Our Journey as Producers of Fleckvieh Simmental Cattle.

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New Addition @ Applecross

 

 

Dora Lee’s Martina – September 8, 2012

New Addition @ Applecross

We have been successful in acquiring ‘Dora Lee’s Martina’ during my recent visit to Ontario.  Tremendously long and thick, Martina is a powerful Broadway daughter out of Bar 5 Maria – a South African female that Dad selected as an open heifer back in 2008.

There were a lot of factors that drew us to Martina, not the least of which was her sire, DDD Broadway.  During our tours of various breeder’s operations, I have seen a number of Broadway cows that I really like, and he has also shown up in the pedigrees of several sale animals I have been interested in.  Vaughn Gibbons has kept Broadway’s semen very exclusive, and while we have been successful in obtaining a couple of doses (and have a heifer calf of our own),  we have been impressed with the bloodline, so adding this outstanding heifer made a lot of sense.

We usually prefer to purchase open heifers instead of bred heifers, primarily due to younger animals having more time to get integrated in our program.  That extra year, combined with getting to breed them to the bull of our choice, ensures that they are set up ‘our way’ for that critical first calf.  We feel that this approach gives them the best chance of having that first calf successfully, which more than offsets the added costs of feeding/breeding them for an additional 12 months compared to a bred heifer.

When we are seriously interested in adding a bred heifer such as Martina, the earlier the sale date the better.  As with opens, bred heifers that have more time to adapt to their new surroundings and management program will calve out better, with a higher probability of breeding back on the first service.  As such, as we move deeper and deeper into fall sale season, our focus shifts more and more towards open heifers.

Martina arrived here at Applecross on Thanksgiving, and fits in very nicely with our bred heifer group.  With similar management programs, plenty of time to adjust, and bred to a calving ease specialist in Sanmar Pol Pharo, we look forward to an exciting calf in January.  We are confident Martina will add some outcross performance to our cow herd for many years to come.

Posted by  |  October 14, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Stepping Back

The Dora Lee Herd in the River Flats – Sept 8, 2012

Stepping Back

I had the opportunity to slip back to Ontario for a week-end in September. It is always great to visit family and the farm, and September is a wonderful time of year to do so. At Dora Lee, harvest finishes in August (when the barley and second cut hay finish up), and with the drought, weaning was also completed early, so there was a lot of time to both visit and spend with the cattle; evaluating and reflecting on the current calf crop and how the bred replacements are developing. While the farm and cattle have changed a little around the edges, the core of the operation remains essentially the same since I left for university 20 years ago.

I am very fortunate to share my passion for cattle with my father. We often act as a sounding board for each other to discuss the merits of new ideas that can generate a lot of great discussion. While we don’t necessarily agree on everything, I have learned an tremendous amount from Dad over the years, the majority of which I am trying to incorporate into our operation here at Applecross. We also both really enjoy spending time with the cows – just out among them, checking and evaluating, planning and appraising, debating the merits of what the next step in the evolution of the herd should be. In hind-sight, I guess it was no surprise that late Friday night, when we got in from the airport, we checked the cows before bed – despite it being full dark. This must be the reason that Gators have lights!

Dora Lee is ideally situated for cattle. The spine of the farm is a meandering creek that runs the length of the property, complete with river flats, rolling hills, and predominantly cedar bush. The grain and hay ground surround the pastures, and together make a nice balance for a cow calf operation. Similar to most of the American mid-west, Ontario suffered through a serious drought this summer. With no moisture for almost 2 months, both the hay and pasture land suffered significantly. While they had some rain in August (and it rained 2+ inches the day I was there), I was surprised at how ‘green’ the pastures were. I think the big gain was in the rotational grazing program. As I discussed previously, Dad has been a long term proponent of rotational grazing. With the drought this year, he took his program a step further, dividing all of his existing pastures in half again, which effectively shortened the grazing period and increased the rest time. As rotational grazing takes years to improve the pasture conditions, the hard work in improving the grass stand had already been completed, but the even shorter grazing was essential for stretching grass in this drought year, and will continue to pay dividends in the future.

