CALF_News_April_May_2019

31 CALF News • April | May 2019 • www.calfnews.net JOHNSON CONCRETE LIVESTOCK WATERERS THE BEST NAME IN CATTLE WATERERS www.JohnsonConcreteProducts.com Trusted by Livestock Owners Everywhere! JOHNSON CONCRETE LIVESTOCK WATERERS 109 East B Street Hastings, Neb. 68901 phone: (402) 463-1359 toll free: (800) 752-1670 Built with features to last, Johnson Waterers withstand punishing weather and prove to be dependable year after year. TOUGH, DEPENDABLE CONSTRUCTION  See us for all your water trough needs.  We are #1 in water trough parts and services. Designed for the most punishing environments, our livestock waterers stand the test of time and deliver performance unequaled in the ndustry. steers is nearing 100 percent Choice. Additional information is being gathered throughWhole Herd Total Performance Records. Neogen and Allflex companies are cooperating with the AHA on a Whole Herd DNA Cow Herd project. More than 10,000 genotypes have been gener- ated so far through the new program. Altogether, more than 70,000 genotypes have been captured in the Hereford breed since the genetic technology became available. Another change in genetic evaluation is the addition of the North American Hereford Genetic Evaluation, which merges data from the AHA and the Canadian Hereford Association. Commercial programs that continue to be available are Hereford Advantage (CHB eligible fed cattle); Premium Red Baldy Cows (Hereford x Red Angus and sired by top 50 percent genetic merit Hereford bulls) and likewise; Baldy Maternal (Hereford x Angus) and Brah- man Influence (Hereford x Brahman) Cows. Certified Hereford Beef ® Trey Befort is AHA director of com- mercial programs for AHA. His updates covered Certified Hereford Beef® (CHB). As of 2019, Select grade carcasses will be eliminated from the program.Why? More than 80 percent of eligible cattle are grading Choice. This has been attributed to better quality genetics. More impor- tant, consumer demand is shifting to Choice. Shoppers expect better quality, and Hereford genetics is keeping pace with this trend. Therefore, all CHB is now Choice or Prime. The CHB Premium Program was cre- ated in 2017 to further advance the upper 2/3 Choice carcasses. The entity is look- ing for strategic marketing position, global distribution and integrated marketing efforts. Their goal is to infiltrate gourmet and other niche markets. So far, beef pur- chasers are receptive and, eventually, value is added to Hereford genetics. National Beef has taken the helm as the official distributor of all things CHB. “At the end of the day, the purpose of the Certified Hereford Beef brand is to add value to Hereford genetics and to create additional demand for the breed while providing quality beef to consum- ers and their families,” Befort said. With Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) becoming a factor in feedyards, AHA, with the aid of the United States Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC), is examining this disease’s heritability, the genetic incidence within the Her- eford breed and any other possibilities in which the problem can be addressed. Thus far, the Hereford breed has shown only a slight occurrence of PH tendency showing up in the gene pool at large, which helps to account for their adapt- ability to many environments. Herefords are pulling up to 25 percent of market share in purebred registra- tions in the US. AHA is happy to report numbers are also healthy on member- ship, CHB sales, transfers and cow inventory. If you think this makes them sit back on their laurels, let’s remember the last words of the press conference and the reason why AHA is successful: “Don’t get complacent!”  CAPITOL LAND & LIVESTOCK The Schwertner Select program is a health based program aimed at weaning a calf in its healthiest, natural environment. 254.527.3342 www.cllnet.com In business since 1946, we are committed to delivering quality, country fresh calves and yearlings on time at a guaranteed price. Schwertner Select