GAIN ON GRASS The

The
Trailblazer
Summer 2015
Volume 8, Issue 1
In last summer’s newsletter we
featured a story about our “Gain on
Grass Test”. Well, this isn’t a repeat
of the article. Instead, we wanted to
update you on what we have learned
to date about our cattle and the grass
test.
GAIN ON GRASS
Why is it important?
Round 2
As a recap, we initiated the gain on grass test because we wanted
to identify the genetics in our program that could excel on grass,
with minimal supplementation, and not just those that gained
well on feed. We recognize that ninety-nine percent of our customers don’t creep feed and neither do we at Bradley 3 Ranch.
This means our cattle must have the ability to forage, convert on
grass, grow, breed and produce pounds while on a predominantly
forage based diet. It also means that we are subject to nature to
dictate weaning weights relative to annual rainfall.
After clearing mesquites and brush (and rattle snakes) off a
piece of our old irrigated land, we now have an official location
for the grass test. Needless, to say initially there was a steep
learning curve for the “non-farmer” Bradley operation to keep
the pivot rolling. With time and patience, we have figured out
how important this irrigation piece is for our grass test. The
quality of forage is extremely important for growth and proper
development of our young bull prospects. Using both native
and improved grasses we have developed a forage base that has
survived and is now thriving.
Initially, we anticipated that all bulls would gain similarly on
grass. What we have learned is quite the contrary. There is a
large spread amongst genetics of what bulls will graze throughout the day’s heat, shed quickly and gain the most. Some cattle
have shown us the ability to gain on the side of their dam, on
grass and continue on our feed test. At the same time, others simply are mediocre in their gains until they hit the actual
Look for us and our booth at
these trade shows / events:
Working Ranch Rodeo Association Finals
November 6 - 9 at Amarillo, TX
New Mexico Stock Growers Association Convention
December 4 - 6 at Albuquerque, NM
www.bradley3ranch.com
feed / concentrate test. We are learning there are definite differences in
cattle that have generations of Bradley
genetics and the “outside” genetics we
have used.
So why is this important to you as a
beef producer? We aren’t seeing $7
corn any more so why should cost of gain on feed be a concern
in my operation you might wonder? Very simply, long-term
survivors in the beef industry are those who are low cost producers who
can survive the ups and
downs of markets. Feed,
labor
and depreciation
are three of the highest
expenses we face in the
industry. If we can lower cowherd feed costs, we can get closer to
attaining a long-term profitability. Any time we can lower cost of
gain or maintenance costs in our operation, we are one step closer
to profitability.
In our gain on grass test, we have learned a very simple concept:
cattle that gain on grass tend to be survivors. Heifers sired by
bulls who were higher gainers on grass tend to be easier fleshing
and stay in the herd longer due to their lower maintenance costs
and breed back ability. And surprisingly, our cattle that gain well
on grass are not an industry stereotyped “pud” that has no growth
ability.
In reality, gain on grass is beneficial to your operation for several
reasons: optimum weaning weights without the cost of creep
feed, lower energy maintenance levels in replacement heifers and
bulls that maintain flesh through out the breeding season. Each of
these is equated to fewer dollars flowing out of a feedsack.
Which Traits Make the Most Money in a Cow Operation?
Today the American Angus Association publishes 18 EPD’s, 20
Genomic Traits with HD panels,
and calculates 7 Dollar Indexes.
That is a lot of data!
typically, those open cows have had a relative that has been sold
for the same reasons. This is how we select for fertility.
We sell our cows as bred eleven year old cows. Those cows have
had a calf every year in that 60 day breeding season and have
lasted and raised a calf in our harsh environment. Out of those
eleven year old cows, we select our Donor Cows that we flush.
If a cow has proven herself by raising a calf every year, has been
bred to several different bulls and has ratioed over 100 for weaning weight, yearling weight, intramuscular fat, and ribeye size,
they are eligible to be a donor cow. This year we have selected
two cows that we will flush that meet this criterion and one of
those cows is a five time Pathfinder cow. There would not be very
many cows in the Angus Breed that have made Pathfinder five
times! We flush these cows because they have proven themselves
for longevity.
Their sons are a value for our buyers during our annual bull sale
and we keep their daughters to put back in our herd.
