Foundation Female Section Redesign
Applecross Poppy - our youngest feature female.
We have redesigned our female section within the ‘Herdbook’ tab, creating individual cow pages for 13 of our foundation females, who form the backbone to our walking herd. The individual pages allow us to showcase not only the cow herself, but often pictures of parents or offspring. As the younger cows continue to develop and can often change a lot over the course of a year, the section will be updated and expanded regularly. While not near as good as a ‘walking tour’, we hope they provide a feel for the cow-base that we are very proud of. The females are ordered chronologically from oldest to youngest, with the most junior ‘Poppy’ also pictured above. An Anchor T Ikon daughter, Poppy has incredible volume for a bred heifer. We are very excited to see what she does with her first calf early in the new year.
APLX Envoy 2Y SELLS! at the 2011 National Trust.
APLX Envoy 2Y on the big day - shown with ourselves and his new owners - Lonnie & Karen Brown of Lone Stone Farms - photo courtesy Darryl Snider / Simmental Country
What started off as simply a showcase of our ‘bull group’ feature at the National Trust Bull Expo, turned into Envoy strutting his stuff in the sale itself.
It has become a National Trust tradition to have a bull selected from the Expo for National Trust sale, but we didn’t really believe that our bull would ever be chosen. As breeders that are just getting established in the industry, we were both humbled and honoured to have Envoy selected by Jay Good of Transcon to be this years’ feature bull calf. As is tradition, the bull selected lead off the sale, with Envoy selling to Lonnie and Karen Brown of Lone Stone Farms, Westlock, AB for $7,500.
Envoy got to come home with us, where we will winter him and deliver him up to Westlock in time for breeding season next spring. As fellow consignors at the National Trust, we got to know Karen and Lonnie leading up to the event, and we look forward to seeing the impact Envoy makes on their great walking herd in the years to come. It is always an honour when a fellow purebred breeder selects one of your bulls for use in their own operation.
The National Trust sale itself was a celebration of the best in Simmental genetics, and that was certainly seen in the resulting $6,800+ average across 44 lots. Some of the sale features included a really awesome polled full fleck heifer ‘Starwest Pol Snowflake’ selling to Prospect Hill for $25,000, and the ‘Romano’ lot from Virginia Ranch – as both the 30 doses of Romano semen and the Romano bred heifer each brought in more than $15,000. All in all, it was an incredible sales event, with very strong prices and a great showcase of the strength and diversity of Simmentals. We look forward to the 2012 edition!
Introducing APLX Envoy 2Y at the National Trust
Jeanne washing Envoy - Sunday Oct 23rd.
We are pleased to debut APLX Envoy 2Y at the National Trust on November 4, 2011 in Olds, Alberta. Envoy has a lot of potential, and we are pleased to have him as part of this elite showcase of Simmental cattle.
We really enjoy the concept of the Trust – a gathering of the best Simmental genetics from across Canada – and are thankful to Transcon for the opportunity to display our bull as part of this unique event. We feel it is a great opportunity to showcase what will likely be our lead calf from our bull group, that will all sell at the Red Deer Simmental Bull Sale on March 19th, 2012.
We have added a ‘page’ for Envoy which can be found under the ‘Herdbook’ heading as well as a shortcut link on the right. Pictured here getting what Jeanne calls his ‘Sunday bath’, we hope to having him looking good come Friday. We are looking forward to a great week in Olds, filled with lots of talk with fellow breeders and, of course, awesome cattle.
Reference Sires Updated
We have updated our ‘Reference Sire’ section to include separate pages for each of the 3 privately owned bulls that we have utilized extensively.
Our breeding philosophy consists of utilizing the best AI genetics we can find, supplemented by a strong walking herd bull group. While management intensive, we like the ability AI gives us to incorporate diverse genetics from top Fleckvieh bulls into our herd. It has also allowed us to utilize and help prove some exclusive Dora Lee genetics.
As our numbers have grown, we now have three management groups, giving us the potential to run up to three natural service sires at once. Going forward, we anticipate maintaining a balanced approach between AI and natural services. The new section is dedicated to each of the privately owned bulls that we have been fortunate to either acquire semen on, or utilize as walking bulls. New bulls will be added as we continue to diversify our genetic base.
Hopefully shortly, the Female section will also get the similar treatment to showcase the top 12-15 of our cows.
New Addition at Applecross
The Newest Edition to Our Female Lineup - Delta-Rho Miss Marnie
We have been successful in acquiring ‘Delta-Rho Miss Marnie’ at the recent Fleckvieh Forum Sale, held in conjunction with Bar 5’s Extravaganza on October 2nd. We couldn’t make it to the event, but were very fortunate to have Dad there to look over Marnie for us. It is great to be able to have ‘eyes’ in two places at once, when we can’t make it back to Ontario.
There are a lot of factors that drew us to Marnie, not the least of which was her sire, Well House Kestrel. We are very familiar with this classic sire, as Mom & Dad have utilized him extensively. Our favourite daughter of his was SRN Ms. Bestrel 7Y who walked the Dora Lee pastures in the 1990’s and produced some really impressive offspring. The ‘classic division’ of our program in now
essentially complete. With Marnie’s addition, we now have direct daughters of Well House Kestrel, King Arthur, Antonius and Sim-Roc C&B Western all walking our pastures.
We are, as mentioned, quite happy to have added a Kestrel daughter to our herd, but at the same time there are a lot of other factors (her feet and udder, bred to a calving bull and her temperament / halter breaking) that played into our decision to buy her. Quiet cattle are very important to us, as we really enjoy walking the cow herd without them being disturbed. The Rauscher’s at Delta Rho also had a DNA profile completed on Marnie, which we used as another ‘piece of the puzzle’. It is nice know that Marnie has the genetic potential to be very feed efficient, and will hopefully pass that trait on to her offspring.
Pictured here, fresh off the truck, Marnie fits in quite well with our bred heifer group, and we look forward to an exciting calf in January. We certainly know her service sire, Eclipse, well. We are confident Marnie will be an important part of our cow herd for many years to come.
Giving Thanks
As we pause to give thanks this week-end across Canada, it is a great opportunity to remind ourselves of how blessed we are.
