Prime_Time_summer_2019

Building Better Beef

BY MACEY MUELLER, FREELANCE WRITER

Since arriving in the United States 25 years ago, Akaushi cattle have made marked improvements in both docility and phenotypic appeal while maintaining the carcass characteristics that make them unique. In addition, rigorous recordkeeping and strategic breeding continue to benefit the progressive breed.

F our producers explain why they have come to appreciate the work put into developing Akaushi’s genetic potential and how it has benefited their operations. Jack Farnsworth Downing, Mo. In the rolling hills of northeast Missouri, Jack Farnsworth and his grown sons, Steve and Jared, have always had an inter- est in selecting for high-grading genetics. The family has been using artificial in- semination (AI) since 1963 with a focus on producing quality beef. In 2011, after coming across a Heart- Brand ® Beef marketing piece touting the breed’s marbling benefits and premium opportunities, the family purchased two American Akaushi bulls and semen from 12 others, and immediately began to see improvements in both quality and yield

grades in their Angus-based crossbred commercial cattle. “The initial advertisement we saw said at least 50 percent of our cattle would grade Choice or above with the Akaushi genet- ics, and we did see that in the data we got back from the carcass grades,” Jack Farn- sworth says. “The first Akaushi halfblood steers graded 93 percent Choice or above. The second steer crop we were not able to get the data back. The third and fourth mix-percentage Akaushi steers came in at 100 percent Prime with many of them High Prime.” The Farnsworths have continued to invest in Akaushi genetics, including col- lecting semen from purchased bulls to use in their AI program and retaining replace- ment heifers to breed up. The cow herd now includes halfblood on up to purebred Akaushi females. To avoid close breeding, the family regu- larly purchases fresh young bulls for use on replacement heifers and rotates older bulls to the cow herd. Farnsworth says the development of the DigitalBeef® perfor- mance database has provided the expected progeny differences (EPD) needed to select for desirable pedigrees and traits. “Once they were able to combine the years of DNA and carcass data that had been collected on several of the bulls, we were better able to use our knowledge of EPDs to identify the best bulls for our op- eration,” he says. In addition to improving overall carcass merit, Farnsworth is also actively working to propagate a polled Akaushi line. 

Carcass quality has always been key to Jack Farnsworth. He and his family have been strategically selecting for marbling traits since the 1960s and have had great success with Akaushi genetics.

Akaushi Prime Time • Summer 2019

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