One of the other neat tools that Dad utilizes to improve the pasture is to add grass seed to the mineral. The rolling hills and river flats are not conducive to a seeder, so by adding birdsfoot trefoil seed to mineral, the cows ingest the seeds and then excrete them in the manure all over the pastures. Dad has always joked that cows had a forage harvest on the front and a manure spreader on the back, so I guess this step just hooks on an air-seeder as well. I do think digging deeper into that concept has a lot of merit. The cow-calf sector has always been a low margin business, with feed being the number one expense, and with equipment requirements traditionally a major capital cost. Any opportunity to maximize the natural grazing ability of cows, and reduce the amount of confined feeding that requires intensive management – whether it be ‘prepared’ hay/feed or manure removal – should be seriously considered. This is also a great trait in Fleckvieh cattle – their natural ability to perform on a forage based diet, provides a significant advantage compared to other breeds.

That combination of an extensive natural habitat combined with great childhood memories has always made Dora Lee a very peaceful place; and something we have tried to emulate here at Applecross (It should be no surprise that Applecross derives from the Gaelic word ‘ A’chomraich’, which means ‘Sanctuary’). As a result, the visit back to Ontario provided the perfect opportunity for stepping back and reflecting; not only on the goals Mom & Dad are still trying to achieve at Dora Lee, but also on the things we wish to accomplish here at Applecross. I think the strength of Dora Lee has always been in the cow herd – Dad has always focused on maternal lines, and has consistently stacked strong cow families to make sure the walking herd formed the backbone of the operation. Now that our numbers have grown closer to where we want them to be, I think it is important to follow this example and focus on making the core herd stronger from top to bottom. To accomplish this, we will need to retain all of our top bred heifers and not sell any females this fall as was originally intended. In the short term cash flow will certainly be tighter but, down the road, a stronger herd will result in a more uniform bull calf group, and more consistent females.

From a longer term perspective, one of my goals as a purebred breeder is to get the Applecross/APLX prefix on the bulk of our walking herd. When I look at bull and female sales for some of the top programs I admire – whether it is here in Alberta with Virginia Ranch or Anchor D – or my parents Dora Lee in Ontario – their own breeding prefix is very prominent in their program; often going back deep into extended pedigrees. Obviously an operation always needs to acquire new and different genetics to their herd in order to add some diversity, but I would like to think that if our herd is progressing, then generally our own replacements should be just as good as ones I could buy. I think it also can showcase your own breeding philosophy as it develops, hopefully, into a nice uniform group of cattle. This process obviously takes some time, but I also think that it creates a roadmap that showcases how a program evolves to create their current genetic offerings. Spending time in Ontario just enforced the importance of this goal, and provided yet another reason as to why our bred heifers should stay home this fall.

Lest you think I spent all my time thinking and talking cattle in Ontario, I did also enjoy some great time with family – not to mention several pieces of mom’s legendary pie (about the only advantage of visiting Ontario by myself – I got my favourite (Raspberry) – we usually get Jeanne’s favourite when we are both there). Living 4,000 odd kilometers from family can be tough, but we are blessed to live in a time when they are only a phone call/email/Skype away. We are fortunate to have both the opportunity and ability to visit, and we both look forward to an extended trip east next Summer. While the focus is always to visit family, I am sure there will be plenty of opportunity to see the cattle, and take that important opportunity to step back and reflect on where our own operation is headed.

Posted by  |  September 29, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Weaning Time!

 

Our youngest heifer, Applecross Evita showcasing her Quiet Wean nose flap, along side her dam, Dora Lee Evangaline

Weaning Time!

Labour Day week-end has always meant weaning time here at Applecross.    I am not sure whether it is the sudden change in weather (it seemingly goes from warm evenings to a hint of frost overnight), to Jeanne’s annual return to the front of the classroom, but it is always the last ‘must do’ on the summer’s job list, and is always scheduled for Labour Day Monday.

For the last 4 years, we have used ‘Quiet Wean’ nose flaps in a two step weaning process that begins 9 days earlier – often the morning of the Anchor D Female Sale.  Dan & Karen always showcase a set of excellent cattle combined with amazing hospitality, so I always take the day off work to attend this great gathering.  The Friday morning sales date provides the perfect opportunity to work through the groups and get quiet weans in every nose, prior to enjoying some fun and fellowship later that afternoon.  Nine days later, on Labour Day Monday, we removed the Quiet Weans, and formally separate the calves from their dams.

The Quiet Weans themselves are a small, bendable plastic insert that fits into the calves’ nose.  The flap allows them to still eat grass and drink water, but prevents them from ‘drinking upwards’ to the teat.  This ensures that the calves have nine days to wean themselves off their ‘milk addiction’, and then only have to deal with separation anxiety from their mothers come weaning day.

