Braunvieh_World_Winter_2023

that the ranches involved make a profit. According to Hall, that means the right cattle, the right bulls, developing the right calves, market ing them correctly and getting them to the packinghouse in a profitable manner. For the ranchers involved, there are benefits to putting in the work. “We have better calves every year,” Tom says. “We were running a com mercial herd before getting involved with the project, and this has only helped us develop better heifers, im prove weaning weights and increase production on the calf side. The longer we do it, the more efficient we become.” “We have to be meticulous about how we keep the books,” Neeley says. “This has helped us notice patterns much more quickly than we did before. We know every single cow and her performance, and we’re culling low performers rather than waiting three years or longer to realize they weren’t performing.” Braunvieh for the Future “My personal purpose has always been this: Either prove to the world that Braunvieh has a value in the

beef business, or prove to myself that they don’t,” Hall says. “We’re this far in and I believe without a doubt that Braunvieh has a place in the com mercial cattle business. They have so much to offer, and we’re building an impressive collection of data – and resources for breeders – to prove it.” Help Wanted Hall and the Butlers agree – there’s a need for more animals to be in volved in this initiative. “The best part of including more people and having a diverse breed [is] we can sell the same breed on so many different characteristics,” Tom says. “No matter what a buyer wants in their herd, we’ll be able to provide it. Variety will increase over time as more people bring their herds into the fold.” “I’d tell anyone who wants to be involved [that] I’ll get them the semen if they’re ready to get involved,” Hall says. “All I ask in return is for them to provide gestation length and birth weight for every calf.” If you’re interested in learning more or getting involved in this project, please contact John Hall at jbarbraunvieh98@gmail.com . BW

WANTED: COWBOYS WITH INTEGRITY Continued from page 16

better choose what genetics are the most legitimate options for them to use in their breeding programs.” Birth weight, gestation length, calv ing ease, disposition, calf vigor, wean ing weights, yearling weights, feed efficiency, gain, marbling and ribeye area are the traits being measured with all phenotypic data entered into the BAA database. These help to quantify and influence expected prog eny differences (EPD) accuracy for the use of all Braunvieh breeders. “The BAA has collaborated with us and has allowed us to enter all data into DigitalBeef, making this a real joint effort between breeders and the association,” Nelson says. “Ev ery year, the BAA commercial herd synchronizes a large part of their 900-head cow herd to be artificially inseminated to enrolled sires. Many Braunvieh breeders also contributed cleanup bulls, which will provide us

with more useful data.” Mutually Beneficial

The project’s success lies not only in collecting data and successfully breeding cows, but doing so in a way

Bluebonnet Braunvieh The Source for Polled Braunvieh Cattle

Homozygous Polled Sexed Semen Available

Homozygous Polled Sexed Semen Available

CONVENTIONAL SEMEN IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON Ontario (PB99171) El Mario (PB99171) All these bulls are Homozygous Polled!

PB93728

PB91755

N7R Polar Steel II 57E

SGP Nuts & Bolts 959E

BRAUNVIEH NATIONAL SALE January 15, 2023 • Fort Worth, Texas Bringing 3 purebred, young pairs with Polled heifer calves at side.

Benny J. & Marilyn Phillips P.O. Box 66, Chatfield, Texas 75105 903.641.1594 bpbluebonnet42@gmail.com Bluebonnet Braunvieh

BLU577H (PB10004) BLU134H (PB98705) BLU2138G (PB97059)

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Braunvieh World  Winter 2023