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L Bar genetics excel in progeny studies

Press Release—January 12, 2023

Isa Beefmasters is pleased to report on the culmination of two significant research projects. Each one is a testimony to the investment we have placed in pushing the genetic envelope and making L Bar Beefmaster genetics evermore useful to the commercial cattle industry worldwide.

In both studies, we will provide full details in our upcoming Spring Isa Informer newsletter. But we wanted to give a sneak peek at this tremendous news.The first involves a collaboration with Beefmaster Breeders United and the Noble Research Institute in Ardmore, OK. They used two leading Beefmaster bulls (L Bar En Fuego, C988569, raised by Isa Beefmasters and owned by Gene Haymon; and CF Nueces, C1059662, raised by Collier Farms and owned by Jim Colvin). The sires were A.I. bred to their commercial Angus herd. Noble’s initial intent was to develop and study the replacement females, and that is still ongoing. But BBU was able to buy, feed and harvest the steers, with some truly fantastic results.

Steers at Nextgen Cattle Feeding, KS.

The Executive Summary: The steers gained 4.47 pounds per day, finished in 160 days (40 days faster than projected), had 0% death loss, yielded 62.6% and graded 94% choice (industry average 75%). Additionally, Warner Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF) tests were conducted by West Texas A&M University, and the steers averaged 3.86kg. (Anything under 4.6kg is considered tender.) This phenomenal performance shows what can be achieved utilizing performance Beefmaster genetics in your crossbreeding program.

Isa President Lorenzo Lasater commented, “We have long maintained that there is more to profitability than just quality grade. These results show that true success lies in a combination of feedlot performance, health, grade & yield, and the critical but hidden trait of tenderness. These Beefmaster-sired steers absolutely rang the bell in every phase.”

The second progeny test took place in Panama between 2000 and 2022. The program included 13 breeds and measured 2843 calves. Ten Beefmaster sires were used on native Zebu or Brahman-cross cattle. The intent of the study, which is ongoing, is to examine improving reproductive efficiency and increased growth as a means of improving profitability for beef cattle producers in the tropics. The study was conducted at the Gualaca Livestock Experiment Station by IDIAP.

The Executive Summary: The study showed that for AFC (age at first calf) Beefmaster crosses were the best among the 13 breeds, while birthweights held steady, and growth was significantly increased. The scientists are very excited about the significance of the results as it pertains to beef production in the tropics, where 80% of the world’s cattle reside. More importantly from our perspective, Isa Beefmasters sire L Bar En Fuego was the number one Beefmaster sire for both AFC and weaning weight.

Isa President Lorenzo Lasater commented, “The cattle industry often loses sight of the fact that profitability at the cow-calf level is predicated on low-input cattle that can handle their environment, reproduce efficiently, and wean heavy calves. No female is better at this than a Beefmaster.”

We look forward to sharing the full results in our Spring Isa Informer. We are proud of how well Isa Beefmasters genetics performed in both progeny tests. While they encompass very different aspects of Beef Cattle production, they examine several fundamental concepts in successful operations: reproductive efficiency, adaptability, growth, health, and carcass quality.

Lasater named Performance Breeder of the Year

By Isabel Lasater Hernandez, Vice President

Congratulations to Isa Beefmasters President, Lorenzo Lasater, on being named BBU’s Performance Breeder of the Year! The award, announced at the recent BBU convention in Oklahoma City, OK, recognizes a breeder who employs “superb management practices.”

Lorenzo is the second Isa Beefmasters leader to be recognized by BBU: Isa Beefmasters founder Laurie Lasater was chosen as BBU’s 2000 Breeder of the Year.

From the Beefmaster Breeders United press release:

BOERNE, Texas (Oct. 24, 2022) – The 61st Annual Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) Convention was hosted in Oklahoma City, Okla., at the Omni Oklahoma City Hotel on October 21 and 22, 2022. During the convention several member awards were presented to outstanding Beefmaster breeders who have excelled over the past year and decades before.
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The BBU Performance Breeder of the Year award was created to recognize members who are whole herd reporting (WHR) breeders, collect performance and ultrasound data, as well as have superb management practices within their breeding program. Lorenzo Lasater of L Bar Beefmasters in San Angelo, Texas, was announced as the 2022 Performance Breeder of the Year. Lasater has been a BBU member since 1995 and is the grandson of the founder of the Beefmaster breed, and a fifth-generation rancher, so he has spent his entire life around Beefmasters. He is the President of Isa Beefmasters, LLC, and the company holds a 140-head bull sale each October, sells 50 private treaty bulls each spring, offers females for sale private treaty, and sells semen and embryos both domestically and internationally.
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For more information about Beefmaster Breeders United and its membership awards please contact the BBU office at 210-732-3132 or visit www.beefmasters.org. Stay connected to BBU through Facebook, follow us on Instagram, view our videos on YouTube, and follow us on Twitter. Receive our news updates through joining our mailing list.

From the Fall 2022 issue of the Isa Informer

Building brand equity for 130 years

By Laurie Lasater, Founder

It’s hard to fathom, but our family’s use of the L Bar brand dates back almost to the Civil War, with it first appearing in the 1870s. Since then, four generations of Lasaters have branded tens of thousands of cattle with the iconic mark, both in Texas and in Mexico.

Starting in South Texas

In 1892, my grandfather Ed C. Lasater first registered the L Bar brand in Falfurrias, located in South Texas’ rugged cattle country. Ed founded the town of Falfurrias, as well as Brooks County, which he named for his friend Judge John Brooks. He was determined to build his empire there and began amassing land and cattle.

At its height, Ed’s La Mota ranch measured 380,000 acres, making it one of the largest in Texas. Ed became well known for his large herds of high-quality Hereford and Shorthorn cattle, and he imported the first Brahman cattle into South Texas. In addition, he owned the largest Jersey herd in the world and founded Falfurrias Creamery Company, and the name Falfurrias became synonymous with its sweet, creamy butter.

Ed C. Lasater first registered the L Bar brand in 1892 in South Texas.

Surviving the unthinkable

Ed died in 1930 and much of the ranch and cattle were swallowed up by the Great Depression. His youngest son—and my father—Tom Lasater left Princeton University in his sophomore year to return home and salvage what he could of the family business. It was during this period of economic catastrophe that Beefmasters were born: Tom experimented with crossing various of his father’s remaining cattle. He quickly discovered the Shorthorn/Hereford/ Brahman three-way cross was far superior to other crosses he tried. They say necessity is the mother of invention, and Beefmasters were tested and honed during this most dire economic period of the 1930s and 1940s.