We live in a country that, while not perfect, is among the best and safest countries on the planet. We are blessed with an abundance of natural resources, clean air to breath, inexpensive food, and a roof over our heads. Closer to home, we are thankful for another year of healthy cattle, abundant grass, and big calves. We are thankful for a strong cattle market, and what appears to be a turning of the tide in the beef business.
And finally; most importantly, we are thankful for our friends and family. They are our support network that helps ground us to reality when times are great, but are always there to pick us up when times are tough. Hopefully everyone gets the chance to have a visit or share a meal this week-end with people that are important to them.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Applecross @ The National Trust Bull Expo
We are pleased to announce that APLX Envoy 2Y will be our 2011 entry to Transcon’s National Trust Bull Expo on Friday, November 4th in Olds, Alberta.
Envoy is a tremendously long bull, and he showcases an incredible combination of volume and style. Heavily pigmented and smooth polled, Envoy was the ‘big boy’ of this year’s bull calf crop. Envoy is out of our Lady Western cow and sired by Dora Lee’s Equinox, making him a full brother to APLX Ensign 2X, our Trust entry from last year.
We feel the Trust is a great opportunity to showcase Envoy, prior to him leading our bull group to the 2012 Red Deer Bull Sale in March. We will post more information and pictures in the upcoming weeks.
Weaning Time
Applecross Janelle 7Y - pictured August 1, 2011
One of our Labour Day traditions here at Applecross is to wean calves. We actually start the process a week earlier – when we put quiet-wean nose tags in all the calves, take the weaning weights and then turn them back out with their moms for one final week. We find the two-step process allows the calves to cure their milk addiction in week one, and then only have their separation anxiety to deal with once pulled on Labour day. Using the quiet wean nose tags seems to make for a quieter weaning, and the calves don’t seem to go back as much either.
The weaning weights are always exciting. I have a hard time judging weights in the field, and sometimes calves you think are close to the same size, can be almost 100 lbs apart when weighed. With the separate pastures for heifer and bull calves, I also find it difficult to relate between the two pastures – the big heifers don’t get to stand beside the bull bulls (which is definitely a good thing with the heifers starting to cycle!), but the drawback is not being able to get a good weight comparison. You always have a pretty good idea which calf is biggest in each particular pasture, but the size correlation always seem to be a mystery until that weight is taken. Add to this the adjustments for March calves vs. their January counterparts, for their 200 day weight, and the final tally can be eye-opening.
This year though, the heavyweights at weaning weren’t really a surprise. APLX Envoy 2Y has been the calf crop ‘big boy’ almost since birth, so it is not shocking he was the top calf. A Lady Western by Equinox son, Envoy is a full brother to APLX Ensign 2X from last year. He is exceptionally long, and has the power to develop into a polled performance bull, just like his brother. The top heifer was Applecross Janelle 7Y, an Anchor T Ikon by Jasmine, one of our Eclipse cows. As you can see from her August 1st picture, she has a lot of volume already, and we expect her to turn into a big capacity cow; just like her mama.
Of course, with weaning also comes decisions: Which calves make the grade? Which breds didn’t breed? Which cows came up open? What replacements should we keep back for our own use?
For the bulls that stay, development starts for the 2012 Red Deer Simmental Bull Sale next March, followed by some private treaty sale for a few March calves that we think still make the grade as herd bulls.
For our keeper heifers calves, the big decision on them gets deferred. We think the heifers form a really nice group, and would like to keep them all, but as we are nearing our size capacity, we feel we should potentially start to sell some. At this point we are tentatively planning to market females in the fall 2012 sales season, but a lot can change in the next 12 months. In any event, we will have to start selling females some time, which will be an exciting next step for Applecross.
Regardless of whether it is a bull or heifer calf, it is great to get to start looking at them as individuals, and comparing them to their peer group. Yes, it will still be a little noisy for a few days, but it is just another step in the breeding stock cycle, and soon enough the cows will be back focussing on grass, and the calves will start growing and developing on their own.
It is often also the perfect opportunity for us to update our cattle pictures as well. We try to refresh our pictures at least once a year, especially the first and second calvers, whose appearance can change a tremendous amount over the course of a year, and (of course), not every cow co-operates when you are out trying to get good pictures. There are always a number of cows that have a ‘good but not great’ picture, that just doesn’t do justice to how they look working the pasture – thus we want to ensure our herdbook pictures are as accurate a reflection as possible as to what they look like. September starts the clock ticking on the last window of opportunity to get that better picture before the udder dries up for another year.
Fortunately for us, we have been blessed with a gorgeous start to September, and nothing but clear skies and warm summer temperatures forecast for the next two weeks. After trying summer conditions, it is good to get a spell of good weather; hopefully leading to a great head start on getting the fall work done, yet still leave plenty of time for walking the cattle (camera in hand), watching the latest batch of Applecross calves develop.
Dora Lee’s line-up for the 2011 Fleckvieh Forum Sale
My parents operation, Dora Lee Genetics, have set their line-up for the 2011 Fleckvieh Forum Sale, ‘Eastern Canada’s Premier Fleckvieh Showcase,’ to be held on October 2nd in conjunction with Bar 5’s annual female sale. My parents are founding members of the Forum group, and for the past 18 years it has represented the only way to access Dora Lee Genetics by public auction.
This years’ sale line-up is headlined by the introduction of Dora Lee’s Equinox, the exciting new homozygous polled herd sire that we have pictured above. We had the opportunity to help prove Equinox over the past 2 years, and to say we are pleased is an understatement. His first son to sell was our very own APLX Ensign 2X, which was the high-selling Fleckvieh bull at the 2011 Red Deer Simmental Bull Sale, so we are really looking forward to how his first daughters are received in Ontario this fall. Three daughters, along with 30 doses of semen will be on offer.
Not to be outdone by his son, Dora Lee Eclipse will again be well represented in the sire group. Three daughters, and another semen lot, will also sell. With the high demand for calving ease bulls, Eclipse seems to be one of the few that combines calving ease with maternal calving, so I think his impact will stand the test of time.
Dora Lee will be selling 7 bred heifers in total, plus the two semen lots. Be sure to check out the catalogue; to be posted shortly on both the Bouchard Livestock and Bar 5 websites.
