive producers to put together value-added feeder calf sales. I’d like to see dozens of other groups like ours who connect with their local auction barn and put together a special Brangus Vigor feeder calf sale or even multiple sales per year to accommodate spring and fall calving herds,” Jackson said, adding “if we can offer substantial numbers of verified feeder cattle that are health and genetics verified, the buyers will be there. Every feeder cattle buyer is looking for deals like this – full loads of documented cattle. Multiple loads are even better.”

GENEPLUS

FEATURE ARTICLE

PEOPLE FIRST, Cat tle Always Hurla Farms Feed Yard, Paxico, Kansas, focuses on developing profitable beef by focusing on the heart of the industry – their customers and the consumer.

By Emme Demmendaal

Located 25 miles west of Topeka, Kansas, Hurla Farms Feed Yard is positioned on the edge of the Flint Hills, between the rolling Bluestem grasslands and the famous, flat ‘Dorothy and Toto” terrain that defines the state. From farming the productive creek and river bottoms to utilizing the undulating hills for hay ground and pastures, Hurla Farms find success in diversity. The family manages over 2,000 acres of row crop and pasture, 50 registered, and 450 commercial Brangus cows while custom feeding cattle. Unlike many cattlemen in the area, the Hurlas find that using Brangus genetics in each segment of their cattle operation is a key part of their success. “The same characteristics and genetic makeup that allows an eared animal to excel in the environmental challenges of the South’s heat are the same things that allow it to excel in our environment,” shares Mike Hurla describing that even in the extreme Kansas winters, English breeds like Angus lose ears just as often as Brangus. “We have never seen any inclement challenges from having Brangus this far north.”

SPRING 2022

“The maternal instincts of Brangus cattle are second to none,” says Hurla, the third generation to raise cattle on the farm, “They are just beautiful animals that retain heterosis from generation to generation and exceed expectations in the feedlot.” FINDING SUCCESS IN BRANGUS GENETICS The Hurla operation started in 1943 as a traditional farm and ranch. Hurla’s grandparents had everything from hogs, beef and dairy cows, chickens, and turkeys while also farming. With the shift of USDA regulations in 1960s, the operation sold their turkeys and slowly transitioned from more milk cows to primarily beef cattle. The family tried many breeds from Herefords to Charolais throughout the years but found their way to Brangus cattle in 1985. He explains, “We started with a small group of cows and liked how the calves were developing, and the replacement females were just phenomenal mothers.” The Hurlas started purchasing bulls from Brinks Brangus in the early 1990s and followed the herd as it moved to Camp Cooley in Franklin, Texas. “We discovered that our Brangus cattle were doing really well here in Kansas — the cows adapt,

FEATURE ARTICLE

handle the fescue, and the calves do well in the feedlot. Our herd is completely Brangus today, and we have no problems with being this far north – they just excel.” While they have always had a split spring and fall calving season, it wasn’t until they started buying from Brangus bull suppliers that the trajectory of their operation shifted. The family had always backgrounded cattle, but this part of the operation started growing. “We started learning how to use carcass data to apply to our cow herd selections. It has grown to become a pivotal part of the success of our operation,” he says. Not only did they see Brangus genetics immediately improve the quality of feeder calves and replacement females, but the educational opportunities through Camp Cooley, CDP Brangus, and the International Brangus Breeders Association provided insight on how retaining ownership as a commercial operation and collecting carcass data on their cattle can improve selection decisions on cow herd and future sires. In 1999, Hurla Farms Feed Yard retained their first group of calves through slaughter. He says, “Our first two groups of cattle that we retained ownership and received carcass data back on were 67 to 70% choice or better – typical for Brangus genetics at that time, but in year three, and on to our current feedlot calves, we don’t see anything less than 92 to 93% choice or better go through the packer.” Hurla Farms grew to encompass Hurla Farms Feed Yard as it is known today. Backgrounding cattle and retaining ownership was a pivotal part of expanding the operation and became an integral part of Mike’s and his brothers, Chad and Justin’s, passion for the family operation. FOCUSED ON IMPROVEMENT From grid quality, feed conversion, and yield, all the kill data is applied back to the cow herd and used as a selection tool for replacement decisions and finding bulls. Cows’ progeny are

identified using a tagging system as good or less-than-desirable performers in the feed yard. This information was directly used in breeding selection. “We could narrow down the bull selection in Camp Cooley’s catalog to maybe a handful – 10 to 12 bulls that fit the criteria our herd needed to continue to improve. We were fine-tuning our selection criteria.” Carcass data will always be at the forefront of selection decisions, but EPDs, pedigree information, feet, and leg structure are critical to continue to narrow their cow herd genetics to perform in the pasture and bunks. In addition to the commercial operation, the Hurlas run a small registered Brangus herd. Registered and commercial replacement heifers are raised on the farm, not purchased. “Our herd has really improved. We are now in a position where things like phenotype and cow history can influence selection decisions. We have the luxury of keeping a heifer that’s easy on the eyes because her carcass merits and EPDs are going to be there. We have the whole package.” Hurla Farms Feed Yard collects birth and weaning weights on all calves, collects DNA on all herd sires, and in the feedlot, track feed conversion. “Feed intake is important,” he shares, “Feed conversion is the largest opportunity for profitability or loss in any cattle operation. We collect all the data we can on our cattle and make selections in our herd from this information. For example, if there is a heifer from the same mating of a steer that did exceptionally in feed intake and carcass quality, she stays in the herd.” A large part of feed conversion in the feedlot is centered on overall nutrition, which is the core of the Hurla enterprise. Residing in prime farm and ranch country, the Hurlas use each section of ground for cattle or row crop farming. “Our farming operation is a vital part of our feeding operation,” Hurla explains how the row crop operation supports the cow-calf and feedlot operation. The main row crops are (continued on page 22)

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 17

2nd annual spring Bull sale FridaY, MarCh 11, 2022 150 BRANGUS AND ULTRABLACK BULLS Cavender’s neChes river ranCh neChes river ranCh road • JaCksonville, TX

PROVEN GENETICS, TRUSTED BRAND | CDPBRANGUS.COM

60H26

60H41

WRANGLER X PASSPORT

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7.1

0.8

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TRAIL BOSS X THREE D

CEM

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2.6

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0.4

3.5

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6.1

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TERM INDEX

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0.82

0.66

0.18

-0.025

3.54

0.76

1.08

0.77

0.32

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4.5

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1.17

0.37

0.12

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2.62

CDPBrangus.com

FERT INDEX

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-0.26

0.51

0.44

0.03

REQUEST info@CDPBrangus.com A CATALOG: 903-747-1136

4.1 FERT INDEX

99H34

INVESTMENT X CORONADO

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-0.043

2.06

0.47

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0.11

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TERM INDEX

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-0.043

2.77

0.67

Mark Cowan

903-495-4522

John Milam 870-310-0781

Justin Matejka 903-521-1070

Craig Green

870-834-1976

Grady Green 870-314-3673

Auctioneer Doak Lambert

535H24

541H34

FINAL CUT X CORONADO

CROSSROADS X NUFF SAID

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS THURSDAY, MARCH 10 8:00 AM CATTLE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING

