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From the Fall 2007 issue of the Isa Informer

Data maps road to success

Lorenzo Lasater serves on the BBU Board of Directors and sits on the Breed Improvement and Commercial Marketing Committees. The following article, written by Lorenzo, appeared in the July 2007 edition of the Beefmaster Cowman.

The BBU Performance Committee is pleased to introduce a new series called “Performance Matters.” We plan to bring to you a variety of topics relating to the many facets of using performance to improve your cattle, strengthen our breed and add to your bottom line. These articles will be written by industry experts as well as your fellow breeders in various parts of the country who are engaged in the Beefmaster business in many different ways.

So why does Performance Matter?

• To compete with other breeds, we must demonstrate Beefmasters’ excellence through performance data.
• As seedstock producers, we each have a responsibility to examine the relative genetic merit of the cattle we raise.
• This is a business, and we will receive more income, both in the near and far terms, for cattle with performance behind them.
• We can only make good breeding decisions if we know where we’ve been and where we hope to go.

Performance in cattle can mean many things: It could be an animal’s ability to gain weight, a cow’s skill at raising a good calf and rebreeding in a 365-day period, or the type of growth traits a semen bull will bring to your herd. Basically, we are looking for ways to measure the genetic potential of cattle to excel in many different traits, and collecting performance data on our cattle allows us to measure where we’ve been and plan for where we’d like to go.

The old saying goes “We cannot change what we cannot measure.” This is absolutely true in cattle breeding. BBU’s Weights and Measures program provides a critical tool in measuring the performance of our own cattle and the breed as a whole. One of the important goals of your Breed Improvement Committee is to increase our members’ use of W&M. As of today, only 12% of our members participate in W&M. There is good news though—57% of all cattle registered have a weaning weight turned in. This means we need to do a better job of educating and including our members with fewer cattle.

If you don’t already have one, call BBU today and ask for a Weights and Measures handbook. It has all the background information to help you be successful with your in-herd performance program. If you have a handbook, but haven’t read it in a while, please do so. It really is helpful.

There are some important changes coming in the way BBU handles its performance data, which will improve the ease-of-use of our performance tools and also enhance the quality of our breed-wide database. We plan to use this space to provide detailed explanations of how to use these new innovations to improve your cattle and your business. An important thing to keep in mind is that all of these programs are voluntary. They are there to help you improve your cattle and the breed as a whole. It is up to you to participate and the breed needs your help!

The Six Essentials provides Beefmaster breeders the perfect roadmap by which to raise productive, beautiful, profitable and high-performing cattle. Selection for different traits allows us to push our herd in the direction we wish, but we must always strive for balance. It is critically important that we never get caught up in the trap of single-trait selection.

The Breed Improvement Committee appreciates your taking the time to read this column, and we look forward to bringing you articles about performance that will be interesting and useful to your business. If we work together we can continually improve the quality of Beefmaster cattle and the breed’s stature in the cattle industry. Now, get out there and weigh some calves!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Lorenzo Lasater named civic leader of the year

By Jayna Boyle
San Angelo Standard-Times
Thursday, July 26, 2007

Lorenzo Lasater wants to make local education as efficient as he is.

He manages four businesses and leads volunteer groups at the First Presbyterian Church, Lasater also is involved with business and ranching associations, makes time for his family and puts extra effort into improving the way education prepares local youths for the work force.

As the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce chairman in 2006, Lasater developed an education task force to create a round-table discussion among Angelo State University, Howard College, the San Angelo Independent School District and the business community.

Partly because of his work spearheading the education initiative, Lasater recently was named Civic Leader of the Year by the Leadership San Angelo Alumni Association.

He said his parents instilled in him the importance of giving back, and improving education is something that he says can benefit the whole community.

“My goal is to bring every kid up a notch,” Lasater said. “It makes a better work force, more taxpayers and better-trained employees who can provide better for their families.”

Lasater, 39, who has two sons, said working to improve education can be frustrating because making progress is slow and it is difficult to see results. Those qualities are part of what draws him to the challenge.

By bringing all the city’s major education entities together for discussion, Lasater said, he hopes to be able to create a type of career academy. Such a program would allow students as young as high school freshmen to choose a career path and, through dual credit, earn an associate’s degree by the time they graduate high school.

When students graduate, they would have the option of continuing with schooling or entering the work force as a skilled professional.

“We want to inspire kids to stay in high school,” Lasater said. “I think a lot of students drop out of school because it doesn’t speak to them. But you can’t quit high school and get a job that will support a family.”

While the career academy goal is in its beginning stages, Lasater said the dual-credit focus is mainly on the fields of health care and auto technology.