The Lasater ranch sign near Falfurrias, Texas.

In 1937, Tom closed his herd to outside genetics, and in 1948, he relocated his Beefmasters to Matheson, Colorado, to escape the ongoing frustration of Hoof and Mouth disease coming across the Mexican border. He purchased the former Matheson Ranch on the eastern plains near Colorado Springs and continued his development of Beefmasters. The USDA formally recognized Beefmasters in 1954, making it one of the first American composite breeds.

Heading south of the border

Ten years later, I picked up the mantle of the brand, taking L Bar, my new bride and 35 Beefmaster cows to Mexico. In 1964, I registered the brand in the northern state of Coahuila.

Tom Lasater, youngest son of Ed C. Lasater, returned home after his father’s death in 1930 to try to save the family ranch and cattle.

I sold my first L Bar Beefmaster bull calves to three ranchers for $5,000 pesos ($400) each. The neighborhood could not believe the high price paid by prominent ranchers! Each year I bought 50 weaned bull c­alves from The Lasater Ranch and sold them to Mexican ranchers in several areas.

In 1966, with backing from investors in Midland, Texas, I bought the 31,500-acre Rancho Santa Cruz near Múzquiz, Coahuila, and we expanded our herd to 400 cows. When we decided to return home after 10 years, I sold the cattle to Guillermo Osuna and the ranch to Vidal Gonzalez, both neighboring ranchers.

Laurie (far left) vaccinates cattle on Rancho Santa Cruz near Múzquiz, Coahuila, Mexico. c. 1967

Returning home to Texas

When we relocated back to Texas in the 1970s, I registered the brand in Irion County in West Texas.

Today, our children, Lorenzo and Isabel, are the fourth generation of Lasaters to raise cattle under our beloved brand. They have reg­­istered the L Bar brand in the nine counties in which they operate, ranging from Sutton County, south toward Mexico, to Titus County, northeast of Dallas.

I am proud of the fact that I was able to use the L Bar brand for 50 years in Mexico and Texas and be part of its storied, 130-year history.

Lorenzo, Annette, Laurie and Isabel after a roundup near Mertzon, Texas. c. 1978

2022 bull sale averages $5840

Press release

Isa Beefmasters LLC’s 61st Beefmaster Bull Sale was held on Oct. 1, 2022, in San Angelo, Texas. It was an excellent sale, with 33 buyers from six states and Mexico taking home 100 Beefmaster bulls at an average of $5840. Isa President Lorenzo Lasater stated the sale was their highest average to date, with excellent demand for good Beefmaster genetics. Auctioneer Joe Goggins of Billings, MT, sold the 100 bulls in the blistering time of 1 hour, 45 minutes.

The high-selling bull, L Bar 0501, sold to Danny Major of Chino Valley, AZ, for $18,000. This awesome, young herdsire prospect is the son of Schneider 0481 and L Bar 8440 and was one of the overall top performers in the offering.

The second high-selling bull, L Bar 0548, sold to San Pedro Ranch of Carrizo Springs, TX, for $16,000. This excellent bull was another top performer and sired by L Bar 6105.

Laurie (left) and Lorenzo Lasater (right) with Danny Major, who bought the high-selling bull in the sale, L Bar 0501.

It is worth noting that both high sellers are sons and grandsons of the great L Bar En Fuego, who sold in this sale in 2011. He has sired many high sellers since, and now his descendants are doing it. A truly remarkable genetic line.

Volume buyers included: Rafter T Ranch, FL—12; A. Duda and Sons, FL—10; Ray Corona, FL—10; and LE Ranch, NM—9.

Current Isa president Lorenzo Lasater represents the fourth generation of the family dedicated to breeding performance Beefmaster genetics. The breed was founded by Lorenzo’s grandfather Tom Lasater in 1937. This year marks the 85th anniversary of the breed. It is also the 130th anniversary of the L Bar brand, first used by Ed Lasater in 1892 in South Texas. It has been used continuously since then by four generations of the Lasater family in Texas and Mexico.

According to Lorenzo, “This set of bulls represents over 80 years of consistent, balanced selection for economically viable cattle. These bulls will produce excellent feeder calves and replacement heifers in any environment, but especially the tougher ones. With more pounds at weaning, lower input costs, more longevity and the best mother-cow on the planet, Beefmasters can’t be beat.”

The Lasater family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to everyone in attendance, especially the many repeat customers, including many second-generation buyers. We are already working hard to bring you our 62nd set of Beefmaster bulls on Oct. 7, 2023.

From the Spring 2022 issue of the Isa Informer

The mathematics of bull selection worth closer study

By Lorenzo Lasater, President

As breeding season approaches for many U.S. ranches, I often hear conversations about how much we should pay for a bull, and the budget range that folks feel comfortable spending varies quite a bit. Obviously, open cows are highly detrimental to the bottom line, but beyond just freshening cows, a quality bull also delivers a great deal of hidden value to the operation.

The old rule of thumb is that a bull is worth four or five times the value of a weaned calf. Let’s look at that math based on the market today:
600-pound feeder calves at Producers Auction in San Angelo on 3/9/2022 averaged $1.81 a pound, or $1086. If we factor a bull’s value at four steers, we could pay $4344. If we choose to view him as being worth five steers, we could pay $5430. This method appears to reasonably approximate a bull’s value. Each ranch must examine their own budget and genetic needs and find a value that feels comfortable.
We can conservatively project a bull to produce 125 calves in his lifetime, breeding 25 females a year over five years. Obviously, this can be leveraged higher with multiple breeding seasons and greater breeding ratios. But you can see very quickly that if he improves key traits in your herd, he will add significant value through these changes.

The ripples of a bull’s impact on the herd, whether good or bad, will continue for almost 20 years.

For example, consider a bull’s impact on weaning weight. The Beefmaster average WW EPD is 25. If you were to invest in a bull with a WW EPD of 40, you could expect to receive an additional 15 pounds over those 125 calves, yielding an additional 1875 pounds at weaning. At today’s price of $1.81, that translates to $3393 in additional revenue as compared with breed-average bulls. We can apply this simple analysis to the EPDs for many other critical traits, such as calving ease, carcass merit, longevity, etc. It becomes readily apparent that not all bulls are created equal.

