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On March 13, 2014 Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) hosted guests from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania, Germany and Italy at DBL D Bar Ranch in Industry, Texas. The international guests are visiting the United States to learn about American agriculture and Beefmaster cattle. 

BBU International Committee co-chair and owner of DBL D Bar Ranch Doyle Sanders is a not a stranger to hosting international guests and this week his ranch was opened to several European visitors. An Italian cattle producer Giulio DeDonatis and his family who own and operate La Tenuta dell’Argento hotel resort located in Civitavecchia, Italy were one of the international guests hosted by the BBU international committee. DeDonatis is interested in establishing the Beefmaster breed on his ranch which is utilized to provide meat for the hotel resort’s restaurant and butcher shop.

“I like the whole breed concept of Beefmasters and I am looking for the total package,” said DeDonatis.

The other international guests are visiting the United States in coordination with the Livestock Exporters Association of the USA. Dr. Martin Sieber, Ph.D., a native German and a representative for the association is the guide for the international guests while they are in the United States. The Europeans will visit with USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, as well as agricultural businesses throughout the Midwest.

During their visit to DBL D Bar Ranch, the European visitors received a presentation on the Beefmaster breed and “the six essentials” that make Beefmasters ideal for the European diverse climates ranging from the coast of Italy to the mountains of Poland. The international guests explored the ranch on the beautiful March day and interacted with the Beefmaster animals. BBU International Committee members and BBU staff members were present to answer questions regarding the Beefmaster breed, cattle, American agriculture and United States culture.

In accordance with American culture, the visit was concluded with a meal that consisted of Beefmaster steaks that pleased the international guests with its wonderful flavor and enormous size.

“We talked a lot on our way back from the ranch about the visit. The BBU materials and “goodie bag” with all the useful information did not go unnoticed. This was a great stop on our tour and we loved the Texas hospitality,” said Sieber.

The BBU International Committee will continue conversations with the European visitors on exporting Beefmaster genetics and to make the Beefmaster a presence in their home country’s agricultural industry. This visit is just one of the many efforts that BBU is establishing for increasing international demand for Beefmaster cattle.

The BBU International Committee led by Co-Chairs Lorenzo Lasater and Doyle Sanders held a meeting this past week at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.  A lot of work has been accomplished over the past few years by this committee and the successes are paying off.  Visitors to BBU events this year during the HLSR included special foreign guests from Mexico, Colombia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Thailand, Italy, Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, and Bulgaria.  A large number of buyers at the three BBU sales during the HLSR represented almost half of the total number of lots going to Mexico at high value pricing.

Over the past two years, BBU has garnered over $1.25 million per year on export sales just to Mexico.  The Live Oak Bull Sale at Three Rivers in 2014 had half of the bulls sold to Mexican buyers from consignors from over eight states of BBU membership.  In addition, Mexican buyers have attended sales outside Texas as far as Tennessee.  BBU intends to work with our membership states with USLGE support for international marketing to increase interest in such sales in Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas, and others.

A special program is being developed to increase international sponsorship and participation from the overall membership of BBU.  The BBU “Go International Team” is being planned with incentives for sponsors to help promote their international capabilities through special recognition and participation in marketing, ranch visits, mission or reverse mission  field days, Semen Sales, and opportunities for travel with International Committee members.  Ultimately a special International Committee sale around the Best of Both Worlds theme may be developed only for international sponsor consignors.

Beefmaster cattle are increasingly in demand overseas for the genetic benefits that they provide.  Beefmasters have proven highly successful in Mexico and South Africa regions that have also resulted in invitations from Thailand in 2009 and some Central European nations in 2013.  Meeting that demand will increase market opportunities for Beefmaster breeders throughout the United States and across other foreign countries.   Every BBU member will benefit from this participation under the BBU “Go International Team”.

The Beefmaster breed was highlighted in the Polish Association of Beef Cattle Breeders fourth quarter issue of their magazine. The title of the article is: “Beefmaster- American Dream” and the article was featured in the section of the magazine: “Breeds that we do not know” (Rasy, ktorych nie znamy). The excerpts from the magazine that features Beefmaster cattle are shown below, note that the first image is just the cover of the magazine. The Beefmaster feature is image two through four.

Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) International Committee Co-Chairman Doyle Sanders of Industry, Texas represented the Beefmaster breed at the 2014 United States Livestock Genetics Export, Inc., (USLGE) conference. The conference was held February 19-21 in Kansas City, Mo.

