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to produce what the commercial cattleman wants. This is vitally important as more than 90 percent of all seedstock bulls are used by commercial cattlemen. Keeping commercial customers No. 1 has been the key to success at the R.A. Brown Ranch. “For 123 years, our family has been committed to raising better bulls for the commercial business, and that’s been the success to our business,” Brown said. During their two annual production sales, the Brown Ranch sells more than 800 breeding bulls. Producing bulls that align with their customers’ needs has helped propel their seedstock business to- ward success. Thou shall not select cattle on looks alone is the second commandment of a successful seedstock producer. Producers should strive to raise eye-appealing cattle, but breeding decisions should be based on much more than just phenotype. “Why not use all available technology to make the most important decisions that we have for the future of our business?” Brown asked. Depending on the breed, producers may have to sort through 9-23 different ex- pected progeny differences (EPDs) and indexes for each animal. That’s a tremen- dous amount of information to sift through when trying to select cattle to purchase or offer for sale. Brown’s advice – “I believe in selecting for all economically relevant traits, simultaneously.” In Brown’s opinion, the five most eco- nomically relevant traits are calving ease, growth, fertility/maternal, carcass and ef- ficiency. The use of selection indexes aids producers in selecting for multiple traits at one time. Brown encouraged Akaushi breeders to utilize them. Along with using EPDs to select cattle, Brown encouraged convention attendees to select breeding stock as they would (or should have) select their spouse. Select- ing a spouse and breeding stock are two very important decisions that have long- term impacts. “If you want to be successful in seedstock production, you need to get serious about selecting your seedstock, the ones you’re going to multiply,” he said. “Not much happens fast in the cattle busi- ness. It’s a long process,” Brown said, while

explaining his third commandment: thou shall remember that beef production is a long-term venture. Building a suc- cessful seedstock business, or any business for that matter, takes years. For starters, it requires developing a customer base and offering high-quality cattle on a consistent basis. Being involved in this business is not for the faint of heart. “About the only thing short-term that you can achieve in the cattle business, is failure,” he said. “People want to take shortcuts, but those tend to produce more failures than successes.” Genetics are everlasting, which is anoth- er reason Brown stressed the importance of EPDs – “focus on facts, not fiction.” In breeding shows, extra emphasis is placed on making sure every hair is in place, hooves are trimmed and cattle have just the right amount of fat, but “those are tem- porary things we do to make one look bet- ter,” Brown said. “Genetics are long term.” When it comes to seedstock production, it’s important that producers don’t play the role of bystanders who simply sit on the

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WELCOME TO THE TRUE SPIRIT OF THE WEST Set on 30,000 private acres in Wyoming’s Platte River Valley, the award-winning luxury resorts of Brush Creek Ranch present guests with the grandeur of the American West. “We proudly present an excellent set of full blood seed stock and F2 females. The Akaushi brand sets the standard for our vision of sustainable ranching and is unveiled in pasture-to-plate offerings to our esteemed guests.” —Ron Hawkins, Ranch Manager of Brush Creek Ranches

SARATOGA, WY | BRUSHCREEKRANCH.COM

For more info about our Akaushi Cattle Program Contact: Ronald.hawkins@brushcreekranch.com | 307.327.5284

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www.akaushi.com • Winter 2018