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“Those programs – American Aberdeen Plus ® , Moderator ® and Moderator Plus ® programs – are very beneficial for the breeder and for what we’re interested in.” – Gary Gilbert

Meet the Rancher Continued from page 16

The Gilberts did their best to maintain the pure genetics, utilizing a flushing facility and some recipient herds in Montana. The results have proven themselves time and time again, one of which is a bull called Gilberts Excellence E135. “He is a son out of a bull that we imported semen on from Australia,” Gilbert says. “Gilberts Excellence is 50 inches at the hip and weighs 1,830 pounds, so there is more than just calving ease there, there is per formance too. He is a real up-headed, real extended-front-end kind of pretty

bull as well as being powerful. He’s as good of bull as we’ve ever raised.” Gilbert is also excited about Blackstone, a bull he purchased from Idaho, that’s the result of years of targeted breeding. His calves will be hitting the ground this year. The benefit of the Aberdeen cattle, both fullblood and percentage, has been very noticeable to Gilbert over the years, from their gentle disposi tion to their bar-none efficiency, and of course, the calving ease aspect as well. “I think too much of anything isn’t good, but my point is, we try to pay attention to that with what we’re breeding,” he says. Gilbert tries to keep the females as pure as possible, looking back at cow families, finding genetic lines and matriarchs, then discovering how to thread that cow’s qualities back through to produce the perfect calf, a quality female or possible future herd sire. And just like the Stebbins worked to bring the lowline cattle to the United States, Gilbert hopes to be a part in bringing the American Ab erdeen breed further forward as they continually become more commer cially viable in the cattle industry. “We have utilized particular seed stock in the American Angus Asso

ciation and flushed to our fullblood cows, and we’ve gotten along really well that way with really top-notch fe males and bulls,” Gilbert says. “Those programs – American Aberdeen Plus ® , Moderator ® and Moderator Plus ® programs – are very beneficial for the breeder and for what we’re interested in, which is becoming a more com mercially viable breed. “These cattle just flat work when it comes to performing so that you can get that 1,100- maybe 1,200-pound cow that raises a 600-pound calf, and that’s what we’re looking for,” Gilbert explains. “Not for that momma cow to be 1,700 or 1,800 pounds and raise a 500-pound calf; that just doesn’t work. I’ve got a few commercial bull customers, and they’re really good customers. Last year they bought a dozen bulls from me, and they realize that the American Aberdeen influence is going to make a difference in their program.” Bull selection is a serious affair for the Gilberts. They’ve been doing it since 1999 when they first started raising Angus bulls. Bulls developed and offered through private treaty go through a strict culling process, starting at birth through weaning and beyond. “If that calf doesn’t come off of his mama and show that he’s a bit spe cial, he’s going to get banded,” Gil bert says. “We look at feet and legs, and there, that’s paramount, you’ve got to have good feet and legs.” Gilbert credits the Australian cattle with having “built-in” good feet and legs as well as udders, thanks to work that Jeanette had already done before the cattle even came to the states. He jokes that the only problem with the fullblood American Aberdeen bulls is that they can last until they are 8 to 10 years old. “You better be constantly add ing customers to your base because they’ve got the longevity, are pretty hardy and good breeders,” he says. “But really, we’ve been really fortu nate to have an inside track with Jea nette and her program from Australia to get us started.” TL

Gary and Jillayne tag a newborn American Aberdeen calf at the ranch in Minnesota.

Ardrossan Jacarla B263 shows everything the Gilberts are looking for in a mature American Aberdeen cow.

18 | THE LEDGER