For several years, USLGE has provided the funding for BBU’s international committee on a cost sharing basis.  We dedicate manpower and staff costs  and under the USDA they provide our funding.  BBU does not fund anything to the International Committee and BBU members sponsor the efforts to provide the annual dues to USLGE then we request funding for programs in foreign countries. The annual dues are about $5,000 and the International Committee receives about $40,000 per year for travel and reverse missions to promoting the Beefmaster breed internationally.

The purpose of this trip was to present the 2015 USLGE Budget Request for discussion among the beef breed members and compare programs for 2014 and 2015.  Due to delay of the Farm Bill, the 2014 funding will be delayed until late March 2014.  BBU was able to clarify how to handle expenses for the Houston Livestock Show planned out of the 2014 funding request. Additional assistance was also clarified for Colombia and Thailand.

BBU funding requests far exceed other beef breeds such as Charolais, Simmental, Brangus, and Brahman.  Actual awards are in line with these other breeds.  Sanders agreed to make realistic adjustments for submission on March 15, 2014.  At the same time, Mike Phillips agreed that the World Wide Market Study conducted by BBU’s International Committee has been noted for the effort to focus and modify the previous request formats.  Significant new BBU funding for Central Europe was noted with proper justification.  The 2015 budget should reflect this justifiable increase and the 2014 award may consider adjustments to allow entry into that region earlier.

Sanders was invited to make a presentation to the USLGE members that followed a marketing report on Turkey that showed professional reports on US FAS progress there since 2009.  The Turkey market for live animals focused on just a few head of cattle exported there in 2009 up to over 115,000 head in 2011 and then a decline to date due to competition out of Western Europe.  Most of this was dairy cattle – some of which had been intended for beef consumption.  To increase market acceptance in Turkey of US cattle, the consultant suggested that they recognize that Holsteins are not suitable for acceptance as a beef animal and beef should be properly presented to the market.  They also focused on sending semen and embryos for to help achieve this goal.  The report indicated that there are over 14 million head of cattle in Turkey and the country has set a goal of doubling their markets by 2023.

Mike Phillips had suggested that the BBU presentation by Sanders include an introduction to Beefmasters and the beneficial traits our cattle offer to foreign markets.  This went over very well with all attending including horse and swine people.  The head of the Simmental association said she had no real concept about Beefmasters and can now see why our cattle are increasing in interest in many parts of the world.  One horse person from Pennsylvania indicated that he intended to look for some Beefmaster bulls in his region to develop a beef herd on one of his family dairy farms that recently closed milk production.  Sanders spoke to the International Brangus representative about what the BBU upgrade program could do for their members.

Mike Phillips introduced Sanders to Dr. Martin Sieber representing US Livestock Export Association who will be escorting a group of five officials representing Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Latvia that are scheduled to visit US dairy, swine, and agricultural research stations early in March.  The trip will include three days in Houston for the Livestock Show and Rodeo.  The US Embassy in Warsaw has recommended that their trip include a visit to Sexing Technologies in Navasota, Texas and to Sanders DBL D BAR ranch in Industry, Texas on March 13, 2104 for a presentation on Beefmaster cattle and display of bulls, cow/calves, and heifer development.  This is the only beef venue included in their visit.  Sanders has arranged for an Italian rancher near Rome, Italy to discuss his reasons for selecting Beefmasters for his cross breeding with his native purebred Marremano cattle.

The Livestock Export Association met the day before and provided information to the USLGE members regarding USDA exporting changes and the need to coordinate with USDA on overseas shipments.  There is also growing concern about potential bans on shipping live animals due to public notice of incidents of cattle being shipped to Russia/Kazakhstan that have had high death and injury rates.

Various state agricultural agencies expressed interest in Beefmaster cattle following Sanders presentation.  These included Wyoming, New Mexico, Montana, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Tennessee.  Jon Garza from Texas Dept Agriculture offered his assistance to BBU in our international efforts and recognized his cooperation with Billy Welkener in moving cattle into Mexico.

There was much discussion among the beef breeds about returning as a group to Australia in 2015 under USLGE banners for their international conference.  BBU has funding included for 2015 for this show for two people to attend.