FRIDAY, MARCH 11 8:00 AM

CATTLE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING

11:00 AM

LUNCH

12:00 PM

BULL SALE BEGINS

CED

6.5

-0.6

TM 29

REA

IMF

TERM INDEX

0.28

0.62

0.08

-0.034

3.56

795H9

CEM

CED

4.3

5.4

1.7

FERT INDEX

REA

IMF

0.15

0.7

0.32

0.2

802J

FINAL CUT X CORONADO

TM 18

FERT INDEX

-0.036

2.43

0.75

823H

JUSTIFIED X CHISHOLM

EMPIRE X CONNEALY

CEM

CED

CEM

CED

6.1

-0.7

5.7

1.4

5.7

0.3

REA

IMF

0.41

0.45

0.1

-0.034

2.74

FERT INDEX

TERM INDEX

REA

IMF

0.23

1.02

0.39

0.2

-0.048

FERT INDEX

REA

IMF

TERM INDEX

0.98

0.58

0.2

-0.042

3.17

BULK DISCOUNT AVAILABLE – THIS SALE ONLY: 5% ON 5 HEAD OR MORE PLUS FREE

3.1

TERM INDEX

CED

TERM INDEX

CEM

SHIPPING TO CENTRAL POINTS ON 10 HEAD OF BULLS OR MORE

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2022 100 REGISTERED FEMALES 550 COMMERCIAL FEMALES

CEM 3.6 FERT INDEX 0.83

TOP COMMERCIAL SEMEN FOR HEIFERS

FROM CDP BRANGUS & UB AI SIRES ALL $25 PER UNIT $25/UNIT

DMR EMPIRE 795D12

OWNERS: DRAGGIN’ M RANCH

DMR CASH FLOW 535F30

OWNERS: DRAGGIN’ M RANCH AND TTT BRANGUS FARM

$25/UNIT

CB MASTERPIECE 2051F

OWNERS: CAVENDER BRANGUS AND HARDEE FARM

$25/UNIT

CED

CEM

CED

CEM

CED

6.1

0.4

4.4

5.5

0.2

3.7

7.6

-1.7

REA

IMF

TERM INDEX

0.97

0.66

0.08

-0.041

2.73

DMR JRT DYNAMIC 30G36

OWNERS: DRAGGIN M RANCH AND JRT BRANGUS

FERT INDEX

REA

IMF

0.47

0.73

0.88

0.27

$25/UNIT

TERM INDEX

FERT INDEX

REA

IMF

-0.024

4.63

1.87

1.27

0.75

0.5

DMR KINGDOM 535G45

OWNERS: DRAGGIN’ M RANCH AND AMERICAN CATTLE ENTERPRISES

$25/UNIT

FERT INDEX

-0.029

5.06

0.9

CB GROWTH FUND 2051G11 $25/UNIT

OWNERS: CAVENDER BRANGUS AND DRAGGIN’ M RANCH

CEM

CED

CEM

CED

5.7

0.3

3.6

6.6

-0.7

3.9

5.6

-0.3

REA

IMF

0.91

0.55

0.09

-0.033

2.59

FERT INDEX

REA

IMF

0.69

0.41

0.54

0.05

4.3

TERM INDEX

CED

TERM INDEX

CEM

TERM INDEX

FERT INDEX

REA

IMF

-0.041

2.41

0.57

0.31

0.55

0.31

CEM 3.8

TERM INDEX

FERT INDEX

-0.036

4.08

0.62

REGISTERED SEMEN ALSO AVAILABLE!

PLEASE CONTACT ANY OF THE INDIVIDUALS BELOW TO PURCHASE SEMEN... MARK COWAN

903-495-4522 mark@cdpbrangus.com

CRAIG GREEN

870-834-1976 craig@cdpbrangus.com

GRADY GREEN

870-314-3673 grady@dragginmranch.com

KATRINA FOWLER 903-747-1136 info@cdpbrangus.com

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO VIEW MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SEMEN AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE.

CDPBRANGUS.COM 20

SPRING 2022

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 21

FEATURE ARTICLE (continued from page 17)

corn, soybeans, alfalfa hay, and wheat. Cover crops such as rye are used for fall cattle grazing. A good portion of the corn is put into the silage or put into the grain bins to crack and grinds are feeding, but about a third of it is sold at the elevators in Topeka, KS. “We take pride in knowing that we raised those ingredients that we’re putting in the feed wagon. From breed back purposes, animal health, and growing a solid calf that stands out in the feedlot.” Hurla Farms Feed Yard is at capacity all year round with either their genetics or other Brangus commercial breeders who retain ownership. All cattle are backgrounded to 800-900 pounds before heading to Southwest Kansas to a finishing feedlot. Each group of calves that arrive at the Hurla’s feed yard is handled differently depending on influences such as weather, traveling distance, cohort, and size. Hurla says, “We don’t have a cookie-cutter program. We have a relationship with everyone who sends us cattle. We take the history of the cattle and how much stress from travel occurred before we start processing them into our feed yard.” When calves first arrive, they get a round of vaccines, and the owner will get a lock tag pertinent to the individual operation. “We start all our calves on a basic starter diet to get them bunk broke,” he comments, “Since we know how the calves were handled before arriving here, we can tailor the program to the calves.” The Hurlas feel strongly that what they offer their customers lower-cost, reliable backgrounding program to enhance performance for the next segment of the finishing process. He says, “Our goal in the feed yard is to let that calf have the opportunity to meet its genetic potential. We aren’t sending a fat, short, bloated-out animal to be finished. We grow them at a slower rate, focus on nutrition, let them mature, put on frame and muscle, and then send them onto a finishing feed yard where they have a higher likelihood to excel.” Calves are typically sorted by ranch unless a split load of heifers and steers arrive. Then, Hurla Farm Feed Yards allows commingling with other cattle to keep them from competing for feed. A large emphasis is placed on caring for cattle in their cow herd and feedlot. The operation is Where Food Comes From Care Certified and Global Animal Partnership (better known as G.A.P.) certified – two third-party verified programs focused on animal husbandry, sustainability, and stewardship. He shares, “We understand the desire and direction of

SPRING 2022

today’s consumers in wanting to know where their food comes from. These programs bridge the gap and allow us to share the story of how much beef producers care about our animals and how much heart and effort goes into beef production. We operate under the standards of these programs to ensure the best animal care we can.” Hurla describes what keeps him coming back day after day, “Really, the reason we do this is the people. I grew up understanding that our biggest opportunity to make a living was how we cared for each calf. And it’s the same for everyone who entrusts us with their calf crop. We genuinely care about the people that send us cattle, the animals, and the consumer.” FAMILY CENTERED Day in and day out, the operation is owned, managed, and run by the Hurla family. Mike’s father Vincent and his uncle Roy’s expertise and focus are on the row crop side of the operation and the commercial cow herd, while he and his brothers, Chad and Justin, handle the registered herd and feedlot production. The whole family pitches in anywhere a second set of hands are needed. Vincent and Roy are the second generation on the farm. They began working with their father, Bernard, at a very young age and continued to work by his side until he passed in 2009. Vincent and his wife, Emily, are the parents of Mike, Chad, Shana, Justin, and Adam; and Roy is married to Vicky and has 4 children: Renea, Shane, Steven and Deanne. After Bernard passed, Mike and Justin moved to full-time on the family operation, and Chad helped in the evenings and weekends. Both Mike and his wife, DeeAnn, and Chad and his wife, Krista, have grown children in either college or wrapping up high school. Mike’s daughter, Logan, is Hurla Farms Marketing Director and handles all of the photography and design needs. Mike shares, “Like most farming and ranching families, our children help out as much as they can in between school. They do whatever is asked and enjoy time on the farm – hopefully enough to inspire them to be the fourth generation when the time comes.” He concludes, “Each member of the family can put a face to the name of the cattle that we feed. They can identify which operation’s tag is in the calf ’s ear. Sure this is a business, but it’s also personal. It’s easy to be passionate and excited about what we’re doing while we watch our customer’s cattle go from calves to yearling steers and watch heifers grow into all the characteristics you could ever want because of the genetics you used.”

