Sire Alliance May Allow Beef Producers To Increase Beef Quality
SUNRISE BEACH, Mo. -
Increasing the quality of cattle
through the use of profitable
genetics is one of the main objec
tives of many cattle producers.
Some progressive Angus raisers
have realized the potential of
identifying these superior genes
and have joined together to form
the Angus Sire Alliance.
In its second yeatf the Angus
Sire Alliance is the largest prog
eny test of its kind in the United
States. The alliance boasts 35
members, reaching from New
York to California, Georgia to
Texas. However, only 25 mem
bers actually participate in the
alliance, with the other ten
members serving as alternates.
Ranches and individuals par
ticipating in the alliance are as
Pennsylvania
Farm Bureau
Day Designated
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Mon
day. March 30, was designated as “Pennsyl
vania Farm Bureau Day” in separate resolu
tions passed unanimously by the stale House
md Senate. The passage was witnessed by
members of the statewide farm organization
who were in the state Capitol that day as part
of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s annual Har
risburg Legislative Tour.
“We came of age today,” remarked PFB
President Guy Donaldson at a banquet later
that evening during which copies of the re
solutions were formally {Resented. About 300
farmers from throughout the stale had visited
with their lawmakers earlier to discuss PFB’s
priority state legislative issues. PFB has been
conducting Harrisburg Legislative Tours for
decades. It was the first time their efforts had
been honored by the General Assembly.
Recognizing Pennsylvania Farm Bureau as
a strong voice for agriculture at the local, state
and federal level, the resolutions congratu
lated PFB for its contributions to the Com
monwealth and the economic welfare of the
agricultural industry in Pennsylvania.
The Senate resolution was introduced by
Sen. Noah Wenger (R-36th DisL), acting
chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Rural
Affairs Committee.
In the House, Rep. Ray Bunt (R-147th
Dist), chairman of the House Agriculture and
Rural Affairs Committee sponsored the re
solution honoring Farm Bureau.
Donaldson, PFB Vice President Carl Shaf
fer and administrative secretary Lou Sallie at
tended the introduction of the resolutions as
special gueSts and were introduced during the
proceedings in both chambers.
Noting that the introduction of die resolu
tion coincided with PFB's annual Harrisburg
Tour, Sen. Wenger said legislators have come
to look forward to the “free interchange of
communications’’ that lakes place every year
with Farm Bureau members. Sen. Patrick
Stapleton (D-41st Dist), minority chairman
o ( the Senate Agriculture Committee, ex
pressed his support for the resolution and told
his colleagues that a delegation of Farm Bur
eau members who had visited his office that
day informed him that local tax reform is their
number one priority. He urged legislators to
heed their message.
In die House, Rep. Art Henhey (R-13th
Dist), a farmer-turned-legislator and former
leader in the form organization, expressed his
ipprcciation of PFB. Ifc remembered how, 25
yean earlier, he had participated as a young
dairyman in the Harrisburg Legislative Tour
and how exciting it had been to see Farm Bur
eau policies, developed from the grass-roots
level, being enacted into law. Other law
makers also voiced their appreciation of
PFB’s efforts over the years.
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau was established
byagroupof farmers as the Pennsylvania Far
mers’ Association in November 1950. PFB is
a voluntary, non-government organization
which represents 25,247 member families in
54 county units.
follows: Generation Angus,
Lexington, Ala.; Sauk Valley
Angus, Rockfalls, 111.;
International Breeding Center,
Spencer, Ind.; Eaglestone
Farms, Carlisle, Ky; Waldeck
Farms, Crestwood, Ky.;
Whitestone Farm, Aldie, Va.;
Champion Hill, Bidwell, Ohio;
Shady Brook Farms, Leoma,
Tenn.; Aristocrat Angus,
Platteville, Colo.; Koch Beef,
Wichita, Kan.; A & M Circle T
Ranch, Salem, Mo.; High Field
Angus, Clinton Comers, N.Y.;
Vintage Angus, Modesto, Calif.;
McCurry Bros., Sedgewick,
Kan.; Brest Angus Farm,
Oxford, Ind.; Circle B Angus,
Vienna, Mo.; Broken Lance
Ranch, Bucyrus, Kan.; Weiker
Angus Ranch, Fayette, Mo.;
Twin Valley, Pratteville, Ala.;
Davis on the Highlands,
Springfield, Ky; "Doc" Hinds, St.
Charles, Mo. and Norb
Siegfried, St. Louis, Mo.; Three
Trees Ranch, Sharpsburg, Ga.;
Springfield Angus, Louisburg,
N.C.; Twin Oak Farms,
Quarryville, Pa.; Toebbin Triple
T Ranch, Union, Ky; Southern
Angus, Dothan, Ala.; Diamond
W Ranch, Burton, Texas;
Leachman Angus, Bozeman,
Mont.; Bear Creek Angus,
Cameron, Mont.; Circle A
Ranch, Iberia, Mo.
Members should submit one
purebred, registered Angus bull
to the Angus Sire Alliance head
quarters, located in Iberia, Mo.
Each bull is then turned out
with 50 commercial Angus cows.
Semen from that same sire is
used to artificially inseminate
50 more commercial Angus
cows.
"The main objective of the
Angus Sire Alliance is to identi
fy the most profitable and pre
dictable Angus genetics in the
United States," said Fred Frey
of Twin Oak Farms, one of the
UncwHf farming, Siturtoy, April It, 19M-A3O
alliance's members. "This pro
gram will eventually spread
throughout the country, making
it profitable to all cattle produc
ers by improving the quality of
beef and making the animal
Phosphorus
Provides Forum
(Continued from Pago ASS)
The phosphorus containing
grain and feed crops are then
shipped to areas specializing in
concentrated livestock production
(crop growing for feed is economi
cally and quality wise too much
trouble to oo locally).
The manures containing the
nutrients, especially phosphorus
(which doesn’t move quickly
unless excessive, in poor soils, or
on the surface of the soil), are then
spread on limited soils.
more efficient."
In the progeny test, the steer
calves are the only ones that will
be slaughtered. The heifer
calves will be retained for breed
ing purposes, Frey said.
Conference
Thus, the phosphorus that
doesn’t get shipped away from the
farm via the meat animals, gets put
on the soils. Many of the farms are
small and excessive phosphorus
levels can be achieved quickly,
even with balancing for nitrogen,'
all manure and especially some
poultry manures contains more
phosphorus than needed.
The issue then, according to
Lanyon, is to discover a feasible
means of completing a cycle of
phosphorus flow, and distribution.
(Continued next week).