SAN ANTONIO  - The 23rd Annual San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo All Breeds Bull and Commercial Female Sale proved to be a successful event for three Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) members. The Beefmaster breeders were recognized prior to the sale held on Wed., Feb. 12, 2014 after being selected as top-placing cattle during the show held on Tues., Feb. 11, 2014. This sale features purebred bulls and commercial heifers consigned by premier Texas and New Mexico ranches.

2014 Grand Champion Pen of Females – Rancho Dos Vidas Ltd. – Moore, Texas

Rancho Dos Vidas Ltd., Moore, Texas was recognized before the annual sale as the Overall Grand Champion Pen of Females after also winning first place Beefmaster pen of females. Don Mullins is the owner of Rancho Dos Vidas Ltd., and Lane Roberson is the ranch manager. Mullins is one of the first ranchers to utilize the Beefmaster breed, dating back to the 1960s. This pen consisted of a super set of moderate framed, easy fleshing BBU certified Beefmaster Advancer females.

“This is our third year to compete in the San Antonio All Breeds Sale. We started breeding our BBU registered females to Red Angus bulls five years ago in an effort to clean up their underlines, get moderate sized calves and to become more functional as commercial Advancer cattle,” said Roberson.

Beefmaster Advancer cattle are animals of fifty percent or more registered Beefmaster breeding and fifty percent or less of other registered, DNA genotyped non-Beefmaster beef cattle breeding.

2014 High Beefmaster Grading Bull – Collier Farms – Brenham, Texas

“This is the second year for Rancho Dos Vidas to win Grand Champion Pen of Females with their Beefmaster Advancer females,” said BBU Chief Operations Officer Collin Osbourn. “This pen of Beefmaster females crossed with Red Angus bulls and all of the Beefmaster animals here today represented what the Beefmaster breed has to offer commercial cattlemen.”

Two more Beefmaster honors went to well known Texas ranches and prominent members of BBU. The first place Beefmaster/E6 Certified Bred Female award was presented to HT Chapman Cattle Company, Rockport, Texas. The High Grading Beefmaster Bull award was presented to Collier Farms, Brenham, Texas.

2014 First Place Beefmaster/E6 Certified Bred Females – HT Chapman Cattle Company – Rockport, Texas

For more information about the Beefmaster Advancer Program or the San Antonio All Breeds Sale results, call 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, follow us on Twitter and Pinterest, as well as receive our news updates through joining our mailing list.

The fall of 2013 and the early months of 2014 have proven to be strong for the Beefmaster breed. The Beefmaster breed has continued to see demand for fertile and functional females, as well as witness an increase in demand for powerful Beefmaster bulls. The demand for Beefmaster bulls was strong in 2013 and is continuing to grow as springtime 2014 approaches. With this increase in demand, the Beefmaster bull is making a name for himself in the cattle industry because he is “The Best of Both Worlds”. Commercial cattlemen and women have witnessed that a Beefmaster bull will produce extremely fertile, functional and docile females to rebuild America’s cowherds, as well as produce profitable and efficient feeder calves that deliver results in the current market place. Even more commercial cattlemen and women are experiencing the performance and productivity that comes from a Beefmaster bull. Several of these breeders took action and bought over 500 Beefmaster bulls that were sold in four outstanding fall sales. These strong sale numbers are a testament to the demand of the beef cattle industry’s need for high-quality Beefmaster bulls.

The Isa Cattle Company hosted their 52nd Beefmaster bull sale on Oct., 5, 2013 in San Angelo, Texas where 26 buyers from nine states bought 111 Beefmaster bulls at an average of $3,940. Isa’s President, Lorenzo Lasater, stated the sale was extremely strong from beginning to end. Across the state in Brenham, Texas over 113 performance-tested bulls were sold at the Central Texas Beef “On” Forage Performance Bull Sale on Oct., 19, 2013 for an average of $5,699. Beef “On” Forage” bulls are developed and tested on grass for more than 300 days and never confined to a feedlot. Ranchers and commercial cattlemen have been satisfied with purchasing Beefmaster bulls through the Beef “On” Forage sale for over 25 years because the bulls maintain their performance at home. The Lasater Ranch, founders of the Beefmaster breed, hosted their 64th annual Beefmaster sale on Sept., 7, 2013 in Matheson, Colo. The sale was successful with 39 buyers from 11 states and Mexico taking home 115 bulls at an average price of $3,200. The high selling two-year-old bull went to Violeta Ranch of Hebbronville, Texas. The high selling herd sire went to Fernando Garza and Jose Luis Rocha of Durango, Mexico.

