Santa Gertrudis Source October 2024

FROM THE FRONT OFFICE • Chris McClure • (361) 592-9357 • chris@santagertrudis.com

What Is Special About Santa Gertrudis Cattle? I am often asked about Santa Ger trudis cattle. It sometimes can be a difficult question to answer. Doing so requires breaking the question “bring a calf to the fire,” she generally found a new home.

be creating females that can produce calves that wean well above aver age. Others are focused on breeding animals that will meet the consumer demand and have characteristics that are most valuable at harvest. Others seek to develop animals that are high ly efficient at all phases of production – on the ranch, on grass or wheat pas ture as yearlings or in the feedyard. The key is that the animals are highly adaptable and can be utilized in a wide variety of production systems, de pending on the selection criteria that Some of the most important things to consider when looking at cattle breeds revolve around your environ ment and your goals. If you are in the hot, humid conditions of the Gulf Coast with marginal to low nutrient density in your forage, you want to select animals that have heat, para site and disease resistance as well as a highly developed rumen capacity. We have many breeders who reside and develop their cattle within those conditions. We also have breeders who have selected cattle uniquely suited to the high, dry desert plateaus of the inter mountain west. These animals don’t necessarily require the large rumen capacity of Gulf Coast cattle because the forages available have high nutri ent density, but they do need to be ef ficient in their use of available forages. Other breeders in the High Plains, the Mid-South, Midwest or even the East Coast raise cattle that perform exceptionally well in those environ ments. Cattle should be selected for meet producers’ end targets. Environment and Goals

SANTA GERTRUDIS SOURCE At the end of the day, our breed ers produce cattle for many different markets and uses. Some are focused on the show ring while others may That maternal selection also in cludes longevity. Many Santa Gertru dis cows have raised a calf every year of a life that often spans up to 15 to 18 years. Since most commercial cattle operations depreciate a cow over a five-year period, that means eight to 10 calves have no depreciation against them, assuming the first calf is born to a 2-year-old heifer. That is important to a producer’s bottom line. Many of our breeders focus on this aspect of the breed. They select for those maternal characteristics and, in doing so, further improve that ability in our cattle. The production of these fertile females is something crucial to the cattle industry. It Brings a High Level of Heterosis to Many Crossbreeding Programs Heterosis is the additive effect of dissimilar genetics when crossed with each other. It is often referred to as hy brid vigor. It is the basis for using dif ferent breeds in combination to maxi mize productivity – whether in the form of maternal characteristics, weaning weights or feedyard performance. Some of the more popular Santa Gertrudis crosses are with Red An gus, Black Angus, Hereford, Charo lais (or other Continental breeds) or Brahman cattle. It is interesting to consider that “Gerts” cross well with nearly any breed. It all depends on the goals of the cattle operation and how they intend to utilize the offspring. Variety Within the Breed

down into various components. It Is a Show Animal

Many of our breeders are focused on showing cattle and have made suc cessful businesses from that activity. Many others show cattle simply be cause they enjoy it, and still others find that showing is a way to develop qualities in their children that they believe are important to their futures. Other breeders would never consider hauling cattle to a show. Historically, showing was consid ered a way to showcase the animals produced by a breeder because there were few other opportunities to gain an audience from potential customers. That has changed dramatically in re cent years with the adoption of social media and other internet-based ven ues. Today, only a few of the cattle on the “show circuit” end up in the hands of commercial cow-calf operations. It Is a Highly Maternal Animal Many may wonder what “high ly maternal” means. In its simplest form it means that our cows consis tently wean a heavy calf year after year. They take care of those calves in harsh conditions and face envi ronmental challenges including heat, cold, parasites, disease and predation. They have a strong instinct to raise that calf despite nature’s challenges. Such behavior likely stems from the development of the breed in the harsh environment of the deep south Texas brush country where pastures are large and animals are often handled only once each year. If a cow didn’t

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OCTOBER 2024