HaydenMorrow

AustralianShorthornAmbassador

Well what an incredible adventure Iam having. At the time of writing thisarticle I have visited 20 states. Since mylast article I have again seen too manythings to mention. I left Waukaru andheaded to Cates Farms for a few daysaround Easter.

Thank you to the Cates Family formaking me feel welcome during theEaster period, which is obviously a timethat family are in our thoughts. Themid-west continued to redefine what Ithought a muddy yard is. The Cates area family that raises show cattle for aliving, which is no doubt a challengingfeat to achieve. For such a high inputbeef cattle operation to be economicallyviable the sale animals must beconsistently successful in the show ring.And there is no doubt that the CatesFamily are able to achieve this. Successtakes a lot of dedication and hard work.

My next destination was BowmanSuperior Genetics (BSG). TheBowmans have a strong focus onproducing commercially focusedpractical cattle. Data recording is a keypart of BSGs breeding program. Whenseeking a new herd sire, commercialproducers use data to make theirselection decisions. Thus consistentlong term data measurement is essentialto create numbers with high enoughaccuracies to be useful for producers.BSGs sire battery is impressive andincludes Saskvalley Stampede,Saskvalley Taskforce, Mapelton ColonelGus and the recent addition ofMuridale Thermal Energy. This groupof bulls provides a great balancebetween performance and practicalitythe essential requirements forcommercial production. A solid groupof replacement females present showsthat BSGs future is bright. Also thanksfor the Mexican restaurant birthdayexperience Luke (wasn’t even mybirthday).

I then made a quick trip to JTMooreland Shorthorns. This is a herdthat puts great emphasises on“convenience traits”. Selection forcalving ease is forefront. It was only aquick visit to JT Mooreland but it wasclear lower input cattle were soughtafter. Interestingly like many otherbreeders some crossbred bulls are bredto try and attract commercial cattlemento try some shorthorn genetics. It is

currently quite a challenge to prove tocommercial cattlemen that someShorthorns are very profitable cattleand not all are strictly show ringperformers. Another advantage of thisis that greater data links can be createdwith other breeds that are included inthe multi-breed EPD’s available.

Luke Bowman then took me on atour of Select Sires in Ohio. It is quiteincredible to see 1,900 bulls allindividually stalled and managed tooptimise semen collection for a range ofdomestic and international markets, inboth the beef and dairy industry’s. Athorough tour allowed me to visiteverything from the bull pens right upto the processing and shipping ofsemen. The Gerfens then picked me upfrom Select Sires. The Gerfens are newto Shorthorn breeding but havemanaged to acquire a good group ofcows and sire JSF Capiche. What Ireally enjoyed wasgetting to spend sometime in their commercialfarrow to finish pigfarm. It’s an experiencethat people don’t oftenget due to thebiosecurity challenges ofintensive animalproduction. Theefficiency of production in the porkindustry is astounding. An interestingdifference with the beef industry is thatthere is much less debate on how muchselection emphasises should be placedon each trait. It’s clear that the ability tocontrol the environment and nutritionmakes this possible and is a key reasonfor why pork is often a more consistentproduct then beef. Luke Bowmanbrought up an interesting point thatthe beef industry is unique from otherlivestock industries in that you can “dowhat ever the hell you want”. Thisstatement refers to genetic selection.I’m sure many would agree there is ahuge diversity of opinions and selectionremains quite subjective. Objectivemeasurement is essential to ensureselection decisions are consistentlyseeking the same direction. If aconsistent direction is not pursued thenprogress is inevitably hampered.

My next host was the Miller Familyat Paint Valley Shorthorns in Ohio.The Millers are located in an area inwhich there is a very high

concentration of Amish people. I wasable to go to an Amish horse auctionwhich was packed to the rafters withbuyers that all had their horse drawnbuggies outside. I met several Amishpeople and had dinner at an Amishrestaurant called Mrs Yodas. It wasinteresting to get some insight into theAmish culture which to the uninitiatedis really difficult to understand. Thereare many things I still cannotunderstand but there is no doubt theyare very industrious people asmanufacturing industry thrived in thedistrict. Paint Valley Shorthorns is anoperation that aims to sell bulls tocommercial clients. It is currently verychallenging for a USA Shorthornbreeder to enter this market particularly

in the mid-westwhere the showindustry is sostrong. PaintValley though isdefiantly a herdthat is showinginitiative to pushfor a greater

commercial bull market.

