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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.