It has certainly been awhile! Since our sale last March, we’ve been pushing to get everything cattle and crop related done. We wrapped up a good to excellent harvest the beginning of November and have been playing catch up doing all the things that get neglected during harvest. Much appreciation to David and Daymian for getting us caught up. We continue to prepare for the sale, and it’s manure spreading season (on our crop ground, NOT in the updates!!!).
Kristin was recently asked at a conference, “Why should we buy bulls from you?” As I pondered an answer, I thought this might be the most important question a seedstock producer MUST answer. The answer could be long or short but I believe it has at least 2 components: 1. We have the genetics necessary for enjoyable, efficient and profitable cattle production. 2. We have a seedstock development program like none other that effectively sorts out the problems.
Let’s start with #1: Regardless of herd size, if a cattle operation isn’t enjoyable, efficient, and profitable, the laborers (whether ownership or hired hands) will be unhappy, and the operation will be supported by another job or flounder at best…die at worst. ICE Cattle produces seedstock for the cattleman looking to produce the right kind of females. When I say right kind, I mean gentle, fertile, with calving ease, easy fleshing and thick, small to moderate framed, with longevity and good udders…and plenty of eye appeal. We produce cattle with the assumption that they will spend the majority of their lives on GRASS. For over a decade we worked with Pharo Cattle Company (PCC) leasing their cows to build up our herd. When we left PCC, we had 300 cows that were primarily out of PCC cows or daughters of their cows. We averaged around $5000/bull at PCC sales. We used PCC semen almost exclusively during this time for our annual A.I. project. We had an EXCELLENT base of grass genetics. In 2017 when we left PCC, we knew we needed a semen source that would continue to build on the genetics we had. Enter Ohlde Cattle Company (OCC)! Our contact with OCC was and is our A.I. technician, Clyde Mattson. Clyde has been nothing but a repeated blessing for ICE; we would not be anywhere close to where we are without him. Clyde has been doing our A.I. projects since the early 2000s, and when we discussed using OCC semen, it was an easy, natural and herd improving fit. OCC is another leading grass genetics cattle enterprise. OCC genetics have many of the same traits as PCC, but they seem to especially excel at fleshing ability, udder improvement and calving ease. We have used OCC black and red angus, Hereford, and composite semen. With OCC and PCC genetics I claim we are the only seedstock producer to have the best of both worlds. You should buy our bulls because we have grass genetics like none other…but there’s another reason…
#2: The best genetics in the world can produce some terrible cattle, especially if by “best” I mean best conventional. At ICE we are everything but conventional. What most in the industry consider the “best” genetics I wouldn’t want in my herd: large-framed, high-milking, big-eating, hard-doing cows that come up open regularly or can’t have a calf unassisted. How are these cows bred? Typically by large-framed, high milk EPD, big (corn)-eating, hard-doing bulls that were developed in a feedlot. Why in the world would anyone buy a bull developed with grain? Now, I’m sharp enough to get why seedstock producers do it…compared to developing bulls on grazing forage, feedlot development is EASY! No rotating of paddocks, nothing getting out, no hauling/moving water…just let them eat as much as they can in a small area. Corn or distillers or copious amounts of alfalfa or other hay or protein pellets or tubs or “fill in the blank thing” other than forage that can be grazed ALL help cover up genetic deficiencies. At ICE, all our cattle – cows, calves and developing bulls and heifers – get to work for a living. They graze native and improved pasture with some cover crops in the summer and crop residues with some dormant cover crops in the winter. Corn is never fed (they get some grazing corn stalks) and hay is never fed as a planned part of the feed calendar. We use hay for special projects like A.I., weaning, evaluations and videoing, and last year we used several bales to get us through minus 30 degree weather and iced over crop residue. I’ve never heard of or been involved with a program that is so committed to not bringing in feedstuffs from off of the operation to help develop the seedstock. In addition to our GRAZING ONLY policy, we rarely treat an animal. Our animals get well or they die; they get eaten if they shouldn’t be kept as seedstock…is it a big mystery why some herds have so many problems and some don’t? If you get rid of your problems (open cows, bad udders, wild/mean animals, etc.) long enough you eventually get to where you have very few problems…and you NEVER have a problem with what you get rid of. (SO THANKFUL Kristin hasn’t followed this policy with me!) You should buy our bulls because we not only have the grass genetics for enjoyable and profitable cattle production…we have sorted out the specific animals that never should be seedstock. In both regards I believe we are at the top of the class…I will debate anyone who thinks their genetics or development program is better.
Our annual bull and bred heifer sale will be held Saturday, March 12 at 11 am. We currently are planning to catalog approximately 70 two-year old bulls and 70 two-year old first calf heifers. We offer EVERY bull and replacement heifer we produce in our annual sale. Who else does that?
That’s enough (too much?) for now. More to come…Lord willing.
If you think about it…GRACE is all there is (your next/current: breath, heartbeat, dollar, idea, ability, recreation, problem solved, LOVE) …grace to you ALL!