We used a 600-pound weaning weight in the value analysis above. But if your calves weigh less than 600 at weaning, maybe you should look at the breed or the breeding establishment. Are they genetically able to provide that type of production efficiency? Does the breeding program place enough emphasis on growth?

A bull also impacts a herd more subtly through traits such as disposition. Disposition is partly inherited (and partly learned), so he will pass that bad attitude to his sons and daughters. If a bull is difficult to handle or even dangerous, what is the cost? Disposition is one of our foundational principles embodied in the Six Essentials. Our family has been selecting for it since 1937, which has resulted in gentle and responsive cattle.

Bulls also deliver a great deal of hidden value if your operation keeps replacement females. Bulls that sire daughters that can breed early and remain in the herd a long time are extremely valuable. We see a lot of customers who are looking to Beefmasters for the first time because they are frustrated that the females out of their previous breed of bulls don’t last long enough or have too many health problems that knock them out of production. They were promised a premium—and probably paid a lot for the bulls—but inherited expensive repercussions on the production side.

The chart at right shows how long a bull’s contribution carries on after purchase. It is amazing that the bull you buy this year will still be having a genetic impact on your herd through his daughters 16 years later!

Often breeding establishments don’t emphasize the early fertility trait. Many outfits choose to breed heifers at a later age. There are several reasons to do this out of expedience, but is it the right decision genetically? Isa Beefmasters breeds at 14 months to calve at 24 months in a 60-day breeding season. This program can be costly in terms of losses due to open females, but with each generation we are moving the needle forward for early maturity and fertility, keeping only the best genetics in our herd.

A good bull can make a critical contribution to profitability, and his impact lasts significantly longer than we might think. Clearly, bulls are a significant expense, but we also receive a lot of downstream value out of the right one. Each operation must identify a price they can live with and a breeding establishment that provides the right genetics to help them achieve their goals. Just keep in mind that not all bulls—or breeds—are equal when it comes to the grass-based production of beef calves.

From the Fall 2021 issue of the Isa Informer

Deploy population genetics to improve herd

By Lorenzo Lasater, President

At Isa Beefmasters, we view females in the herd a little differently: Rather than being a collection of fancy individuals, they are integral parts of the larger factory. This well-oiled machine is comprised of high-performance cows, and we measure the overall performance of the factory by the strength of its calf crop.

We call this concept population genetics. Laurie Lasater best illustrates this concept in The Lasater Philosophy of Cattle Raising: “This program is called ‘population genetics’ and involves mass selection for clearly defined principles combined with rapid turnover in both males and females.” (p. 62)

So how do we implement population genetics into our breeding strategy? First and most importantly, we breed in a short season to calve at 24 months and raise a calf every year from then on. No exceptions. Magically, it turns out that cattle born out of this program are efficient, fertile, growthy and productive. This simple and free tool can be applied to any cow herd, anywhere, to make huge genetic improvement. The ad (pictured at right) from July 1955’s The Cattleman magazine shows how long these principles have been at work improving our gene pool.

1955 ad from The Cattleman magazine.

The use of multiple-sire breeding differentiates Isa Beefmasters from our competitors’ programs. This pressure is one of population genetics’ secret weapons. Our commercial customers breed in large, multi-sire herds where bulls must fight for order and compete to breed. We believe that the extended use of single-sire breeding by the seedstock industry has decreased the libido in the bulls of many breeds. Our bulls compete to breed, ensuring high libido is built into the gene pool. Also, while we carefully choose our herd sires, nature chooses the individual matings. We trust the factory and the system to produce the best product.

Semenbull L Bar 4519’s dam, L Bar 1417, was a Pacesetter that also raised another herd sire plus two top embryo donors. The value of her genetic impact is immense.

At Isa Beefmasters, we strongly believe that females should prove themselves as capable members of the herd before their genetics are replicated through embryo transfer beyond what is naturally possible. We would never flush a heifer before she’s raised a calf nor choose donors based solely on pedigree or phenotype. We always choose them through the lens of herd performance and the Six Essentials.

Sometimes in this system, you can lose remarkable individuals before you realize how incredible they are. That was the case of L Bar 1417. This cow quietly raised four calves and achieved Pacesetter status, before coming up open and heading to town. She was long gone before we knew how outstanding those four calves were: she raised a herd bull, a semen bull (L Bar 4519), and two elite donor females (L Bar 6435 and L Bar 3404). It is virtually unheard of that a single female could have that much impact naturally.

L Bar 9496 is another hidden success story. I really hadn’t given her much thought until weaning this past spring, when I took the picture above. That calf at side is her 10th in a row, starting at two years old. Look at her perfect udder! And she just had her 11th calf last month. All three daughters she raised are still in the herd, with the oldest being nine years old. This level of fertility and longevity perfectly illustrates what I mean by being a productive member of the larger factory.In summary, many of the policies of traditional registered herds run counter to the function and productivity of the cow herd. The emphasis on the individual loses sight of the power of the team. Using single-sire breeding removes critical breeding instincts and libido in bulls over time. Selecting individuals to artificially replicate based on pedigree or phenotype loses sight of their most important job—productivity in the herd.

LBar9496, who weaned this outstanding bull as her 10th calf this spring, exemplifies the fertility and longevity honed through years of population genetics.

For more than 80 years and many generations of cattle, we have strived to utilize population genetics to move the genetic needle for critical production traits. Come see for yourself the difference these traits can make in your own herd.

Lasater receives 2021 Texas agricultural award

By Isabel Lasater Hernandez, Vice President

Congratulations to Isa Beefmasters founder, Laurie Lasater, on his induction into the Texas Heritage Hall of Honor! The award recognizes Texans who have made a significant contribution to the state’s agricultural heritage. Laurie’s nomination cited his efforts establishing the first Beefmaster herd in Mexico and promoting the breed in that country, as well as his travels around the word to expand Beefmasters into new countries. Laurie’s father, Tom Lasater, who developed the Beefmaster breed, was also inducted into the Hall of Honor in 2004.

From the Texas Heritage Hall of Honor press release:

DALLAS–September 9, 2021–With agriculture at the foundation of our organization, the State Fair of Texas is proud to announce its two newest inductees to the Texas Heritage Hall of Honor. The program was established in 1992 as a biennial program to recognize men and women who have made significant contributions to the agricultural heritage of Texas. They have made their marks as farmers, ranchers, drovers, inventors, innovators, educators, authors, legislators and preservationists. Their achievements span 170 years, reaching back to the birth of the Texas Republic and extending out into a limitless future.