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 23

SPRING 2022

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 25

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FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 27

CATTLEFAX TRENDS

The Value of Genetics There is a long list of management and marketing strategies producers can implement to capture a premium for their calves. However, even the best management protocols and additional revenue from value-added programs will not be enough to offset poor genetic selection in a herd. Creating the true value of a calf crop starts well before birth or weaning. The foundation for herd potential is set when bulls are purchased, and mating decisions are made. The discussion regarding the importance of genetics and the impact they can have on an operation’s bottom line are not just anecdotal. Numerous data sources and real-world experience confirms, better genetics will, in fact, add value to calves and put more money in producer’s pockets. After analyzing several recent years of data from Superior Livestock Auction and utilizing a couple of different analyses methods, the results indicated that calves carrying the “Superior Progressive Genetics” credential brought about a $2/cwt premium compared to those without. According to this analysis, that is an additional $11/head for a 550-pound calf. If a bull sires 25 calves, that’s an extra $275 per year attributed to that sire. Assuming the bull provides service for at least three years, a producer would benefit more than $800 in total by selecting

and marketing higher quality genetics. This scenario is likely a conservative calculation for a lot of operations. If an operation is using high-end genetics, there may also be an opportunity to market heifers as replacements and receive an even larger premium. Those that retain their own females also benefit from the higher quality genetics, but it is difficult to truly quantify a dollar amount of the value that is added. To put into perspective the value of herd sires and the lasting impact one bull can have on an operation that retains heifers, the same assumption that a bull is utilized for three years will be the first step in the scenario. If a bull is purchased in 2022, his progeny will be born in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Assuming females are culled at six years old, on average, that bull’s daughters will be in the herd in 2031. Obviously, there will likely be some females that are in production longer than six years. This only accounts for the direct genetic influence of that one sire, not to mention his grand progeny that are retained in the herd. Simply, the investment in today’s genetics cannot be taken lightly considering the long-term impact those bulls will have on an operation. For most things, higher quality typically comes at a bigger cost, and genetics are no exception. Certainly, the most expensive bull does not always equate to the best bull, but there is a correlation between price and genetic potential. The annual CattleFax CowCalf Survey continues to support this each year. Participants are asked their average bull costs in four different price ranges: under $2,500; $2,501 to $5,000; $5,001 to $7,500; and over $7,500. Over half of the participants purchase bulls that cost $2,501 to $5,000, as seen in the accompanying chart. Producers also report calf values. Each year there is a positive relationship between bull costs and (continued on page 32)

SPRING 2022

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 29

SPRING 2022

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 31

CATTLEFAX TRENDS (continued from page 28)

calf prices. The three-year average difference in calf values from the cheapest bull interval to second cheapest is $68 per calf. From the second-lowest interval to third interval is $77/head. Using the same scenario, that a bull is in service for three years, siring 25 calves annually, for a total of 75, equals an additional $5,100 for the cheapest bull price range to the second, and $5,775 from the second to third. Now, it isn’t necessary to go out and buy the high seller from every sale in the area, but the extra income from the calves would justify potentially moving up one bull price interval. There’s no doubt a multitude of variables factor into the true value of a calf. The total differences in calf prices from the survey results are not solely attributed to genetic variations, but it is not strictly by chance that the correlation shows up year after year. It is also evident from the survey results that the most profitable producers understand the importance of quality genetics. When participants are separated into three different groups based on the most to least profitable, the high-return producers also have the lowest costs, on average. However, between the three groups, the high-return operations are willing to spend the most on bulls. In the latest survey, high-return producers spent an average of $4,529 on bulls, while the other producers spent about $3,800. Not only do genetics impact calf value, supported by the earlier discussion, but they also have significant influence on some of the most important metrics for an operation. What sets the top third of producers apart from the rest is, a higher weaned calf crop percentage, bigger weaning weights, etc., that ultimately add to the bottom line. Fertility, performance, and

SPRING 2022

other production measurements all start with strong genetic potential. While the most recent survey results showed the average bull cost was roughly $4,000 in 2020, history suggests that amount will likely increase over the next few years. There’s a fairly strong relationship between the value of five 550-pound steer calves and the following year’s average bull price. This year, the calf market will average about $170/cwt or $4,675 for five steer calves. In theory, this should set the base for average bull values in 2022, but with a wide range around it. Another major factor that influences bull values is the market outlook. It has been laid out several times that prices should trend higher into the middle of the decade, and a more optimistic forecast typically leads to more dollars spent on genetics. With steer calves expected to average $205/cwt in 2022, the value of five calves jumps to $5,638 – potentially the bull market average in 2023. Up to this point the discussion has essentially revolved around the importance of genetics and that being a little more generous should pay off in the long run. However, that is easier said than done. The bull selection process can be stressful and overwhelming considering there are thousands sold each year and tons of data to sort through. The first step begins with your own operation. Have a plan for both the short and long term. Is the goal to only be a terminal cross herd? If so, where will replacement females be sourced? If the plan is to retain heifers, then a more balanced procurement strategy is recommended. Producers may even consider purchasing two different sets of bulls, with one focused on maternal traits and the other catering to more terminal genetics. There are multiple ways to achieve different objectives, but it is critical an operation knows what those targets are. Work with your genetic supplier or a breed association representative to help determine which bulls give your operation the best opportunity to reach those goals. An operation’s bull battery is one of the most critical components to being profitable, and those decisions should not be taken lightly. Most importantly, select bulls that fit your budget and will excel in your environment to maximize the genetic potential of your herd. Remember the old adage – the most expensive thing you can buy is a cheap bull.

