Jake Troutt
Association Perspective
Balance is important.
I think too often we as cattle producers find ourselves chasing one trend or another in an attempt to maximize our profits. Some years we fill our entire semen tank with the largest, growthiest bull or buy bulls that have breed-leading weaning or yearling weight expected progeny differences (EPDs). Other years, we are all about calving ease and birth weight, trying to minimize our labor force during calving. The importance of certain carcass traits come and go depending on different marketing schemes. The trend that never goes away and the truth that will always hold fast is that good cattle are good cattle.
Now, keep in mind I am not asking producers to focus only on phenotypic appraisal and disregard EPDs; that is not it at all. In fact, I am a firm believer that EPDs are a crucial selection tool to aid in breeding cattle. What I am asking, however, is that we focus more on animals with a balanced EPD profile who do more than one thing right. This often does mean that a trait leader might not be the bull or cow to go for. To me, the animal that is good across the board will have a more positive impact long-term.
I do recognize that in some cases, cow herds may need significant improvement in a particular area. In these cases producers are forced to place extra emphasis upon that single trait. However, my bet would be that single-trait selection is what got that cow herd in trouble in the first place. At the end of the day, a balanced attack is tough to get around.
Editor’s Note: Jake Troutt is the regional manager for region 12, including Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Click here to find the regional manager for your state.
[Click here to go to the top of the page.]