Beginning in 2019, the induction of nominees both living and deceased are considered annually. This year, two deserving individuals join more than 70 men and women previously inducted into the Texas Heritage Hall of Honor. Today, we celebrate Laurence M. Lasater and Frances Richmond Cooper for their achievements and contributions that helped establish Texas as a premier agricultural leader of the nation.

Laurence M. Lasater of San Angelo was born to Tom and Mary Lasater, the founders of the Beefmaster breed. In 1964 he and his wife, Annette, moved to Coahuila, Mexico, where their cattle became the foundation herd of the breed in Mexico. In 1974 they moved their family to San Angelo, where they established another Beefmaster herd and founded Isa Cattle Co.

He is the author of The Lasater Philosophy of Cattle Raising, which was first published by the University of Texas at El Paso in 1971 and now is in its 16th edition in multiple languages. He was elected President of the Foundation Beefmaster Association and Director of Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers. In 2019, he was inducted into the Beefmaster Hall of Fame. Laurence and Annette’s children, Lorenzo and Isabel, have since taken the reins of the family business and continue the Lasater legacy.
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The State Fair of Texas is a celebration of all things Texan, and there is no better way to learn about agriculture and Texas heritage than by taking a walk through the livestock barns of the Briscoe Carpenter Livestock Center during the State Fair. Be sure to stop by the Heritage Hall of Honor inside the Briscoe Carpenter Livestock Center or visit https://bigtex.com/supporting-texans/agriculture/hall-of-honor to check out all of the inductees and learn more about the program.

From the Spring 2021 issue of the Isa Informer

Extreme conditions no match for Beefmasters

By Lorenzo Lasater, President

As I write this article, the temperature outside hovers around 16 degrees. We are undergoing a historic winter storm that has turned the entire state of Texas completely on its ear.

Amid all this unpleasant weather, something really jumped out at me: Cattle are incredibly tough! Our Beefmasters remained outside in overnight temperatures around zero, with brutal wind chills and snow. These incredible cows managed to give birth and come in with a live calf through it all. Prolonged exposure to these temperatures would kill humans. But aside from being hungry and thirsty each day (we have to break ice for them to drink when it gets this cold), they endured the record storm just fine.

With temperatures near zero for several days, Isa foreman Todd Bannert breaks ice twice a day on several different ranches for the cattle.

Although Beefmasters are typically thought of as warm-weather cattle, they actually do very well in all but the most extreme northern climates. My grandfather, Tom Lasater, founded the Beefmaster breed in South Texas. He later relocated his herd to Colorado in the 1940s. The Foundation Herd has thrived in two very different, very intense climates. In addition, you’ll find Beefmaster herds in other colder U.S. states, such as Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Wisconsin.

Our L Bar herd lives on the other end of the extreme weather continuum: West Texas gets exceptionally hot in the summer, as you can see in this graphic of a typical summer forecast. Even in these tough temps, Beefmasters go about their business of grazing and producing and raising calves without complaint.

These healthy L Bar Momentum-sired calves were born near San Angelo during the recent historic winter storm that devastated Texas.

Isa Beefmasters also partners in a small Beefmaster herd in Costa Rica, a country that presents a different set of extremes from West Texas. Yes, it is also hot, but high humidity and high annual rainfall intensify the challenges. Although the grass is abundant and can be green year-round, it’s very poor quality, creating serious nutritional stress. And don’t forget the insects! But the L Bar Beefmasters have adapted with amazing ease. In just over two years, the cattle have mastered these challenges: a new climate with extreme heat, humidity and almost daily rainfall; new grasses that tax the entire digestive system; and new parasites and ticks that don’t exist in Texas. These incredible cattle have not only endured these changes, they have flourished—raising healthy Beefmaster calves and even producing embryos.

These Beefmasters in Costa Rica battle high humidity, different insects and poor-quality grass.

In addition to these extreme climate swings, I often think about the amazing pain tolerance cattle have. When we brand, we apply four numbers plus the L Bar. If I had to endure just one of those brands, I would be screaming bloody murder, then crying in the fetal position for days. Yet cattle handle it without a great deal of reaction and seem to recover almost immediately as they exit the chute. This tolerance extends to all manner of routine management procedures that we would find unbearable, such as dehorning, castration, pregnancy testing, etc.

And what about Covid-19? The entire world seems to have ground to a halt in trying to deal with the historic pandemic, but cattle remain healthy and unaffected. The herd certainly isn’t fretting about masks and social distancing like their goofy human counterparts.

So, “cheers” to the incredible cow! These remarkable beasts convert the sun’s energy—in the form of forages unusable to humans—into tasty and nutritious beef. It is truly miraculous. And they do it without complaint 24/7/365.

These two screen shots illustrate the extreme (literal) 100-degree swing in weather the L Bar herd faces in a given year.

L Bar En Fuego having a scorching-hot impact on beef industry

By Lorenzo Lasater, President

Only a couple of times in a career is a breeder privileged to raise an influential bull like L Bar En Fuego. His impact has been dramatic and will be felt long after he is gone. My dad once told me it takes 1000 bulls to raise a truly game-changing herd bull. L Bar 5002 was the first, and he was in the first calf crop that I bred and raised after joining Isa Cattle Co. We have raised many good bulls since then, but these two are without a doubt the most impactful bulls I have raised.

By what metric do we measure the impact of a herdsire? Obviously, we start with progeny, which is his legacy. En Fuego has 196 progeny registered in BBU, but he has sired many more calves both internationally and commercially. Plus a great many more in the pipeline will be counted as his influence grows.

L Bar En Fuego is a real game-changer.

For me, an even more insightful measure is how well a bull’s sons perform in our annual bull sale. En Fuego has sired the high-selling bull in four sales since his sons first came online, along with many other valuable bulls. And I expect there will be many more. Raising the high-seller out of the 200 bulls we sell annually speaks to the confidence our customers place in his progeny.

Three of En Fuego’s sons have been collected within the Isa network: L Bar 4519, L Bar Habanero and San Pedro 7069. We only collect the superstars, so to have three sons reach this pinnacle is truly remarkable.