LeAnne Byrd, chief academic officer for Howard College-San Angelo, said that although the technical and vocational school already was working with the local school district, Lasater has made the work easier and has brought all local education organizations to the table.

“He has done an outstanding job of bringing business to education,” Byrd said. “At a time when everyone else is busy, he keeps us engaged and on track.”

For the career academy to succeed, Lasater said, all involved groups need to be actively involved in discussions. He said the business community will be responsible for identifying which areas of the local economy need more employees so that the academy can focus its training in the needed areas.

Byrd said Lasater is good about listening to each group’s concerns and seeing how those issues interplay with the rest of the group.

“As an educator, it’s exciting to see someone in business want to make this work,” Byrd said. “He cares, and that shows whenever he’s around you.”

Leslie Lasater, Lorenzo Lasater’s wife, said her husband’s strengths include his ability to multitask and his dependability. She said he loves to take on new challenges.

“The more work you give him, the better he does,” Leslie Lasater said.
She said he is a natural leader because he is good at communicating with people and getting along with different personalities.

Lorenzo Lasater credits his subtle, non-threatening approach to civic work as the quality that allows him to be a natural leader.

“I’m effective at working with and organizing people,” he said.

Lasater got involved in the local business scene in the 1990s, when his ranch work was suffering because of a drought. He started the print shop Company Printing some 12 years ago as a measure to diversify his business interests.

He still does ranch work and has a business that involves raising deer to stock deer-huntingranches. He also has expanded his endeavors to include the local photography business Image Arts, as well as a packaging business in Mexico.

“It suits my personality to do a lot of different things,” Lasater said. Phil Neighbors, the Chamber of Commerce president, said Lasater is easygoing and fun to work with.

“He keeps meetings short and to the point, but makes sure they’re all-inclusive,” Neighbors said. “He involves everyone in the discussion and always has action and follow-up on his agenda.”

For now, Lasater said much of the work to improve local education is still conceptual. He knows it is going to be a long-term effort that — with any luck — never will be finished.

“You can always make education better,” Lasater said, “if you’re honest with yourself.”

From the Spring 2007 issue of the Isa Informer

The truth about ethanol

The TCFA newsletter of January 5, 2007, says environmentalists now claim ethanol subsidies cost the equivalent of $500 per metric ton of CO2 removed. Cattle Fax writes that on a $90 fed market, $4 corn will make 550 lb. calves worth 20 cents less per pound than $3 corn.

Following is what the Wall Street Journal of May 10, 2006, reports (courtesy Dale Lasater):

“Unfortunately, congressional subsidies for biomass are driven by farm-state politics rather than by a technology-development effort that might offer a practical liquid fuel alternative to oil. Meanwhile, major oil and chemical companies are evaluating biomass and investors are chasing biomass investment opportunities. But how much of this is predictable?

Biomass can be divided into two classes: food-crop and cellulosic. Natural enzymes can easily break down food-crop biomass such as corn to simple sugars, and ferment these sugars to ethanol. Cellulosic biomass—which includes agricultural residues from food crops, wood and crops such as switch grass—cannot easily be “digested” by natural enzymes.

… In the U.S., cultivation of corn is highly energy-intensive and a significant amount of oil and natural gas is used in growing, fertilizing and harvesting it. Moreover, there is a substantial energy requirement—much of it supplied by diesel or natural gas—for the fermentation and distillation process that converts corn to ethanol. These petroleum inputs must be subtracted when calculating the net amount of oil that is displaced by the use of ethanol in gasohol. While there is some quarreling among experts, it is clear that it takes two-thirds of a gallon of oil to make a gallon equivalent of ethanol from corn. Thus one gallon of ethanol used in gasohol displaces perhaps one-third of a gallon of oil or less.

… A federal tax credit of 10 cents per gallon on gasohol, therefore, costs the taxpayer a hefty $120 per barrel of oil displaced cost. Surely it is worthwhile to look for cheaper ways to eliminate oil.

… Rising real prices of oil and natural gas reflect in part the progressive decline in low-cost reserves, and signal the wisdom of preparing now for a long transition from our petroleum-based economy. Almost certainly, future economies will exploit all possible technology options for replacing petroleum-based liquid fuels, especially technologies that do not produce net carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas. Biomass should, properly, be considered along with nuclear power and coal conversion with carbon capture and sequestration as important options, for future energy supply.”

Maybe the cattle industry should have been fighting ethanol rather than wasting our resources on a mandatory national ID program.

