A32-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 7,1992
Beef Breeders Carefully Consider EPDs, Calving Ease In Dams
(Continued from Page A2B)
Record-keeping
Fen* the farm operated by Mike
and Naomi Costello in Pleasant
Unity, Westmoreland County, it is
a matter of record-keeping
because the bulls have been care
fully selected, the selection of herd
sires and maintaining careful
records on cow fertility goes right
along with using bulls. The Costel
los are simply more familiar with
using maternal breeding tech
niques and have found them to be
dependable, reliable, less costly,
and less labor-intensive than using
AI.
What does this mean for the
industry? For one thing, it means
those who raise bulls must pay
more attention to their fertility
and that means taking a closer look
at their mothers.
“It’s hard to put my thumb on
what characteristics are more
important than any others,’ ’ said
Jim Larson. According to Larson,
the two most important traits when
selecting herd sires include rate of
gain and calving ease.
The cow’s milking ability com
es into play too, according to Lar
son. “Because of the milk they
provide to the calves, sometimes
the high-milking mothers don’t
look so great, but their heifer
calves are kept for the milking
ability for the herd,” he said.
Raise 80 cows
The Costellos raise about 80
cows using three bulls on their 236
acre (180 pasture acres) farm.
They obtained all their heifers
from fall-graded feeder cattle sales
in Virginia.
Calving ease was of top con
cern, according to Costello. The
first three bulls for the herd sires
came from Wehrmann Farms, in
New Market, Va.. and milking
ability was also an important con
sideration. Many of the heifers
obtained were L-l (large-framed
and with #1 muscling). Two are
Rito bulls and one is a Traveler
bull.
The Costellos are also using
Gelbvieh bulls, obtained from
Knoll Crest Farms in Red House,
Va., which provide less waste than
the Angus, more lean type confir
mation, more muscling, belter
milking ability, good growth, and
good hybrid vigor when crossing.
Eugene Wlngert, left, and Jere Winged, herd manager,
are shown observing their 1991 calf crop.
‘ ‘People aren’t familiar with the
Gelbvieh cattle around here,” said
Costello. The progeny has
included only nine calves. So far,
however, according to Costello,
they’ve “all done really well.
They have a really nice
temperament.”
Four bulls
Altogether, the Wingerts keep
four bulls—an Angus, a Salcrs, an
Angus/Chianina cross, and a
Simmental.
Most of the farms agree that it
would be hard to'pinpoint exactly
what the “best” crossbreed com
bination would be. Most, however,
are satisfied with the breeds they
chose to work with.
“We’re always looking for
something new that would work
for our operation,” said WingerL
The important thing for Wingert is
to keep looking around and work
ing to find the best combination
that will improve the herd.
“We depend a lot on EPDs,”
said Jim Larson. But to his farm,
it’s just as important to consider
the visual appraisal of the bull as
well as the EPDs. Together, those
two factors work to provide the
best measurement of what bulls
will do well in the herd.
Records for herd
Surprisingly, the three farms did
not take time to record exactly
what it cost per year to maintain
the cows. But records for the
whole herd are maintained on each
of the farms the Costellos keep
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extensive records on all cows and
bulls, especially dates of birth,
birth weights, any illness or calv
ing problems, in addition to gain
per day and a ratio comparing each
calf to all other calves in the herd.
They also keep health records,
including the dates treated,
weights, and “anything that will
prove useful to maintaining the
herd,” said Costello.
Farm records kept by the Wing
erts include the dam, mother, calf
number, rate of gain indications,
and other factors, according to
Eugene Wingert Another big con
cern, according to Wingert, is the
milking ability of the dam.
Herd records kept by the Lar
sons include the history on every
cow calving records, rate-of
gain, quality of calves, and any
other information important to
herd management
For the Larsons, good calves
come from the top of the herd
the records make this * ‘pretty obvi
ous,” said Jim.
Ideal weight
The ideal weight for the cow at
breeding is around 1,100 pounds,
according to Larson. A 550-600
pound calf out of a medium-sized
cow is expected, “for as many
years as they can keep having
calves.” One of the cows in the
Larson herd is 16 years old.
But looking at the size of the
cow and determining what kind of
calf she will have will prove fruit
less sometimes, according to the
farms. In the Costello’s case, one
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cow “looked so thin” at 900
pounds, but “she had a great calf
every year,” said Costello.
Another cow, weighing about
1,300 pounds, “also had a great
calf.”
The farms usually go to the local
sales and some travel to different
parts of the state to sell their
calves. The Costellos rely on sales
at the Westmoreland County Sale.
They are considering using the
Tel-O-Auction, a method of mark
eting feeder cattle.
The Larsons and Wingerts sold
several of their calves to local 4-H
and FFA clubs, which have gar
nered several show champions.
Finish cattle
The Wingerts finish and sell
their cattle to Greencastle Lives
tock Auction and local butchers. In
the past, many were sold at the
Lancaster Stockyards.
The Larsons sell their calves to
the McCoy Cattle Company at the
Lancaster Stockyards.
The Larsons rely on fall vacci
nation, including deworming, with
the aid and advice of a veterinarian
if need be. The Costellos rely on
the advice of Dr. Ron Staas, Lat
robe, to help with the program,
though most of the farms still do
much of the health care by
themselves.
To ensure increasing farm pro
ductivity, the Wingerts have relied
on a diet for the brood cows of a
small amount of silage, mostly hay
and pasture. “We calve starting
March 1,” said Wingert. “Right
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now we’re giving the cows all the
good quality alfalfa they can eat.
This increases the flow of milk as
well as conditions the cow for
rebrceding.”
During the calving season, the
cows are checked every 4-6 hours
to make sure they are calving
smoothly and to ensure that the
calves are healthy.
Carefully manage program
The Larsons keep the cattle in
800 acres of pasture that is inten
sively grazed and carefully man
age the feeding program.
For all the farms, learning about
how to improve the herd is a com
bination of following the individu
al herd and, whenever possible,
seeking help from the local exten
sion offices and Penn State.
The Larsons, like many com
mercial beef farms, rely on many
of the symposiums and confer
ences that provide information
geared to the needs of commercial
producers. In addition, many of the
local and national cattle associa
tions offer information for mem
bers on herd improvement
For the Wingerts, in the past the
Performance-Tested Bull Sale has
provided them with bulls that were
essential to their herd. This year,
they will also attend the sale to see
what may be available for their
herd.
Editor’s note: The next article
in the series will involve trait
selection and EPD consideration
when selecting a herd bull.
Auction Set
The district urges early consign
ment and donations, but articles
will be accepted until 4 p.m. on
April 3. The sale will be held on
Saturday, April 4, beginning at 9
a.m. at the Gratz Fairgrounds.
Proceeds of the sale benefit the
Dauphin County Agriculture and
Natural Resources Center and a
scholarship fund for Dauphin
County students and teachers in
agricultural and environmental
science education programs.
To consign and donate items,
please call Auction Coordinator
Mervin Adams, (717) 692-3076,
or Mike Hubler at the district
office, (717) 921-8100.