His daughters are fantastic as well—thick, feminine and highly productive. En Fuego sired one of our top donor cows, L Bar 3404. She is a three-quarter sibling to semen sire L Bar 4519. That kind of tightly knit productivity is exactly what makes line-breeding such a powerful tool.

Donor cow L Bar 3404

This spring I attended the Bar T Bar Gelbvieh bull sale in Arizona. They produce Balancer cattle (Gelbvieh hybrids), including what they call a Southern Balancer, made using Beefmaster genetics. Pictured is an L Bar En Fuego grandson along with the catalog listing. Beefmaster aficionados know you will gain efficiency, explosive growth and hardiness just by using a Beefmaster, without having to sacrifice the yield grade, health and longevity of English genetics.

This En Fuego grandson sold recently in the Bar T Bar Gelbvieh bull sale.

In Oklahoma, the Noble Research Institute is currently running an experiment on their commercial cows for their “Integrity Beef Alliance” program. They used two Beefmaster sires last year, including En Fuego, and they were so pleased with the results that they doubled the number of Beefmaster straws they put in this spring. Even the Beefmaster sceptics on staff couldn’t believe how good the calves were. You can see the quality in the photo—making those Angus cows look good!

L Bar En Fuego boasts tremendous EPDs, with eight of 12  in the top 20% of the breed and three in the top 1%, including the all-important marbling score. And you can take that number to the bank as literally hundreds of his progeny have been scanned with high marbling scores. If you are looking to improve carcass traits in your herd, En Fuego will definitely move the needle.

L Bar En Fuego is still in production at the age of nearly 12 on Gene Harmon’s Pine Tree Acres in Arkansas—a fitting way to round out a great career, though we will feel the ripples of his impact long after he is gone. A tip of the hat to this game-changing herdsire.

This En Fuego x Angus calf impressed scientists in an Integrity Beef Alliance study.

More than just a pretty brand

By Lorenzo Lasater, President

A pretty brand on a pretty bull … but there is a lot more to the story.

We will start with history: My great-grandfather first registered the L Bar brand in Brooks County, Texas, in 1890. My immediate family has used it continuously since 1964 in northwestern Mexico and West Texas. We currently have it registered in the 12 Texas counties in which we operate.

Mechanically, we use 4” L&H Electric Irons. I have experimented with every alternative, such as 3” brands, freeze brands, no brands, etc. My dad always let me experiment, and I always had to come back and say the way we had done it my whole life was the best.

The key to effective branding lies in the numbering system. Using this photo as an example, the top number is the year of birth (2020). The second and third numbers indicate this is a male calf out of a mature fall-calving cow. I can tell sex, calving season and whether it is out of a first-calf heifer or a cow on every animal, even on paper.

A four-digit series allows for 1000 calves in given year. It’s not that we have 1000 calves (I wish!), but it allows for a very organized approach to ID within different herds as described above.

Branding is critically important to preventing theft; visually managing cattle; and establishing permanent visual ID for banks, partners and breed associations. Plus, it plays a major role in marketing. Having a simple, well-thought-out strategy that allows room for growth is very important.

Isa Beefmasters is very proud of the “L Bar” and the history and genetic progress it represents.

From the Fall 2020 issue of the Isa Informer

Accelerate genetic progress with A.I.

By Lorenzo Lasater, President

One of the most gratifying things in cattle breeding is effecting desired improvement in phenotype and performance. One of the best tools at our disposal, and one which is often overlooked, is artificial insemination, or A.I.

At Isa Beefmasters, we have been using A.I. to step on the genetic gas for decades. Dad first learned the technique in 1964 at the Graham School in Garnett, Kansas. He began using A.I. in our registered herd in Mexico in 1965. This year marks 55 years of continuous use of this technology!

One of the great things about A.I. is it allows you to multiply the influence of great bulls way beyond what they could contribute naturally. We are fortunate to sell the semen out of the sires we use, so we are often able to use the same bull on different herds simultaneously.

The synchronization protocols have improved dramatically in recent times, allowing for simplified logistics and improved conception rates. We find that the use of synchronization in heifers has several key benefits:

• Roughly half of the calves are born the first couple weeks of the calving season.

Imagine using a bull like this in your herd! A.I. allows any-sized operator to harness the same genetic power that leading feedstock producers use.

• The second heat, though not A.I., results in a good number more pregnancies.• We achieve higher overall conception than we experience with natural breeding only.

• Assuming a 50% pregnancy rate, you need half as many natural-service bulls.

Pro Tip! If you breed your heifers to calve at two years, they still fit the carcass sonogram scanning window when you run them for A.I.

Although the labor cost is a significant component in A.I., having someone experienced handling the procedure pays off with higher conception rates.

These benefits alone point to the fact that every cattleman should carefully consider the use of A.I., but the real value lies in the genetic punch. You can use the very best bulls in the breed, likely ones that you could not (or would not) afford to own. You can also fine-tune your genetic selection for traits such as calving ease and carcass quality. And unlike virgin bulls, whose EPDs can move significantly as they produce offspring, the EPDs of widely used semen sires are highly accurate and predictable.

At Isa Beefmasters, we synchronize and A.I. every heifer on the first day of the breeding season when she is about 14 months of age. We also do many mature females, particularly those that are being bred for sale to add value. Cows are more challenging logistically because of the calves, but the rewards are significant.

Two groups that typically do not use A.I. who would benefit tremendously are small registered breeders and commercial operations. In the case of the former, imagine using the same sires that the leading seedstock outfits are using? How about adding that same kind of sire-power to a commercial herd? In a commercial setting, the semen is often very reasonably priced; we sell several of our top sires for $10 for commercial use.

Producers often cite cost, labor and facilities as the usual reasons why they do not use A.I. I will admit that it is a bit labor intensive, with most protocols requiring three or four trips down the chute. But the rewards far outweigh the work, and you will likely be working them at least once pre-breeding anyway. The cost is manageable especially when you weigh the benefits. I have included a sample of a protocol we use and approximate costs. You can see that it is roughly $47 per head for commercial use and $82 for registered. If you do the A.I. yourself, you can save a good bit of that, but I believe it pays to use someone who is in cows continuously.

A.I. is a tremendous tool for making faster genetic progress in any herd that is willing to put in the extra effort. You will be able to use superior genetics, tighten your calving window, increase your pregnancy rates and reduce your bull needs. It is not without some extra labor and expense, but it really is a winning strategy if you are serious about moving the needle in your herd.

