There has been a rapid-growing interest in grass-based genetics and grass-fed beef. In the past ten years, we have sold bulls and semen to over 100 people who produce and market grass-fed beef. Although that is a small share of our overall market, it is still quite significant.

    Finding genetics that work well in a grass-based program is becoming more and more difficult in the industry’s corn-based genetic pool. To enable producers to more quickly identify cattle with the genetic makeup to excel in a grass-finishing program, scientists have perfected a live animal carcass software program specifically for that purpose. We have been using this program since the spring of 2006. Cattle that can produce a superior carcass on nothing but grass will be able to do the same thing on grain.

    All of the bulls in our fall sale have been scanned by Clay Nash. We believe you will find this data to be quite impressive. The ultrasound data, along with more explanation, can be found on pages 100 to 108. For help in using this information, feel free to call Clay at 870-897-3167. We also suggest you read the article Dr. Williams wrote on page 99.

    Many of the traits we now measure and have EPDs for do not have a direct effect on ranch profits. Several breed associations are working on ways to quantify and compare a few economically relevant traits (ERTs). These are traits that directly affect profits.

    There are two relatively new ERTs that everyone at Pharo Cattle Company is extremely excited about. They predict the amount of energy required by mature cows to maintain body weight. We’ve known for many, many years that this is something that can have a tremendous impact on ranch profits.

   The Angus Association has created a Cow Energy Value ($EN) EPD. The higher the number the better. The Red Angus Association has a similar EPD called the Maintenance Energy (ME) EPD. The lower the number the better.

   Nearly all the bulls promoted by the big-name AI companies and mainstream seedstock producers literally stink in the area of cow energy requirements. They have way too much milk, growth and size to fit in a real-world, commercial ranch environment. In contrast, nearly all of the genetics used by Pharo Cattle Company excel in this area — REALLY excel!

    How can you identify the most efficient and most profitable cows in a cowherd? The answer is so simple that most people miss it. The most efficient and profitable cows in an unpampered cowherd will always be the oldest cows. These are cows that have done everything right without missing for at least twelve years.

    Honest, unpampered, teenage cows have addressed all of the issues relative to fertility, energy requirements, frame size, production, structural soundness, mothering ability and disposition. These are time-proven cows that can seldom be improved upon.

    Cow longevity is the most important trait to select for because it encompasses all of the other important maternal traits. We have devised a formula, based on all the cows in a 4-generation pedigree, to calculate a longevity score for all of the registered bulls in this sale. Scores range from 1 to 5 stars, with 5 being the very best.

   Our formula may not be perfect, but it allows us to determine which bulls are most likely to produce daughters that will keep going and going and going. In time, we will probably make slight adjustments to our formula.