The_Ledger_fall_2018

LOGIST ICS  NE I L EFFERTZ

H ello American Aberdeen Association members and American Junior Aberdeen Association (AJAA) mem bers! I hope that you are all doing well and getting geared up for the fall and winter shows and sales, and other Aberdeen events. This past June, the AJAA hosted a very successful 2018 Junior Na tional Show and Competition in Ames, Iowa, on the Iowa State University campus. AJAA members from across the country entered more than 80 cattle for the annual event. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners! The AJAA Board of Directors thanks all of the sponsors who made this show possible. Having great sponsors made it pos sible to provide numerous meals and fantastic awards for the juniors to take home with them. We are also happy to announce the 2018-2019 AJAA Board of Directors, who were elected during Junior Na tionals, including Duncan Haiar, Jaysie Schoenfeld, Jaci Brown, Jordan Gilles, Taylor Kruger, Carson Schnieders and Madalyn Gabel. We look forward to serving the junior members this year! As we near the end of 2018, we are beginning to plan for the 2019 Junior National Show. The AJAA Board of Directors is excited to announce that the 2019 Junior Na tional Show and Competition will be held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Lawrence, Kan. Mark your calendars for June 24-29, 2019! All AJAA members are invited and encouraged to participate! Please be on the lookout for more information and details coming soon. Our next event will be held in conjunction with the 2019 National Western Stock Show and the National “W hen the going gets tough, the tough get going!” My coach told me that years ago, and it’s a slogan that has served me well over the years. Here’s a twist on it that is certainly applicable to market ing Aberdeen breeding stock in this day and age – “When marketing gets tough, use the best bulls!” Use bulls that are well known to be among the breed’s best. Their offspring will always be in demand and highly sought after. No matter what the market saturation level, their sons and daughters will sell. This has been proven in many breeds more highly saturated with breeding stock for sale than American Aberdeen. Another key component to this analysis is the phrase “breeding stock.” Just because an animal is sired by a reg istered bull and out of a registered dam does not neces sarily mean it’s “breeding stock.” Keep in mind that if our breed is going to continue to improve, only bulls that are above average should be kept as breeding stock to propa gate the next generation of Aberdeens. In most herds, this means at least half of the male calves should be castrated and sold for beef. This theory should also apply to many marginal, below-average heifer calves. Many fullblood breeders are hung up on the fact that their cows are fullbloods and expect their calves to de

American Aberdeen Show and Sale in Denver, Colo., in January. The annual AJAA fundraising auction will be held again this year during the annual banquet. We hope to offer a variety of lots, including genetic opportunities via semen, embryos and, of course, a high-quality donation heifer. The AJAA Board of Directors is currently looking for lots to add to the highly successful fundraising auction. If you have something to offer, please reach out to any of the Junior Board members and we will be glad to assist you. Thank you again to everyone for all your support this past year. Hope to see all of you in Denver next January! TL ABERDEEN EVENTS October 14-16 Northern Intl. Livestock Exposition, Billings, Mont. 21 American Royal Aberdeen Show, Kansas City, Mo. November 3 Aberdeen Supreme Sale, Gallatin, Mo. 14-15 NAILE Aberdeen Show, Louisville, Ky. January 2019 23-26 American Aberdeen Assn. National Sale, Open and Junior Show, Denver, Colo. March 9 Shetler Cattle Company Aberdeen Production Sale, Dickinson, N.D. mand top dollar, just because they are fullbloods. Many fullblood cows raise nice, healthy calves each year, but not all of those calves will be above-average, fullblood Aber deen “breeding stock.” These same fullblood cows can be great producers if used differently. They are generally small-framed and when bred to a Moderator or Moderator Plus bull or an easy calving bull of a different breed, they can efficiently raise excellent, highly marketable Moderator or Aberdeen Plus calves that will routinely wean well in excess of 50 percent of their dam’s weight – a great benchmark for extremely efficient Aberdeen cows. These percentage calves also efficiently produce high quality beef that is in high demand in the locker beef trade. They are also marketable at local sale barns, often bringing premium prices and no discount. Another very effective use for lower-end fullblood cows is as recipients for superior-quality embryos. They are per fectly capable of raising a fullblood calf and will be much cheaper to maintain than a full-size recip. All Aberdeen breeders are capable of thinking outside the box or we wouldn’t have Aberdeen cattle. We certainly can think out of the box when it comes to enhancing the productivity of our middle- and lower-earning cows to make them all they can be. That’s how the tough get go ing! TL

JUNIOR CORRAL  DUNCAN HAIAR, AJAA PRESIDENT

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