The following week I spent atByland with the Byers. As Jeff is a vet Ireally enjoyed following him around oncalls. I was able to visit a range ofdairy’s and beef producers in the area. Ihave found the dairy industry in theUS very interesting because of itsdifferences from the predominantlypasture based systems in Australia. Ihave been able to see a range of designsincluding a robotic dairy. There isconsiderable capital investmentrequired but successfully reduces labourrequirement. Large modern dairies aregenerally all very good at data recordingand monitoring. The implementationof technologies to monitor performanceand identify areas that requireimprovement is generally much greaterthan the beef industry. Regular vet herdvisits and discussions with advisors tooptimise production and profit areessential. While at one dairy I was ableto trial a new app that was designed toidentify components of the productionsystem that could be improved topromote discussion. The app simply

=An Aussies PerspectiveAn Aussie perspective continued…

feed the world with the resources wehave but also our moral compass withreference to manipulating naturesprocesses. One concern I have is that asgenetic technologies progress into the

future our selection capabilitywill improve and thus moreefficient animals will beisolated and then propagated.Inevitably reducing geneticvariation within the bovinespecies. To quote CharlesDarwin “It is not the strongestof the species that survives, northe most intelligent thatsurvives. It is the one that ismost adaptable to change”.Obviously genetic variation isthe key to a speciesadaptability to change. The

simultaneous increase in intensificationof production system and narrowing ofthe gene pool will result in enhancedsusceptibility to disease. There is nodoubt that efficiency of productionmust increase to feed the world, but Ithink a large amount of this productionincrease will come from improvementsof nutrition and management on aglobal scale.

I was then at Omaha with Gwen andthe two new interns Victoria and Will.After hearing all the classic jokes like“throw a shrimp on the barbie” (heardthat one a few times) and perfectingeating with chop sticks at a Koberestaurant (thanks Victoria). Wefollowed tradition and visited AussiesPub in Omaha. I then finally made itto the American Shorthorn Associationoffice for a day. From here Patrick Wallan extension officer from Iowa Statepicked me up. While with Patrick I wasable to participate in some extensionprograms, one that was designed forveterinarians in the local area to updatethem on the latest research. There was aseries of interesting presentations. Oneof them focussed on the potential todry lot cows all year round. As cattleprices are at record highs and manyproducers are trying to increase theirherd size this inevitably means a greaternumber of people are competing foravailable pasture. Large amounts ofpasture in the mid-west has beenconverted to farmland, thus it isincreasingly difficult to find pasture.Currently it is very feasible to runbreeding cows in a dry lot all year.Inevitably there will be differentchallenges with this production systemincluding both disease and welfare.Nonetheless it is an interesting conceptthat will be driven by economicviability.

I then made a brief visit to BertMoore’s. It was very interesting seeinghis “tie out lounge” which is filled with

the herd. While I was there it was timeto put cows and calves out on pasture.Inevitably there were a couple of hecticdays. Drafting and processing a fewhundred cows and calves to be hauled12 different waysto pasture takessome time, but itwas good to bebusy. Thecommercial focusof Derek Jungelsbreeding programis obvious. Thebreeding of blueroan cattle is agood example ofthis. Blue roansare used toincrease marketacceptance but still make it clear thereis Shorthorn in the bulls pedigree whenhe stands in the commercial manspasture. Jungels also purchase heifersback from their commercial clients,breed them and sell them privately. Itfacilitates the sale of a larger volume ofcommercial females with Jungelsgenetics. I think initiatives like these arecritical to gain a good commercialreputation. Particularly as it facilitatesvolume which is essential in this marketas the average commercial buyers wantgood value cattle which requires scaleto achieve while remaining profitable.

