Top Ten Takeaways from Men, Cattle and Veld

1. “A Specific goal is essential.” Everything should be judged from the viewpoint of “maximum sustainable profit”. For Zietsman, this is per hectare, but for me this is per acre. I think if we use maximum profit per acre, we lose the sustainable part. It leads us to making decisions that are not best for the future.

2. "Fertility is very highly heritable.” To be honest, I don’t care how heritable fertility is because I believe all things have a genetic base while the environment allows for the expression of the genetics. Thus, to paraphrase Lasaster, if we select for our end goal, the other details will work out. (This is what I think of when I think about Lasater’s philosophy, but I couldn’t find the quote to support it. If I find it, I’ll share it in a future email.)

3. "Both productivity and selection progress are greater when using crossbred bulls.” We have always used purebred bulls. Sometimes these bulls were registered but sometimes not. However, they are always purebred. Zietsman makes the case that you can achieve greater selection progress with crossbred bulls. This is due to the wider variety of genes present. Also, I think it is like line breeding, you will get some animals that perform poorly and some will perform wonderfully, while most perform near the average. Cull the poor performers and select the good performers for the future generations.

4. "Inbreeding concentrates genes.” I love inbreeding or line breeding as a way to ensure uniformity in the offspring. Just like with crossbreed bulls, you will get a bell curve of performance. Cull the poor, select the best.

5. “Stocking rate is the most important determinant of ranch profitability...” Initially, I would have said that fertility is the most important factor. However, with excellent fertility and a super low stocking rate, profit will be limited. But you have to remember #1 of maximum sustainable profit and not over stock for a short term advantage that hurts your future.

6. "The problem lies in what is measured and how those measurements are interpreted.” This hits the nail on the head for me. We have all kinds of measurements that are used but I go back to Lasaster (see #2).

7. "Body condition is a reflection of overall adaptation, an indicator of grass conversation efficiency and the main determinant of practical fertility.” This is a good reminder.

8. "Cattle need to be selected in a similar; or poorer; environment to where they are going to produce." Buy from someone doing what you are wanting to do in the same or worse environment.

9. "Major genetic change is brought about by the bull.” If your cattle herd is not what you want it to be, you can change it through the use of a purchased bull. That bull immediately changes the next calf crop and has the potential to change your cowherd if you keep heifers. But what if you like your cowherd? This is where I think you should raise your own bull(s).

10. “Selection within a crossbred herd, using crossbred bulls on crossbred cows, is much more effective than in a purebred herd.” To be honest, I had never thought about it this way. I know you can increase the hybrid vigor through a crossbred cowherd and using another breed of bull. But by using a crossbred cowherd and crossbred bulls, you can have a 4 breed cross for hybrid vigor.

This is definitely food for thought. I hope you have enjoyed my takeaways from Zietsman’s Man, Cattle and Veld, but as all things, they are subject to change as I reflect and gain more knowledge.

Grazing Grass Farmer of the Week

Links Mentioned in the Episode

• Ember Cattle Company

• Ember Cattle Company on Youtube