Standards of Perfection

Ruminations by Russ Danielson

1994 BUELINGO CATTLE SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING

    Cattle are unique to many other animals because they possess the ability to convert low quality, generally unusable feeds into a high quality protein source unparalleled in human nutrition. The distinctive rumen digestive system that allows this conversion is the process called rumination. BueLingo cattle are not uncommon to other cattle in this digestive process and because of your association with BueLingo's, I will require you to assume some of the same digestive characteristics during my presentation on selection and breed type.

    As many of you know rumination begins with cattle consuming large quantities of forage, a minor amount of initial chewing occurs prior to swallowing. At a more convenient time, usually in the shade of a tree during the heat of the day, the earlier consumed roughage is regurgitated then remasticated into smaller more easily digested particles before being swallowed again. It is my intention that you will "ruminate" the observations presented to you today. Undoubtedly some of my thoughts may not be usable and will pass undigested in a form most of you easily recognize.

    Those of us in agriculture are involved in a truly dynamic industry which has changed from being production driven in the past to currently being consumer driven. The most noticeable change in all U.S. industries today is that consumer satisfaction and acceptance is paramount. Any industry or business that fails to consider the consumer will soon be replaced by business professionals that are willing to design and merchandize products that meet the standards of consumers. BueLingo cattle breeders join all cattle producers in providing consumers with a beef product that is tasty, consistent and competitively priced to other animal and plant protein sources. Because of the many responsibilities that are a part of our day-to-day lives in the production of our cattle it is easy to over look the fact that we are in the food business. We not only compete with others within the beef industry but we also compete with highly efficient poultry, pork and fish producers. In addition to this competition we also contend with the important social issues that many consumers consider when purchasing food. The major issues of diet/health, residues, animal welfare, environment, land use and food safety cannot be put aside if we want to be involved in food production in the future. With all of this to consider it may seem overwhelming and a bit distasteful to cattle producers and to everyone involved in agriculture. However, to ignore the issues that concern consumers will not diminish their existence. It is because of these factors that new opportunities and challenges are created for production agriculture. If we as BueLingo breeders and cattle producers do not key in on the factors that consumers consider important, we will have missed our window of opportunity.

    How can BueLingo cattle breeders participate in supplying consumers with a satisfying product at a competitive value. Consider the major factors of; reproduction, growth, and product in relation to production costs. Most beef cattle producers realize that the greatest opportunity to improve net profits is to eliminate unnecessary production costs. Maximizing net profits is directly related to optimal production levels. Matching cattle type to the level of available feed and management resources is the key to sustained profitability. It would be foolish for us to state that the ideal BueLingo cow should weigh 1200 pounds, be a frame score 6 and have sufficient milk to wean a 700 pound calf. Some BueLingo cattle have the ability to achieve or exceed this level of production, yet if supplemental feed and management costs exceed profitability or the land resource is jeopardized in order to reach these levels then a change in goals must be made for a better match.

    REPRODUCTION - The most important production trait that BueLingo breeders must consider is reproductive performance. Beef cattle economists state that reproduction is four times more important that growth traits and ten times more important than product when determining profitability. Fortunately reproduction is an inherit strength of the breed. Continued selection must be accomplished to sustain or improve the influence of: age of puberty; testicle size; gestation length, birth weight and calving ease. Culling bulls with a yearling scrotal circumference of less than 32 cm. improves pregnancy rates and has a direct effect on shortening the age of puberty in daughters. Breeders should also consider culling females on the basis of pregnancy status following fixed breeding seasons. Likewise, culling females experiencing difficult deliveries at calving due to small pelvic size or large birth weights will enhance the reproductive performance advantage of the breed.

    GROWTH - Considerable discussion has recently occurred in the beef cattle industry regarding early growth to weaning and yearling and its correlated influence on mature size, age and weight at puberty and carcass weight at slaughter. It is recognized that heavy calf weaning weights are a result of genetic influence and the amount of milk available from the cow. The acceptable level of growth and milk production is determined by the environment. Abundant feed resources favor large, heavy milking cows, while more restricted resources favor small or moderate framed cows. Restricted feed supplies also dictate less milk flow to maintain reproductive rates. The frame size of breeding stock will also determine the carcass weights of steer progeny. The window of acceptability for carcass weight will continue to narrow in the future. Most packers prefer carcass weights ranging from 650 to 775 pounds. A live weight range of 1100-1225 pounds will produce carcasses that fit the current requirement.

    PRODUCT - The acceptability of BueLingo cattle is also based on body composition. A certain amount of antagonism is present between the amount of fat that is required to produce a marketable carcass and the fleshing ability necessary in the breeding herd to sustain good reproduction. Carcasses that are USDA yield grade 1 and 2's, USDA quality grade Choice and Select are very marketable. It appears that BueLingo cattle have an inherit ability to marble with minimal outside fat cover. More documentation is needed to verify this observation. Other breeds emphasize certain inherit carcass characteristics, BueLingo cattle could do likewise with a superior, identifiable product in the market place.

    Any discussion on selection and breed type should not exclude factors that effect adaptability to different types of management and personal preferences. If the ideal type cow has a miserable disposition and loves to walk through fences, it is difficult to appreciate her best features. Poor disposition is directly related to short longevity. Selecting breeding stock for good disposition is good business.

    Structural soundness is not as easily measured as weighing cattle at specific times, yet next to reproductive failure, the amount of time an animal stays in the herd is often determined by the soundness of udders, feet and legs. Commercial producers are extremely concerned about structure as it influences longevity.

    The belting characteristic of BueLingo cattle is easily the trait that most identifies the breed. The distinctive white belt draws immediate attention from the most casual observer and it has been the trait that stirred the initial interest in many to become BueLingo cattle breeders. It is critical that BueLingo cattle and BueLingo breeders present a positive image to potential enthusiasts of the breed.

    SUMMARY - Recent concerns by U.S. consumers have lead to mandatory labeling of most food products sold in this country. Consumers requested information regarding the grams of fat, levels of vitamins and minerals, and the presence of preservatives in the hopes that labeling will make for wiser choices and healthier, more productive lives. The quest for more information on factors that directly effect our lives is not limited to consumers in the grocery store. We as BueLingo breeders cannot rely on a white belt to be our only label. We need to recognize that sound, factual information regarding the performance and predictability of our cattle is an essential ingredient in expanding and merchandizing our cattle. Like food labeling, cattle performance records establish confidence and trust with consumers of our products whether it be a rancher with 500 cows or a new breeder of BueLingo cattle. Complete performance records allow producers the opportunity to make proper choices when designing a breeding program.

    Like the BueLingo cow that ruminates in the pasture, we need to digest what we consume, grow and perform as a unified organization knowing that in the words of Yogi Berra, "If we don't know where we' re going, we'll end up some place else".

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