MR JLS TEQUILA 915B29 ~ R10276285

CED BW WW YW M TM CED SC REA IMF FT HP 6.7 -.2 25 41 8 20 4.3 1.03 .59 -.17 -.041 .57

STAY CW TI FI .97 -12.30 1.71 .77

WRC UPGRADE 11C ~ R10307038 ~ 1st Gen

CED BW WW YW M TM CED SC REA IMF FT HP STAY CW TI FI 3.5 1.8 41 81 15 35 3 .21 .34 .24 -.035 1.65 3.18 8.16 3.76 .77

MR JLS PRIME 915Z61 ~ R10238405

CED BW WW YW M TM CED SC REA IMF FT HP STAY CW TI FI 5.5 .5 26 52 14 27 3.9 .11 .39 -.03 -.035 -.70 -.23 -7.09 2.28 -.70

WRC RECHARGE 11C2 ~ R10307040 ~ 1st Gen

CED BW WW YW M TM CED SC REA IMF FT HP STAY CW TI FI 1.5 3.3 54 104 13 40 3.1 -.04 .59 .21 -.030 1.65 3.18 8.16 4.55 .85

JNL MR JOHN ADAMS 209A ~ R10232952

CED BW WW YW M TM CED SC REA IMF FT HP 4.8 0.0 34 53 10 27 3.5 1.31 .28 -.04 -.037 .23

STAY CW TI FI .34 -2.22 2.26 -.30

TCF RAPID REWARD 732D2 ~ R10329761

CED BW WW YW M TM CED SC REA IMF FT HP STAY CW TI FI 3.2 1.9 30 49 4 19 3.2 .42 .62 .04 -.038 2.30 .42 -2.13 2.25 .82

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 33

STEAK YOUR FUTURE ON BRANGUS The Brangus Value Project is a comprehensive progeny test which will follow AI-sired steers through the feeding and packing segments and will capture data on feed efficiency, all carcass traits, and tenderness. This is the absolute best way to gather genetically relevant data on traits that matter greatly in the modern, quality-driven beef industry. The data will filter through the EPDs of thousands of cattle in the Brangus herdbook. It’s a BIG DEAL!!! IBBA members who are willing to invest $500 to sponsor one of the steers in this project will receive a Brangus strip loin, cut into individually packaged steaks, delivered to your door. You will

also be invited to an invitation-only seminar where all the data will first be presented. Your investment will be with the International Brangus Breeders Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, (tax deductible). The first group of steers will enter the feedlot this fall and will be harvested late next spring. You might have your steaks in time for a Father’s Day barbeque. We’ll need about 110 sponsors. So far, the following breeders and Brangus fans have stepped to the plate. Please request a pledge form and brochure and your name will appear here monthly.

We already know you love Brangus cattle. Help our breed move to the next level by investing in the Brangus Value Project. 34

SPRING 2022

FEATURE ARTICLE

STRONG DEMAND FOR BRANGUS REPLACEMENT FEMALES by Darrell Wilkes, Ph.D., International Brangus Breeders Association executive vice president

A number of top tier Brangus breeders are offering large numbers of commercial Brangus females in conjunction with their bull sales. Some of these programs have been going on for 20+ years, while others are a bit newer. But in all cases, the vetted females sold under the umbrella of these reputation outfits bring a substantial premium over the prices quoted from local auction barns for same-age indicus-cross females. A key word in the previous sentence is vetted. Although different outfits have different specific requirements, the one thing they have in common is that they are willing to risk their reputation by allowing consignors to offer cattle for sale under their umbrella. Recognizing full well that reputation is everything in the seedstock business, they all take steps to ensure that the cattle offered for sale are going to exceed the expectations of their customers. TOWN CREEK FARM – WEST POINT, MS Town Creek has offered commercial bred heifers at their bull sale for 20+ years. All heifers come from consignors who are utilizing Town Creek bulls or semen to produce the heifers and to breed the heifers. Some consignors have been continuously involved for over 20 years and offer multiple generations of stacked Town Creek genetics in the females they consign. Likewise, some repeat customers have been buyers of heifers for many years. About 50% of the heifers sell each year to repeat customers and 50% sell to new customers. When the gavel landed on the final set of bred heifers in the Town Creek sale in October of 2021, 267-hd of consignorowned bred heifers had tallied an impressive average price of $1,900. This represents a premium of at least $500/head over the reported prices for bred heifers from regional auction barns. Joy Reznicek-Sundbeck is President of Town Creek Farm. “The female sale adds a significant amount of work to our already-busy team, but it gives our customers an opportunity

to cash in on the genetic investment that they make in Town Creek bulls,” she said. “It is not unusual for a first-time customer to attend our sale specifically because of the commercial female offering. They see the strong demand and they see the value of the program, and they often stay for the bull sale or make plans to shop at next year’s bull sale. We do this to benefit our customers, but it also drives demand for our primary product which is top-end Brangus bulls.” The female sale and the bull sale are offered online, but all females are physically present at the sale event. Prospective buyers can walk through the pens and inspect the heifers from every angle, including their behavior. “Our consignors know our requirements, and they know better than to bring a high-headed, short-fused heifer to the sale. We’ll cull it. Good stockmen know how to handle cattle and teach them to be calm. Above all else, our consignors are good stockmen”, Reznicek added. Town Creek has a fairly long list of requirements for heifers to be consigned, including: • Comprehensive health protocol; OCV between 5 and 10 months of age, and heifers must be current on all vaccinations and deworming within 60-days of the sale. • Heifers must have 2 generations of Town Creek genetics stacked in their pedigrees. • Pregnancy diagnosis must be done by a licensed veterinarian or a certified ultrasound technician within 30-days of the sale, and all heifers will be accompanied by a completed Reproductive Status Form provided by Town Creek. • Heifers must have settled in the first 60 days of a consignor’s breeding season and must be bred to calve before 30 months of age. • Heifers must be in good body condition and solid black. • Health certificates for interstate transport must be in order, including approved identification for interstate shipment. Town Creek consignors are responsible for developing their heifers at home. Town Creek does not take in virgin heifer calves to develop for the sale. The Town Creek commercial bred heifer offering is experiencing steady growth, notwithstanding the fairly long list of requirements that must be met. “A lot of our customers see the quality and value of the bred heifers and they set a goal of eventually consigning heifers to the sale. There is room for growth, and the demand is there, but the quality standards can never be relaxed in the name of (continued on page 38)

Sale day at Town Creek, 2021.

SPRING 2022

FIT BEEF BULLS THAT MAKE CALVES BETTER Fit bulls that last are the best investment a cattle operation can make. Fewer bulls to replace. More pounds sired over a longer period of time.

LONGEVITY FEET AND LEGS

Town Creek Farm bulls are developed on forage and a forage-based ration at a slow pace to last longer and breed more cows over their lifetime. This gives customers more pounds on the ground over a longer time period. Bulls are clean-hocked, hard, muscular bulls without excessive fat who have the ability to go out, hustle and get more females bred in the beginning of breeding seasons.

FERTILITY MATTERS

TCF RAPID REWARD 145E6 • SEMEN AVAILABLE

The single most important trait to proitability is fertility. Females must breed back and bring a calf to the weaning pens every year thereafter to remain in our herd.

TAKING OWNERSHIP OF COWHERD

Our cattle are held accountable by our complete work within our system of stringent checks and balances. Every female is scored on teat and udder composition, productivity, hoof angle, claw set, breed character and hair shedding. Our selection pressure has yielded moderate framed, easy leshing, low input cows with fertility, longevity, good dispositions and mothering ability.