But what should you be looking
at to determine what makes you
the most money? Is it $B? That
is the number that is published
on the bottom right part of the
EPD page so it must be the best.
Right? Well, we first have to look
by James Henderson
at what $B is. It is a terminal
index. It tells you which animals will make the most money
in the feedlot and packing sectors of the beef industry. Do you
own a feedlot? Do you own a packing plant? Do you even retain
ownership of your cattle through the feeding phase and sell them
on the rail? If you do any of those things, $B is a very important
number. However, if you are running a cow/calf operation you
should take the $B and add the $EN to come up with the true
value for your operation, because the $EN is the number that tells
you how efficient your cows are in raising that calf. You have to
look at the total operation to get to the correct number.
Does your seed stock producer have 25% of his cow herd that is
the daughter of a cow that made it to eleven years of age with our
selection criterion?
Bradley 3 Ranch is one of a select few that have operated in all
phases of the beef industry, including feedlots, packing plants,
and retail merchandising of beef. We know the value of animals
in each of those sectors. However, we still select cattle the way
we have for 60 years, because all of the data we collect and analyze, tell us that fertility and longevity still pay the most bills for
cow/calf producers.
If you are selling your calves at weaning is $W the number you
should be looking at? It does tell you the relative value of your
calves at weaning, but again you need to add the $EN to get the
net value of that calf at weaning. You can have a big calf at weaning but if it cost you too much to get it to weaning, you have not
gained anything.
However, as I look back on my education in Animal Science,
one of the first things taught in basic Animal Science is that
fertility and longevity make more money than any of the other
traits. Is that still true today? As I run my numbers, I believe
with the price of cattle today, that is more true today than it
has ever been. Do we have an EPD for fertility? We have a
Heifer Pregnancy EPD and that is a start but it does not tell
the whole story of lifetime fertility. Do we have a longevity
EPD? No.
So if these two traits make us the most money in a cow/calf
operation, how do we buy genetics that will move us in the
direction of being better in those traits? The first answer to
that question is how much homework do you do on your seed
stock producer? How do they raise their cattle? Do they do
it like you do, or do they raise cattle to chase the current fad
such as $B?
At Bradley 3 Ranch, we raise cattle pretty much the way it has
been done for 60 years. The cows have to forage in typically
1200 acre pastures that are both rough and covered in brush.
We use our home raised herd sires (27 head) to breed our
cows in a 60 day time period. Any cow that is open at preg
check is sold, regardless of pedigree or the dollar value of
the calves that have been sold out of her. We have found that
2
THANK YOU
to Matador Ranch for
their selection of
B3R X188 as their pick of
the cows we offered in our
2015 Sale. A daughter of
our T232 bull, she ranks
in the breed’s top 10% for
Calving Ease Direct, top
5% for Docility and top
15% for $W. This balanced
trait female is the kind that
has kept Bradley 3 Ranch
in business for over 60
years! We appreciate Matador Ranch’s confidence
in our genetics and our
program! Watch for her
progeny in their program
in years to come.
they were dry or low. The benefits of have having
cleaned out ponds are well worth it when the rains
come.
People made a big difference for us, from offering hay at low cost, to grass leases, to words of
encouragement... our customers and friends were
consistently there and supportive.
We learned to live by these
words, “Today, we make the best decision we can
and act on it. And we will not
look back.” So with that
being said, we are adding a
second pivot at the ranch.
Our goal is to attempt to be
better prepared for the next
drought!
The lessons we
learned from a
DROUGHT.
Through out the drought we
came to appreciate our earlier efforts for weed control
in native grass pastures. This
helped us to have beneficial
by Mary Lou and Minnie Lou
forage available for the cattle that remained at
On March 17, 2015, we moved a large majority of our cowherd back headquarters. We recognized the importance of
to our headquarters ranch. As you already know, from 2011 until
rotational grazing, become better observers of our
2014 we experience a historical drought. Many lessons were learned grass and condition of our cattle.
about our cattle, our land, our tenacity and ourselves. We thought
these lessons were valuable and wanted to share with you.