I also met Ryan Galbreath andtoured the nearby Galbreath Farms.This herd aims to sell commercialbulls. Some older genetics is alsoincorporated into the program to helpmaintain moderation, doability andcalving ease. Sire DMH Cherry Filletis a good example of this, his sireWeston Trademark was born in 1967.I find it very interesting that over timethe type of animal desirable in the beefindustry has shifted so much. Thesechanges are market driven as theindustry is just meeting specificationsthat equate to the most profit. Butwhat causes such drastic shifts in whichtypes are most desirable?

I then was briefly at the Pearsons inSioux Falls followed by SchragShorthorns in South Dakota. While atSchrags I made a visit to Trans Ova’sSioux Centre facility. It truly isincredible how far reproductive andgenetic technology has come. Thefacilities ability to create clones andtransgenic animals is pretty incredible.There is no doubt that the potentialefficiency gains in livestock productionvia this route is exciting. However itwill also be a challenge to decide as aglobal community how far is too far. Itis defiantly an ethical debate whichfactors in finding a balance betweenproducing food efficiently enough to

asked questions which essentiallyresulted in benchmarking the enterprisewith the gold standard according tolatest research. Innovations like thismay seem small but are essential stepsto facilitate progression. BylandShorthorns are a well-known herd thathas had some influence in Australiawith sires such as Byland Mission. Itwas clear that there were some veryhigh quality cattle present.

I was also fortunate enough to hereTemple Grandin speak while with theByers. Unfortunately the talk did notoffer much detail into her work withthe livestock industry but she didhighlight an issue in the beef industry.She stated that her new obsession islameness in the beef cattle industry.There is no doubt this is an issue thatcan be and needs to be improved upon.

My next host was Tom and SusieTurner. The Turners have a highlymuscled herd and target the steer showmarket. They have a beautiful propertythat was really enjoyable to visit. Oncea Silica mine the site has many exposedrock faces that makes it very unique.The Turners took me for a tour of OhioState Animal Science and VeterinaryScience schools. I was really impressedby the facilities, from the huge footballstadium toall thespec ia l i s tcapabilitiesof theveterinarys c h o o l .While atthe Vets c h o o lsurgery ona Tiger was taking place. Another oneof those things I never could haveanticipated seeing but seems to happenmost days on this trip. It’s amazing howmany unique things I have been able tosee.

My next destination was NorthDakota. It was the longest drive I’vebeen on so far throughout the trip. JoeDonnelly picked me up with a trailerload of cattle and we travelled 17 hoursto Jungels. On the way we stopped tosee Lake Michigan. The volume offresh water in the great lakes is so hardfor me to get my head around, it’sanother incredible sight. I spent twoweeks in North Dakota predominantlyat Jungels but also made visits toNDSU and Galbreaths. Jungels is aherd that has gained a significantcommercial reputation. They aremoderate easy doing cattle that aresound and fertile. Throughout my tripI have been seeing Jungels genetics allover the country so it was good tofinally arrive in North Dakota to see

I then met up with Gwen and theinterns again to travel to KansasCity and watch the Royals beat theCardinals with a sold out crowd. Isampled some more food includinga funnel cake. I have to admit theAmerican food is starting to makeme crave fruit and vegetables. But Iam also aware I get a particularlyunhealthy food experience becauseI’m constantly travelling.

Thank you again to all of my hosts.I’m having an amazing time and I’mstill surprised constantly about thethings I have been able to see and do.

travels I have seen a huge amount ofdiversity inb r e e d i n gdirection. Bertthen took meto Studers totour the herdwith Dale for aday. I wasimpressed bythe herds focuson commercialprofitability. They have been usingsome Canadian genetics in recenttimes, which have kept the cows easykeeping and functional.

Shorthorn history. I think a key pieceof information you can obtain fromlooking at Shorthorn history is thatthey were once a dominate breed.There is defiantly potential to increasemarket share and rival Angus if theright selection goals are put in placeacross the breed. Genetic variation isrequired to allow genetic selection toprogress a population. Thus a largerpopulation with similar selection goalswill inevitably have greater progress. Asa result consistent breeding objectivesbetween producers is essential,particularly with a large number ofsmall herds. There is no doubt on my =