Braunvieh World Summer 2023

President’s Message with Robert Williams

Why Braunvieh? That is a question that each and every one of us as Braunvieh breeders must be able to correctly answer if we hope for this breed to reach its potential in the industry. I know that for some of you, the why is our junior programs, and for others, the why is because you love the beautiful gray color and oversized fuzzy ears. But for this dis cussion let’s focus on, “Why should anyone whose goal is to run a profitable, sustainable and success ful cattle business consider using Braunvieh?” There are a lot of whys to use Braunvieh cattle, and that versatility is the reason we have the tre

BRAUNVIEH ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA 7607 NW Prairie View Rd. Kansas City, MO 64151 (816) 599-7780 info@braunvieh.org www.braunvieh.org BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT • ROBERT WILLIAMS Section, Ala. (256) 599-5432 wwcattle@centurytel.net VICE PRESIDENT • BENNY PHILLIPS Chatfield, TX (903) 641-1594 Bpbluebonnet42@gmail.com SECRETARY • DEANA IMHOFF deana@imhofffamilyfarm.com TREASURER • TYLER LISTER Lindsay, OK (508) 210-9910 tlister.tolconsultingllc@gmail.com DIRECTORS ERIC ARMINTROUT Peculiar, MO (816) 590-6056 darkside.braunvieh@me.com SEAN LEHMANN LeRoy, KS (620) 490-0206 selehman@gmail.com DANIEL ROBERTS Franklin, KY (270) 598-9848 randdfarmsbraunvieh@msn.com MOLLY MIRASSOU Weatherford, TX (408) 690-9961 molly@starranchcattle.com JASON PFEIFER Russell, KS (785) 483-1805 pfeiferjason@yahoo.com JOHN HALL Hedley, TX 806-930-2560 jbarbraunvieh98@gmail.com DANIEL ROBERTS Franklin, KY (270) 392-0688 randdfarmsbraunvieh@msn.com Bunceville, MO (660) 888-3349

mendous opportunity to gain market share in the beef business. Braunvieh is a breed that is still relatively new and unknown to the U.S. cattle industry. This puts even more responsibility on our shoulders as breeders to know the whys and provide the right answers. The whys of a Midwest cattle feeder are different from the whys of a Gulf Coast cattleman who produces commercial bred heif ers. The whys of a Southeast cow-calf operator who sells his calves right off the cow at the weekly auction is different from the whys of a northeast producer who sells backgrounded calves in groups. I think you get the point. There is no breed that can do it all. We can state all the things we think Braunvieh excel at – milking ability, adaptability, feed efficiency, carcass traits, docility, etc. – but I promise you, go to any other breed’s website or read any of their advertising and they are all claiming the same thing. We can’t just say them; we need to have the facts and data to prove them. We have bloodlines that are in the top 10 percent of the entire industry for any of these traits, and we have bloodlines that are in the bottom 10 percent. Identi fying both are vital for our success. This is why being a part of IGS, the world’s largest beef database, is so important. And why it is even more important for each one of us to know the proper way to collect and report good data. Couple this with whole-herd or at least whole-calf-crop DNA, and we are all better equipped to answer the why correctly. We have genetics in our breed and in our herds that work in each of the above-mentioned scenarios – several in more than one. We also have genetics that excel in one scenario and would be a disaster in the other. Iden tifying both are vital to our success. The whys of the industry are many and varied, but our survival as breed ers and as a breed depends on us providing the correct answer to as many as possible. There are a lot of whys to use Braunvieh cattle, and that versatility is the reason we have the tremendous opportunity to gain market share in the beef business. I would be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to say a few words in honor of Ron McBee. Ron gave a lot to our industry. There is a well-deserved tribute article on page 20, so make sure to read it. Ron did a lot for our breed; he was a former Braunvieh Association of America (BAA) president and served on the BAA Board and numerous committees. To me, the most impor tant contribution Ron made to the Braunvieh breed was that Braunvieh-sired calves didn’t have to take a color discount. He will be missed. BW

TODD HILL Childress, TX (806) 681-9333 ranchdh@gmail.com

McBee Cattle Company heifer group in 2016, Fayette, Mo.

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Braunvieh World  Summer 2023