We learned that heavy milking cows with greater
energy requirements simply are not meant to live
During such a drought, one does not plan but instead reacts. Your
in tough situations. Our cow herd is a better herd
plan becomes the ability to change. Stocktank ponds) water at least today and is made up of survivors that will benefit
allows you to feed cattle for a period of time while you are working us and our loyal customers.
on the next solution. We cleaned out many of our stocktanks while
REAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES
COMBINED WITH GENOMIC DATA
GIVES YOU REAL WORLD RESULTS
More and more seedstock producers are now just
sending off DNA and using this information only.
At Bradley 3 Ranch, you still get birth weights,
weaning weights, ultra sound, yearling weights,
gain on grass, gain on feed and scrotal measures.
We at Bradley 3 Ranch are committed to getting
the actual data on our cattle and combining this
with genomic data to make selection, culling, mating and marketing decisions. We go the distance
to provide you with large contemporary groups,
performance data and genomic data.
If your seedstock provider is just using 50K data
and not delivering the actual information you
could be dealing with some unknowns or less accurate genetic predictions!
Z161, one of our resident
Charolais herd sires.
Watch for his sons in the
2016 bull sale! His daughters will lead our Charolais
program in years to come.
“Hi Mary Lou, I hope all is well in Texas, its hard to
believe its been another year that has came and went.
The heifers we bought from you guys a few years
back have really grown up into beautiful cows and we
have our first crop of replacement heifers this year to
breed. I keep thinking I’m going to send you pictures
but I never seem to get around to doing it.
I have a little herd of Lowline Angus cattle and last
year I had a little bull calf that was out of T299 that
weaned 675lbs. out of a 1000lb. cow. Its been fun for
us crossing great black Angus genetics and watching
small cattle raise a calf almost as big as their dam.
Thanks Jesse Montoya”
THANK YOU
for making our 2015 Sale a
HUGE SUCCESS!
LITTLE BIRDS CAN BE SO TRUTHFUL
Today, with all this political correctness I find myself being
accused at times not abiding by the recent culture change that
has engulfed the nation. I only wish the younger generation had
the privilege of knowing some that I have had the opportunity to
be with. They were called characters for good reason but had a
personality which is sorely lacking in the 2000’s.
I had many occasions to meet upstanding citizens who were also
called characters in my two years with the Texas Angus Association. I was a 21 year old who had never been out in the world of
bright lights and forbidden streets.
There are many stories to tell but one remains vivid in my memory after sixty one years. I will call him Mr. C., one of the larger
cotton farmers in his day and one of the first to have irrigation
in west Texas. He was appointed sale chairman for all the state
association sales and attended each. The association was having
to squeeze expenses after hiring me as a fieldman and P.R. person
at $250.00 a month plus my travel expenses, so I most generally
traveled with the President or Mr. C..
Mr. C. was a gentleman farmer, he always dressed in a suit, white
shirt, tie and good hat but he did chew tobacco that ran down
both sides of his mouth and onto his clothes. Mr. C. drove a pink
Cadillac the biggest and fastest one made by General Motors.
Mrs. C. was always at his side. I would guess they were in there
sixties, Mrs. C. suddenly got sick and died within a few months.
I never saw any one as heartbroken as Mr. C! All of us, Angus
members, the ringmen, neighbors and friends worried about him
for a couple of months and then he gave us other worries. He
appeared at a sale, (I wasn’t invited) with this female, I hesitate
to call her a lady. One of the ringmen, Bennie, worked for The
Cattleman Magazine and he had quickly recognized how innocent I was to the world. He saw to it that I never got in a spot that
I couldn’t get out of... so on this day he came over to me and said,
“do you know what that person is that Mr. C. has picked up”. I
told Bennie that from some western movies I thought perhaps I
recognized where she might have come from.
The entire association was torn up over Mr. C. and his way of
healing a broken heart. I lost my ride and started riding with
Mr. H., the president, who drove a pink Chrysler. I just thought
Mr.C. drove fast, Mr.H. had a heavier foot, he was a chain cigar
smoker, kept a box of cigars in the seat beside him. We never
went anywhere that we didn’t get pulled over, but a ticket was
never issued, he was good in sharing his Cuban cigars with state
troopers.