Strong sales and growing demand that began last fall for Beefmaster bulls has also carried over into the new year with the Live Oak Beefmaster Breeders Association (LOBBA) Bull Sale that was held Jan., 11, 2014 in Three Rivers, Texas. With one of the largest crowds to ever attend the LOBBA bull sale, the sale averaged right at $5,948 for the 107 bulls bought. Several of the bulls were purchased by Mexican cattlemen. The demand for thick and clean Beefmaster bulls is not only reaching throughout the United States, the demand is reaching internationally into Mexico and Central America. Several of the Beefmaster sales have been supported by international guests and it is easy to say that international cattlemen and women have taken notice of the top-quality Beefmaster animals being produced in the United States.

Super Bowl night is a night for football fanatics to gather and to watch athletes play four quarters in hopes of winning the coveted Super Bowl ring. However, I don’t watch the Super Bowl to see who wins the game, I watch for the commercials. Super Bowl night is the night that advertisers wait for every February because consumers become engrossed in the crazy, inspiring and sometimes disturbing commercials. These commercials remind us of the power of advertising. We are reminded that if we want people to talk about our product and purchase our product we need to advertise.

As Beefmaster breeders, we are not advertising chips, dips or beer. Our products are high quality Beefmaster cattle. We want people to learn that the Beefmaster breed will add value, efficiency and profitability to any cattle herd. Beefmaster Breeders United is continuously educating cattlemen and women on the breed that we all love through advertising in print and digital media. We also encourage our breeders and members to advertise their Beefmaster cattle, but let’s face it; advertising is expensive and takes a lot of time and effort. With the increasing cost of advertising and design, BBU has created the opportunity for our members and breeders to get low cost print and digital media advertising services.

There are several opportunities for breeders to advertise with Beefmaster Breeders United publications. We are currently seeking satellites or marketing groups that would like to become involved in our co-op advertising program. The Beefmaster advertisements that run in national and state cattle publications, such as The Cattleman and The Gulfcoast Cattleman, have partnered with the Live Oak Beefmaster Breeders Association (BBA), South Texas BBA, Louisiana BBA and Southeastern BBA to allow breeders discounted advertising in nationally recognized publications. We want to expand to more publications such as Progressive Cattleman and the Oklahoma Cowman magazine, which means we need more satellites and breeders to participate. The advertising cost for each publication will be divided amongst BBU, the specific satellite and the breeders of that satellite. This allows Beefmaster breeders to receive advertisement space with no design work or no time spent on their part. Save time, save money and advertise in national publications. All design and coordination is managed by BBU communications and pricing is based on publication and satellite agreement. BBU members and breeders who are interested in advertising through the BBU co-op program please contact Jeralyn Stephens at 210-732-3132 or jstephens@beefmasters.org.

Digital media advertising is the best kept secret in the cattle industry and BBU is offering low cost digital media ads. BBU members and breeders can become a breeder partner through a one time payment of $3,600. Breeder partners are featured on the BBU website and the bi-weekly Beefmaster eNews that reaches an audience of over 1,200 viewers per month. There is also an opportunity for breeders to advertise in the Beefmaster eNews for monthly pricing. Advertisement in Beefmaster eNews includes an image with a website link and the pricing is one issue for $50, one month for $80 or three months for $200. Email marketing is also an option for breeders to advertise any upcoming sales, shows, field days, semen straws, etc., via email communications. The BBU staff will create an email blast (eblast) that will reach over 1,800 BBU members, JBBA members and subscribers through the BBU email list. The pricing for email marketing is one eblast for $200 which does include design services, two eblasts for $300 with no change in design and three eblasts for $350 with no change in design. Changes in design of the email will be priced at $200 per eblast.

If electronic advertising does not interest you, BBU offers a print advertisement service which includes design work for magazine advertisements and brochure development. Brochure development pricing will be based on the size of the brochure, photos, color and quantity to be printed. The cost of print advertisement includes correspondence with the publication (newspaper, magazine, etc.), correspondence with the breeder for design materials and a one time design fee. Any updates made after the one time design fee will be priced at $30/hour. The pricing is as follows for a color or black and white print advertisement with design services; full page is $200.00, ¾ page is $150.00, ½ page is $100.00, ¼ page is $75.00, 1/8 page or banner is $40.0. Any updates made to the advertisement will be assessed and $30/hour update fee. Photo enhancement and editing (remove poles, barns, halters, etc.) is also priced at $30/hour.