I first saw the quiet weans at work when touring the D Bar C / Cutler & Sissons herd in 2009.  I figured that if it worked for them in their 400 cow operation, we could easily manage the extra step with our much smaller herd.  Now, four years later, we are pleased with how both the cows and calves transfer through the stress of weaning.    Yes, there is still some noise for a day or two, but the calves adapt a lot more quickly and seem to be back turning grass into meat in no time.    We hope to profile some of these calves over the next few months.

Posted by  |  September 6, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Rotational Grazing

The grass is always greener on the other side.

Rotational Grazing

Rotational grazing is something we have been working with since the early 1990’s, when Dad purchased the farm next door.  The new land had not been worked for a number of years, and everything on it was in a state of disrepair.   The old barn was buried, the house cleaned up and refurbished, and new fences went up so that our Fleckvieh cattle could enjoy the extra space.  We spent a lot of time together that summer – fencing and, in his words, ‘putting the land to work’.

Thanks to 40 acres of bush at Dora Lee, fencing started the hard way – we cut all of our cedar posts directly from the bush.  Most trees had two or three 8ft posts in them, and Dad was always careful to only selectively cut the posts we needed from a number of different areas in order to keep the forest viable for future uses.  We would log for a while, and then move the pile of fresh cut posts to the house, where an ‘after supper’ job for us kids would be stripping the bark from the green posts, getting them ready to be ‘planted’.  We then moved on to the actual fencing – the perimeter was completed with 4 strand high-tensile electric wire (with cedar posts every 30 ft), while the cross fencing was single strand (and thankfully just plastic posts).  Although it has been 20 years, the original electric fencing has remained in place, and dad continues to add additional cross-fences to improve the rotational grazing patterns.  This summer alone, an additional 2 miles of interior fences were added.

Partly because of this background, one of our summer projects here at Applecross was to complete the first phase of our rotational grazing program.   As I have previously discussed, our home quarter is solely a grass quarter, with three separate walking groups (bred heifers, cows w heifer calves, cows w bull calves).  All three groups obviously need to have access to a clean water source, preferably in the yard.  While well-water is more expensive than a dug-out or natural water source, I think the cattle just do better with quality water.  We also like the fact that our groups then have to come up to the yard to drink.  It gets them in a routine of coming up to buildings, and in turn locking them in for treatment, processing or sorting becomes very straightforward.  It might mean a little extra fence to add alleys to all the rotations, but the management benefits more than offset the additional cost and time to put them up.

So during my August holidays, we finally finished phase one of our rotational grazing plan.  Each of the three groups now have 3 paddocks they can rotate through, and an alley to get to the yard for water.  The cows are rotated approximately every 10 days, giving each pasture a 20 day break.  We also have 2 smaller ‘overflow’ fields which are not part of the rotation, but can be utilized should any of the groups get ahead of the re-growth.  It is always great to have a little flexibility.

Our cross-fencing is simply single strand hot wire, and it does appear to be something that the cows respect.  We have quiet cows, and that certainly helps with the hot wire (as they usually walk not run), but obviously if a cow feels cornered or threatened, they will still go through or over the fence.    We are predominantly utilizing fiberglass ‘pigtail posts’ that can be easily removed/dropped if you need to drive over the fence with a tractor (or when spreading manure for that matter).  We like that the ‘pigtails’ don’t have parts to break off like other posts, but they are a little tall at spring turn out, as the younger calves can still walk under them.  We manage this by angling the posts, which drops the wire height slightly.  Not only does this keep the calves in, but it also makes it a little easier for us to step over when walking between groups.

Phase 1 is now complete, so we will move on to phase 2 over the next few years.  Our final goal is to have 6 paddocks for each group, allowing a 5 day rotation and 25 day rest – we think this will be the optimal balance between maximizing grass while keeping active management to a moderate level.  While we are out to ‘visit’ our cows pretty much every day in the summer, moving them every 5 days feels like it will be the right amount that will allow the cattle to keep their routines, while keeping the grass re-growth high.

It may be early yet to see how successful our new fences have been in improving yield, however we have already been able to see visible improvement in the first fields that were cross fenced in 2010 and 2011.   While the cows still have their favorite spots in each paddock, re-growth seems to be broader spread and more even.   Different species seem to be thriving – as an early graze of quick growing spring grass appears to allow for clover and alfalfa to thrive more through the middle of the season.   We look forward to seeing how the grass continues to evolve over the upcoming years.