From the Spring 2020 issue of the Isa Informer

Taking a measure of herd’s accountability

By Lorenzo Lasater, President

Accountability noun | [uh-koun-tuh-bil-i-tee] — the state of being accountable, liable or answerable

In simple terms, accountability means accepting responsibility. We are personally accountable to many things in life: our God, our family, our banker, our job. The list goes on….

But how often do you think about accountability on the ranch? One thing is certain: if you don’t hold your herd accountable, you can’t make genetic progress. This is especially true of seedstock producers, who are theoretically held to a higher standard as genetics producers.

The most fundamental standard we should demand of our cattle is fertility. For example, the absolute best a cow can achieve from a productivity standpoint is having one calf per year. This rigorous plan assumes 283 days’ gestation and roughly 45 days for involution, which totals 328 days. This leaves only 37 days to rebreed, which means we really need to hustle (as do our cows). On the flip side, in a breeding season of longer than 90 days, the whole herd cannot possibly rebreed annually.

At Isa Beefmasters, we have used a 60-day breeding season for as long as I can remember. This schedule has a nice rhythm: All the cows have a chance to rebreed annually, the calves are tightly grouped and the cows should have three chances to cycle and conceive.

Sixty-day breeding seasons ensure every cow can produce a calf annually. In addition, calves are tightly grouped with their peers, making performance evalutions that much easier.

If your seedstock provider utilizes a season of longer than 90 days, their entire herd cannot raise a calf every year, which means they not placing selection pressure on fertility. Some breeders list many excuses for a longer season: climate, embryo program, etc. But if they don’t hold their own herd to a higher standard for fertility than their commercial customers, who’s ahead of whom?

Genetic progress demands responsibility from both rancher and animals

Calving ease is closely connected to fertility. We breed our heifers at 14 months to calve at two years old and then every year thereafter. It would be much easier to give them an extra six months to develop prior to breeding and calving, but if we intend to be accountable for calving ease and early fertility, we must forge this path to genetic improvement.

Another important component of accountability is nutritional efficiency. We strive to optimize nutrition while minimizing costs and still achieving reasonable reproductive rates. It is easy to claim 95% pregnancy rates if the cows are in a pen eating free-choice, high-energy ration. But what if they are surviving on rough native country through the winter with minimal protein supplement? It seems to me that those cows are truly accountable and paying their own way. It also more closely mirrors the production system of most commercial operations.
To gauge production efficiency, we can measure pounds per calf weaned. But does that really tell the whole story? What about the costs to achieve those pounds? It drives me crazy to hear seedstock producers claim enormous weaning weights, when those weights were actually achieved on creep feed, wheat pasture or another intensive supplement.

What good are outrageous weaning weights if you spend a fortune to achieve them? We prefer low-cost weaning weights achieved the old-fashioned way. A cow weaning a quality calf in rough, native pastures exemplifies accountability.

The real question is: what did those pounds cost? I would rather have honest, low-cost weaning weights and then be able to identify the outliers for growth within that peer group. If a group of calves averages 600 pounds at weaning, you will find some 750 pounders and some 450 pounders. The accountability for each calf and their mother quickly becomes obvious.

As we have discussed, a cow under natural production can, at best, reproduce herself once annually. Even if she lasts many years—as Beefmasters do—and has a calf every year, her impact is limited to 10 to 12 calves at the most. Bulls on the other hand can breed 25 to 40 females per season and be used in multiple seasons annually. This larger scale means accountability for his genetic impact becomes paramount. If we are serious about genetic change, we can’t just pick for a fancy pedigree or a pretty smile; we must hold them accountable for many critical phases, including growth, calving ease, carcass quality, fertility, confirmation, pedigree, disposition and EPDs.

We breed our cattle in multiple-sire herds, just like our customers’ commercial beef operations. This competition allows us to identify dominant breeders and propagate their fertile genetics.

In the catalog accompanying this mailer, you’ll see our spring bull offering has been evaluated for 37 different data points encompassing all these categories. We use this data to identify the sires that will move the needle for the collection of traits important to our operation, while never losing sight of overall balance. If you are making critical herdsire decisions with less data, you might ask yourself why.

One of the most rewarding aspects of breeding livestock is seeing the promise of genetic progress. We cannot fully realize the impact of the breeding decisions we make today for months or possibly even years, but if we remain consistent in our vision and accountable to the process, the results can be fantastic.

From the Fall 2019 issue of the Isa Informer

The long and short of longevity

By Lorenzo Lasater, President

You have heard me talking about the importance of longevity for years, and it seems commercial beef cattle producers are starting to take notice of this hidden threat. As the US beef herd has transitioned to largely Angus genetics, one of the unanticipated consequences is a dramatic decrease in the herd’s useful productive life.

We are not just talking about how long cattle can live, but how long they can successfully do their job. In the case of a beef cow, that means weaning a merchantable calf each year for as long as possible. Studies have shown that it takes about five calves to cover a cow’s development cost. A cow needs to have calved at two years old, calved every year and reach six years of age to break even. What percentage of your herd attains or exceeds this mark? These demands are compounded by the difficulty in getting them bred the first time and, especially, re-bred for their second calf.

Beyond age, another factor in a cow staying in the herd is her ability to stay healthy. She must be resistant to threats such as structural soundness, insects, disease, eye problems, bad udders and temperature extremes. Beefmasters are legendary for their hardiness and withstanding these types of threats.

Sixteen-year-old L Bar 3951 is the oldest cow in our fall-calving herd and raising this terrific heifer calf—her 15th.

Studies have shown the it takes about five calves to cover a cow’s development cost. What percentage of your herd attains or exceeds this mark?

How does longevity impact a cattle operation? Obviously, increased longevity reduces replacement development costs as well as depreciation. Additionally, the cows in the middle of their productive lives produce pounds of calf at higher levels than their younger herd mates.

Another benefit of increased longevity means culling fewer cows for age, which allows us to cull deeper for other traits such as poor productivity (raising a light or sorry calf) or defects such as bad udders, unsound feet and legs, poor disposition, muscling, etc.

We can apply the same longevity logic to bulls. We all know bull replacement costs are significant. If we can stretch their productive lives an extra year or two, we will dramatically impact the bottom line.The photo to the right shows Isa Beefmasters bulls just out of heavy service in south Florida. The yellow bull to the left is 12 years old. The manager of the ranch said they were getting 30–40% more useful life out of their Isa Beefmasters bulls than other breeds.