Stuff My Dad Says
Dora Lee Elexis: Dam of both Eclipse and our very own Evangeline. Now working at Anchor D Ranch, Dan & Karen Skeels, Rimbey AB
I think that everyone can relate to having their father, over the years, pass along words of wisdom to their children (witness the amazing success of the book and twitter feed of ‘Sh*t My Dad Says’). In my case, having my dad involved in the cattle business for almost 40 years, he has not only advised us in the day to day journey of life, but has also provided a lot of advice and wisdom for both the farm and the genetics business. Despite living a few provinces apart, Dad still has a great impact on our farm. I am fortunate to have just spent a few days visiting with him (and of course touring/talking cattle). The time spent together is always wonderful, and brought to mind several of his customary sayings. Three of my favourites are: ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’, ‘sometimes you have to make do without until you can afford to get what you want’ and ‘when breeding cattle, you have to look out 3-5 years and plan accordingly’. There are other sayings of course, but these are three that continue to pop up in conversation, especially when we are talking cattle or about improvements we are constantly striving to make at Applecross.
The first phrase on Rome is both a cautionary tale and one of perseverance. Don’t try to do everything at once – it is better to start and complete a few jobs/tasks at hand, then start a whole bunch, but have nothing complete. The second part relates to the importance of perseverance – ‘keeping at it’ and constantly improving the farm operation, making small changes every year to make things better. Rome wasn’t built in a day; it evolved over time by changing and adapting to the needs at the time, and as a result, was the pre-eminent western civilization for more than 1000 years.
With us in our formative years of Applecross, there are a lot of things we would like to have, but don’t. Doing without, until we can afford to get want we want, is a constant mantra in our operation. There are always things to spend money on – from improved handling facilities to a better stock trailer, more wind-breaks and purchasing improved/outcross genetics; there is, and will always be, a debate over where to spend our limited funds to the most benefit of our operation. Doing without is also a comment on making do with what you have vs. spending money on a middle step, and then having to redo your plans yet again when you do have the funds. Having a plan to ‘get what you want’ eventually is important, but in the interim, it is maybe better to do without and work with what you have, instead of rushing a project that you may not be happy with.
The 3-5 year plan is probably one of the most important lessons Dad has taught me about the genetics business. As referenced in the previous post on patience, cattle take time to develop and prove their worth. A great example of this is a major herd decision that became the evolution of Dora Lee. I remember very clearly in 1999 when Dad, Mom and I debated the merits of introducing the polled gene to the Dora Lee herd – we wanted to see for ourselves if we could develop a polled bull that could stand with the best of the breed. We started by utilizing one of our top proven cows (Dora Lee Fraline), and crossed her with one of the few polled Fleckvieh bulls at the time (Eisenherz) to get the ball rolling. We got very lucky. That first pairing produced Electra in 2000, who in turn gave us a polled calf, Elexis, in 2002. Our luck continued when Elexis gave us a polled Evangaline in 2004, followed by polled bull, Eclipse, in 2005. With two generations of horned now in the pedigree, Dad thought Eclipse was the polled bull he was looking for to utilize extensively on his herd. He was not disappointed. Coloured right and calving easily, Eclipse began to throw very appealing offspring that stood with the best horned genetics – exactly our goal from the start. The pinnacle for Eclipse was the 2010 Fleckvieh Forum Sale – 8 daughters averaged $3,400 and were selected by breeders from 3 provinces. Semen has sold across North America and to Europe. 11 years after that first decision to try and incorporate the polled gene, Dora Lee Eclipse was a proven success.
Looking back at this awesome example, it is no surprise that looking out a minimum of 3 to 5 years is important to the success of your operation. In Eclipse’s case, it was an 11 year timeframe to achieve an objective. To create him, we took a horned female, added the polled gene and then two generations of horned genetics in just 6 years. The genetic probability of doing this was about 3% (and even just a fraction of this when you consider the other factors such as calving ease, colouring/pigmentation, and disposition that Eclipse also has). We then spent the next 5 years proving the bull – evaluating the offspring; first internally within our own respective herds, and then by offering genetics to the public. We were incredibly, incredibly fortunate to develop and prove a new outcross polled bull within the timeframe that we did.
Most day to day decisions – what AI or herd bull to use, or what female to purchase – will have an impact a lot more quickly than in 10+ years, but I do believe that the 3-5 year timeframe is a minimum. Today’s genetic decisions can become tomorrow’s building blocks at best, or an expensive step in the wrong direction at worst. Doing some longer range planning (and having your eggs in more than one basket), can help prepare for the future. That is why we try to ensure that, despite our limited numbers, we maintain and build some genetic diversity; whether through ongoing female purchases or the use of different AI sires. We have some polled, some horned; some timeless genetics, some new. We have a single long term vision of where Fleckvieh cattle need to get to, but feel we should explore different avenues of getting there. And besides, breeding cattle is a journey without a final destination point – there will always be room to get better – so even 10, 20 years from now, there will still be that desire to improve cattle.
As we move forward with developing our own identity here at Applecross, it is great to be able to talk to Dad and tap his wisdom and opinions gained from being a lifelong Fleckvieh breeder. It is a tremendous thing to be able to share in a passion such as Fleckvieh cattle with your parents. Spending time together, touring and talking cattle, and getting those gentle reminders about staying patient and thinking out that 3-5 year plan, and keeping that plan fresh in your mind, is a wonderful way to spend a gorgeous August day. Hopefully just one of many such days in the future!
The Virtue of Patience
I will be the first to admit that I am not a patient person. It might not be totally my fault – I think to some extent society has changed. Take sports for example – we have progressed from getting our box scores from the morning newspaper, to watching highlights at the top of the hour on the 24 hours cable sports channel, and now we get it on demand, as soon as it happens, on the internet. When we used to vacation, we’d go to see Jeanne’s Grandpa in Nova Scotia – he of no TV, let alone internet. The first 48 hours were a bit of a withdrawal – you couldn’t just get up and ‘check things out’ on the ‘net, you had to be patient and wait for the next mornings’ paper. Once you were there for a few days, it became a lot easier, but those first few days were tough! I hope the same trend follows for me in the cattle business – maybe after a few more years, I’ll be more patient!