Our goal is to be able to increase the yield of our pastures by upwards of 20%.  Whether we utilize this gain by being able to graze longer into winter, or by pasturing more cattle, a 20% grass gain for a couple of hundred dollars of wire and posts seems like a pretty good investment.

We have been blessed this summer by lots of moisture through June and July, followed by plenty of heat this summer.  The grass (as you can see in the picture), has been plentiful, and as a result, it hasn’t been nearly as stressed as a ‘normal’ year would be. Considering the wide-spread drought conditions in the US and Eastern Canada, we are very, very  fortunate. With the weather and grass that we have, our efforts to improve our rotational grazing may not seem immediately beneficial, but over the longer term, less stress on each of the pastures should only be a good thing; regardless of the weather.

Posted by  |  September 6, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Introducing our 2012 Walking Bulls.

Introducing our 2012 Walking Bulls.

We finished breeding season on July 2nd when our walking bulls were pulled and moved to their own paddock.  We managed to get a couple of pictures of them in their working condition, and have added new individual pages in our Herdbook / Reference Sire section for APLX Escalade 9Y and APLX Samson 10Y.

Our 2012 walking bulls both come from our own program, but are certainly different in their own right.  Since arriving in February 2011 with an 80lb birth weight, we have always kept an eye on Escalade, hoping that he would develop into a bull that we could use on heifers while maintaining the performance we desire.  With Escalade destined to be our ‘heifer bull,’ we then set out to hunt for an outcross herd bull to use on the balance of our cow herd.  After an extensive search, we just kept coming back to an off-age bull in our own bull pen.  Samson was too young to be a ‘sale’ bull, but too good not to keep an eye on.  As winter turned to spring, he showcased the performance and style that suggested that he could be the performance herd bull we were looking for.  Both bulls show a lot of promise, so we were quite pleased to have them available.

Both of these bulls have lived up to our expectations.  Despite their relatively young ages, they both went out and went right to work in their first season.  While we were very successful with our AI program, we expect to have a good sample of calves from each of our two new walking bulls starting next February.  They will both winter here, and we anticipate using them both more extensively in 2013.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to walking bulls carrying your own prefix.  I think that one of the benefits is that you know the cow families, and their respective backgrounds, a lot better.  In the case of each of these bulls, I have had the privilege of watching their maternal lines develop and evolve over the past 20 years.  It is perhaps unsurprising that both bulls can be traced back to SRN 2Y, the foundation cow at Dora Lee.  (What WAS surprising is that Escalade can be traced back to 2Y on three of the four quarters of his pedigree).

The down side of walking your own bulls, of course, is that you can back yourself into a genetic corner a few years down the road, once they have daughters working.  While AI can certainly mitigate part of this, the easiest way to add new genetics is via an outcross walking bull.   With two herd bulls, and the capacity for three walking groups, we continue to search (365 Days of the Year) for those outcross genetics that will fit our myriad of criteria.  In the interim, we are quite pleased with the job these two young bulls have done.

Posted by  |  July 8, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: | Leave a comment

Our Story of ‘Hope’

Our Story of ‘Hope’

At 4+ weeks premature, and weighing only 60% of a ‘normal’ birth weight, this is our story of an incredible little calf with an amazing will to live.

It was during a midnight cow check that a problem was spotted.  A solitary foot was protruding from a heifer who, earlier that evening had been acting close, but was not due for a month.  Just the single, small foot could mean trouble, so I went and woke Jeanne (standing instructions: no matter what the hour – if there is ever anything ‘interesting’ happening – get me up!) and we got the heifer into the barn to take a closer look.   As anticipated, there was only one leg in the birth canal.   With it being a smaller calf, we were able to push it back in slightly and get the other foot forward.  There appeared to be plenty of room for the calf, so we let the heifer out of the head gate and let things finish normally.

The good news was that it was a live calf, and she appeared to be breathing on her own.  The difficult part was that she was obviously premature and was very weak.  Nowhere was this more pronounced than in her neck, which she didn’t have the strength to lift.  Her attentive dam would lick her off, but her head just kept flopping around, providing no resistance to her mom’s attention.  Hoping that time would provide some energy, we went back to the house for a couple of hours sleep.

