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Casey Jentz Casey Jentz

Association Perspective

Stay consistent and measure your results.

After coming home from the National Western Stock Show in Denver, there is always a lot of excitement about the new bulls and different sire groups that everyone had the chance to see. This show is often the best chance producers have to see genetics from different parts of the country all at the same place to help compare them. This is also a chance to remember what works best for your operation and to be consistent with what you are trying to accomplish.


At the end of the day, being profitable is the goal of every cattle operation, but there are many different ways to achieve that goal. The best way to achieve this is to have goals and try to be consistent with what you are selecting for. This can be especially true when selecting the next genetics for your operation by means of bull selection.


Whether you are selecting bulls that are great at producing the heaviest, fastest-growing calves at weaning or bulls that excel in calving ease or carcass traits, it’s important to be consistent and to have balance across a number of traits. Each trait can have a different point of profitability depending on your environment.


How do you know if you are making progress? Once we determine our focus, it is just as important to measure our progress. Whether it’s getting back carcass data on cattle that make it to the rail or collecting birth or weaning weaning weights or heifer pregnancy data, measuring progress on these traits will let you know if you need to put greater selection pressure on certain areas. This will also confirm the progress that we are continually trying to make.


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Editor’s Note: Casey Jentz is the regional manager for region 4, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. Click here to find the regional manager for your state.





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