TCF RAPID REWARD 263F • SEMEN AVAILABLE

3 Quality Assurance always comes rst.

Total Commitment

Since 1993

TOWN CREEK FARM

Milton Sundbeck, Owner • Office (662)494-5944 32476 Hwy. 50 East, West Point, Mississippi 39773-5207 Joy Reznicek Sundbeck (205)399-0221 • Joy@TownCreekFarm.com Clint Ladner (662)812-8370 • Cladner@TownCreekFarm.com Cody Glenn (601)508-8689 • Cody@TownCreekFarm.com www.TownCreekFarm.com FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 37

FEATURE ARTICLE (continued from page 36)

growth”, Reznicek added. Cody Glenn is Cow Herd Manager at Town Creek and an active member of IBBA’s Commercial Marketing Committee. He is an unabashed advocate for the Brangus Vigor certified feeder calf program. “I’d like to see some of our heifer consignors place their steer calves in the Brangus Vigor program. We know how good their cattle are and we believe there is an upside in price for feeder cattle enrolled in Brangus Vigor.” CAVENDER-DRAGGIN M PARTNERS (CDP) The breeders behind the Cavender-Draggin M brand have established strong demand for the vetted commercial females offered at two sales per year – spring and fall. Between 1,000 and 1,100 commercial females are sold annually. When asked to explain the success of this event, Joe Cavender summed it up

Steer mates to females from a consignor.89% Choice or higher with 9% Prime and 38% CAB.

by saying “We work at this deal really hard.” Over 500-hd were snapped up by active bidders in the fall 2021 sale. The offering included everything from pairs to open yearlings and averaged a touch over $2250 across the board. “Our program is based on Brangus, and Brangus females comprise over 70% of the offering” Cavender said, “but we also offer some F1 Brahman-Angus females, some Brangus baldies and even some tiger stripes. There are a lot of these cow types in our market area and we want to show what a Brangus or Ultrablack bull will do on top of these cow types.” A strong majority of the females come from the commercial herds owned by the individual CDP partners. Others come from Cavender-Draggin M bull customers either as consignments or as females purchased from customers as heifer calves and developed at Cavender’s. The partners routinely feed out about 1,500 steer mates to the females. They recover feedlot and carcass data on all these steers, so a customer can buy replacement females and have a pretty good idea of how their calves will perform for the feeder and packer so long as they use the same quality of bulls that are used by the partners in their own herds. “The steers that we feed are grading 90% Choice or better, which shatters the myth that indicus-cross cattle won’t grade. Maybe some won’t, but these Brangus do”, Cavender explained. 38

SPRING 2022

The CDP partners utilize A.I. extensively in their seedstock operations, so they apply their expertise in A.I. to the commercial females also. The A.I.-bred commercial females generally bring a premium. “We will lead off a certain class of females with a group that is settled A.I., and follow up with the natural service females. It creates a little momentum. We use top-end bulls to breed the females anyway, so buyers aren’t giving up much when they buy the natural service bred females”, Cavender added. The health protocol is the same as the partners use for their registered cattle. “There is no room for shortcuts in this deal. These are premium females that we expect to pay dividends for our customers, so they get the same vaccinations and deworming that our seedstock herds gets”, added Justin Matejka, manager of Cavender’s Neches River Ranch. The females are offered in handy-sized groups. Large groups are split into 5 to 8 head lots to accommodate the needs of smaller producers. Larger producers who may need a whole truckload can get what they need and stay within the same class and even the same source if they choose. Repeat customers buy a good share of the females every year. “I think a lot of our customers have decided to buy all of their replacements instead of raising them. It simplifies their management and every female on their place then becomes a prospective revenue generator”, Cavender said. The CDP group sells the commercial females the day before the bull sale. “We used to do it all in one day, but the commercial female deal has grown to the point where we need to split the event into two parts. This gives our customers and our partner group time focus on each sale within our event. “Most of our customers who buy replacements also buy bulls from our group. They can haul their females and bulls home in the same trailer or truck”, Cavender said. GENEPLUS AT CHIMNEY ROCK, CONCORD, ARKANSAS Discriminating commercial producers will travel to find high-quality, bred females that meet their requirements. The volume buyers of commercial females at the fall 2021 sale at Chimney Rock were from Georgia and Louisiana. All of the females offered under the GENEPLUS brand come either from GENEPLUS members or bull customers. Of the 315-hd offered in the fall 2021 sale, most were bred heifers.

Sale day at GENEPLUS 2021

About 100-hd were either pairs or calves/yearlings. Cody Gariss is President of GENEPLUS. “Our consignors and partners know that this sale is meant for only top end females. We want these cattle to go home and work for 10-years for their new owner, so we do everything we know to do to achieve that outcome”, Gariss said. Specs and requirements include: • Brangus or Ultrablack genetics. • All females are tested for BVD-PI (persistently infected) • Pelvic measured and reproductive tract scored. • Two rounds of modified live vaccine and de-wormed. • Examined pregnant prior to the sale. The females are offered as consignor groups and all females are physically present at the event to allow customers to thoroughly inspect them. Females from different consignors are not mixed together even if they are very similar in type and projected calving date. “We see repeat customers coming to the sale every year wanting to buy females from a specific consignor because they have bought from that consignor before and want a repeat of the success they’ve had with the cattle”, Gariss explained. That might help explain why a 10-hd group of bred heifers from Suhn Cattle Co. fetched $3,100 at the recent sale. “We usually offer from 300 to 350 head in the sale. That number fits our market and facility pretty well. We are able to fill needs outside of sale season with private treaty offerings as the need arises”, Gariss added. “From GENEPLUS’ perspective we’ve designed our commercial female sale to be more of a “service center” than a “profit center” for the company. If it is profitable for our consignors and the cattle do their job for the customers, then we’ve met our goal. Many of the consignors re-invest some of their premium in better bulls, which ensures that the quality of females will continue to go up each year”, Gariss said. STALWART RANCHES – TEXAS Stalwart Ranches has been a mainstay in the Brangus breed for many years, over time they have evolved and adapted to the market demands and today they focus on selling bred heifers strictly by private treaty and in many cases these females are offered in volume. Bill Cawley is the manager of Stalwart Ranches. “The demand for top-end Brangus bred heifers is exceptionally strong. My customers

are not interested in black heifers with a touch of ear. They want Brangus and they see the value of knowing the genetics of the cattle and they are especially interested in the feedlot and carcass data on the steer mates to the heifers. Brangus bulls have been used heavily in our part of the country, so they could probably buy those black heifers with a little ear at any local auction barn for a lot less than they pay here. But instead they see the value of known predictable genetics that we offer here at Stalwart Ranches.“ Private treaty sales have a different dynamic than auction sales. Cawley said that he might get a few new customers each year as the program grows, but the vast majority of females go (continued on page 42)

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(continued from page 39)

to the same customers year after year. “Many of these guys have stopped raising their own replacements. They are counting on us to have the replacements that they need every year. Our priority is to take care of these customers first, and then seek some new customers if we have enough headcount to do it. Currently, there is more demand than supply. Throughout this past year we had to resist the urge to dip into our own keeper pen as demand reached a point that started to reminded us of the 2014/2015 market.” A good Brangus cow will produce for 10 years, if not longer. That means that a 10% annual turnover of the cowherd is a realistic goal. Cawley put it in perspective: “A guy with 100 cows only needs 10 replacements per year. It is a hassle for him to sort off the replacement prospects, feed them differently, keep a separate pasture, and expose them to a calving ease bull or A.I. them. With this number, he’s probably supplementing the heifers with sacks of feed, which cost about twice as much as cattle developed on a total mixed ration – not to mention the added labor”. “We place the same demands on the sale heifers as we do on our own replacements. They must breed up to calve near their second birthday. They all get the same comprehensive health protocol and we ensure that their nutrition is appropriate for the stage of gestation that they’re in”.