From the Fall 2005 issue of the Isa Informer

“I won’t bother you about black bulls again”

I’d like to share with you a funny story involving our longtime friends and customers, the Wedgeworths of Carthage, Texas. They raise straight Beefmaster commercial cows and have bought excellent-quality Isa Cattle Company bulls for years. They keep all their heifers and feed all their calves in the Panhandle.

Last year, their feedyard had a new manager, fresh from Kansas. When he saw the calves, he started in about how they needed to use black bulls, how the cattle would have a high cost of gain, etc., etc. Jody said, “Thanks. Now feed them.”

About halfway through the feed period, the manager called and was surprised to report that the Wedgeworth calves were boasting a cost of gain of around .48 cents, placing them in the top 10% of all calves in the Panhandle!

You Beefmaster folks know the rest of the story—the Wedgeworth Beefmaster steers hit a home run! Of the 164 head, only one died, they gained 3.8 pounds per day at a cost of .47 cents. They sold for $84 and netted the ranch $652 after interest. The first pen was bought by National Farms, and, unfortunately, Jody wasn’t able to get the carcass data. He knows it was good, though, because National Farms returned to buy the other pen a week later.

After it was all over, the feedyard manager from Kansas told Jody, “I’m not going to bother you about black bulls anymore.”

Congratulations to the Wedgeworths on not chasing fads, not taking discounts and maximizing their profitability in all phases of their business!

From the Fall 2004 issue of the Isa Informer

What is going on in the industry?
(Besides good markets and good rains in a lot of places)

Seedstock Digest, in a recent newsletter, said, “The consensus seems to be that the next trend will be on identifying and propagating maternal excellence, while others are pointing towards feed efficiency as one of the next trends that will drive breeding decisions.”

Well, Hello! Tom Lasater realized in 1931 that practical fertility in low-cost, large-scale operations was the key to profitability. Subsequent experience has shown that selecting for maternal excellence results also in outstanding feedlot performance (gainability and livability), as well as results in the packing house (hot carcass, yield, tenderness, and cutability).

The calves sired by the bulls you buy here will outperform anything you can buy anywhere—on the ranch, in the feedlot and in the meat.

Our family’s 140-plus years of ranching experience can back up this statement.

The American Gelbvieh Association says the following about Single Trait Selection:

• In the 1980s, selection for frame score resulted in hard-doing females, increased calving problems and fertility problems.
• The new fad is marbling, whose relation to tenderness is questionable.
• High-marbling cattle have lost big money due to higher feed cost and more external fat.
• Balanced multi-trait selection is the proven way to breed profitable cattle.

Tom Lasater and his followers have never deviated from selection for the Six Essentials, which is the only viable Standard of Excellence.

From the Fall 2003 issue of the Isa Informer

Questions provide keys to success

How do Beefmasters perform in the feedlot and packinghouse?

Very well. Our cattle will equal or surpass what any other breed can do. We are unique among seedstock producers in having fed and slaughtered a large number of our breed’s steer calves.Between l989 and l994, NewBeef fed 10,886 Beefmaster steer calves in two feedlots in the Texas Panhandle. The cattle were purchased as calf-crops from all over the U.S. and Mexico, and most were sold on formulas to Excel and IBP. The steers were fed a high-quality, corn-based ration in two well-managed yards. Beefmasters are consistent and predictable and equaled or exceeded industry standards in every important category. (See the results at right.)

In my 40 years of selling Beefmaster bulls, I have been asked many times about optimizing profits, how the market is made and retained ownership. I thought I’d answer a few of these questions and include the data on Beefmasters’ performance.

What should my bull-buying strategy be?

The bull business is very competitive, and good bulls, like computer software, are readily available at reasonable prices. Don’t even think of buying bulls from a breeder who does not have a short breeding season. His cattle are not productive. Purchase seedstock from people who have better cattle than you.Buy bulls that have been through a large, valid peer-group performance test. Use whatever numbers are important to you. Performance-testing is nothing more than an accounting system for genetic potential.

What is the price of admission/to the cattle business?

One load (50,000 lbs.) of properly immunized calves or yearlings to sell or feed. They can be steers and heifers mixed, and you can even team up with a neighbor, if you both buy performance-tested bulls and use the same 90-day breeding season.

How do you make a profit in the cattle business?

By retaining ownership of all your steers and heifers at least through the yearling stage when they weigh 750 to 850 lbs. Breed at least 80% of your heifers for replacements or sell them as replacements. Don’t ever sell over 20% of your heifers as feeders.

What is the most important management tool in the ranching industry?

The use of a 90-day breeding season which, over time, eliminates low-performers of both sexes and gives a uniform product to sell. Cows exposed over 90 days don’t calve every year. Calve every year! If you breed at l3 months and breed for a short season, you will eliminate genetic non-producers and low-producers. Nature will size your cows to fit your environment. You can still select for muscle, and natural selection will eliminate those families too heavily-muscled for calving ease.