It is always so exciting to put together a genetic mating – the hard part is waiting to see how it turns out. It takes nine months from breeding to calving, then six months to weaning, and six months of development to a yearling. And even then, as a yearling, genetics are just getting started. For bulls, it is another year until you see their calf crop (and then a year after that to see how those calves develop). For heifers, it can be even longer – it is said that a Fleckvieh cow doesn’t hit her stride until age 5 or 6! That’s at least 7 years since she was conceived! That is a long time to wait in a world where we want answers instantly.
The commercialization of DNA and genomics into the beef herd does have the potential to accelerate the process, but a lot of other factors such as feet, temperament and milking ability need time in order to be evaluated. These can represent ‘checkpoints’ along the way to evaluate potential, and where animals rank within your own herd. The bottom end cattle always need to be cleaned up, and replaced with something that has at least the potential to be better. If we are doing our jobs right as cattle breeders, then a cow should produce a better offspring, so the herd should gradually improve. The challenge, of course, is ensuring that the offspring are indeed better than the parents, an assessment that is not always that easy to make – at least in less than 7 years!
Needless to say, maybe I should have chosen a passion in life other than cattle – it is certainly a career totally at odds with today’s instant availability of information. But maybe, just as importantly, cattle are a steady reminder that the best things in life take a little patience – as well as some effort; some attention to detail. Accentuating the importance of taking a longer term approach in life as opposed to instant results. Maybe purebred cattle are really just doing me a favour; re-emphasizing patience, in a world that has got seemingly so fast, so full, and reminding me to sit back and relax a little. Maybe a little patience is not such a bad thing after-all.
The Great Halter-Break
Jeanne with 2010's APLX Ensign 2X
So, I married a city girl. Well, I guess not technically a city girl. Jeanne grew up on 10 acres just south of Hamilton, on Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula. There was just enough land for a cow, a couple of horses, and all the pets (dogs, cats, rabbits and a hamster) that a house full of three tom-girl daughters could handle. With Jeanne’s and her family’s involvement in the military, her life revolved substantially around the armouries in Hamilton, and she always seemed quite at home navigating the one-way streets of the downtown core. A ‘farm’ girl to her city friends, but a ‘city’ girl compared to where I was from, she has always been a unique blend of urban smarts with country calm.
Jeanne’s love of nature and the environment led her to the University of Guelph, where we met. We studied topics about as diverse as you could get and still be ‘Aggies’ – Jeanne in Environmental Biology, and myself in Agricultural Business. They grouped all of the first year agriculture students in one big common ‘Agriculture’ course and, through luck of the draw, we ended up being in a lab group together. One thing led to another and, somewhere between my volunteering to cook her breakfast if she would finish typing our final group report on a Saturday morning, and becoming couple-number-two on the class square-dance set, a partnership was formed that has now lasted almost 20 years.
When we started Applecross, Jeanne was convinced that a portion of her summer off from teaching school should be spent halter-breaking calves – the thought being that with both of us working full-time, there was more time in the summer to train cattle than immediately prior to the sale. While Jeanne has been around Fleckvieh cattle since we met, she had never actively worked them. I was a 4-H’r all the way up (it was a 4-H interprovincial exchange to Alberta in 1991 that first piqued my interest in farming here some day), and had spent a lot of the summers of my teens preparing my 4-H heifer for our fall achievement days, and the fall shows. Jeanne, however, had none of this experience, but she was quite keen to give it a go. Armed with the assistance of our vacationing eight year old nephew (also a city boy), and a 16 year old neighbouring farm girl (who is a dance student of Jeanne’s), she started the task in August of 2010 to spend three weeks prepping bull calves.
Last summer, the primary focus was APLX Ensign 2X. We thought he was a really good calf, and we were hoping to display him at Transcon’s National Trust Bull Expo. This was our first public display so we wanted to do a really good job with him, as we have always thought that first impressions mean a lot – not only for Ensign, but also for Applecross and establishing our reputation as a breeder. While Jeanne worked with all the bulls, Ensign did receive some extra attention – he was the one that would be showcased in two months, and we wanted him to be ready.
Needless to say, we were quite pleased with how things turned out, both in compliments and observations at the event itself, and in how Ensign eventually sold in March’s Red Deer bull sale. Pam Langer first saw Ensign at the Trust, so it was easy to relate their March purchase back to his original display last October. While we know there won’t always be this definitive link between the two; it was great to experience a direct correlation between our original promotional/marketing efforts and the final results. We definitely plan on displaying at the National Trust Bull Expo again in 2011.
Now summer once more, Jeanne has enthusiastically decided to halter-break calves again. She is starting earlier (July vs. August), so that the calves will be 100lbs lighter and thus a little easier to (wo)man-handle. She will have her trusty assistants available to help at least some of the time, and we look forward to continuing our efforts to turn our now nine year old nephew into a farm boy. Jeanne has even decided to learn how to clip this summer (thanks to some encouragement from ‘Becca Beechinor), in order to complete the full fitting experience for future sales events. Not that I am concerned, but I figure that, worst-case scenario, by practicing in the summer at least the hair will grow back prior to the bulls needing to be showcased. We might have some funny looking cattle in the pasture for a few weeks, but there is only one way to learn (4-H’s ‘learn to do by doing’ motto sure stands the test of time). And hey, it has been almost 20 years since I clipped in 4-H, so it is not like I am a seasoned expert, either.
So, as we start on season two of the great halter break today, I thought it fitting to talk a bit about Jeanne and her efforts that go on behind the scenes; getting cattle ready. Applecross is a partnership in the truest sense of the word, and while we both have specific roles that we work best in, together we are definitely more than just the sum of our parts. Here is to Jeanne – nose to nose with an opportunity and desire to learn a new skill, taking that plunge, and then coming back for more in year two. It is always wonderful and astounding that she wants to be actively and enthusiastically involved in this crazy passion of mine called Fleckvieh cattle.
Genomics and DNA – Yes We Test
Every year, about the 2nd week-end in June, we vaccinate the cow herd. The timing usually matches two weeks since they were put to grass, which allows them to ‘get a little more solid’ when working behind them. For the last two years, we have also taken the opportunity to collect DNA hair samples for genomic testing. In 2010 we profiled our entire cow herd and a portion of our calf crop; leaving just our top 2011 calves (and any purchaseslast fall) to be done this year. Our testing is all done through Merial’s Igenity Profile.