These L Bar bulls are just out of heavy service in south Florida. The yellow bull (left) is 12 years old. Our customer calls him “Moneymaker.”

On a recent circle through Nevada, I came across this great old Beefmaster cow, pictured at right. The ranch had switched to black bulls a number of years back. I asked the rancher about the cow, and he told me she was 16 years old. He said before the change they routinely had Beefmaster-cross cows lasting 12 or more years. Now, with a mostly Angus-influenced herd, he said they were lucky to get six or seven years out of them. Needless to say, they are switching back to Beefmasters!

The L Bar pair, pictured at the top, is the oldest cow in our fall-calving herd. She is 16 years old, and that heifer is her 15th calf. I doubt she will be able to sustain that level of production, but she’s already done her job and then some. That cow is truly a Moneymaker!

If you are looking for genetics that will improve the productive efficiency of your herd, we invite you to try Isa Beefmasters. We have been working for more than 80 years to develop efficient, profitable cattle, and now you can reap the rewards of our efforts.

Pregnant 16-year-old NV Beefmaster cow that has raised 15 calves is definitely a “Moneymaker.”

From the Spring 2019 issue of the Isa Informer

“Program” isn’t just a word—it’s a complete package

By Lorenzo Lasater, President

Many producers casually label their cattle operation a “program,” and it is such a deceptively simple word to throw around. However, years of focused work and research go into a true seedstock program, and this diligence defines the genetic value of the bulls you buy. If your provider is not pushing the performance limits of their herd, they are not upholding their end of the bargain.

Herd Fertility

At Isa Beefmasters, we strive to push the performance envelope in every available manner. This may range from the time-tested practices as simple as weaning weights, to a much deeper dive into the latest technologies. We have always wondered how people could be in the genetics business if they don’t even take the most basic step of weighing their calves at weaning. To me, part of the fun of registered cattle is the ability to measure, benchmark and improve. By the time an Isa Beefmasters bull sells, he has been measured for 11 different data points. Together, this information tells us a great deal about his genetic potential and allows buyers to make highly informed selections. As BBU strives to add cow efficiency and fertility EPDs, we have responded by collecting cow weights at weaning and pregnancy check, which tell us a great deal about her productive efficiency.

The fertility built into a herd is of paramount importance in selecting the genetics to improve your herd. Does your provider employ a defined breeding season of 90 days or less? At Isa Beefmasters, we use a 60-day breeding season on both our fall- and spring-calving herds. We breed the heifers at 14 months old to calve on their second birthday, and then we require them to breed and wean a calf every year throughout their lifetime. Any cow that fails to do so is culled. Another area we emphasize in herdsire selection is the age of the dam: Bulls out of first-calf heifers or an older cow that has never missed pack a significant genetic punch. If your current provider is cutting corners—calving year-round, letting cows miss or holding heifers to breed later—think carefully about their commitment to herd fertility.

Adaptability

Two geographic halves basically divide the U.S. cattle industry: farmer-feeders in the northern states and grass-ranchers in the southern states. While there is nothing wrong with either group, they clearly require different genetics for production success. At Isa Beefmasters, we run our herd outside, on grass, year-round, with minimal supplement—just as you probably do. We raise calves without creep feed so weaning weights are a true measure of a cow’s performance. The cow’s unique ability to convert grass to protein is what makes her the superstar of food production. As grass-ranchers, we must identify the genetics that can convert most effectively.

Though Beefmasters are thought of as heat-tolerant cattle—and they truly excel in harsh, hot conditions—they are actually very adaptable cattle. Our home base, San Angelo, Texas, is characterized by a dry climate, with extremely hot summers and fairly cold winters. Cows must be able to tolerate 110-degree summer days but also the occasional snow or ice storm with wind chills in the single digits Fahrenheit. We have a lot of success selling genetics throughout the tropical regions of the world because our cattle adapt so easily, but the nice little surprise is how well they also do in cold climates, such as our northern states.

Health is another critical component of adaptability. Healthiness can take many forms such as insect resistance, respiratory health and resistance to infirmities such as pinkeye and foot rot. Ask anyone who has run both Beefmasters and other breeds, and they’ll tell you Beefmasters are exceptionally healthy cattle. Their hardiness extends from the ranch to the beef chain, where the feeder calves enjoy exceptional health, a primary driver in profitability. I attribute this to more than 80 years of selection using the Six Essentials, which pinpoints hardier, healthier genetics.

Performance Evaluation

The bulls we sell undergo a unique, yearlong performance test. Our test is comprised of two gain test phases: one on grass and one on feed. These phases mimic the production cycle of a feeder calf and demonstrates a bull’s genetics for growth in each phase. Many competing breeds are put on feed at weaning until they are sold. This “help” does a disservice both to the bull and to the buyer, masking the bull’s true capabilities.

We do a yearling carcass sonogram on every animal we raise and have since the technology became available many years ago. This technology allows us to measure intramuscular fat (IMF), or marbling, and ribeye area (REA), or muscling, enabling us to select individuals that excel in these important drivers of carcass value.

Isa Beefmasters recently put two sets of heifers through the Growsafe Feed Efficiency Test, which measures individual feed intake to give an indicator of feed efficiency, or conversion. I always knew in my heart that our Beefmasters were efficient cattle, but I think the results from the Genetic Development Center in Navasota, Texas, speak for themselves, with one of our heifers earning the #1 Feed Efficiency Index out of 335 head and 17 breeds. Isa Beefmasters also placed four of the top 10 individuals in the test for Efficiency Index and six of the top 11 for Residual Feed Intake (RFI). To have outperformed so many cattle in so many competing breeds is a wonderful validation of our cattle selection efforts over the past 80-plus years.

Another facet of performance evaluation is DNA technology, which we have used for many years for sire identification, allowing us to breed in multiple-sire herds and still maintain accurate pedigrees. This multi-sire approach ensures accuracy when selecting for bull libido and their ability to breed in competition with other bulls, which is pretty unique among registered programs. DNA technology today has advanced to the point that we now have Genomic Enhanced EPDs. This new specificity layers DNA markers for various traits over the traditional phenotypic measurements, giving us greatly increased EPD accuracies in young cattle with no progeny. Genomic Enhanced EPDs ensure much greater predictability when selecting bulls to improve your herd genetically. In addition, the current DNA allows us to parent-verify both sire and dam, giving you total confidence in the pedigrees you are selecting.