With both of us working off the farm, morning chores start at 5:30am.  With the calf being a ‘preemie’, both Jeanne and I went out to figure out how to ensure the calf had a good drink of colostrum.  The calf was still very weak, and did not appear to be much stronger, but at least she did not appear to be any weaker.  After assessing the situation, we quickly realized that the only way to get some milk in her was to strip it from her mom, and tube feed the calf.  Fortunately for us, the dam was fairly quiet and we were able to get her in the head gate and milk her by hand.    Tube feeding always provides mixed emotions.  On one hand it is extremely important to get that colostrum into the calf so they can turn it into energy – it is always amazing how the calf perks up after that first drink – the flip side is having to stick a tube down a calf’s throat so that the fluid doesn’t go into their lungs.  It certainly doesn’t look comfortable, and I am sure glad humans get IV’s!  We also took the opportunity to complete our regular post calving rituals of weighing her and giving her a shot of Selenium / Vitamin E.   Hopeful that the combination of milk, nutrients and vitamins would give her some more strength, we headed off to work.

Working in Red Deer, I was able to slip back home at lunch time for a few minutes to check on our new addition.  It is a tougher task with one, but I was able to get more milk from the cow and give the calf another drink.  The calf seemed stronger, with a little more control over her neck, but was still unable to stand.   After a fair bit of research, and a chat with some seasoned cattlemen, I also gave her a shot of Dexemethezone to help her lungs.  From everything I could read on the internet, the biggest survivability issue was with her lungs.  Premature calves don’t yet have the lubrication in their lungs to allow them to breath correctly, so they often live for a bit and then fade away.    The ‘Dex’ would hopefully give her lungs a little boost, and prevent them from drying out.

With both of us home after work, we put some teamwork into action.  I managed to hold the calf up to the cow, while Jeanne positioned her head to the teats.  The calf was weak, but wasn’t stupid.  Once she got a teat in her mouth, she certainly knew how they worked.   While it was certainly tiring (and occasionally frustrating) trying to get the calf to drink, it was great to see her accomplish this important milestone.   A second feeding followed before bed, and we were certainly happy things appeared to be progressing.

Wednesday morning began about the same, but we hit another milestone over the noon hour.  With a lot of assistance helping her to her feet, the calf would stand on her own.  My evening check brought a few steps of walking to her repertoire, and an attentively licking mom helped to toughen her up and gain the balance skills she needed to stay standing on her feet.  As a precautionary measure, we also gave her a shot of antibiotics – born prematurely with an immune system that wasn’t yet functioning, we hoped to ensure she had as good a chance as possible to get stronger.

I think it was Wednesday that we decided on the name ‘Hope’.  We always prefer to call a calf by a name, and by this time, spending so much time with her, it just seemed like ‘Hope’ was the right fit.  We were still in the early stages of her life, but it was so difficult not to have hope that she would make it.  For so many of our frequent trips to the barn over the previous couple of days, we had just hoped that when, we opened the door, she would still be breathing.  We were hoping that these gradual stages of improvement wouldn’t be undone by some internal challenges that we had no idea existed.

As Thursday dawned and we moved towards Friday, there was steady improvement.  With Hope now being able to stand, and her mother having decided that we were only there to help, what was previously a two-person job was compressed into just one.   I could get Hope standing near the right spot and Hope would brace herself against her mother’s back leg on her own, while I just had to worry about ensuring her head got in the correct position to get a drink.  She became more confident and sure of herself until, on Friday evening, all I had to do was get her up, and she knew where to go and what to do.  The best part was Saturday morning, when we went to the barn and found her drinking on her own.

Hope @ 6 days

Hope stayed in the barn for almost a month, to grow her limited hair coat out to a more normal length, before we let her outside to join the other calves.  After spending so much time with her, it was truly special to see her out ‘bouncing around’ and playing with the other calves; just like normal.  From what we can determine from our breeding chart, Hope was born 29 days early.  The odds of her survival were extremely low, but with some hard work and some faith, she has made it through the toughest part.  We are cautiously optimistic that she will continue to progress, and keep up with the other calves.      It is just an incredible sight to see her standing out in the pasture with her very attentive mom – drinking away – her tail still going like it did in those first days – just another sign that makes makes us optimistic.   It is hard not to become attached to a calf that took so much time and energy, so we remain ever Hope-ful that everything turns out alright.

Hope – June 20

Posted by  |  June 25, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: | Leave a comment

May Long Week-end: Bulls Out, Boots Up.

May Long Week-end:  Bulls Out, Boots Up.