If you are watching television commercials, surfing the internet or flipping through your favorite cattle magazine, remember the power of advertising. We have a great product to advertise, our cattle are the best of both worlds and we should let the world know it! Let BBU start advertising your Beefmaster cattle through print and digital media. If you have any questions please contact Jeralyn Stephens at 210-731-3132 or jstephens@beefmasters.org.

Good range management produces quality grazing for both cattle and high-profit deer.

Cattle have been the traditional enterprise on this rugged, old ranch—which dates back to an 1812 Spanish land grant—33 years before Texas became a state. But wildlife rules here. Even with high beef prices, hunting produces more revenue than cattle on the San Pedro Ranch, south of Carrizo Springs, Texas.

Water and native plant and brush species are precious in these Mexico borderlands. High-quality forage for Beefmaster cattle and nutritious food for whitetail deer, quail and other wildlife struggle against drought and nondesirable brush.

“Deer management is pretty easy; it’s people management that’s hard,” foreman Daniel Boone observes as he steers his 4-wheel-drive pickup down a sandy trail, thorny mesquite limbs screeching against the side windows.

Boone grew up on the San Pedro and has managed two other ranches. Even though he carries a name better known from North Carolina and Kentucky frontier days, and does indeed claim to be a blood descendant of the famous frontiersman, his parents came from the state of Coahuila in Mexico. “We are related distantly,” says this Daniel Boone. “One of Daniel Boone’s nephews came to Texas, and then, at 17, he moved to Mexico. There are a lot of Boones in Mexico, mostly in Coahuila.”

Boone’s brand of deer management is mostly common sense. The ranch is divided into four deer-management units, with three for lease hunters and one reserved for the Fitzsimons family, which has owned the place since Hugh Fitzsimons Sr. Purchased it in 1932. From those units, he simply removes the deer he doesn’t want from the herd and leaves superior bucks to produce offspring. Then he lets the bucks grow old enough to reach their genetic potential before they, too, are harvested. It is a practice similar to selecting for high-quality cattle, which the San Pedro has also done with its Beefmasters.

CHALLENGE OF A HUNT. The people management is more complicated. It’s difficult to convince hunters to harvest enough deer to preserve the range in this rough, brushy, drought-prone section of Southwest Texas. Leave too many deer, and they’ll stress the plants that benefit them and other wildlife. Many hunters, especially those who have no experience in practical biology, think it’s impossible that so many whitetails should be harvested.

What’s enough? A yearly deer census sets the number. Deer are counted from a helicopter flown over this 24,000-acre spread immediately after hunting season. The aerial survey gives Boone a good sense of the population. He says more specific counts are made on the ground, from hunting blinds and with game cameras. Does and inferior “management bucks” are culled under state permits after the regular season.

“I’ve done deer management for 30 years,” Boone says. “Early on, I fell in with some great biologists and started pushing the envelope. I learned that the more deer we harvested, the better it was. We found that harvesting the right kind of deer is really important, too.”

KEYS TO GOOD FORAGE. On the San Pedro, range management involves controlling cattle grazing to keep the native forages in a condition that benefits the deer and the use of fire to benefit both cattle and wildlife.

“The way you graze a pasture with cattle affects how the wildlife use it,” notes Bill Armstrong, a retired Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist who managed pastures to improve deer substantially on the famed Kerr Wildlife Management Area. Armstrong consults with the San Pedro and other ranches on this subject.

“Young grass, more forbs and a bigger mosaic of plants are better for the deer,” Armstrong says. “Deer tend to be a couple of weeks behind the cattle in grazing.”

Armstrong says it’s easy to let native grasses get too mature without intensive grazing. This is why Boone has instituted a short-duration, intensive-grazing system with the cattle. It keeps the grasses young, tender and higher in protein, which is better for both the cattle and the deer.

“Grass removal allows for forb and browse growth,” Armstrong says. “Deer and other wildlife consume the forbs and browse, allowing the pasture to return to grass.”

ALLOW RECOVERY. The biologist says the trick is to design pasture rotations with enough time for pastures to recover and return to grass. On the San Pedro, this means a 90- to 120-day rest period, depending on rainfall.

