The_Ledger_Summer_2022

AMERICAN ABERDEEN The Ideal Breed for Operations of Any Size

BY CALLIE CURLEY, CONTRIBUTING WRITER

W e’ve all heard the age-old saying: Good things come in small packages. Have you considered what that could mean for your herd or busi ness? Look no further than the American Aberdeen – an efficient, moderate sized breed with the potential to pack a powerful punch in your small-acre age or large-scale operation. Small Scale, Big Impact Heavy made and easy keeping. Those are the words Matt Reinken of Reinken Cattle Co., uses to summa rize the benefits of American Aber deen cattle. Reinken, a native of Boone, Iowa, got his start with the breed as an FFA member 16 years ago. What began as a way to learn something new under the guidance of his ag teacher who had American Aberdeens has transformed into a multi-stream fam ily business and the opportunity to provide a showing experience for his daughter. “Starting out as a teenager, Aber deens made sense for me,” Reinken says. The breed’s moderate size and rep utation for feed efficiency made them a cost (and space) effective option for developing a smaller scale herd. Over time, Reinken’s interests and knowl edge developed, allowing his family to build a business selling high-end halfblood calves for show cattle and breeding replacements. Most recently, they’ve started selling beef direct to consumers. Feminine females with strong milk production and reproductive suc cess; built bulls with vigor; lower birth weights that improve calving ease without sacrificing weight at weaning or meat quality at finishing, all while requiring fewer input resources? Re inken says win, win, win. “The American Aberdeen breed has been niche, but revolutionary in the industry, and its influence is only growing as time goes on,” he says. “We’ve run almost every breed

through our operation over the years and have yet to see one that didn’t match well with Aberdeen genetics.” Making It Mainstream Did you know American Aberdeen beef is reaching Whole Foods and being sold on Amazon? According to Newley Hutchison of Chain Ranch in Seiling, Okla., this has been a major step in commercializing the breed and bringing them into mainstream beef production. But it wasn’t always a part of the Chain Ranch business plan. “I remember going to a show and seeing Aberdeens for the first time,” Hutchison says. “I’ll be the first to say I initially wrote them off as a niche breed for smaller scale operations. I didn’t understand them, didn’t think they could work for me. Over time though, they started to grow on me. I purchased a bull and brought it home to see how it could help in calving ease.” That first purchase of an American Aberdeen bull a decade ago began what Hutchison calls a “cowboy sci entific experiment.” And it has reaped great rewards for Chain Ranch and their customers. “Not only did we see improvements with calving ease, especially on first calf heifers, as we’re finishing our own cattle, we see the Aberdeen crosses grading extremely well with excellent marbling and shearing.” Hutchison believes in the impor tance of maintaining American Aber deen’s purebred genetics to protect the half- and quarter-blood models that have worked so well for commer cial operations. With a little cowboy experimenting as his guide, Hutchison has found the sweet spot: halfblood bulls on conventional heifers results in calving seasons with virtually no babysitting of first-calf heifers, as calves come without issue. Chain Ranch also leases 30 to 50 bulls per year for other ranches’ breeding programs. “The moderation, efficiency and calving ease can’t be denied,” Hutchi son says. “We will always have a need

for breeders with a deep understand ing of breed characteristics to bring and keep Aberdeens in mainstream markets.” After growing up in a registered Hereford operation, Dean Pike, owner of Deep Creek Seedstock and pro gram manager of Idaho Livestock, got into producing and raising American Aberdeens around the time he started working part-time for the association. Today, Pike and his wife, Jillane, make it part of their mission to promote the breed. “American Aberdeens absolutely do provide an attractive option for smaller scale operations,” Pike says. “But large, mainstream, commercial herds are missing out when they dis miss this breed as niche or too small for their operations. It’s simply not true.” Pike cites research from North Dakota State University that shows the efficiency and size of American Aberdeens translates to raising 20 to 30 percent more cattle per acre than larger breeds. “Efficiency in this breed is a vital selling point, especially in dry parts of the country where resources aren’t as easily accessible,” Pike says. “We can’t always control what our calves will bring, but we can do our best to control input costs. That is why we need cattle that can function on less feed.” Unmatched Community and Endless Opportunities “We’ve enjoyed a lot about the jour ney with the breed, but the people have been the best part of it all,” Re inken says. “We’re still a bit of a niche breed, and people are extremely open to helping others, and improving the breed as a whole. If you’re willing to put yourself out there and ask ques tions, the resources are endless.” For more information on how American Aberdeens can benefit your operation, visit americanaberdeen. com . TL

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