Santa Gertrudis Source October 2024

Q: How do Santa Gertrudis cattle handle variations in Texas Panhandle weather? A: We get some extreme weather here. It seems that we can have all four seasons in one day. Our winters get below-freezing temperatures, and our summers will get to triple-digit tem peratures. We always have wind up here, which can blow up to 50 miles per hour on any given day. Our aver age annual rainfall is 20 inches. Santa Gertrudis have adapted to and tolerated the weather better than

anything else. Their ability to survive is a lot better. They’re able to travel farther to find water during dry spells. You can see it just by driving around. The Santa Gertrudis are all fleshy and nice looking out on dead pasture. However, the Angus on similar pas tures are struggling to put on weight and don’t look good. I think the Santa Gertrudis cattle are just tougher.

retained those steers and collected carcass data proving that Santa Ger trudis cattle performed better than black-hided animals. The other thing to remember is that today’s Santa Gertrudis cattle are not what they used to be. They’re cleaner and moderately framed. Santa Ger trudis cattle are more carcass-based in quality due to their genetics. Santa Gertrudis seedstock producers are putting a lot of effort into improving the breed’s genetics.

KADE THIGPEN, HEFTE RANCH, HONDO, TEXAS

Hefte Ranch has been raising purebred seedstock Santa Gertrudis cattle since the 1970s, focusing on cattle that fit in dustry needs. Their goal is to provide a well-balanced animal for their customers that will improve their herds, whether they are commercial or seedstock producers. Hefte Ranch runs ap proximately 150 head in Hondo and Agua Dulce, Texas. Q: How does genetic evaluation benefit cattle producers? A: We look at genetic evaluation as a tool in the toolbox. It allows us to compare different animals from different areas, giving an “apples-to-apples” comparison. We have no other way of comparing cattle developed in Alabama to those de veloped in South Texas. Genetic evaluation provides a way to put everything on the same playing field. It is one of the most used tools in the toolbox and is a great tool to increase increase the performance in our all herds.

Q: How does the Santa Gertrudis breed best position itself for an upcoming U.S. cow herd expansion? A: We must establish ourselves as a marketable product within the commercial industry. If there’s commercial de mand for our cattle, there’ll be feedlot demand. If there’s com mercial and feedlot demand for our cattle, then that will result in more demand for the seedstock operations to produce good cattle. If there’s demand in the seedstock industry, people will grow their herds. Others will see and want to join in. If there’s more supply than demand, then there isn’t a reason for it to grow. However, if we establish ourselves and help people see the value of our cattle and what they can do, I think the demand will come.

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SANTA GERTRUDIS SOURCE

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OCTOBER 2024