When asked if he could see the day when Stalwart buys back top heifer calves from their customers and develops them into replacements, Cawley speculated that it could happen if and only if the customers are using top-end Brangus bulls. “I know the demand is there. But the cattle have to be right,” he added. The premium (compared to a generic commodity heifer) might seem a bit steep, but when you look at the whole equation, they are a good value. If you’re not developing your own replacements, and you have a reliable year-after-year supplier of top replacements, then every female in your herd is going to calve and hopefully bring a calf to the weaning pen. DOAK LAMBERT, LAMBERT AUCTION CO Doak Lambert serves as the auctioneer for many of the top Brangus sales. His position gives him a unique perspective and he has an instinctive feel for what makes a sale “tick”. “I’d say the premium is at least $500/hd over the commodity market, and on some top-reputation consignments it is much more than that. Savvy producers are buying verified-source cattle, with known genetics and good management from a reputation outfit that will stand behind them. That has a lot of value”, Lambert said. “This looks like a strategy that more breeders could and should consider. It certainly attracts new customers to a sale, but I would caution everybody to do this only if you are willing to set high quality standards and stick to them,” Lambert added.

association

OKLAHOMA BRANGUS •M A R C H 2 6 • TH

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M CA LESTE R STOCKYARDS N OON | MCALEST E R , OK U LTRA B L ACK & BRANGU S BUL LS A N D FE MALES FOR CATA LO G R E Q U ESTS AND M OR E I N FO R M AT I O N : SHILOH HA L L : 91 8 .7 98 . 1 3 37 @OKLAHOMABRANGUSASSOCIATION

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SPRING 2022

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 43

$40 Per Unit

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CATTLEFAX TRENDS

Learning from History It has been laid out in recent Trends articles that U.S. beef cowherd liquidation is expected to continue through next year. Whenever Mother Nature provides adequate moisture in key grazing regions and cow-calf profitability improves enough to incentive growth, the cattle cycle will transition into the expansion phase – likely in 2023 or 2024. With tighter cattle supplies, due to several years of smaller calf crops, prices are forecast to trend higher into 2024/25. These projected trends will follow similar patterns that were seen in the first half of the previous decade. From a timing standpoint, the current market environment would be similar to the 2011/12 timeframe when prices were breaking out before the cycle highs occurred in 2014. Because there is a strong correlation of 0.98 between calf and female prices since 1980, the female market also reached record values in late 2014 to early 2015. With calf prices trending higher, it is essentially guaranteed that females will be more expensive, potentially by a substantial amount, from now into the middle of this decade. This simple correlation analysis

SPRING 2022

suggests the sooner females are purchased the better off an operation will likely be in the long run, as opposed to procuring females deeper into the higher trending calf market. Net Present Value (NPV) is a tool that can be used to evaluate the current value of a female and whether it is a solid long-term investment. NPV analyzes the initial investment/ purchase cost versus future cash inflows, outflows, salvage value, and how those outcomes compare, over time, relative to discount rate/opportunity costs. NPV incorporates the concept that a time value of money exists. In other words, the same dollar amount a year from now is worth less than it is right now. After the calculation is complete, the final value is theoretically in today’s dollar amounts. There are several sources that provide more information regarding NPV and how it is calculated. Kansas State University and Iowa State University also have resources pertaining directly to the cow-calf segment. When calculating NPV for potential investments it is important to understand that several assumptions are used. The first table assumes a bred heifer is purchased for $1,800 in late

CATTLEFAX TRENDS 2021 or early 2022 with the first calf born in 2022 and has seven calves before she is culled in 2028 for $840. Right now, there is a big range around average female prices with high quality and/ or AI-bred females demanding a premium relative to plainer cows and heifers. There will certainly be producers who pay more and some less than $1,800 over the next few months. Also, some might argue that seven calves are too many or too few. Regardless, producers should use a practical number that fits their operation. The calf market is expected to trend to a high in the middle of the decade before rolling over through 2028 as a typical cattle cycle would suggest. The 550-pound annual prices represent an average of both steer and heifer calves based on the idea of a 50/50 split between bull and heifer calves born over time. Cash cow costs represent U.S. averages, that do not include depreciation or return to management assumptions. Because the costs are U.S. averages, and no two operations are the same, there is a wide range around the estimates. With costs starting at $680/cow in 2022 and increasing $20 each year, it equates to costs rising just shy of 3 percent the first couple years and ending with about a 2.6 percent increase the last two. While the economy is currently in a high inflationary period, causing costs to significantly increase the last couple years, at some point over the next few years inflation should moderate closer to historical norms of around two percent. Lastly, an 8 percent discount rate, or opportunity cost, is used in the calculation. It is essentially a way to measure if you are better off investing the money in something else, such as the stock market, that may return 8 percent, or into a bred female. It is gauging an assumption that you could make an 8 percent return in another investment to determine if the bred female is able to provide that amount of return or greater. Given those assumptions, an $1,800 bred heifer returns a NPV of $1,099 in 2028 – meaning the odds favor this is good investment. The bred heifer returns the minimum discount rate of eight percent, plus more. The breakeven or maximum price to pay for a bred heifer is about $2,900 to return a $0 NPV in 2028. This implies the investment should return the desired eight percent return but no additional dollars. If cash costs start at $680/cow in 2022 but increase four percent each year to end at $860 in 2028, higher than beginning assumptions, then the NPV of an $1,800 bred heifer drops to $973 in 2028.

Let’s assume all the same beginning costs, calf prices, and salvage value in the table, but the bred heifer only has five calves before she’s culled. The NPV in 2026 drops $281 to $818. It is still a positive number or likely a sound investment, but it shows how big of an impact female longevity can have on an operation’s bottom line. One thing that is not addressed in the assumptions is potential tax implications. While the overall tax structure can change over time, it is one factor producers need to be aware of when making long-term decisions. Producers can learn from past cattle cycles to help decide when the ideal time is to invest in females, assuming the necessary grazing resources are available. Using record bred female values from 2014 at the cycle highs and calculating a NPV for 2021, assuming the bred heifer raises seven calves, equates to a negative return. Most of the values used in the 2014 calculation are known, so the results suggest purchasing a bred heifer for $2,600 in the fourth quarter of 2014 was a poor investment. The initial cost was too high, and the eight percent return was not achieved. The producer would have been better off investing in something else that averaged an eight percent or better return from 2015 through 2021. There’s no doubt COVID-19 caused calf prices to be significantly lower than projected in 2020, which drags down the final NPV. Even if the calf market averaged over $250/cwt in 2020, the final NPV is still negative. Because the initial purchase cost was so high in 2014, multiple years from 2015 to 2021 would need stronger calf values and/or lower cash cow costs. As a reminder, those cash cow costs do not include depreciation or return to management. In past cattle cycles, prices from highs to highs and lows to lows occurs about every ten to twelve years. With the calf market trending to a high in the middle of this decade, the odds favor females will only get more expensive from current levels over the next few years. Historical data shows investing in females at cycle highs can be a risky investment. In other words, it is poor timing to be expanding the herd since the females rarely ever pay for themselves. It is recommended producers expand as soon as possible, given the necessary grazing resources are available. Certainly, margins have been tight in recent years, but with low interest rates and the market outlook, working with your lender to increase your line of credit, if necessary, should be considered.