As I discussed last year, the May Victoria Day Week-End has always meant fencing in preparation for putting the cows to grass.   Now that we are in Alberta, the grass isn’t quite ready (and from the picture, it may be a week or two yet), but that ‘extra’ work day is still spent fencing, getting heat on the hot wire, and taking care of a couple of trees that (of course) fell across the fence this winter.

‘May Long’ also marks the end of AI season, as the herd bulls are turned out and our feet go up – ‘active’ management of our cow herd turns to ‘passive’ management.   Since AI has directly followed a busy calving season, it is nice to be able to relax a bit and just watch them work until fall.  We still keep an eye on them to get dates for the cows that are still not bred, and there is the odd day spent dehorning and vaccinating but, for the most part, the intensive part of the year is finished.  As we are purely a grass farm, there are also no crops to worry about putting in.  Although there are still a lot of jobs on the to-do list, it is just nice to be back working on our own schedule, instead of being tied to the biological or reproductive clock of our cows.

We are really pleased with the success of our AI program, and how next years’ calf crop is shaping up.  It appears as if we have pregnancies to eight different AI sires, in addition to our two walking bulls.  I think AI can really improve the genetic diversity of the herd, and it will be very interesting to see calves from so many sires.  We are also very excited to see what our two new walking bulls produce.  They are both yearlings, but got things ‘figured out’ on a couple of introductory ‘dates’, so we are confident they will go right to work.  We plan on sharing more about our two young bulls in the next few days as we get pictures of them in pasture condition.

In the mean time, we’ll enjoy taking a break during the sunny days of a gorgeous long week-end.  The only decision is which group of cows we would like to watch, which dictates where to sit – Escalade’s group is at the back of the house, while Samson has his girls in the front field.  After some difficult decisions during AI season, it is nice to have a choice where you win either way.

Posted by  |  May 19, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Mother’s Day

We are currently enjoying a gorgeous Mother’s Day here in Central Alberta.  With that, I thought it would be great time to share some pictures of a few of our ‘moms’ with their 2012 calves.

It is that time of year when the calves seem to change almost daily, but that one constant is the attention and care that their mom’s pay to them – and that bond they form through the summer months.

Applecross Carly is our youngest calf of the year.  By Starfire and Applecross Catrina (Eclipse), we hope she turns out just like her mama.

Applecross Cassie is very closely related to Carly, as both are by Starfire, and their dams – Dora Lee Caitlin and Applecross Catrina – are full sisters by Eclipse and Dora Lee Christina.

Applecross Iris is by Pharao and Imperia, the Sargeant heifer we selected as a calf from Beechinors at the 2010 Equation sale.

APLX Edge is our lone Dora Lee Equinox calf this year. By Brock Waterloo, he looks destined for the bull pen

Applecross Evita (Starfire) is a real princess. Her dam is Dora Lee Evangaline (Sim Roc C&B Western). This mating has worked well for us, as we are walking a full brother in 2012

APLX Axel (Gidsco Appollo) will be one of our heavyweights this fall. By HEMR Tasha (Porterhouse Regent), we have an impressive full sister in our bred heifer pen that will be retained.

Applecross Hope is an Eli daughter by Applecross Tara (CEN Throttle) that was born 4+ weeks premature. We will tell her story in a future post, but she continues to progress after a rough start.

APLX Edison (by APLX Eli) and his dam Dora Lee Gretchen, an extremely feminine polled Arnold’s Image daughter.

Applecross Mariah is a standout Dora Lee Eclipse heifer from Delta Rho Miss Marnie (Wellhouse Kestrel), who we selected last fall in Ontario. The strength of Eclipse is evident through these pictures, so we are happy to be utilizing him again in 2012

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APLX Ajax is a really intriguing Gidsco Appollo son by LFS Pol Adara. Polled like his mama, we will be watching him closely as he develops this summer.

Posted by  |  May 13, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: | Leave a comment

The Succession Plan

Part of our Succession Plan: Applecross Bella (by DDD Broadway) with dam Lady Western. Pictured at one week.

The Succession Plan

My day job as an Agricultural Finance Specialist has given me the opportunity to work with a number of clients on succession planning over the past few months.  It tends to be one of those ‘winter tasks’ that people procrastinate about until time gets short and farmers start thinking of heading back out to work the land.   Usually done in conjunction with that mandated annual trip to the accountant (I have to pay HOW much tax?), and a seminar put on by your local financial institution, it always seems like an important farm issue that is difficult to deal with.

