CALF_News_June_July_2018

31 CALF News • June | July 2018 • www.calfnews.net Award-winning author Temple Grandin is famous for her groundbreaking approach to decoding animal behavior. Now she extends her expert guidance to small- scale farming operations. Grandin’s fascinating explanations of how herd animals think – describing their senses, fears, instincts and memories – and how to analyze their behavior, will help you handle your livestock more safely and effectively. order your copy today Grandin Livestock Handling Systems Over 30 years experience in research, custom design, and construction of facilities for happier, healthier animals. (970) 229-0703 • www.grandin.com Guide to WorkinG With Farm animals Order your copy today on Amazon.com! cattle have a leg up with the live animal qualification of having a white face. It helps define and legitimize the brand. Keeping up with consumer trends, CHB has expanded their value- added line to include portion-controlled cut steaks, and fully cooked meats and deli items. Future possibilities Ward was questioned about the possibility of gene editing in the future. Will it be acceptable to edit out the horned gene in the clone of a top-end bull and replace it with a polled gene? Such technology is lurking on the horizon. Ward said yes, the membership and association are open to new technologies and will likely permit this option. Breeders anxious to use it are already waiting for FDA approval. He also stressed the importance of whole-herd perfor- mance reporting. The AHA requires all cows within a herd be accounted for when submitting annual data, or no EPDs will be generated for that herd. With Hereford semen sales up 130 percent in the past 10 years, the AHA is excited about the future. The Premium Red Baldy Program Seldom do two breed associations cooperate on a plan; usu- ally we think of them as competing entities. The Red Angus Association of America and the AHA have joined forces to verify and promote a female that has long held a lofty status in commercial cow operations. The Premium Red Baldy Program will identify heifers that are between 25 and 75 percent Hereford or Red Angus – a cross between those two breeds only. They are always red and always baldy or brocklefaced. Heifers applying for status must be sired by bulls in the top 50 percent of the breed for Baldy Maternal Index (BMI$) or Herdbuilder Index (HB). Qualifying calves will be tagged and help commercial producers access genetically veri- fied females with top-end brood cow qualities. It’s important to note that RAAA and AHA are the only two breed asso- ciations backed by whole-herd performance reporting. This literally makes the most accurate and legitimate data available to commercial cowmen in the U.S. Verification will be done by supplying sire registration num- bers to their respective breed associations. A certificate will be issued along with program ear tags from Allflex. The owner of the heifer group needs to also be the owner of the sires. The two breed associations expect it may take five to ten years for the program to expand to its full potential. They are, nonetheless, excited about the “trickle-up” theory of improving commercial cow genetics. Moving on Staying on track with emerging technology, keeping an eye on producer needs and spotting future challenges will be important traits of a relevant breed association in 2018. The aggressive businesses are the most likely to survive, and the AHA and RAAA are to be commended for stepping out with confidence.  OPPOSITE: Hereford and Red Angus breeders are aggressively pursuing commitment to the commercial cattle industry. Photo taken at Upstream Ranch, Taylor, Neb. 620-427-4200 www.fcsmfg.com FCS MANUFACTURING, INC. 3430 EE Rd. Gridley, Kan. 66852 OVERHEAD BULK BINS  Save $$$ and buy bulk!  Standard sizes 8-54 tons SMOOTHWALL BINS  No ribs, no bolts!  500-5,500 bushels  www.fcsmfg.com Farm and Commercial Storage Bulk Storage Solutions