“Deer to some degree are rotating themselves behind the cattle,” Armstrong says.

Digestibility of forage has to do with lignin, a component of plant cell walls. Lignin increases as a plant Grows older. The deer can eat young grass, but they can’t digest old grass because of the lignin.

“Cattle can eat the coarser growth, and then deer follow cattle to eat the new growth,” Armstrong says.

“So we’re using cattle to create deer food.” Forbs in the native pastures are also known as broadleaf weeds and scorned by some people who value cattle grazing and hay more than deer. Many forbs make excellent deer food, along with browse, which consists of the tender young growth on brush species.

“Generally, forbs don’t live long enough to have too much lignification,” Armstrong says.

Since they are both ruminants, why can cattle handle coarser grass than deer? It has to do with rate of passage of food through the animal.

“Grass stays in a deer’s rumen six to eight hours,” Armstrong says. “It stays in a cow’s rumen 26 to 28 hours. So a cow has [a day] to break down the nutrients.”

CONTROLLING BRUSH. Because the livestock and deer do not eat all the forbs, grasses and browse plants, these plants tend to become dominant. Brush control—fire, mechanical or herbicide—is used at managed intervals to clean up tough, overly mature grasses and to control some brush. The process resets the vegetation mix.

The San Pedro Ranch depends mostly on fire to clean up brush. But a successful controlled burn depends on having enough grass to carry fire. In drought, there often isn’t enough grass covering the ground to do the job. When that happens, the ranch uses a mechanical aerator pulled by a bulldozer to encourage grass growth.

Results have been impressive in terms of better deer. “Our genetics have been steadily going uphill,” Boone says. “By putting all the harvest data together, the graphs show we’re going up, up, up, not only in Boone and Crockett scores but weights. It’s exciting to see your management working.”

Bucks are in their prime here at 7 to 8 years old, sometimes even older. “They quit breeding so much, and their energy goes to growing antlers,” he says. “When their teeth give out, they start going downhill, but I’ve seen deer that still have decent teeth at 9 or 10 years old. We’ve harvested some fantastic 9-year-old deer that score in the [Boone and Crockett] 190s.”

Body weights are substantially higher. “At the beginning of the season, we used to harvest bucks that weighed 145 pounds field-dressed,” Boone says. “Now, we see deer that average 165 pounds and even up to 200 pounds, which is very big for South Texas.”

An unforgiving multiyear drought has taken the green out of the Southwest Texas landscape, but proper range management should help the best ranches, such as the San Pedro, to recover quickly when good times return.

“When we get the rains, this country will explode back to life again,” Boone says. “It will amaze you.”

There’s nothing average about this operation, where the whole herd is bred with AI, and Beefmaster stands as the preferred breed.Ronald Richardson paid his way into the full-time cattle business with 20 years at a Louisiana paper mill. Those days, cattle were more a hobby for the Calhoun producer. Today, they are a full-time business built on Richardson’s belief that you set yourself up to succeed, and you always keep looking forward.

“Some people think the cattle business is about the ‘now’. I think it’s about where you’ll be a year from now. If you start worrying about where you are today, you’re already behind,” the cattleman says.

BEEFMASTER MAN. Richardson’s philosophy is a good one for a man who sometimes finds himself in the minority. He has a strong streak of independent thinking when it comes to the cattle business, causing him to look less at percentages and more at what best fits his operation.

Richardson says when he was growing up, his dad ran the local sales barn. He had his first cow at age 5. Today, he has 150 cows, all Beefmaster. He says they can be harder to sell in some cases and are not the most popular breed in his area. But for Richardson, the positives for his operation outweigh any prejudices in the market.

The breed originated in Texas and is a three-way cross between Hereford, Shorthorn and Brahman cattle. Richardson says they have a nice frame to hang meat on, and they perform well in the feedlot. His most recent set of steers gained 4.2 pounds a day, from a starting weight of 900 pounds. And when it comes to the Beefmaster females, he believes few perform better in terms of fertility, body condition and longevity.

WHOLE HERD AI PROGRAM. Richardson’s commitment to using artificial insemination (AI), not just on his heifers but his cows, too, puts him in the small percentages column nationwide.

