This issue of The GAR Report is the second of our electronic newsletters. Our goal is to increase the frequency of the electronic version of The GAR Report and reduce the number of copies of the newsletter that are actually mailed. We will continue to post the final printed version of the newsletter on our website. If you have beef industry friends or customers you think would find the information in The GAR Report useful, feel free to forward your copy of this email to them and suggest they click on the link below to be added to our email list.

Many Gardiner Angus Ranch customers share our common philosophy regarding beef production. Those customers are professional cow-calf producers allied, not only with the GAR philosophy, but committed to the discipline required to produce seedstock with added value throughout the food chain.

As the beef industry makes scientific progress through the development of molecular breeding values and marker assisted EPDs, Gardiner Angus Ranch and its Allied Producers will aggressively use the data to develop new and better programs, offer more services and continue producing superior Angus genetics.

CHAIR ROCK
April 24, Greeley, KS
144 Lots gross $206,100; avg. $1,431
www.chairrock.com

OGEECHEE FARMS
May 2, Wadley, GA
60 Lots gross $225,950; avg. $3,766

MAPLECREST FARMS
Hillsboro, OH · September 26
www.maplecrestfarms.com

GOODE ANGUS/PRIME BY DESIGN
Pampa, TX · October 5
www.goodeangus.com

DREAMCATCHER GENETICS
San Marcos, TX · October 24
www.dreamcatcherranch.net

PROFIT PROVEN GARDINER-INFLUENCED COMMERCIAL ANGUS REPLACEMENT FEMALE SALE
Pratt, KS · November 30

HINKLE'S PRIME CUT ANGUS
Nevada, MO · March 20, 2010 ·
www.hinklesprimecutangus.com

Watch for more information on these upcoming sales featuring high accuracy GAR-influenced genetics.

Mark,

I would like to offer a quick snapshot, from my perspective, of the Angus business in the U..S. Some producers, apparently, are following the fad pushing the "grass adaptability". As a result, we heard from many producers focusing on $Energy. It's quite frustrating, from where I sit as an outsider, that folks can't seem to see the benefits of improved Angus genetics. By placing such focus on $EN, they seem to be making the assumption that most modern Angus are high input and less fertile. My observation here in Australia and New Zealand is while those cattle may look good and are placed head to head in our contemporaries, they can't hack it. In fact, in New Zealand, we refer to these cattle as "postcard" cattle. Folks step off the plane and fall in love with these magnificent looking Angus cattle wallowing in lush green grass.

In our bull unit, these cattle can't convert grass at the same pace and get left behind. I call them "wombats". These types of cattle are not more fertile, and in many cases, have greater maintenance costs and don't use energy (feed) efficiently for maintenance. Some of the massive rumen potential, like some of the old New Zealand cows, also require a lot of energy to maintain, thus need to eat more to maintain the engine. This was one of the observations we made after several feed tests here at home. Some of the bulls out of these "older" style cows we thought would be efficient actually finished at the bottom of the heap. Progeny of bulls like Precision were at the top.

The same genetics that perform for you perform for us. The higher feed conversion you have measured converts into superior grass conversion. These same genetics also rank at the top in the feedlot, contrary to what the "grass experts" preach. I guess we need to do a better job explaining this to our customers. These so-called "grass" cattle don't perform any better on grass. In fact, our experience proves they are often very early maturing types that quit too soon and cease to put on red meat while continuing to get fat, same as in the feedlot. Our experience tells us, heavily selecting for high $EN results in "wombats"!

My hope is to continue to conduct progeny tests in commercial herds and commercial conditions and do a better job of communicating with our customers.

All the best to you and family.

Regards,
Harry

Our 5th fall sale offering totals 288 lots of performance tested bulls. As most everyone knows, we historically have sold 18-month old, performance-tested bulls. The addition of a fall bull sale five years ago enabled us to shift our spring born bulls to the fall sale to provide our customers a better opportunity to purchase bulls ready to go to work.

The sale this fall will feature a select group of yearling bulls, offering a glimpse into the future. This group of yearlings will rank in the top percentiles and have enormous genetic potential.

The recent announcement by Angus Genetics Inc.® and Igenity will equip these young prospects with genomic-enhanced EPDs when the spring 2010 Sire Evaluation Report is available in December 2009. The new genomic-enhanced EPDs will provide higher accuracies, especially in young animals.

The sale offering is AM and NH free. For more information, go to www.gardinerangus.com. The catalog will be available online September 1.

 

A couple of years ago, Jack and June Zimmerman, JZ6 Ranch, were featured in the Angus Journal. The article talked about their persistence in making genetic progress by retaining ownership in their calves and using the carcass data to improve the end product. In 2002, Jack and June purchased their first GAR bulls. The Zimmerman's shared their past as well as their most recent feedlot and carcass information with us. The results are impressive and indicative of the progress and profit potential for persistent beef producers willing to use improved genetics, science, technology and sound management.

From 1991 through 2001, much like the early days at Gardiner Angus Ranch, the Zimmerman's showed little progress or profit using mediocre genetics. Their most recent closeout reports make a compelling story for any beef producer. The seven-year span from 2002-2009 shows average daily gain improvement of .58/lb. The steers fed and harvested for 2009 posted a 3.78 ADG and an impressive 5.47/lb. dry matter conversion. The quality grade improvement from 2002-2009 moved from a USDA Select+ average to more than 82% grading USDA Choice. IN 2001, 7% of the Zimmerman steers met Certified Angus Beef® specifications. This year, 30% made the cut. Through the early years, the Zimmerman's experienced losses ranging from -$36.50 to -$76.37 per head. The 2009 crop delivered to U.S. Premium Beef and harvested at National Beef returned a $71.34 per head premium to Jack and June. Most recently, Zimmerman's fed and harvested 25 heifers. The heifers made $94/cwt. coming out of the feedlot and captured another $71.35 per head in carcass premiums for a total per head profit of $166.35 during one of the most difficult feeding economies in recent history. And, a whopping 72% met CAB specifications! Congratulations Jack and June! We're proud to have you as a GAR customer.

 

 

Gardiner Angus Ranch is a family-owned Angus ranching operation located near Ashland, Kansas. Gardiner Angus is dedicated to the production of quality beef from gate to plate. The Gardiners use their experience in beef cattle breeding, with state-of-the-art technology and data management to produce Angus cattle that make documented contributions to the beef industry. The Gardiner operation registers more than 2,000 head of Angus cattle each year through the American Angus Association and encompasses more than 40,000 acres in southwest Kansas. The ranch is a founding member of U.S. Premium Beef, LLC.

 

 

Since 1999, GAR customers using our US Premium Beef delivery rights have received more than $2.95 million in premiums and dividends. If you retain ownership, that's valuable marketing information!