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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.