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Time flies when you’re
having fun. If that old adage still holds true, then I would say
this past year was a lot of fun because it’s already gone. And fun
it was. The cattle market continued strong through much of the
fall, finally giving way to record grain prices somewhere in
October. I think we all got pretty concerned for a bit, but upon
careful analyzation, it still looks to be pretty darn good. Bull
sales were strong throughout the fall season in California; demand
is overwhelming for good Angus cattle. Overall I’d say it’s a
great time to be involved in the Angus business.
As I’m sure many of
us do, I spent hours perusing the latest sire summary. It’s always
fun to see how the “new and exciting” bulls fared. As usual, some
seemed to hold their own, even excel, while others may have taken
a step back. One thing that always seems surprising to me is the
apparent level of performance that some breeders are able to
attain by simply stacking numbers. I see the century mark is
finally in serious jeopardy when it comes to weaning weight. If it
hasn’t already been passed, I am sure that 150 lbs. of yearling
weight is another mark that will fall by the wayside. Where are we
headed with all this growth? I guess most would agree that we
still sell them by the pound. The reason I find this concerning is
my experience with the shorthorn breed. I have had the pleasure of
being involved with Shorthorn cattle since I was young. I recall
when SPR (shorthorn performance records) first came into play. It
was exciting. We had something to measure that was easily
quantifiable. Unfortunately for many Shorthorn herds, the race was
on. In the period of about 6 years, we went from never worrying
about birth weights, to routinely providing assistance for
heifers. And boy did the cattle get big. The result for many herds
was big, hard doing, large birth weight, sub fertile cattle. And
with a limited gene pool, it was a steep climb for many herds.
I have no fear of
this happening to the Angus breed. We are blessed with a diverse
and expansive gene pool that is loaded with time honored and
proven genetics. I just hope that as we make breeding decisions
for the coming year we keep in mind the things that make this
breed the standard that all others strive for. Moderate, fertile,
easy-fleshing cows that raise great big calves on a forage based
program. These cows must calve easily and be capable of producing
offspring that will excel in the feedlot as well.
I don’t think I have
shared anything we all aren’t aware of, but I think it helps to
read it in black and white once in a while. I guess the most
important thing to do is really stay in touch with what your
customer base is requiring. Stay in touch. Stay informed. And most
important of all, have fun. They say time flies when you’re having
fun!
Wishing all of you a
safe and prosperous New Year.
Jeff Schmidt
WSAA Director
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