Seeing Stars, Part 2: Pacesetter Program

By Matt Woolfolk

In the last newsletter, I outlined the requirements and qualifications for the Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) Typesetter program. In this week’s edition, I want to bring attention to the BBU Pacesetter program. The Pacesetter program is designed to recognize Beefmaster cattle that excel in performance as part of the Weights and Measures Program. When you see one star beside the name of a sire or dam in a pedigree, this is the designation of a Pacesetter sire or dam. You may have seen these stars in the past and been unsure of what they meant. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to understand and appreciate the production goals that a sire or dam had to accomplish to receive this honored designation.

In order for a female to be recognized as a Pacesetter, she must meet all of the following requirements:

1. She must be a Second Cross or purebred Beefmaster female.
2. She must calve by 30 months of age, and this calf must be enrolled in the BBU Weights & Measures program to establish the cow’s age at calving, as well as calving interval data.
3. She must have three (3) consecutive natural calves with an average calving interval of 375 days or less, OR one (1) natural calf followed by one (1) embryo calf with a calving interval of 375 days or less.
4. She must have three (3) natural calves with weaning weight ratios of 105 or better in their respective contemporary group, OR one (1) natural calf and three (3) embryo calves with weaning weight ratios of 105 or better in their contemporary group.  To qualify, there must be at least five (5) animals in the contemporary group of each offspring.

The cow herself is not required to have individual weights and measures data for her performance of weaning weight. The cow’s calves must be enrolled in the Weights and Measures program and all of her progeny data must be entered into the program before the third calf is born.

For a sire to be recognized as a Pacesetter sire, he must sire five (5) females who have been recognized as Pacesetter dams.

As you can see, the qualifications of the Pacesetter program require a female to have her first calf on time, produce a calf that is the near the top of its contemporary group, and continue to do so in future production years. The Pacesetter program is designed to recognize hard-working, productive cows (and the bulls that sire those cows) in your herd. In order for your cattle to be recognized as Pacesetters, it’s important to be turning in your performance records to BBU! If you are not currently doing so, contact BBU today to get started on the path to Pacesetters!