What effect will using mediocre bulls have on my profits?

Mediocre bulls mean no profits. You will have a low-producing cow herd, which will command no premium if you decide to sell. Your steer calves will not command a premium because they will not be known as good performers.

Why is quality grade of so little importance?

Young, quality cattle fed to finish on a corn ration produce uniformly desirable lean, tender carcass. Calf-feds, the most desirable, grade lower than yearling-feds. This is taken into account in the market. The market has abandoned the grading system.Calves put on feed at weaning convert efficiently and develop tender carcasses with more muscle and less fat due to being earlier in their growth curve than cattle fed as yearling.

How do you increase net income off a given operation?

By increasing gross. Eliminate sale of low-dollar categories, such as feeder heifer calves, and thin cull cows in the fall.

What is a commercial feedlot?

A feedlot is a service/financial institution that sells feed and lends money. They are a valuable marketing and financial alternative as they’ll feed and finance anything you want, 365 days a year.

What are the components of price and profitability in order of importance under a value-based marketing system?

Here they are according to several publications:

• Feed Conversion—Cost of Gain
• Dressing Percentage
• Days on Feed
• Cutability – Yield Grade – % salable meat
• Quality Grade

What shots should I give my calves?

It is important that they receive the following shots at about three months:
7-Way Blackleg
4-Way Viral (IBR, BVD, P13, BRSV)
Pasturella/Somnus (we recommend Poly-Bac B-Somnus)

Regardless of your plans at weaning, if you don’t give these shots, your calves will be vulnerable if stressed (and they will be).

From the producers’ perspective, what are the two biggest advances in the last 20 years?

Video sales and formula-pricing. Video sales put the competent small producer on the same marketing footing as the large producer. Formula-selling opened the way for value-based marketing by establishing the magnitude of the difference in value between the good ones and the bad ones.

Laurence M. Lasater,
Chairman

From the Winter 2003 issue of the Isa Informer

Rigorous breeding ensures success

Tom Lasater is justly famous for developing the Six Essentials—Disposition, Fertility, Weight, Conformation, Hardiness and Milk Production. It is well-understood that fertility is “first among equals in importance.” Many people in the cattle business do not understand the genetic, performance and economic implications of true management of a cow herd for fertility.If Dad were operating today, he’d probably agree that a fertile cow is one that has an acceptable calf at 24 months of age and every 365 days thereafter, in a low-cost production scheme. A 365-day calving interval means one breeding season of fewer than 90 days.

We wean our heifers at about 7 months old, weighing some 550 pounds, and we keep about 90% of them. They are developed post-weaning in a low-cost, cake-on-grass regime and exposed to our newest herd bulls for 60 days beginning the same day as their mothers- every cow is in the same calving slot as her mother, grandmother, and so on. This competitive environment gives us a cost-effective, high-turnover operation with a young herd in which every female generates income every year.

There are hidden benefits to this program. During the last 10 years, we’ve seen our cattle improve dramatically due to natural selection by drought. We run a high-powered performance operation in a hostile environment. Our herd is a unique combination of Lasater, Casey, Musser, Newsome, Sanders and Broussard genetics. We use performance as our main criteria in bull selection and demand productivity in our females. We run a low-cost operation on leased land, which means these cattle hustle for a living. It is important to understand that fertility, as defined above, also impacts feedlot and carcass performance. Tom Lasater began weighing his bull calves in 1936 and adopted his famous “calf-a-year” program in 1948. We can thank him for the outstanding performance of Beefmasters at the feedlot and carcass level, as exemplified by L Bar 5502.

We consider nature as an ally in natural selection. When you buy L Bar genetics, you’re buying a genetic and management legacy that dates back more than 125 years.

