3
Calving Ease
In 1983, Green Garden began a program of stacking pedigrees to create a calving ease product, using the 18th century concept of breeding “like
begets like”. We used herd sires that were stacked several generations deep in low birthweight EPDs and bred them to cows with similar genetic makeup
that also had production histories of low actual birthweights. The results have been dramatic on our farm and with our customers. Calving difficulty has
almost been eliminated with the exception of an occasional abnormal presentation. Heifers that were checked twice daily are now treated as we do the
cows. They are checked once a day and calve out in open pastures. Having a live calf is the first step, the second step we strive for is keeping expenses to
a minimum. Realizing the two largest expenses in a cattle operation are cow maintenance and bringing replacement females into production, we have set
up ten perimeters to guide our breeding decisions.
1. Birth weight EPD
2. Actual birth weights
3. Length of gestation
4. Dam’s calving interval
9. Longevity
10. Biological body type
The Cost of Production - $EN
For the past 42 years, we have been monitoring our cow weight in relationship to her calf’s weaning weight to select for the most efficient mother cow.
The $Values now available from the American Angus Association are a resource that help us in our selection process. In 2013, we installed a GrowSafe
System, which also allows us to test our yearling bulls and females for individual feed intake and growth information. Our goal is to identify cattle that will
genuinely bend the growth curve, calve easily, grow rapidly to market weight and hang a superior product on the rail.
The Finished Product
In 1986, Mick Colvin, the executive director of Certified Angus Beef ®, asked Dick to meet him in Liberal, at the National Beef Packing Plant, to view
steers being graded that had met the visual specifications to qualify for CAB ®. The tremendous variation in the quality grade of carcass on the rail (only
15% met the CAB® grade that day) was a real wake up call for us.
We decided that it doesn’t cost any more to produce a superior carcass than that of a lesser grade. Using the same concept of breeding “like to like”
that we used to create our calving ease seedstock, we began stacking pedigrees of known superior carcass seedstock (generated off of actual harvest data)
to females in our herd of similar genetic makeup. In 1989, John Brethour, the meat animal research scientist at the KSU Beef Research Center in Hays,
Kansas, selected our herd when he was developing his ultrasound technology. For several years, he scanned our calves at six months, at a year and again
at 18 months of age. We were excited to have been part of this program, and have benefited greatly from the data generated. Using ultrasound data as well
as DNA markers, we hope to create seedstock that will produce cattle that are designed to:
1. Reduce days on feed.
2. Reduce outside fat, reducing loss due to excessive trim.
3. Improve the consistency and palatability of the final product.
4. Produce a product that meets CAB® qualifications or better.
5. Keeping tenderness DNA values at a high level.
General Information
Terms and conditions:
The bulls will sell under the suggested terms and conditions as recommended by the American
Angus Association. All Bulls have been tested free of all known defects and conditions.
Trailer Discount:
$50 off any bull picked up the week of the sale.
Announcements:
Announcements from the auction block will take precedence over information printed in the catalog.
Lunch:
A complimentary lunch will be served by the Smoky Hilll Cattlewomen beginning at 11:30 A.M.
Sale Order:
The bulls will sell in consecutive catalog order.
Predictable Genetics from Start to Finish
5. Sire’s daughters calving intervals
6. Semen quality
7. Milk EPDs
8. Mature size EPD
Livestock Publication Representatives:
Jeff Mafi, Angus Journal.............................816-344-4266
Andrew Sylvester, Kansas Stockman.........785-456-4352
Justin Stout, The Stock Exchange...............913-645-5136
Doug Paul, The Stock Exchange.................405-820-3982
Lodging:
Ellsworth: Americas Best Value Inn, (785) 472-3116
Lyons: Celebration Centre Inn & Suites, (620) 680-6022
Great Bend: Holiday Inn Express & Suites, (620) 603-6565