We got started in genomic testing in large part due to my parents operation. Dad has been an advocate of DNA profiling for a number of years, and we have debated the merits of this new technology many times. The introduction of Igenity’s RFI test for feed efficiency in late 2008 was the tipping point. We always thought that Fleckvieh’s were highly efficient cattle, but outside of a complicated and expensive research trial, there was no way to quantify how much feed each animal consumed. Pasture is pasture, bunk space is bunk space – does a bossy cow who gets there first, eats her fill and goes and lays down eat more than another cow that might get there last, but eat all day? Which one needs less feed? Thanks to genomics, those animals with a genetic pre-disposition to be efficient, can
be readily identified.
In today’s world of volatile markets and razor thin margins, the best agricultural producers aren’t maximizing their revenue stream, they know their costs in order to maximize their efficiency: it isn’t the top line gross sales figure that matters – it is the cash left over at the end of the day that is important. This is an important distinction. (And a discussion topic that should merit a future post all to itself). That is why I think the RFI test has the most value when used in conjunction with Average Daily Gain. A highly efficient animal that doesn’t gain, may not be any better off than one who both eats and gains. The best of both worlds, are the animals that eat less but still put on the pounds.
From an industry supply chain perspective, in my mind, our business works like this: Purebred breeders supply genetically superior bulls to cow-calf operators, who in-turn multiply those genetics into calves that go to backgrounders or direct to the feedlot. If feed represents 85-90% of all expenses to feedlot operators, then they should be prepared to pay a premium for calves that can be documented to be highly feed efficient. This translates into higher returns for the cow-calf producer, and in theory higher bull prices. Even if revenues aren’t consistently higher, the efficiency gains on feed for each stakeholder should bump net returns.
I think the long term potential of being able to genetically reproduce more feed efficient cattle is tremendous – but at the same time, I don’t discount the importance of physical traits. It is often said that a beef cow doesn’t generate profit for her owner until she is 5 or 6 – the thought being, that with thin profit margins, the first several calves just make up for the costs of developing the cow in the first place. So if you aren’t going to make a profit off the first few calves, then the cow has to last long enough – that means sound feet and legs, a balanced udder, the ability to breed back every year, and a decent disposition – all traits that are difficult to evaluate from a DNA spreadsheet.
So, at the end of day, I think it is a balance between the two – recognize the importance and value of genomics and DNA testing, and utilize it in addition to the traditional methods of evaluating cattle. In a perfect world selecting for a combination of low feed requirements, high gain, while still maintaining a balance of strong maternal and physical traits will lead to superior breeding stock, an improved animal, and more money in everyone’s pocket. Genomic technology is new enough that it will certainly evolve over the years (and we are really pleased with the recent CSA research announcement), but we already feel it is an important part of our evaluation tool kit, and one we look forward to utilizing on an expanded basis in the future.
The Joys of June
Four inches of rain over the past six days might belie the title, but June is my favourite time of year (well, February and October are too). While we both work off the farm full time, June’s long daylight hours allow lots of farm work to get done in the evening, which is usually capped off by a cow-tour.
The cow tour. Easily my favourite part of the cattle business.
We are fortunate to be able to house all of our cattle here at home, and although most of the pastures are visible from the front porch or back deck of our house, there is still nothing better than a cow tour. I like to spend hours just watching cattle on grass. Seeing them eat, at peace in their natural environment. Looking, studying the cattle from all angles. Checking udders, feet, and body condition – are they gaining weight back? Or is it all going to their calves? After a hard days’ work, it sometimes gets real tempting to sit on the deck with a beer and binoculars, but nothing replaces taking the time to spend walking the cattle.
It is also great to watch the calves develop their own identities – and go through growth spurts. Calves can be difficult – they can look great one day – then seemingly shoot up three inches overnight and turn a little gangly – before bulking up on their newly expanded frame. Some calves always stand out. Often there is a calf that jumps ahead of the pack and stays there (2010’s Ensign was a great example of this, and we have another one this year). Other calves grow on you – they are often ‘just a calf’ until one day you get a longer look, and are impressive individuals in their own right. Without spending the time, maybe the wrong decisions will get made come weaning – it might be a minor thing – one or two kept instead of culled per year . . . but sooner or later these small decisions can add up.
I always try to take at least some holidays at the end of June. Not only to coincide with the end of Jeanne’s school year, but also so that I have time to tour the herds of fellow breeders. Everyone has a slightly different management style, and a different vision of what the future will demand from Fleckvieh genetics. Being able to tour other operations provides a great opportunity to learn something; whether it be unusual genetics to evaluate, a unique pasture management system, or for an early peak at the next years breeding stock selection. I have yet to tour a herd that I haven’t be able to bring something home to incorporate here at Applecross.
And I think that is the key – to not only tour herds, but also to compare herds back to what we are trying to accomplish here. So the first thing I do after touring a herd, is to go back out to re-evaluate our own operation – how do we stack up? Do they have best practices we can easily implement to make improvement? – are there genetics that I have seen that maybe should be utilized in a future year? Successfully cattle breeding is all about constant improvement, and gaining exposure to a lot of different operations in order to widen your knowledge base can be very valuable. June seems to be the best time of year to ‘get your boots wet’ (literally this year); utilizing all that extra daylight to spend more time with the cattle.
While I do think Genomic Testing is very important (I will elaborate my thoughts on DNA in another post here shortly), spending time with cattle to complete that physical evaluation will always remain an essential part of the business. Here is to the joys of June – long days, warm, (hopefully) sunny weather, and lots of time for cattle – on pasture, turning grass into meat and milk. Happy touring!
Thunder & Colour
One of the beauties of central Alberta is the thunderstorms that roll in early evening, last for an hour and are then gone again, leaving in the quiet calm the smell of clean, fresh air and often a lingering rainbow or two. With the storms however, always comes trepidation – the moisture is always appreciated, but the threat of hail and that dreaded white combine is a major concern.
May Long Week-end: A Time to Fence
For as long as I can remember, it has been a family tradition to fence on Victoria Day Week-end. It is usually right around this time that the cows go to pasture, so it is a matter of importance to ensure the fences are all up, in good repair and that ‘heat’ is on all the hot wire cross fences.
