Town Creek Farm Since 1993
FALL 2020
Volume 8, Issue 3 • Published by Town Creek Farm, West Point, Mississippi • Brangus and Ultrablack
Valued Indicators BY CODY GLENN
The Grit welcomes your inquiries and feedback. The Grit is published by Town Creek Farm, West Point, Mississippi.
Town Creek Farm Milton Sundbeck, Owner Office: 32476 Hwy. 50 East West Point, Mississippi 39773-5207 662.494.5944 www.TownCreekFarm.com Joy Reznicek Sundbeck, President 205.399.0221 Joy@TownCreekFarm.com Clint Ladner, Bull Development 662.812.8370 CLadner@TownCreekFarm.com Cody Glenn, Herdsman 601.508.8689 Cody@TownCreekFarm.com Anne Sutherland, Quarter Horses 662.295.6144 Anne@TownCreekFarm.com South American Representative Ing. Agr. Federico Maisonnave (011) 595 981 362 898 Maisonnave.Federico@gmail.com TOTAL COMMITMENT
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THE BEST MEASURE OF A SUCCESSFUL SEEDSTOCK OPERATION IS THE PRODUCTIVITY OF ITS GENETICS IN COMMERCIAL CUSTOMER COW HERDS. This past month I was fortunate to look through large numbers of Town Creek Farm sired cattle in customer herds across the Southeast. Conversations with cattlemen who have been using Town Creek Farm bulls for decades gave me valued indicators of how our genetics are performing and what will drive the direction of our program. Generations of stacking Town Creek Farm genetics under stringent management systems have yielded powerful cow herds that truly are something to marvel. Fertility is the first and foremost trait of concern in these cow herds. I listened to many of our customers experiencing over 90% conception rates. If a cow doesn’t become pregnant during her breeding season, none of the other traits matter. Females at Town Creek Farm are exposed to one round of artificial insemination and then are turned out with a bull for a 50-day natural service period. Females that fail to breed are removed from the herd. This ensures that the bulls we offer are produced from highly fertile dams. The calf a cow weans each year determines her merit. One of our Florida customers has grown his herd of cows from 250 females to over 1100 females in five years, exclusively with Town Creek Farm genetics. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out there is a low culling rate on replacement heifers and longevity in his cows. They have developed a fertile, productive herd of cattle. In addition, they weaned record weight steers for the past two years. This year’s pay weight averaged 665 pounds right off the cows. The bread and butter for our customers are highly productive dams producing top tier replacement heifers and feeders steers. Efficiency is another top priority for our commercial customers. Ranches who have reached capacity in stocking rates search for other means of improving bottom lines. Moderatesized cows that wean greater than 60% of their body weight are crucial in producing the most
Lot 105 – Brangus. Yearling IMF 4.45%. REA/cwt. 1.24.
pounds of beef per acre. Town Creek Farm genetics are built on decades of selecting cattle that perform to optimal levels in a forage-based system. The most profitable cow herds are those that require fewer inputs without sacrificing performance. During the Southeast Brangus Breeders Association Field Day in Florida, Tom Jones of Hy-Plains Feedyard in Montezuma, Kansas, spoke of adding value to our Brangus with carcass quality. At Town Creek Farm we carcass ultrasound every bull we sell and replacement heifers we develop to ensure we continue to make strides toward the most tender, juicy and flavorful beef product possible. In our last two ultrasound sessions, we have notably increased amounts of intramuscular fat (marbling) in our bulls and heifers while being developed on a forage-based diet. Advances in DNA technology are making strides in how cattlemen in seedstock and commercial sectors select breeding bulls and replacement females. Recognizing a shift in breed composition toward Angus phenotypes, Town Creek Farm partnered with Neogen in developing a DNA product that indicates percent Bos indicus blood in an individual animal. This product can be utilized in commercial replacement females to make bull selection decisions that will best suit their herd needs. Maintaining Brahman content allows for increased heterosis, longevity, and heat tolerance. Every Town Creek Farm sale bull has been DNA tested for parentage verification and percent Brahman content to simplify the process of selecting herd sires that best serve the individual needs of our customers. It is obvious by looking at commercial cattle working in these commercial herds they are well adapted to their environment. It is a testament to the bull power behind these programs and the wise cattleman who are managing them. Selection pressure over time, coupled with progressive seedstock genetics, has yielded these results. Valued indicators from our customers enable Town Creek Farm to continue in the tradition of fine-tuning our cattle through improved reproduction practices, and stringent selection and development of highly productive cattle.