Laurence M. Lasater,
Chairman

From the Winter 2003 issue of the Isa Informer

Eight items some of us have forgotten

• A cow is a scavenger, which converts grass to protein-rich, nutrient-dense beef. She can do this with a minimal supplement of protein and minerals and no grain. Our national cow herd is an important part of our dwindling industrial infrastructure and a vital element in the critical issue of watershed management.
• A cow-man is anyone who correctly fits his cows to his environment, i.e., they breed young, and reproduce themselves with minimal expense.
• The environment and the task assigned to the cow determines ultimately the genetic finished weight of her steer progeny coming out of the feedlot.
• It just so happens that beef cattle, which calve 24 months over several generations, under practical management, will produce steer progeny that genetically finish at the desired 1050-1250 weight, regardless of their environment of origin.
• Cows that are required to be productive will put down enough back-fat to winter, calve and breed back under reasonable conditions. It just so happens that their steer progeny will, if fed a high-quality finishing ration starting at weaning, have just the right amount of intramuscular fat for tenderness and palatability.
• Cattle selected for weight-for-age at weaning under practical conditions, will be heavy-weaning, heavy-milking, fertile, good-converting, high-cutability cattle. Cattle selected for weight-for-age as yearlings improve more rapidly that those selected for weaning weight.
• It is said that a heifer can have a calf weighing about 7% of her body-weight. If the average heifer weighs 950-1000 at calving, that means that we need calves averaging 65-70 pounds at birth or less. A bull that cannot be bred to heifers should not be bred to cows.
• A cow from any beef breed adapted to her environment for several generations, from a line of females that calves at 24 months, bred for 90 days or less to a bull of the same breed that has been performance-tested under practical conditions will produce feeder steers at or above the 90th percentile industry-wide and an optimum heifer calf to keep or sell. If you really want to know what your cattle are worth, retain ownership of your steers, take them through the feedlot and sell them on the formula to IBP.

—Laurence M. Lasater,
Chairman

From the Fall 2002 issue of the Isa Informer

Choice cuts from BIF convention

I recently attended the Beef Improvement Federation Convention in Omaha. The theme was “Focus on Efficiency.” Following are a few nuggets I picked up that you may find interesting.

• We currently have a grading system, which simultaneously rewards the production of fat (grade) and lean (yield).
• Don’t lose the value of heterosis by turning them all black.
• Don’t harm the cow’s ability to convert low quality forage.
• Efficiency measures the effectiveness of resource allocation.
• As you increase the genetic potential for performance, you increase your costs.
• The tonnage of beef produced today is the same as the 1970s—with 23% fewer cows.
• A 10% change in feed efficiency will improve feedlot efficiency by 48%.
• More efficient cattle lay down their gains as lean.
• We must select for optimal—not maximum— performance in a given trait or, better yet, a set of traits.

Lorenzo Lasater,
President

From the Winter 2001 issue of the Isa Informer

Living up to the legacy

Her name is Broussard 72929. It’s not a fancy name, and she’s not a particularly fancy cow. But if I had 1000 cows like this one, ranching would be simple and very profitable.72929 has basically doubled the life expectancy of a commercial cow in a calf-a-year program. She’s probably quadrupled the productive value of cows not having a calf each year. She’s lived through an extended drought, moved from Florida to Texas, and outlived many of her offspring. All the while she has quietly done just exactly what I need her to: breed in 60 days and have a calf each and every year.

In short, she has paid a monster dividend back to the ranch, not only in her 13 calves, but also by leaving her terrific longevity to the herd. So, how do we get these cows? They don’t happen by accident. It takes a dedicated breeding program with an intense selection for fertility.Beginning over 70 years ago, my grandfather gave us a set of ideas collectively known as the Lasater Philosophy. These provide us with a very simple blueprint for working with nature to generate maximum genetic improvement and economic benefit within our main asset, our cowherd.

The one simple rule that any cattleperson can employ is to demand that their cows have a calf every year, on schedule, in a short season. This gives us a host of benefits, like fertile bulls that are aggressive breeders, calves that mature early, and steers that hang the right-sized, tender carcass.A specific example of those benefits is 72929 and the great job she’s done for our herd.

I wanted to tell you this story because it gives you a glimpse into programs behind the cattle represented in the Beefmaster Female Fiesta. This will be a unique and unprecedented opportunity to acquire Foundation genetics from three of the largest and oldest Beefmaster herds in existence. And all three religiously practice the philosophy that gave birth to a wonderful cow like 72929.I look forward to seeing you at the Fiesta. Long live long-lived cows!

Lorenzo Lasater,
President

From the Winter 2001 issue of the Isa Informer

Information enhances genetics

By Brandon R. Pilcik
BBU Director of Services

Genetic improvement strategies for beef cattle production have taken many forms over the years. For a time, the “eyeball” technique was the only accepted and available method for making selection decisions. Fortunately, cattle breeders have embraced an information “revolution” of sorts, fueling progress in genetic improvement and commercial acceptability.

The selection tools available to today’s breeder are not only impressive, they are essential. Competitive producers can now reap greater rewards than ever before by incorporating objective measurements into their selection decisions. From the cow/calf producer to the stocker operator, to the feedyard, to the packer, to the retail store, and on to the consumer, documented performance information is driving change and providing breeders with tools for profit.