I think ‘succession’ planning itself often gets confused with ‘estate’ planning. ‘Succession’ is the passing of a business on to the next generation.   ‘Estate” encompasses all your assets.  Farmers probably have the most difficulty differentiating between the two, as often the farm operation consists of the bulk of the farmers’ assets.  It is not like too many farmers are complaining about sitting on piles of cash/stock/investments these days!

Maybe a better description of a succession plan is – do you want your farm to continue without you?  If the answer is yes, then you need a successor (and a plan for them to take over).  If the answer is no, then you will be selling / winding down your farm at some point, with the assets becoming part of your estate.

One of the tips I heard this week: Look for a successor that has a ‘fire in their belly’.  The thought is, that if they are unsure/unclear/uncertain about whether they want to be involved in the family operation; maybe the time/fit just isn’t right.  A successor should have a strong vision for where they want to go; and a drive to get there.

Probably the most important part of the succession plan of any farm is communication.  Whether it is between spouses, generations, in-laws or non-farming family members, ensure everyone is on the same page; awareness of what the plan is, is essential for family harmony.  Everyone may not necessarily get to have a say in the process, but the situations that tend to work out the best, are those in which all stakeholders are aware of the plan.  This way, hopefully the number of misunderstandings can be reduced, and the thought process behind the decisions that are made can be shared.

I think succession planning can also relate back to the purebred herd.  Having a plan in place to replace that elite cornerstone cow or walking herd bull, well before their time is up, can allow for an orderly transition.  For females, it may mean retaining a top daughter (and passing up the publicity and prestige of having a possible high-seller), to eventually replace her dam.  The other option would be to continue to sell that same daughter, but re-channel those funds into the purchase of another elite breeding line.  Having different options (and, potentially, embryos in the bank) can form a sort of insurance policy, and ensure that the walking cow base stays strong.  The idea though, is having a plan in place to ensure there is no ‘hole’ in the herd when that matriarch does move on.

Due to their major genetic impact, the herd bull side of the equation is probably even more important.  A herd that doesn’t have enough bulls to cover the cow groups can find themselves in real trouble in a hurry.  Generally for purebred herds, it is tough to find a replacement at the drop of a hat.  Having a succession (or back-up) plan in place before you need it can diffuse the situation, and provide the time and space to fix it exactly how you would like it.  For the second consecutive year, we are on ‘Plan C’ when it comes to our walking bulls (knock on wood, but we haven’t had to utilize Plans D or E yet).

I guess though, what it really comes down to, is that planning is great.  But after you have a plan, it is ‘the doing’ that counts.  Having a rough succession plan, whether it is the farm or with cattle, is important, but it needs to move forward.

Hope for the best.  Plan for the worst.  But make a decision.  Make sure everyone knows about it.  And move on.

Posted by  |  April 26, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: | Leave a comment

Mid-April Update

Applecross Eleanor (Gidsco Appollo x Applecross Eva) - pictured @ 2 months

Mid-April Update

I was originally going to title this ‘Spring’ update but, while the snow has mostly gone, sub zero temperatures, random flurries and lots of wind hasn’t made this season feel too much like spring yet.  Not that I am complaining.  After the warm temperatures we enjoyed this winter I have nothing to complain about.   It is truly special to walk out to the straw pack and see that a calf was born unassisted, and is up and drinking on their own, without having to worry about it freezing.  While the mild winter can create its own set of challenges, we are truly thankful for the great calving season.  The final tally has us with a 2 heifer to 1 bull ratio, which definitely means that the first Applecross females will be marketed this fall.

April brings ‘Spring Fever’ to our house (which is more than just me chasing Jeanne around the kitchen!).  Perhaps cabin fever is a more apt description.  Since the daylight hours are so long, and those pesky night checks are done for the season, there seems to be more time and energy to get those ‘after supper’ chores done in preparation for spring.  Those ‘to-do’ lists that were made during the winter months get transferred into action.   It is also great just to be outside more, without the heavy clothing, working away at those endless number of things that need done around the farm.

We have been able to get the cows out of the corrals behind the barn and onto our ‘shoulder season’ pasture that we use for December and April-May.  It is a three acre paddock, complete with an old horse ‘round pen’ they can utilize for shelter.  It is great to see them more relaxed; out of the mud and using their feet and legs more.   I think the exercise is good for the calves too – they sure change in the few months since birth.  It doesn’t take long for the bulls to start looking like bulls, and the heifers to start ‘princessing’ around the yard.