Back in the early years, the family farm had quite a number of rail fences. For those unfamiliar with these, Ontario was predominantly forest when it was settled. Early pioneers cleared the land and kept a lot of the timber around for future use. One of these uses was the backbreaking task of splitting cedar logs into rails, and then using these rails to build fences. While the fences were functional, they did provide perfect scratching posts for cows. A year full of scratching often meant that the rail fences needed a lot of repair come spring. Gradually over time, the rail fences have been replaced primarily with high-tensil hot wires, but a few areas of rail fences remain. I find it quite amazing that well over 100 years since the land was cleared, the rails from the early settlers are still in use. Today’s picture is one from Mom at Dora Lee – from the lower yard looking out toward the pasture. It gives a great indication of what rail fences look like.
Here at Applecross, our fencing is a lot more straight forward. Our farm is fenced and cross-fenced with 4 strand barb wire, and then we have reinforced this with a hot wire. We have also begun
cross-fencing into even smaller pastures via single strand hotwire, to allow for different management groups and more rotational grazing. With land prices where they are at in Central Alberta, we are trying to maximize the grazing potential of our property. Our goal is to have 3 management groups (bred heifers, bull calf pairs, heifer calf pairs), with 3 sets of rotational grazing for each group. Each
paddock should hopefully have 10 days of grass, allowing a 3 week break between grazes. Obviously moisture conditions and the season can speed or slow the rotation, but having options and trying to
maximize our pasture production remain our primary goals.
With the late arrival of spring in Alberta, we seem to have skipped right to summer: 20 degree days and lots of daylight have accelerated the pasture growth, so it looks like our cattle will be able to go to grass next week. Walking the pastures looking at cattle is one of my favourite activities, so it will be great to get them out – in the interim, there is lots of fencing to finish, but thankfully no rails to worry about!
Happy Easter!
APLX Santana 11Y
Happy Easter from Applecross. As we pause to reflect on this week-end holiday, we remember that Easter has always been about rebirth. In this years’ case, it has coincided with (finally) the onset of spring, and the rebirth of the land from a long winter slumber. We have had more snow this year than we’ve experienced in our time out west (according to lifetimers, the most snow since 1974), and an unseasonably late spring has lead to our snow pack just melting down now. Spring is about 3 weeks behind, but if the next few weeks can stay this warm and sunny, hopefully we’ll be able to catch up and still have the cows to pasture in late May. One advantage of the late spring is the slow melt of our snow (we had about a foot and a half base), which should ensure lots of grass come summer. We have the moisture, now let’s see some heat!
Pictured here today is Santana – a mid-March calf from Dora Lee Christina and Spruceburn Starfire. While only just over a month old, he is developing into a good bull calf already. Probably the most unique thing about Santana is his colour pattern. The small white dot on his forehead, is the only white on his entire body – he is almost entirely cherry red. While we don’t necessarily breed for colour; I do try and breed for eye pigmentation, and whenever I am on cattle tours I always take a second look at cattle with white (a topic for a future post). Santana has quite a unique colour pattern, but hopefully it will be his length, volume and style that we’ll be talking about when we go to make our final bull pen selections in September.
Once again, Happy Easter. We hope that you are enjoying this special day with friends and family; and are also experiencing the return of wildlife, nesting birds (and nesting calves), in this glorious rebirth of spring.
How We Name Calves
A Handful of our 2011 Calves
Maybe it is because our numbers are relatively small, but naming cattle is one of our favourite parts of calving. We give it a lot of thought, and we do have certain parameters we like to follow. As we mentioned in an earlier post, we tend to follow the dam’s name on heifers and sires name for bulls. Thus, Equinox bull calves became Ensign, Emmett and Eli, whereas heifer calves from Tasha became a Tara and a Taylor. For some reason we also decided to prefix differently for each sex. Boys get our herd letters APLX, while girls get the full farm name ‘Applecross’.
Originality also counts; especially for the boys. There are certain names in the Simmental breed that, in my mind, stand for one individual and can only be reused selectively. For example: when someone says ‘King Arthur’; I still think old school Fleckvieh Legend, rather than the recent upcoming red sire. When I hear Rachel, I think 29X. And, as a more recent example, when I hear Romano, I think ‘Champs’. With a lifetime of involvement in the breed, my list of legendary names might be getting long, but I think it is important to stay original, and recognize that name association is the pinnacle of success for an animal. But until that animal hits ‘elite’ status, I think that name is pretty fair game.
Jeanne, being both a public school and Scottish dance teacher, seems to have an endless supply of ‘appropriate’ names for animals; but she also has a few names on the veto list. If a student’s behaviour is horrible, chances are they will NOT have a calf named for them. Speaking of vetoes, we both get one. If we each absolutely hate a name, or if I feel it falls into that ‘Legendary’ category, there is no point using it. Marital harmony is a good thing. Having a calf named something that either one of us dislikes tends to lead towards a short stay at Applecross, the use of nicknames like ‘freezer’ or ‘burger boy’, and an excuse to get that animal off the place as soon as possible.
Once we run out of good names that start with the same letter, we still try to connect the dots. Thus a ‘Princess’ will have a ‘Baroness’, ‘Countess’ or maybe ‘Duke.’ In our case ‘Treasure’ yielded ‘Jewel’ who in turn gave us ‘Ruby’ in 2010. Maybe someday ‘Ruby’ will give us a ‘Tuesday’ . . . as long as I can convince Jeanne!
Before we finalize a name, we do one last test. We take the proposed name and imagine Jay Good or Dan Skeels saying that name off the block at auction. If we can’t imagine them saying it correctly (whether it is pronouncing ‘Hermione,’ or saying the phrase, ‘out of the Thruster bull,’ with a straight face), then the name doesn’t get used. While Jay and Dan are both consummate professionals, it doesn’t hurt to try and make their jobs a little easier. Sometimes what sounds cute at birth, can sound pretty silly when that bull or heifer shows up in the sales ring or in a pedigree.
With the above criteria, we add appropriate names to our calving sheet for both daughters and sons. One name each, with the ‘quality’ of name dependant on the anticipated calf quality. Then once the calf is born, we immediately give it it’s name. We do sometimes change the name immediately following birth (or try to think fast and add a name for twins), but once a name has been chosen, it usually tends to stick. Also, if we anticipate steering or culling the calf, we give a generic name (Bill, Joe, Bob) as opposed to ‘wasting’ a good name. Throughout the years it feels much more natural being able to call the calves by name, rather than by number. Maybe it makes us more attached to that calf; but the name always seems to become part of their identity.