Recent USDA data shows only about 5% of cows and 16% of heifers in the U.S. are bred using AI. Conception Louisiana producer Ronald Richardson says to be successful in today’s cattle business, you always have to plan ahead. rates, which average 50 to 60%, might seem low to some cattlemen, but Richardson believes those numbers are good enough to justify the genetic improvements he sees with the practice.

“For me, what I get from AI is so worth the time and the expense,” he says.

The cattleman does his own AI work and uses cleanup bulls on cows and heifers to get conception rates up. Conception rates for heifers and cows are at 80% and 90%, respectively.

SAVINGS ON SEMEN. Next consider bulls—both the ones Richardson keeps on his farm (five) and the ones he purchases semen from for his AI program.

Heard a lot about bull EPDs lately? So has Richardson, and he says flat out he doesn’t like them. He doesn’t think EPDs (expected progeny differences) are reliable enough and says he prefers actual data on a bull’s progeny. He wants to know what a bull’s got— real, confirmed numbers.

“As a general rule, I don’t buy high-dollar semen,” Richardson adds. “Often, the bulls I use are dead and gone; but in their day, they were very popular, and they Are a good fit for my operation. I bought semen from a breeder and gave him $8 a unit for it; in that bull’s heyday, it would have been $100 a unit.”

Richardson spends more for semen to be used on his heifer bulls, about $20 a unit recently. Those bulls absolutely have to have high accuracy on low birthweights.

BULL-BUYING CHECKLIST. Richardson recently bought two new young bulls and says they had to have three things: an IMF (intramuscular fat) percentage of 2 or better, a rate of gain on feed of 4 pounds or better and a rate of gain on grass of 2 pounds or better.

“There were about 130 bulls for sale, and this limited me to 20,” he says. “I bought two bulls.”

Richardson uses a Red Angus bull on his heifers, but the rest are Beefmaster bulls. He adds average bull prices are up considerably in his area. To get animals that met his criteria, he spent $4,000 on one bull and $4,500 on the other. On average, he says, bulls stay in his herd five years before they get “lazy” and need to be replaced.

“I like some aggressiveness in a bull,” he says. “Once they get to be around 5, they have a tendency to lose that.”

Bulls are 2 years old before he turns them out. He likes to buy them a few months prior to breeding season, so they have time to acclimate. And every bull, every year, goes through a breeding soundness exam.

BREEDING FOR FEMALES. Richardson puts a lot of thought into the genetics of his business, but he stresses it’s all aimed at the female side of the herd. That is the reason for every decision he makes about which straw of semen to buy or which bull to load onto his trailer.

“I keep every heifer I get and breed them,” he says.

“I guess you could say I breed for females. It’s hard to find a good female, especially at a price you can afford. Once you’ve started raising your own replacements, it’s hard to go and buy one you’re going to be satisfied with.”

The road to every new calf crop starts with estrus synchronization. This is Step 1 in keeping the herd on a tight breeding and calving schedule. Richardson syncs the whole herd, cows and heifers, using controlled internal drug release (CIDR) inserts. These intravaginal inserts help synchronize estrus in a cow herd so they can all be inseminated on a schedule.

Breeding season starts in late February. Heifers are artificially inseminated, and then the heifer bull is turned in for 45 days. Cows are artificially inseminated next, and their bulls are turned in for 75 days.

“The reason I pull the bulls off of the heifers after only 45 days is a way of helping to cu11 them After heifers are inseminated, out , ” Richardson bulls are turned in with them explains. “The ones for just 45 days. Open heifers that breed first will are then culled from the herd. Hang with you a long time. If she breeds early, she’ll tend to do that year in and year out. The most common reason I cull a female is because she’s open.”

This year, he adds, he had to cull more of his older bred cows than he normally would. Out of a 150-cow herd, his heifer crop numbered 63.

“You have to make room for the young. Once a cow gets past 7 or 8 years old, the quality of that calf tends not to be as good as those of the younger females,” he says. “Sometimes, it’s hard to cull these Beefmaster cows. They’re long-lived and fertile. I’ve sold some bred cows that were 10 and 12 years old.”

Calving season for heifers starts December 6, Richardson says. The cows start calving two weeks later. He used to start calving in November but found moving the date about 30 days helped him save on feed costs.

“A dry cow can make it on a little bit of nothing; but once that baby is on the ground, she’s going to need some groceries,” he says.

Body Condition Scores here don’t dip below a 5, Richardson stresses. He says these cows maintain well on grass; and when the calves come, a good ration is added.