Speaking of ‘Princesses’; that is a great word to describe our Anchor D Viper calves.  We only got heifers, but they sure are easy to pick out.  They all seem to have the certain intangible ‘sass’ about them that is really neat to see.  If there is going to be a calf to follow you around when you’re checking cows, looking for some attention, it will be a Viper heifer.

Dad has always said that the key to a successful breeding season is to make more ‘good decisions’ than ‘bad ones’.  Sometimes a genetic combination works out; other times it does not.  Hopefully each calf crop yields more of the ‘good’, and fewer ‘bads’.  For the 2012 edition, I think I am firmly on the ‘good’ side of the ledger, though there are a few matings that didn’t work out quite the way I hoped.  I always try to treat mistakes as something to learn from, instead of constantly second guessing myself.  That is one of the great things about the cattle business: there is always next year to plan for.

To help me plan, I really try to keep detailed notes; some days those notes morph into a journal.  It really helps the memory, and can be referred back to; little details can be remembered. Everything from calving tendencies and gestations, to a genetic cross that worked (and those that don’t).  We live in such an information society, being able to go back and refer to notes – and have an accurate record of what you were thinking at the time, instead of relying on an increasingly bad memory (or just whatever you have heard recently) – is a great help when making decisions.

We are thick into AI season.  I have a detailed chart of who should be bred, and to what; but that doesn’t always stop me from changing my mind when Donna McMurtry drives in the lane to breed them.  Having Donna available is a great resource.  As she has bred thousands of cows over the years, her level of expertise is tremendous.  Having been around the breed for 35+ years, she also has an interesting perspective on what genetics work.

The biggest addition to our 2012 AI line-up is IPU Bronson.  I really admire the Bronson females that Harry and Michelle Satchwell have working down at Virginia Ranch.  They really are a sight – I think at one point they had something like 17 daughters working there – and they are all tremendous big volume cows.  As we didn’t manage to get any daughters bought, we are excited to hopefully develop some for our own over the next few years.

We will also be AI’ing more to Dora Lee Eclipse this year; specifically on our heifers.  His first daughters that I have working (now aged 4) are really impressive – and I have a really nice heifer calf this year too.  There is a lot to like about Eclipse – he has both calving and maternal calving (a Fleckvieh rarity), he is coloured right, puts square udders on his females, and he can take the horns off.  There is something to be said about keeping a semen bank around to re-visit 5 years down the road after you know a genetic combination works.

Spring is also when our bulls are introduced to their new homes.  One of the great things about delivering bulls is the opportunity to tour the operation, and see what management techniques and genetic direction different herds are taking.  I haven’t toured a herd yet where I haven’t learned something.  This held true when we had the opportunity to tour the Langer and Wa-Na-La-Pa herds when delivering APLX Santana in a mid-March snow storm.  One of the many things that stood out for us on this visit, was the work they had done with their new panel set-up that replaced old wooden corrals. The panels provide lots of flexibility and allowed multiple confined breeding and AI groups, all close together without the bulls seeming to bother each other; despite several cows being in heat that day.  I see more panels in my future!

We also quite enjoyed our visit to Lone Stone Farms in February.  One of our conditions in selling Envoy at the 2011 National Trust in November, was that we wanted to winter him prior to delivering him to Lonnie & Karen.  So, on another snowy winter day, we travelled to Westlock to enjoy a wonderful lunch and most of an afternoon visiting.  Even though it was only 4 days prior to their annual bull sale (and with plenty of jobs still yet to get done), they were more than happy to spend a lot of time with us showing us their program.  One of the things that stood out for us on the visit, was the uniformity of the cattle.  For the past 30 years they have developed a clear vision of what they want their cattle to look like, and that was clearly evident by how consistent their cow groups were.  The success of their approach was clearly proven in the success of their Friday Bull Sale.  Improving the uniformity of our cow herd is something that I look forward to, now that our herd numbers are almost to where we want them to be.

A last closing comment on bull season:  while it has been a great year for bull sales overall, I would also suggest that it has been an amazing year for the ‘best of the best’.  I don’t recall another spring where I have seen or heard of more bulls sell for $10,000+, $20,000+ or $40,000+.  In some ways, it is not surprising; a rising industry should lead to reinvestment by both commercial cattlemen and by breeders.  It is just great to see so much dedication / enthusiasm throughout the entire industry again in 2012.  Here is hoping it continues on for the next few years.

Posted by  |  April 18, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment