The_Ledger_Spring_2019

LOGIST ICS  NE I L EFFERTZ Rules Work It is in your best interest to tag or retag your animals at home with the exact number to match their tattoo number. This helps eliminate confu sion and duplication. Many times, we see animals that still have their sale lot number tags, which some breed ers never cut out and are still using as the identifying number in their herd records. This is not a good practice and often leads to chaos. The Future The Aberdeen breed is now in the process of developing a U.S. Depart ment of Agriculture (USDA) certified beef program for Aberdeen and Aber deen Moderator (including Aberdeen Plus) progeny that can be certified through the USDA Process Verification System. Under this process, it is imperative to keep good records, and the first step is to have your animals properly identified. DNA may be required on the sires of all calves entering this program, or in the case of an Aber deen female’s offspring entering the program, DNA on the Aberdeen cow. There may be a requirement of an electronic ID on all certified Aber deen-cross feeder cattle entering the program for the Certified Aberdeen Beef program. The USDA Process Verification Program may require certain qualifica tions that will be verified by periodic USDA audits such as: 1. Source verification – all animals can be fully traced from ranch to harvest. 2. Parentage verification – this sets our breed apart from others

F rom when we were young and in grade school to now as adults, there are rules in everything we do. Rules are intended to create order out of chaos. They are intended to make it better for EVERYONE involved. The key word is everyone , not just you. Rules also save time and money. One rule that our breed has ad opted is the proper identification and tattooing of your Aberdeen seed stock, making them worth more than commodity price, with: 1. Your breeder letters (unique to your herd); 2. An identifying number; and 3. A year letter, recognized in all breeds across North America (they can be found at https:// americanaberdeen.com/mem ber-resources/international-year letter-codes/ ). In our sales management experi ence, we find a lot of variation in the interpretation of these rules. As we check the tattoos in all the animals in each of our sales, we find some ani mals are not tattooed at all, some are poorly tattooed and some omit the breeder or year letters. These tattoos are unique to your animal and sepa rate its identity from all of the other animals in the breed; they must be done correctly to achieve that unique ness. If you need assistance in tat tooing technique, call an experienced breeder in your area or a member of the Breeder’s Services Committee for advice. A correctly applied tattoo is essential to maintaining accurate records.

since we have DNA on file from the origin of our breed in North America. 3. The Never Ever 3 – No antibiotics fed, no growth promotants (hor mones) and no animal byprod ucts fed. A. Grass fed – All animals in this program have been grown, raised and fattened on a grass (forage) diet. B. 80 percent grass fed/20 per 4. Two feeding options: Paul Moya, the guest speaker at the recent American Aberdeen Associa tion Annual Meeting, accurately point ed out that we have a very unique opportunity in animal agriculture with our breed. We have the potential to deliver a sought-after, high-quality product while satisfying the modern consumer’s desire for animals that have a lower environmental impact, require less water and are sustainably raised in a moderate portion size. He called this a “billion-dollar opportu nity.” This endeavor will take time to work out and develop, but will un doubtedly positively impact the value of all Aberdeen breeding stock. The importance of selling a source verified product that will set itself apart from the competitive meats ab solutely requires following the rules. Remember, rules work. They are good for everyone! TL cent grain fed – cattle must receive a diet that comes from a direct pasture harvest or other roughage sources during all of their lifetime.

ABERDEEN EVENTS

March 23

June 24-29

Moderate for Profit Aberdeen Sale, Mitchell, S.D. Power Plus Annual Bull and Female Sale, Hobart, Okla.

AJAA Junior National Show and Competition, Lawrence, Kan.

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October 2

West Fryeburg Fair, Fryeburg, Maine

May 31-June 1 Effertz EZ Ranch 13th Annual Focus on Efficiency Breeders Seminar and Production Sale, Bismarck, N.D.

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Shetler Cattle Company Aberdeen Production Sale, Dickinson, N.D.

Photo by Muddy Creek Ranch

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