The initial concept for utilizing performance information involved charting growth performance in specific breeds. This opened the door for the development of genetic predictions in the form of Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs). Beefmaster seedstock providers and those who utilize Beefmaster genetics in commercial scenarios have the opportunity to use these genetic predictions to compare animals fairly from different herds, years and locations. From a population standpoint, this information is a vital tool in making genetic improvement, because it truly is effective. Down the road, additional tools such as DNA and ultrasound information will play a greater role in assisting breeders in making effective mating decisions.

As challenging as today’s marketplace can be at times, both seedstock and commercial breeders are hungry to achieve greater efficiency in the quest for higher returns. Recent advances in genetic prediction methodologies have translated into greater accuracy and less risk in the area of genetic management. Most importantly, Beefmaster cattlemen are becoming more involved and vigilant in collecting, reporting, and utilizing standardized performance records as tools for genetic improvement. As a result of this determination, Beefmaster breeders are developing a more objective description of Beefmaster cattle in general.

For more information regarding performance data, genetic prediction technology, and Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) breed improvement programs, call the BBU office at (210) 732 3132.

From the Fall 1999 issue of the Isa Informer

The Isa Performance Test Handbook

The Isa Cattle Co. performance test and sale is the largest in the Beefmaster industry and is unique in many ways. The bulls offered each year represent the top 35% of approximately 600 bull calves weaned. Not a single bull has been topped off. You can buy the absolute best we know how to produce.This is the 38th group [1999] of bulls that have been tested in this format. The data we provide, combined with the way it is collected and careful appraisal, has proven to be an extremely accurate way to select the best bulls in each price range.

The first eight months of the test are spent under practical ranch conditions, growing frame and developing the athleticism so critical to the bulls’ performance in difficult environments. We then finish with a 50-day Gain Test on a low-energy ration, which is scientifically designed to show genetic differences in gainability without getting the bulls too fat. Our customers from all parts of the world will tell you these bulls hold up when you get them home.

Format Caters to Customers

Our sale format is planned for our customers. We sell the two age groups, long-yearlings and twos, in roughly descending order of quality. The bulls are penned and cataloged in sale order, which means that each buyer can target the area of the sale corresponding to their budget without jumping from page to page in the catalog. The producers in the Isa group hand-pick the first 30 bulls as suitable for use in registered herds.

As the sale progresses, the price goes down, which means a volume buyer can “average down” during the event. The bulls are excellent quality throughout the sale, so you have only to mark off those that do not suit your needs, and then let your target average price determine which bulls you buy. The biggest mistake buyers make is not starting to buy early in the sale.

Isa’s Unconditional Guarantee

Countless Isa customers have told us how much they appreciate the simplicity of the sale, which allows them to focus on the business at hand. All of the bulls have a complete health background, are fertility tested and ready for service. And they are backed up by the Isa guarantee. While others say their bulls are guaranteed, we back it up.

Wealth of Information in Sale Catalog

Except for birthweights, all of the performance data in the catalog is gathered by Isa Cattle Co., and each set of measurements is taken in a one-day period. This enables all bulls to have an equal chance to show their potential. We believe that the off-test weight, ribeye and scrotal measurements within each brand group are key. Our breeders have paid for measurement of over 4,000 ribeyes.

We list each bull’s dam in the catalog, and the first digit of her number corresponds to her year of birth. We believe that the age of the dam is very important and is basic to our selection process. An outstanding son of a 2- or 3-year-old dam shows exceptional potential. The outstanding son of an older cow carries longevity in his genes, one of the most important traits economically.The producers in our group have made a heavy investment in DNA testing to identify the sires. This enables us to track what the bulls are doing, while still putting selection pressure on libido by using multi-sire herds. Using multi-sire herds and requiring heifers to calve at 24 months set Lasater genetics apart from all other cattle families.

Quality of Bulls Validates Test

The proof of the validity of the Isa Cattle Co. Performance Test lies in the great semen bulls that have come out of this program: L Bar 8443, L Bar 9239, L Bar 1175, L Bar 1164, L Bar 5502, L Bar 6171 and L Bar 7303. L Bar 8443 is now in the BBU Sire Summary among the top 15 for yearling weight. Even more important, he is second in that group for birthweight.We are proud to sell top-quality, tough, well-grown-out bulls in a user-friendly format to professional cattlemen, and we provide complete after-the-sale marketing assistance to those desiring it.

From the Spring 1999 issue of the Isa Informer

Industry Problems Need Answers

After 36 years in this great industry of ours, I am concerned that we still are not effectively dealing with the problems concerning our profitability and market share.Lorenzo and I put together a series of basic questions and answers relating to the status of the ranching industry as the millennium approaches. What are your thoughts? We’d like to know.