After explaining all that, maybe our naming strategy sounds complicated. We think it makes sense; and with both of us having input, it tends to be fairly balanced. I may not get to name every bull calf after a truck (although I did sneak through both an Envoy and an Escalade in 2011), and Jeanne may not get to use the names of all of her favourite Harry Potter or Twilight characters (she snuck in an Emmett!), but the middle ground tends to yield a good name – distinctive but not outlandish. Here’s to happy naming – it is yet another fun part of breeding cattle.
11th Annual Red Deer Simmental Bull Sale Report
The 11th annual Red Deer Simmental Bull Sale wrapped up Monday, and overall we are quite pleased with how our first ever sale turned out. Despite some prior-to-event setbacks, which resulted in both Emmett and Eli withdrawing from the sale, Ensign carried the APLX prefix very well.
A foot of wet March snow created very poor weather, but a capacity crowd was still on hand to see 80 bulls sell. Sale stalwarts Oh Kay Farms led off the sale with the first 2 lots; with Ensign selected to be 6th in the ring. When the gavel fell, Ensign sold for $8,000 to Langer Fleckvieh of Edson, AB. We are quite pleased with the result, and as an added bonus, Ensign was the high selling Fleckvieh bull of the day. Ensign has a great new home, where we are confident he will work well with the Langer herd for many years to come. We look forward to Ensign’s genetics showing up in the Langer’s sale string in future Fleckvieh Equation Sales, held each December in Red Deer.
Other sale highlights include fellow first time consignors, WJ Simmentals, selling their red bull ‘Label Me Teddy’ for $10,250, and the overall high seller of the day ‘Oh Kay Zanadu’ selling for $15,000. Overall the sale grossed $344,200 on 80 lots for a $4,303 average. We were also quite impressed with the results of the Beechinor Bros. Simmentals program; their 28 lots represented over a third of the bulls sold, which showcased the strength of both their Fleckvieh and purebred cow herds.
Optimism has returned to the cattle business, and we were pleased to be a part of this great event. Transcon put on a heck of a sale, and we look forward to taking part in the 2012 edition next year.
Our Entries to 2011 Red Deer Bull Sale
APLX Ensign 2X - headlines our entries
Individual pages (short-cut links are located in the right-hand column) have been created for our three bull entries to the 2011 Red Deer Bull Sale to be held on Monday, March 21, 2011 at 1:00pm at Westerner Park, Red Deer, Alberta. The 2011 edition will represent our first genetics to sell by auction, and we are pleased to be a part of this great event.
The three bulls selected represent the best of our 2010 bull calf crop. We weaned September 3rd, 2010, evaluated the calves, and then culled thoroughly. These three bulls are all solid colour, heavily pigmented, have moderate (90-100lb) birth weights, show lots of muscling, have tremendous hair coats and are backed by strong, often unique, pedigrees. The bulls have been developed on a ration of free-choice quality first cut hay combined with 10lbs/day of mixed grain, formulated to 12% protein. To ensure they are in shape for breeding season, the grain ration was increased to 12lbs/day on February 1st. The bulls are housed in a 5 acre paddock to ensure lots of exercise, they have all been at least tie-broke, and all have a quiet temperament. In short, we have raised them to be the type of bulls we would wish to buy for ourselves, and feel they will go out and get the job done.
Thanks to their sire, all three bulls are scurred and may pass the polled gene along to their offspring. In 2009 we were selected to help ‘prove’ an exciting new homozygous polled bull that was the result of 10 years of development – Dora Lee’s Equinox. We are very pleased with how his first calf crop has performed, will continue to use him extensively. Thanks to his development in Ontario, we also believe his genetics are outcross to the vast majority of Fleckvieh lines in Western Canada. These three bulls will also represent the only Equinox sons to sell publicly in 2011.
On the individual pages, we have also pictured the dams. Maternal lines are very important to us, and we feel that behind every great bull is an outstanding mother. We also have additional information and pictures available about the maternal grand dams; should it be of interest. As some people prefer paper copies, we also have individual bull profiles available in PDF format that can be e-mailed and printed, or sent by regular mail. Please let us know if you would like any additional information on any of our animals.
The 2011 Red Deer Simmental Bull Sale will be a very exciting time for us. We look forward to seeing the first Applecross genetics sell March 21 at Westerner Park.
Picture Note: The above picture of ‘Ensign’ taken in October of 2010. We really like this picture of Ensign, as it showcases his tremendous volume and heavy muscling, but wanted to use a current ‘winter’ picture in order to have consistent maturity with the other bulls in the catalogue and on his web-page.
Reference Sire Page Added
We have just added a reference sire page, located under the Herdbook tab at the top right of our website. Our reference sires consist of the three bulls that we have utilized that are privately owned and/or only selectively available through AI; and therefore may not be as familiar to those in the industry. We expect the number of ‘reference sires’ to grow as our herd continues to develop and evolve.
Why February is the best time of the year
On the morning of February 1st, it was -36 here. Call me insane, but I think February is the best time of the year to be in the purebred cattle business, despite the temperatures. (Of course, I also think June and October are the best time of the year, but I will get to those months in the future). Why February? Only because it is probably the most important month of the year for purebred breeders. It is the month major breeding decisions get made – and those decisions will impact your breeding program for at least the next 5 years, and potentially shape it for decades. In short, it is the month of opportunity.
In February, there are January/February calves on the ground that are developing, and providing an early glimpse of their potential. They create a short window to determine what matings from last year appear to be working. There are so many questions to be asked and answered: How easily did they calve? Were the calves vigourous? is the colour/pigmentation what you expected? Is it the sire? Is it the dam? Was it just the wrong combination of genetics? What is the early performance/muscling/femininity like? All of these questions impact the decisions that must be made this month.
In the mail there is a steady stream of bull sale catalogues, followed by sales to attend, and fellow breeders to chat with and learn from. Not only are bulls to be selected for your own use, but also the inspection of different bloodlines, cow families and breeding programs are very important. Not to mention the constant comparing to your own bulls back home – how do your bulls stack up against those of your peers? What can you learn from your peers to make your breeding decisions/marketing program better in future years? What are the current industry trends? Should you follow those trends within your operation? What are your customers telling you about the genetics they purchased from you last year, or the year before that? February provides the opportunity to network, and obtain this important feedback.
