Angus cattle are capable of great things, given proper focus. That’s why more Canadian ranchers are breeding, feeding and managing them with a plan and selling finished cattle on a value-based grid. Making the right management decisions to improve quality and value on the rail is crucial, requiring keen judgment and a good record-keeping system. Enter Dr. Troy Drake’s computerized data and record management program.
The program sorts females in a cow-calf herd from top to bottom and places them in performance groups labelled silver, gold or platinum. Cows are also given a percentile rank. For example, a Gold Plus 89 cow would be better than 88 percent of the herd and belong to the middle performance group. The word “plus” means she has four or more years of data, or progeny, to support her rank. Dr. Troy Drake
The Kathryn, Alberta, veterinarian and owner of Cow/Calf Health Management Services developed the online herd data analysis and reporting HerdTrax™ program in 2003 when it was called TraceBack. Drake’s system has been adapted to beef, dairy, sheep and equine operations and entails data collection, daily task management, and compilation and utilization.
That indexing system is based on 15 traits and tailored to each client’s operation and goals, Drake says. “If a farmer said he really valued weaning gain and maternal ability more than carcass traits, we would weight those traits a little heavier,” he explains. “Then when we run the report he’d still get the platinum, gold or silver rankings on cows but it’s based on the criteria that he’s set out for us.”
Eli Stahl has been managing the cow-calf herd and feedlot at Huxley Colony near Trochu, Alta., for nearly four years, working with Drake and using HerdTrax. When it comes to making breeding decisions for his 800 head cow herd, he relies on the data. “You know right away which calves are getting better numbers, premiums and more marbling at Cargill and then you can see who the sires were,” Stahl says. “We take the good bulls and we put them in with the cows that are the best match according to the data.”
Eli Stahl
Story and photos by Rosie Templeton Today’s Angus Advantage 20