We are currently participating in several ongoing carcass progeny tests, validating our top sire lines’ strengths in gains, grade, yield and hardiness. Watch for these results to be published soon!

As you can see, there is a great deal that goes into a “program,” and we constantly work to stay ahead of changes and innovations in the beef industry. We strive to test all our cattle for genetic value using every available technology, ensuring your investment in Isa Beefmaster genetics moves the needle in a positive direction for your herd.

From the Fall 2018 issue of the Isa Informer

Beef Week ’18 offers view from Down Under

By Lorenzo Lasater, President

I recently travelled to Rockhampton, Australia, for Beef Week 2018, the country’s massive national cattle event held every three years. Following are some of my experiences and observations.

I was honored to travel with a great group of guys, including Texas Department of Ag personnel, Beefmaster breeders and BBU staff. We covered a lot of ground, had a lot of fun and, I think, represented Beefmaster breeders and Texas very well.

The Beef Week expo is huge—including a large cattle display, trade show and many educational seminars and networking opportunities. Held once every three years, the expo lasts only five days, so they take it very seriously and everyone is there.

Australia is a place of fantastic scale in terms of cattle ranching. In the hot, dry northern regions of the country, ranches, or “stations” as they call them, often exceed a million acres. During my short time there, I met two commercial operators with herds exceeding 100,000 head. The largest ranching enterprise, the Australian Agriculture Co. (AACo), is estimated to own 17 million acres and run 656,000 cows. I am certain there is nothing even close to that in the United States.

Australia’s climate is the reverse of ours, with cooler climates in the south and very dry and hot conditions in the north. The southern operators can get away with Angus genetics just like our northern counterparts in the US. But in the north, the Brahman is king. They crossbreed with adapted breeds such as Droughtmasters and Santa Gertrudis. The King Ranch once had a major ranching enterprise in Australia, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more registered “Santa” herds in Australia than the US.

During the Beef Week expo, I attended an interesting panel discussion surrounding Australia’s export supply chain. Australia exports 70% of their domestic production, and they have both grain-fed markets such as the E.U. and Asia, grass-fed markets such as Indonesia and the United States, and feeder cattle exports for the Middle East. Their industry is much more focused on export markets than the US, but we have the luxury of a huge domestic population with a taste for high-quality beef. While exports are tremendously important, they occupy many niches, such as prime beef to Asia and variety meats we don’t eat to several countries, so we are not as laser-focused on them at the grass-roots level.

Because of their heavy reliance on export, Australia has a very solid national ID and traceability plan. It is as common as a number ID for us. Despite my distaste for anything government-run, I think the US beef industry would be smart to be more proactive in this area. The global market demands it, and we are being a bit shortsighted to resist. We must have traceability to ensure accountability and the ability to quickly control disease outbreaks.

I also watched a presentation by David Johnston of Queensland’s Nudgee College that was one of the most interesting university studies I have seen. They took genetics from high-profile cattle programs and created test herds of Brahman, Santa Gertrudis and Droughtmasters—the dominant heat-tolerant breeds in Australia. They have recently incorporated some Beefmaster genetics and I think will expand that, so we have an opportunity to show what our cattle can do. They keep the females as replacements and are studying which breeds—and genetics within breeds—can adapt to the tough conditions and still breed on schedule.

Next we attended a fed steer contest and sale. It featured grass-fed steers and grain-finished steers of two common lengths, 70 days and 100 days. It was great to see how good those grass-fed animals could finish. A three-year-old grass-fat steer weighing 1800 pounds is an impressive sight!

Neil Donaldson, the Executive VP of the Droughtmaster Association, gave an excellent presentation about the development of the breed and their status today. Droughtmasters enjoy a very strong market in northern Australia, with very enviable sale prices for their commercial and seedstock bulls. There are many parallels between Droughtmasters and Beefmasters. In fact, Droughtmasters founder John Atkinson visited both my grandfather and Jan Bonsma of South Africa, all of whom developed national breeds in roughly the same era.

We had a meeting with the Droughtmaster Board of Directors to explore areas in which we might collaborate. Although the breeds share many similarities, they have divergent international market share, so I think there may be real opportunity to work together against the common enemy.

The animal rights movement has had a frightening effect on the Aussie beef industry. Activists have successfully pressured their largest export client, Indonesia, to enforce rules to phase out horns (and dehorning!) on cattle by 2025. This regulation obviously has dramatic implications for horned breeds. They are rapidly turning them polled, but at what I believe to be a cost. The polled gene has been linked to poor prepuce structure. Although I believe polled has its place, the rush to achieve polled quickly through indiscriminate selection can have a negative impact, as we often see in other breeds.

Another key difference between US and Aussie industries is the presence of hormones, which they don’t use—again because of their export markets. It is my belief that we have done ourselves a disservice by insisting on the continued use of hormones when our customers, both at home and abroad, have plainly stated they don’t like them. It doesn’t really matter what science may say about their safety—“the customer is always right.”

Additionally, I experienced some interesting new technology while in Australia. I got my first view of a “virtual fence,” something probably not unique to Australia. The fence consists of a collar placed on an animal with GPS controlling their location. Imagine the grazing management and handling this would allow, not to mention the possible maintenance and construction savings over the long term!

Something else I encountered that you probably would not find in the US is automatic cattle sorting. Many ranches sell grass-fattened steers straight off the ranch (oh, that we were so lucky!). Ranches constantly sort the loads as they reach desired weight. A scale unit automatically weighs each animal as it comes in to water. If the animal is above the desired weight, a gate opens to sort it off, allowing those underweight to remain in the pasture. A fabulous labor savings and stress-free way to accomplish this task!

Speaking of labor, Australia is the only place I have visited whose labor costs are even higher than ours. They have a very “union-style” labor setup in which every employee receives high pay, low hours in the form of a 37-hour workweek, and four weeks of paid vacation annually. This kind of pay scale makes it very difficult to hire low-skill agricultural workers, so the Australian ranchers are very focused on labor savings.

Australians are tremendously friendly folks, as is usually the case with ranchers worldwide. We share many challenges with our “mates” around the world, and yet we both face some unique ones. There is no doubt the Australian ranchers are both cowboys and cowmen. I really enjoyed my time there and hope to get back to see more of “the Outback.”