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 47

TEXAS EXPORTING Livestock through

ground O air O sea

LIVESTOCK

EXPORT FACILITIES

El Paso Livestock Export Facility 10800 Socorro Road El Paso, Texas 79927 Office (915) 859-3942

Del Rio Livestock Export Facility 543 Farley Lane Del Rio, Texas 78840 Office (830) 773-2359

Howdy Neighbors,

Houston-Bush Intercontinental Airport Livestock Export Facility

16424 Luthe Lane Houston, Texas 77032 Office (281) 443-2447

Laredo Livestock Export Facility 3902 Jaime Zapata Memorial Highway Laredo, Texas 78046 Office (956) 722-6307

Brownsville Livestock Export Facility 701 South Vermillion Ave. Brownsville, Texas 78521 Office (956) 546-5135

he Texas Department of Agriculture has five livestock export facilities located across the state. Each facility provides livestock buyers and sellers with a location on the Texas border where animals can be held until inspection and export requirements are completed. Once the livestock have been cleared for travel, they can be loaded for transport out of the United States. Livestock leaving the Brownsville, Del Rio, El Paso, and Laredo facilities will be loaded for ground transport into Mexico. The Houston facility moves livestock by air and sea, covering destinations all over the world. CATTLE HORSES

H Brownsville Facility H

Del Rio Facility

El Paso Facility

Houston-Bush

Laredo Facility 48 SPRING 2022

PIGS

GOATS

SHEEP

POULTRY

Here at the Texas Department of Agriculture, one of our most important missions is to protect and promote production agriculture here in the Lone Star State. A cornerstone of that mission is to ensure that livestock being exported from our state meets all state and federal guidelines. The Texas Department of Agriculture export facilities are the gateways for exporting livestock from Texas. From cattle and horses to pigs and poultry, these facilities are tools to help get Texas livestock around the world. Through our export facilities, TDA is committed to not only protecting the transported livestock but also the owners, buyers and brokers. Exporting livestock may seem daunting. The information we’ve posted on our livestock export facility website, and our facility staff, can help you successfully navigate this process. Please contact us if you have any questions. Sincerely, Sid Miller Commissioner Sid.Miller@TexasAgriculture.gov

Intercontinental Airport

For More Information:

www.TexasAgriculture.gov/LivestockExportPens

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 49

SPRING 2022

SEEDSTOCK DIRECTORY

ALABAMA

Fayette, Alabama

Jimmy & Marsha Trice 205-270-6488 | jtrice@watvc.com

BRANGUS FARM T TT

Registered Brangus Cattle Available For Sale

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 51

SEEDSTOCK DIRECTORY

ARKANSAS — CALIFORNIA — FLORIDA — GEORGIA — KANSAS

Brangus & Ultrablacks Brangus and Ultrablack Bulls and Females Available Now at the Ranch Private Treaty SALE DATES ONLINE AT CDPBRANGUS.COM

VISIT US ONLINE www.spanishranch.net Follow Us on Instagram @spanishranchcuyama

Brangus Bulls • Brangus Females • Commercial Females PROVEN GENETICS, TRUSTED BRAND. WWW.CDPBRANGUS.COM

SPANISH RANCH Brangus and Ultrablack Cattle

John Milam, Owner Grady Green | 870-314-3673 | grady@dragginmranch.com El Dorado, Arkansas | www.dragginm.com

Pamela & AJ Doiron l 805-245-0434 Cell doiron@spanishranch.net l www.spanishranch.net

If you expect your cattle to work in the heat, you need bulls raised in the heat! Powerful, heat adaPted bulls built to work for you!

Tim & Todd Phillips, Owners Rob Singleton, Gen. Manager 770.862.0983 singletons2002@yahoo.com www.phillipsranchllc.com

Call us today!

L.G. Herndon, Jr Owner 912.293.1316 Sky Herndon, Co-Owner 912.245.0428 Kevin Asbury, Manager 850.252.7290 Contact Melanie Fuller at mfuller@gobrangus.com or 979.255.3343 for advertising spaces

FIND A BREEDER NEAR YOU VISIT US AT G O B R A N G U S . CO M / B R E E D E R -S E A R C H

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SPRING 2022

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FIND A BREEDER NEAR YOU VISIT US AT G O B R A N G U S . CO M / B R E E D E R -S E A R C H

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 53

SEEDSTOCK DIRECTORY

OKLAHOMA — TEXAS

Sales:

2 Friday in March, 4th Saturday in April, 3rd Weekend in November nd

Joe Cavender, Owner Justin Matejka, General Manager | 903-521-1070 Dustin Kennedy, Cavender Brangus Ranch Manager | 903-810-2413 1200 CR 4716 • Troup, TX 75789 | CDPBrangus.com Certified Free Herd # D80550202

GREAT BRANGUS BULLS - PRIVATE TREATY Joe and Melanie Fuller - Ben and Trish Fuller 14148 N State Highway 16, Willow City, TX 78675 C. 979-255-7747 E. jw.fuller@yahoo.com

Gary Buchholz

214-537-1285 | gary@gkbcattle.com www.gkbcattle.com Brangus Cattle Manager: Andrew Conley - 706.781.8656 HEREFORDS | ANGUS | BRANGUS | BRAHMAN

JODI & DAVID JACKSON

3099 Horseshoe Bend Waco, Texas 76708 Jodi cell: 254.722.9138 jodiatbentwood@sbcglobal.net BULLS FOR SALE

Contact Melanie Fuller at mfuller@gobrangus.com or 979.255.3343 for advertising spaces

FIND A BREEDER NEAR YOU VISIT US AT G O B R A N G U S . CO M / B R E E D E R -S E A R C H 54

SPRING 2022

SEEDSTOCK DIRECTORY

TEXAS

RANCH Registered Brahman, Charolais and Brangus Raul Montez 832-331-6800 jraulmontez@ymail.com 39606 FM 1736 Hempstead, TX 77445 RIORANCHTX.COM

Schmidt Farms BRANGUS & ULTRABLACK

TUNA ROSA RANCH BRANGUS & RED BRANGUS 830-857-4943 Owner - Jimmy Elliott Manager - Kurt Trammell ktrammell@tunarosaranch.com 90 CR 465 West Gonzales, Texas 78629

www.tunarosaranch.com

For ad sales information, contact Melanie Fuller at mfuller@gobrangus.com or 979.255.3343.