Finally, after doing the evaluations and answering all of those questions in your own mind, the breeding decisions have to be made. At Applecross, we continue to expand our numbers, so we continue to utilize AI as much as possible in order to broaden our genetic base, before turning out the bulls to finish things off. In February, a lot of time is spent with our projected breeding chart, the chart that highlights the all of our options and our best ideas. But potential matings can still change half a dozen times between February and mid-March. We don’t always get what we want either – AI matings can come back; we can change our mind at the last minute and then regret the change a day later, but all in all, February is the month of opportunity. Stressful at times trying to make a good decision – one that you won’t know the answer of for 5 years; but an awesomely exciting time to get to pull the trigger and make your choice.
February. The month of decisions. The month of opportunity. The best time of the year.
Of (Gorgeous) Gretchen and (Amazing) Grace
Dora Lee's Gretchen with dam Geneveve on pasture - summer 2009
In 2009, while on a short summer visit to Dora Lee in Ontario, Dad and I took several tours of the cow-herd. It is sometimes nice to be away from the home farm for a while. When you come back, you notice changes more readily – specifically the younger cows who have developed a lot in the course of a year. The summer of 2009 was wet in Ontario, and in mid July the cows were still up to their bellies in grass (indeed, in the river flats, we were peering through grass that was over the height of the gator to see cattle). This was a sharp contrast to the dry year we were having in Central Alberta, where the pastures were already beginning to show stress.
Jeanne and I were still only a couple of years into developing Applecross and, despite an amazing set of heifer calves of our own, I was determined to continue to expand our numbers – and add at least one more Dora Lee female. Mom and Dad had developed quite a number of impressive cow families over the years. Although I had already tapped into a number of them, there were still a couple of others that I wanted to try and obtain genetics from. 2009 was also the year Dora Lee Eclipse came into his own – he put a clear stamp on his heifer calves (they always seemed to stand with their heads up; showing off their long neck with lots of power). He also had quite a number of impressive bred heifers and first calvers. We already had three Eclipse females of our own, but all three were horned. Thus, my objectives were defined – find a polled Eclipse female from an outcross cow family. If I was really lucky (and the price was right), maybe I’d be able to find two heifers (or even better, an instant cow family in a cow-heifer calf pair).
After touring the herd several times, I held my cards close. I had my eye on three calves and one pair – but what was Dad willing to sell? He named a price and gave me pick of the entire heifer calf crop. While the price was higher than I had hoped (and eliminated the pair idea), I couldn’t have asked for more selection, from what was an amazing group of heifer calves. Dad, knowing we were in drought and short grass, also offered to winter her, AI her to the bull of my choice and then have her delivered in the spring. It was a really great opportunity – but what to pick?
I took Jeanne out for one last tour. Jeanne gives me a pretty free hand in selecting cattle, but always has (good) input, and has a big influence on naming the calves (both here at Applecross and previously at Dora Lee). After seeing the four calves I was interested in, we selected a polled Arnold’s Image daughter from an Eclipse dam. She was a younger (March) calf, but exuded femininity and was cherry red to her hooves. I am also a sucker for older proven genetics, and had always wanted an Arnold’s Image female to walk beside some of the other classics we already have (King Arthur, C&B Western and Antonius). Picking an AI sire was easy – LJB Jade. I was with dad when he bought the semen, and we had debated his merits many times. The combination of outcross genetics, calving ease, and knowing he sires powerful females himself, made Jade a quick decision.
While Jeanne and I name calves at birth, Mom and Dad usually wait until weaning is done; which also gave us the ability to name our new heifer. Our new calf’s mother was named ‘Geneveve’, and traditionally we follow the dam for daughters and the sire for bulls; leading to the requirement of a ‘G’ name. This led to the inevitable sit-around-the-kitchen table and throw names out. It often gets quite silly, but is always a lot of fun – especially since Jeanne and I each have veto power over names. Dad came up with ‘Gorgeous’ – simply based on her appearance, and how she stood with her head up – as if she knew she was gorgeous, too. Unfortunately, Jeanne vetoed ‘Gorgeous’, and we eventually settled on ‘Gretchen.’ Although for the rest of that year, Dad and I both talked about ‘Gorgeous’ and how she was developing.
In May 2010, Gorgeous – I mean Gretchen – made her trip west, safe in calf to Jade, and settled in nicely at her new home in Alberta. She was the first cow due for us, and we anticipated a New Years baby. Early on January 2nd, 2011, Gretchen gave us an unassisted heifer calf. Cherry red, with a single goggle, she has lots of neck and is already showing thickness. She also appears polled. While in some ways I was hoping for a bull calf (seems hard to find outcross, calving ease herd sires), I am not disappointed in the least. She has been named ‘Grace’, and was promptly nicknamed ‘Amazing’ by Dad. She is amazing – and we are amazingly lucky! Grace had a 25% chance of being a polled female, with the odds even lower that she would also have the colour pattern and phenotype that we think will make a powerful cow.
Thinking back to 2009 and our goal of adding an outcross cow-calf pair to our program; 2 years later we have been incredibly lucky to have turned the purchase of one, top-end heifer calf into just that. We really enjoy developing cow families, and a polled Arnold’s Image female walking beside her polled LJB Jade daughter is exciting for us. They are a great young pair to help anchor our herd, and an ‘Amazing’ start to the ‘Gorgeous’ cow family here at Applecross.
2011 Calving Season – Half-way home.
We are officially half way finished calving – so far, so good. We survived a couple of really brutal weeks of weather; during which, we were fortunate enough to convince the cows to calve inside. The calving barn is at least out of the wind, and not quite as cold. This week has been mild, so it has been nice to see the calves bouncing around the yard playing.
There have been a number of interesting calves to date; both bulls and heifers. Pictured here are two of the girls – (5 day old) Taylor who is a Gidsco Appollo by our Hiemstra cow, Tasha; and (2 week old) Janelle, an Anchor T Ikon heifer from Dora Lee Jasmine. We think very highly of both dams (they are both featured on our ‘Young Guns’ page), and we are excited to be able to grow both cow families. I hope to feature some of our other exciting calves in future posts.
Applecross Cattle 