MORE THAN MATERNAL
Brangus have been known for years as a maternal breed with
calving ease. Cattlemen have always made note of the fact that
those Brangus females with ear of how much better mothers
they are and how much bigger calves they wean. However,
Brangus have always struggled with the perception that their
progeny will not harvest a carcass that will consistently grade
or qualify for Certified Angus Beef. It was because of these
perceptions that Glenn Brinkman made a concerted effort
along with Kansas State in 1986 to start using ultrasound
technology to measure REA and eventually IMF to evaluate
sire lines, formulate genetic decisions and ultimately produce
carcass EPD’s for Brangus cattle without incorporating actual
harvest data. The decision to do this was a tremendous
milestone in the seed stock industry and the Brangus breed.
GENETRUST members have continued to move forward
utilizing this technology and commend Glenn for his foresight
and tenacity in making this happen.
I have, however, always wondered or questioned how
cattle similar to the cattle we scan and sell as seed stock would
actually do through the feeding and harvest segments of this
industry. In July of 2012 we decided to feed a small group of
steers and heifers from Suhn Cattle Co. that were the cull end
of our registered production. We did this again in August of
2013 with cattle from 8 different GENETRUST members and
cooperators and again in Jan of 2015.
harvest data fromthree groups:
34 Fall 2011 born steers and heifers from SCC
harvested 1/16/13
88% choice or better ( 12% graded prime)
54.5% CAB or other quality based programs
Dressing % 64.3
Profit per head $78.67
81 Fall 2012 born steers from
8 GT breeders harvested 2/5/14
73% choice
51% CAB or other quality based programs
Dressing % 64.5
Profit per head $244.58
Predominately southern cattle fed during a tough Kansas winter
with no death loss and only one animal pulled for sickness.
38 spring 2014 born steers from
SCC harvested 6/24/15
89% Choice
65% CAB or other quality based programs
Dressing % 63.8
Profit per head $20.49
What we have seen is that the cull end of our
contemporary groups can feed, harvest at excellent levels,
and return a profit even when most cattle are not returning
profits. It is also important to point out that these cattle
are consistently dressing 2-3% higher than their Angus
counterparts, equating to over $70/head on today’s market
due to sheer pounds of product alone as well as an increased
number of YG 1s & 2s in the process. Their harvest data is
reflective of what we are seeing from the ultrasound data
acquired from their contemporaries that we are selling as
superior seed stock to our customers. Also worth noting is
that the health on these cattle, even though fed during tough
Kansas winters, has been excellent with no death loss and only
3 animals treated for sickness out of the 153 head harvested to
date. All cattle were fed at Tiffany Feeders, Herrington , KS.