Why does our industry consistently refuse to do what the customer asks?
“Why don’t we quit using hormones?”

from Weekly Livestock Reporter “From our mailbag”
(March 3, 1999)

Dear Pat:

It seems perfectly obvious and logical to me that the answer to the European Community ban on U.S. beef, because of U.S. using hormones in our beef, is to stop using hormones in the U.S. beef.The European Community could buy our beef; and U.S. consumers could also “feel safe” eating our beef. After all, perception is “truth.”the only ones to lose are the pharmaceutical companies who produce the stuff, and importers – who may be forced to label their meat not knowing for sure if the meat had hormones in it.

Are we really trying to please our buying public with the Quality Assurance Program or is this just more lip service?

I really don’t think the Political Action Committee money these pharmaceutical companies give the NCA/NCBA has anything to do with their refusal to see hormones as a problem in U.S. beef – do you?

According to Beef Today, January 1999 Page 12-13, the NCA/NCBA has given us “one of our own kind” to try to hold the ship together. As I see it – it was a Boston Tea Party for the Beef Referendum funds to be assumed by the NCA/NCBA without a general producer vote. According to the article, there are a million U.S. cattle producers, but only NCA members who showed up at the convention could vote on the NCA taking the Checkoff funds. Then NCA/NCBA gave a $250,000 award last January to Harris Ranch Beef for a beef recipe. It used to be that the National Beef Cookoff was the Promotional Force where money was awarded to non-beef producers for their recipes of beef. The article state “85% of the operating revenue is derived from checkoff dollars” for the NCBA. NCBA claims most producers support the checkoff, but LMA’s McBride says “if NCBA is really certain they have producer support for the checkoff, why don’t they go ahead and have a referendum? It would be a slam dunk for them. Beef producers contribute about $65 million each year.”

I pray Mr. Swan can do a good job for cattle producers in the U.S. meanwhile, the USDA has given NCBA “Lead Agency Status,” which means they are considered our spokesman – even if they don’t represent us – on national and international issues.Drovers Journal, November 1998, under NCBA legislation “International Monetary Fund approximately $18 billion dollars was secured to stabilize and foster the economies of U.S. beef importers.” Is it a coincidence that the U.S. provides 85% of the IMF funds and is promoting NAFTA/GATT and administered by our government in Washington to the detriment of us beef producers in the U.S.?

Have a nice day
Louise Ahart
Marysville, Calif.

The grading system is broken.
Why don’t we fix it?

from Feedlot Magazine
(February/Marc, 1999)

The following quotes are taken from an article called “Are the Packers To Blame” by Dr. David Porter Price.”Our grading system was designed in 1916 and has essentially remained unchanged since that time. It is a crude system originally designed to differentiate corn-fed Midwest steers from grass-fed Texas longhorns.”

“…our grading system assumes that marbling is the only determinate of quality. The reality is that marbling is only one of several aspects affecting quality.”

“…tenderness is the primary item consumers think of in terms of quality, yet our grading system does not address tenderness in an objective manner.””As it is today, packers have evolved competing on procurement and packaging. Put them on a value-based system, and their world would be turned upside down. Instead of selling #2 beef or #3 beef, they would have to genuinely identify quality.”

“The packer is not the cause of our problems. But he is the key to our future. By himself, however, he is not going to take us there. Left alone, he will take us down the same road we are on. Declining prices and market share.”

If we are so concerned with issues of consistency, why don’t we do something about it?

from The Livestock Weekly
(March 11, 1999)

Dear Sir:
I’d like to second Wade Choate’s suggestion to get cattle de-listed from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and offer one more suggestion: Do something about consistency!

Almost everyone agrees that loss of market share accounts for deteriorating real prices. To date, almost nothing has been done industry-wide to deal with inconsistency.

• Measure tenderness – Let the market speak.
• Sort finished cattle so they would stay in their segment with similar cattle with similar time on feed:
• Brahmans fed to finish.
• Beef cattle fed to finish.
• Holsteins fed to finish.
• Other cattle fed to finish (roping steers, #2 Mexicans, cutting bulls, heiferettes, etc.).

Focus all check-off money and all association personnel on segmenting finished cattle so they would stay in their slot. The grading system originated to differentiate grain-fed cattle from grass-fed cattle. That is all it does. Do something or quit complaining. The price of cattle to the producers is all that matters.

Laurence M. Lasater
San Angelo, Texas

If our cattle don’t fit the industry, why do they excel in every segment of production, feeding and slaughter?This is my report from April 24, 1989, on the sale of 1,258 steers on formula to Excel between 12/30/88 and 3/31/99 at an average premium of $3.21 per hundredweight. These were steer calves, bought as calf-crops from all over the U.S. and Mexico and placed directly on feed without preconditioning. This list is all the cattle sold. Next to the weather, our biggest problem in the cattle business is that we, the producers, refuse to get the facts straight and then to act with vigor on correction information.