He sets the stage for breeding and calving season by focusing on breeding females with certain key attributes. Number 1 on that list is conception rate. Numbers 2 and 3 are her ability to milk and ease of handling.

He says using AI has helped him create the Sort of female that fits best in his environment.

“I’d feel like I was missing the boat if I didn’t AI, especially for my females. You simply can’t buy a replacement of the same quality for what you pay for an AI program,” he says.

Asked about the time it takes to run a good AI program, especially one with strong conception rates, he admits it does require a time commitment. And it does cost money. He estimates each head he Ais comes in at a fixed cost averaging $12. This does not include the cost of semen, which can vary widely. He believes the payoff is there.

“It’s like this: You can pay now or you can pay later. Either way, you’re going to pay. I like to know what I’m paying for and know it will fit my operation. That’s why this works.”

The Steer Side

You won’t find any unweaned steer calves being loaded up at Ronald Richardson’s Calhoun, La., farm. This cattleman is as careful with steer calves that will be leaving for the feedlot as he is with the heifers he’ll integrate into his own herd.

Calves here are weaned and preconditioned around 6 months of age. They are moved into a large pen with plenty of hay, feed and water. After two or three days of walking and bawling, they settle down. Richardson says at two weeks, they’ll be turned out on pasture.

The cattleman is particular about the rations he uses. He likes rice bran, explaining that some starchy feeds make it harder for the rumen to process forages. Bulk rations such as rice bran, dried distillers grains or gin motes can ease that transition.

It will take about 150 days to get steer calves to the 900-pound mark. At that point, they go to the feedlot. Richardson says by now they are “hard,” or mature. They’ll gain at least 4 pounds a day, and their maturity will help add to their success.

For the last 10 years, Richardson has used Henry C. Hitch feedyards, out of Guymon, Okla.

“I went to visit that feedyard, and I asked if they thought they could sell my cattle. They said: ‘No problem. These cattle have bone, and bone is something you can hang meat on.’

“For me, I like that they yield well,” Richardson says. “I’m a cash man; I don’t sell on the grid. So if the yield is there, that’s what counts to me.”

Note: Following the publishing of this article, Ronald Richardson passed away due to an ATV accident.

By: M. Doyle Sanders, BBU International Committee Co-Chairman

I recently visited Thailand in January 2014 and I observed several positive results for Beefmaster and Beefmaster cross cattle performing in the country of Thailand, which is located in Southern Asia.

The new Thai beef breed introduced by Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) is increasing in popularity on a business basis. A group of breeders of commercial and purebred Brahman cattle that market their efforts under the twelve breeders brand have had two commercial auctions with groups of Brahman, Charolais, Kamphaeng Sean (KPS), and Beefmaster crossed commercial cattle. Beefmaster crossed calves are bringing a substantial price premium on weight and have higher age weight gains at sale.

There are some ill founded opinions in force such as holding Beefmaster semen to cross with Brahman crossed with Charolais rather than direct crosses with Brahman. This is impacting quicker acceptance for breeders and consumers.

However, current breeding results with Beefmasters debunk this theory. Beefmaster crossed with KPS may show higher gains, but the Brahman and Charolais calves are showing comparable gains with Beefmasters on the crosses.

On January 12, 2014, at the PC Ranch Show near Udon Thani, the age class winners for C-1 crosses favored KPS dams but a Brahman cross won its 14-16 month class. Beefmaster bulls used on these class winners included Angelo on a KPS and a Brahman with D’Vinci, Fusion, Special Edition, and L-3100 all on KPS dams. KPS is a hybrid breed based on Brahman, Charolais and native Thai cattle.

These heifers surprised everyone in Thailand by “early cycling” at 12-14 months of age. Typical practice is not to breed them until at least 20-24 months. They were shocked to hear about annual calving starting by two years of age with typical domestic and North American breeders.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Thailand Department of Livestock Development (DLD) have completed a late 2013 health protocol for importing live animals. The BBU International Committee is working with various Thai breeders to consider US exports of purebred bulls and heifers. This will include high performance animals for weight and milk followed by show competition quality livestock. A first group of bulls and about 50-100 heifers may be shipped the Spring of 2014.

Various Thai breeders are planning to attend the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Beefmaster sales in March 2014. This will be at their full travel expense without any funding from BBU or the U.S. Livestock Genetics Export, Inc.