This ole’ gal continued to be at Mr. C’s side at every event and
everyone was afraid she would take him for everything and then
leave him again broken hearted. Then one day he called, saying
I was to ride with him to the east Texas sale on Saturday. Of
course I told him I looked forward to our visit. He told me he
would meet me at 7.am. in front of the Exchange Building at the
Fort Worth Stockyards. True to his word, he was parked when I
drove up but the ole’ gal wasn’t in the car. He was visiting with
some cattle buyers and I told him I would go up to the office and
by Minnie Lou Bradley
get what was needed to
clerk the sale and for him
continue to visit. I got back
to the car and he pitched
me the keys to the trunk.
I opened the trunk, startled is no way to describe
what I was seeing. Thank
goodness my vocal cords
shut down or all of North
Side Fort Worth would
have heard me. There lay
ladies undies, heavy on the
lace, but oh so thin panties, bra and slip but no corpse. I thought,
“What do I do, there will be Angus breeders to help me unload
catalogs, adding machine etc., they can’t see what I am staring
at!” My mind was swirling, I didn’t want to touch them but knew
I had to get rid of them. I couldn’t throw them on North Main,
my only option was to stuff them in the well behind the spare tire
and pray not to have a blow out.
I finally got to breathing normal and told Mr. C. I had everything
loaded and was ready when he was. He looked at his watch and
said we had time for breakfast. Had he for gotten what was in his
trunk or did he even know, had they been planted, had he and the
female had a fight? How was I going to make conversation with
him the next few hours?
He said, “lets go to the Texas Hotel Coffee Shop.” I had been
told that was the placed to be seen if you were in society or
money and that wealthy widows resided their permanently. I was
wondering what might be going through Mr. C.’ mind but he was
“cool”. We walked into a beautiful room, unlike anything I had
ever seen, nothing resembled the coffee shop in Hydro, Oklahoma where I grew up with striped overall clad farmers. The booths
were all made out of beautiful wood, the lady sitting in the first
booth had to be the most elegant lady I had ever seen, she was
dressed in blue, different shades and a big picture hat to match,
her hair and makeup was immaculate. I had never seen a lady
that looked that great, however I was taken back by a little blue
parakeet setting on her shoulder
Mr. C., the gentleman he could be, did make it past the booth and
we settled into the second one, we had just ordered when the little
blue parakeet fluttered by me and landed on Mr.C.’s shoulder.
There is no speech teacher who can talk as plain as what that bird
said loud and clear, “HELLO, YOU SORRY SON OF A BITCH,”
and then fluttered away. Mr. C looked over at me with a big grin
on his face and said, “How did he know?”
What was I to say? As we were leaving, Mr. C. tipped his hat to
the lady in blue and her ever so little, but wise truthful bird.
Herdsires Leading the Way
B3R Basic Z235
Reg. # 17522330 Birthdate: 10/25/12
Pictured as a 3 year old
Owned by Genex and Bradley 3 Ranch
Basic Z235 was purchased by Genex in our 2014 sale. He
collected very well for them and now resides back at the
ranch and we will use him as a natural service sire.
Sired by Back to Basics and out of a S053 daughter, he is
a calving ease sire that will leave daughters in your herd
for years to come. Z235 ranks in the breed’s top 2% for
CED, 5% for BW, 10% for Scrotal, 1% for Docility, 15%
for Heifer Pregnacy and 5% for $EN.
Contact Genex or Bradley 3 Ranch for semen.
B3R Back to Basics U077
Reg. # 16317735 Birthdate: 09/25/08
Pictured as a 7 year old
Owned by Bradley 3 Ranch, Three Trees Ranch and
Silver Spur Ranches
Back to Basics is the “No miss, count ‘em as you drive
by”, calving ease sire! He has been used across the U.S
and in South America as a “go to” bull for calving ease,
docility and success in large heifer breeding projects.
As a trait leader for calving ease, Back to Basics ranks in
the top 1% for CED and BW. Couple this with top 1% for
Docility, top 15% for DMI, top 5% for Heifer Pregnancy,
top 5% for $EN and top 10% for Marbling and you have
a sire that produces daughters that work well for the long
term.
Contact Bradley 3 Ranch or ORIgen for semen.