Head Count Avg. Weight TCFA Bulk Choice Steers Beefmaster Price
12/30/88 114 1286 $74.57 $76.71
1/06/89 59 1,161 $74.64 $78.42
1/06/89 24 1,144 $74.64 $74.89
1/13/89 82 1,059 $74.11 $76.10
1/20/89 52 1,069 $74.70 $78.36
1/20/89 39 1,130 $74.70 $77.75
1/27/89 40 1,047 $73.80 $77.62
1/27/89 41 1,031 $73.80 $77.51
1/27/89 15 1,066 $73.80 $75.93
1/27/89 15 1,059 $73.80 $77.10
1/27/89 30 1,057 $73.80 $76.38
2/03/89 15 1,030 $74.51 $78.64
2/03/89 18 1,041 $74.51 $79.69
2/03/89 50 974 $74.51 $78.17
3/03/89 15 1,006 $78.33 $79.92
3/03/89 78 1,035 $78.33 $81.55
3/10/89 89 1,093 $78.08 $81.24
3/17/89 54 1,042 $78.40 $82.05
3/17/89 40 1,095 $78.40 $81.50
3/17/89 41 1,091 $78.40 $81.72
3/17/89 41 1,096 $78.40 $82.42
3/17/89 40 1,085 $78.40 $82.68
3/24/89 39 1,045 $78.70 $82.28
3/24/89 55 1,047 $78.70 $81.55
3/24/89 41 1,097 $78.70 $82.64
3/31/89 34 1,066 $79.81 $84.10
3/31/89 56 1,111 $79.81 $81.73
3/31/89 41 1,095 $79.81 $83.31

class=”green-text”>Why are we wasting time talking about non-existent carcass premiums?

The commercial marketing director of the American Gelbvieh Association recently stated that “feedlot performance is twice as important as carcass premiums and cost effective cows are twice as important as feedlot performance.”One of our customers in Kansas recently pastured cattle for a very high-profile breeding establishment. These were ET calves by “needle-in-the-haystack” Angus bulls. Here are the results:

• 24 calves born on commercial Angus cows
• 8 died
• 16 weaned at 463

On 36 Beefmaster cows in the same pasture, he weaned 36 calves weighing 625 lbs. The ET calves evidently got too far from the vet and the feed truck.
We make our money off cow efficiency, livability and gainability. Where do you make yours?

Why are people who have no idea what they’re talking about viewed as authorities?

from The Nevada Rancher
(January 1999)

Two years ago, Koch Beef told us they were going to revolutionize the beef industry. They did not last long. This article below is Koch’s obituary:

“Koch Beef Company of Wichita, Kan., announced Dec. 3 that ‘a strategic business decision has been made to entertain perspective buyers for some of our beef assets.’ Koch … currently operates ranches, stocker operations, and feedlots, and has an interest in some retail product ventures. ‘Koch is still very committed to the beef industry,’ said spokeswoman Mary Beth Jarvis. She said Koch and its subsidiary, Purina Mills Inc., would still seek related beef opportunities. Jarvis said Koch has recently pursued an aggressive vertical integration in the beef industry. ‘Based on our results to date, a decision has been made to exit that strategy and some of the beef businesses through a disciplined sale of some of our assets. Elements of our beef business have been, and are, profitable, but results from the integrated strategy have been disappointing.’ “

August 19, 2014

International Breeders have BIG Time in Cowtown

The Beefmaster International Group (BIG) Event brought together representatives from the Texas Department of Agriculture, Central Texas Beefmaster Breeders Association, U.S. Livestock Genetics Export Inc. and the TCU Ranch Management program in a special presentation for Central and South American cattlemen visiting the United States.

Participants from Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and South Africa attended seminars focusing on ranch management practices and performance data to help improve their beef quality and distribution. They also toured working Beefmaster cattle ranches in north Texas for field demonstrations.

In the video above, we traveled along with the international visitors to Fort Worth, Texas, and surrounding towns for the 2014 Beefmaster International Group (B.I.G.) Event! We visited with international committee co-chairman Lorenzo Lasater about the week’s events and even captured video and photos of our international guests giving testimony to Beefmasters working internationally. Enjoy and share!

For more information about Beefmaster Go International, please contact the BBU office at (210) 732 3132 or info@beefmasters.org or visit www.beefmasters.org.

To learn more about improving your herd with L Bar Beefmaster genetics, please call us at (325) 656 9126 or email us.