Contact Melanie Fuller at mfuller@gobrangus.com or 979.255.3343 for advertising spaces

FIND A BREEDER NEAR YOU VISIT US AT G O B R A N G U S . CO M / B R E E D E R -S E A R C H

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 55

SPRING 2022 CALENDAR 1-3 10 10 12 19 19 26

FEBRUARY Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show, Houston, Texas Ad Reservation Deadline for March Brangus Journal Florida State Fair Open Brangus Show, Tampa, Florida San Antonio Livestock Exposition Open Brangus Show, San Antonio, Texas Fallon All Breed Bull Sale, Fallon, Nevada MP Brangus Bull Sale, Comanche, Texas 31st Annual Roswell Brangus Bull Sale, Roswell, New Mexico

MARCH 3 IBBA Annual Meeting, Houston, Texas 4 MBJ & TRIO "Walk the Red Carpet" Sale, Houston, Texas 4 MP Brangus "Friday Night Lights" Frozen Genetics Sale, Houston, Texas 4-5 Houston Livestock Open Brangus Bull and Female Show, Houston, Texas 5 Allen Cattle Company's Annual Ranching for Profit Sale, Houston, Texas 5 Genetic Edge Sale XXVII, Houston, Texas 10 Ad Reservation Deadline for April Brangus Journal 11 Cavender-Draggin' M and Partners 2nd Annual Spring Bull Sale, Jacksonville, Texas 12 Phillips Ranch Inaugural Production Sale, Bunnell, Florida 19 Mound Creek Genetics & Genomics Bull and Female Sale, Leona, Texas 22 GENEPLUS at Suhn's Cattle Company, Eureka, Kansas 24 Briggs Super American Bull Sale, Bloomington, Texas 56

SPRING 2022

25 Santa Rosa Ranch Inaugural Production Sale, College Station, Texas 25-27 Cattle Raisers Convention & Expo, Fort Worth, Texas 26 Oklahoma Brangus Association Spring Sale, McAlester, Oklahoma APRIL 1 Texas Brangus Breeders Association Annual Meeting, Salado, Texas 2 Texas Brangus Breeders Association Spring Spectacular Sale, Salado, Texas 9 ACE and Louisiana Brangus Bull Sale, Wiley Ranch, Effie, Louisiana 9 MP Brangus Bull & Female Sale, Poteet, Texas 10 Ad Reservation Deadline for May Brangus Journal 12 Champion's Valley Brangus Show Heifer & Genetics Sale 23 Cavender-Draggin' M and Partners Sprign Female Production Sale 23 Oak Creek Farms Forage Tested Spring Bull Sale, Chappell Hill, Texas MAY 7 Clayton Williams Ranch Company Share the Genetics Sale, Bastrop, Texas JUNE 1-4 Texas Junior Brangus Breeders Association State Show, Bryan, Texas 10 ACE at Quail Valley Farms Complete Mature Cow Herd Dispersal, Oneonta, Alabama 10-11 Arkansas Junior Brangus Breeders State Show, Siloam Springs, Arkansas 11 ACE at Quail Valley Farms Premier Invitational Elite Brangus Sale, Oneonta, Alabama

ADVERTISING INDEX ALABAMA Far Niente Farms ............................................................................................51 Lake Majestik..................................................................................................51 Quail Valley Farms.................................................................................... IFC, 51 TTT Brangus Farm...........................................................................................51 American Cattle Enterprise......................................................IFC, 21, 49, 51, 53 ARKANSAS Adams & Creasy Insurance Agency..................................................................51 Big D Ranch ....................................................................................................52 Chimney Rock Cattle Co. .................................................................................52 Draggin’ M Ranch ...........................................................................................52 Mobley, Luke...................................................................................................51 CALIFORNIA Spanish Ranch.................................................................................................52 FLORIDA Fenco Farms....................................................................................................52 Phillips Ranch...........................................................................................13, 52 Georgia............................................................................................................... L.G. Herndon, Jr. Farms, Inc. ...........................................................................52 KANSAS Jensen Livesotck Agency.................................................................................51 Suhn Cattle Co ................................................................................................52 LOUISIANA Bushley Creek Cattle Co. .................................................................................53 Cross N Farm...................................................................................................49 The Branch Ranch...........................................................................................53 Wiley Ranch............................................................................................. IFC, 53 MISSISSIPPI Double W Ranch .............................................................................................53 Pine Belt Alliance............................................................................................53 T3 Brangus......................................................................................................53 Town Creek Farm.............................................................................................37 MISSOURI Don Thomas & Sons ........................................................................................53 GENEPLUS......................................................................................15, 44-45, 52 Vitaferm..........................................................................................................58 NEBRASKA DVAuction.................................................................................................12, 21 NEW MEXICO Brinks Brangus @ Westall Ranches .................................................................53 Roswell Brangus Bull & Female Sale.................................................................6

OKLAHOMA Beckwards T Ranch............................................................................................7 Dotson, Wes....................................................................................................51 Lawman Ranch...............................................................................................53 Oklahoma Brangus Association.......................................................................42 Perry Ranch.....................................................................................................54 TEXAS 2 Hearts Brangus.............................................................................................54 Bovine Elite, LLC .......................................................................................40, 51 Briggs Ranches................................................................................................21 Cavender Ranches .........................................................................18-20, 52, 54 Cavender-Draggin’ M and Partners...................................................... 52, 53, 54 Cross F Cattle.............................................................................................49, 54 Elgin Breeding Services, LLC .....................................................................43, 51 Farris Ranching Company ...............................................................................39 Genesis Ranch ................................................................................................54 Genetic Edge XXVII Sale..................................................................................12 GKB Cattle ......................................................................................................54 Hi Point Sales + Marketing ...........................................................................3,9 Ideal Video Productions...................................................................................12 International Red Brangus Breeders Assn........................................................50 Jackson Family Brangus..................................................................................54 Lambert, Doak................................................................................................51 Mound Creek Ranch.............................................................................24-27, 54 MP Brangus.................................................................................................9, 55 Oak Creek Farms..............................................................................................BC Oakley, Lakin...................................................................................................51 OK Brangus.....................................................................................................29 Pennridge Ranch.............................................................................................55 Reagan, Terry..................................................................................................51 Rio Ranch........................................................................................................55 Santa Rosa Ranch........................................................................................3, 55 Schmidt Farms................................................................................................55 Stalwart Ranch ...............................................................................................41 Star G Ranch....................................................................................................55 Texas Department of Agriculture.....................................................................48 Tuna Rosa Ranch.............................................................................................55 Westway Feed.................................................................................................59 Williams Ranch Co...........................................................................................33

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 57

SPRING 2022

FRONTLINE BEEF PRODUCER 59

Thank you to those who supported our Fall OCF Bull Sale! From left to right: Allen Goode, IBBA President; Marcos Borges, IRBBA President; Donna and John Risoli; John Kopycinski, Oak Creek Farms; and Dr. Darrell Wilkes, IBBA Executive Vice President.

If you are a commercial producer using OCF registered True Brangus bulls, participate in the Brangus Vigor program to improve your bottom line! Call us at (979) 836-6832 for details.

A long-time Oak Creek Farms customer from Florida has purchased over 100 True Brangus Bulls from OCF over the past 10 years. Recently, out of 57 loads at the Florida Cattlemen’s Convention Sale he had the highest grossing calves in the sale. These calves were sired by OCF Bulls!

SPRING 2022

Our herd sires have IMF of 4% or more.

OCF TOTAL HERD MANAGEMENT PROGRAM IMPLEMENTS: Selecting Genetics Collecting Carcass Data & Ultrasound Data Using Sires with an IMF of 4% or more for the last 35 Years

Spring 2022 FRONTLINE Beef Producer

Articles inside

Spring 2022 FRONTLINE Beef Producer