B3R Pioneer Wave Y409
Reg. # 17217486 Birthdate: 09/15/11
Pictured as a 2 year old
Owned by ABS Global and Bradley 3 Ranch
Easily one of the most unique bulls ever raised at Bradley
3 Ranch, Y409 combines growth, carcass value and fleshing ease genetics into one package.
He ranks in the top 15% for WW, 20% for YW, 20% for
RADG, 10% for marbling, 1% for REA, 10% for $W, 12%
for $F, 4% for $G, 10% for $QG, 5% for YG and 4% for
$B. Few sires in the Angus breed present these kind of
tabulations and still remain positive for $EN.
Contact ABS Global for semen.
Good afternoon hope all is well.
I just wanted to show you a Bradley bull we purchased 3 yrs ago . They have sired a very nice set of heifers and this will
be the 1st crop to keep since the 1st crop was sent to the feed lot . We will have data by mid-summer. This year’s calves
will make you blink!
Say hi to your Mom and James. Thanks !
John Menzies
Strategic Planning
Profitable cow herds
In my previous two articles, I provided a list of principles, ideas and
processes for improving ranch profitability. I concluded last month with
the following:
“Strive for a trouble-free, problem-free cow herd with good reproduction — accomplishing this on
your range or pasture with minimal
added inputs. How would it be to
never have to pull a calf, never have
to doctor an animal or never have
to retrieve an animal that broke
through the fence? How much less
labor, equipment, facilities and tools
would you need?
“If a high percentage of your
cows got pregnant and then subsequently weaned a good healthy calf
— even if they aren’t the biggest
in the area — how would that help
your marketing? And, if they did
that with minimal feed inputs, how
much more profitable would that be?
Perfection is never achieved, but excellence can be.”
The objective is to improve herd
and whole ranch profitability. By recognizing the interconnectedness of
herd and pasture management, economics and marketing, it becomes apparent that maximums are never the
most profitable level of production.
Most calves and yearlings raised
in the U.S. will go through the feedlot and on to traditional slaughter.
Cow-calf producers feel pressure
from cattle feeders and packers to
make cattle bigger, faster-growing
and better-grading. These are all
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good objectives.
However, as cow-calf producers, we
must remember we’re running about
25% more cows and yearling replacements every year than we’re selling
calves to the feedlot. Therefore, we
must ensure that our cow herds are
efficient and trouble-free.
My method for getting profitable
cow herds doesn’t align with buying
bulls with the highest EPDs (expected progeny differences) for weaning
weight, milk, carcass quality and
yield grade. However, this will work
nicely for ranches intentionally terminal-crossing with the practice of
selling or feeding every calf.
I think about 30% to 40% of the
cows in the U.S. should be bred this
way every year. In this article, I want
to address producers who develop
their own replacements and should
also be providing replacement cows
to terminal-crossing programs.
I don’t mean to diminish the importance of good growth and adequate milk production in our cow
herds. However, a number of things
are more important. Here are three:
• Make sure a cow-calf operation
is the best fit for your land and your
abilities.
• Work toward a cow herd that
requires very little overhead: equipment, facilities and labor.
• Replace as much fed feed with
grazing as possible. For many producers, that’s a lot more than you think.
I’m always amazed when I visit
unfamiliar areas of the U.S. and
hear from producers there all the
reasons they MUST feed cows.
I usually don’t have to drive far,
however, to find someone who feeds
very little and gets good performance.
Your cows must fit where you are,
and get by with minimal care, thus
only requiring good cattle handling
facilities for routine immunizations,
pregnancy diagnosis, etc. The cows
must graze most of their feed need,
receiving only minimal and timely
supplementation.
So, cut overheads, reduce fed-feed
inputs and cull the right cows —
opens, dries, wild cows, those that
need individual attention, the few
that wean poor calves, and those
with functional problems such as
bad udders, lameness, etc. After a
few years of culling these cows, you
won’t have to cull many each year.
Even with excellent reproduction,
most of the culls will be opens and
dries. Remember, EPDs work, and
that is often a problem.
If we want lots of growth and
milk, we can get it. The problem is
that there is always a cost. It may
be in reproduction, reduced stocking
rates or more fed feed. Finally, don’t
buy bulls whose daughters won’t fit
what you’re trying to do. ❚❚
Burke Teichert, a consultant on
strategic planning for ranches, retired in 2010 as vice president and
general manager of AgReserves Inc.
He resides in Orem, Utah. Contact
him at [email protected].
March 2015
Reprinted with permission from BEEF Magazine