Bull producers1214

PAGE 2 - Monday, December 22, 2014 / AGWEEK

n USDAscientists workon cattle fertilityBy Mikkel PatesAgweek Staff Writer

MILES CITY, Mont. — U.S.Department of Agriculture re-searchers are working to de-velop new techniques toimprove fertility of beef cattleand cut breeding costs.

Tom Geary, a research ani-mal scientist and physiologistat the USDA Agricultural Re-search Service Fort KeoghLivestock and Range Re-search Laboratory in MilesCity, Mont., is collaborating ona study with Peter Sutovsky ofthe University of Missouri inColumbia. Before their collab-oration began, Sutovsky hadidentified two biologicalmarkers that could identifysemen that were in theprocess of dying, or were lessfertile.

“Peter had some compoundsthat could detect these biolog-ical markers, and he wouldstick these compounds to mag-netic particles and mix themwith sperm in a tube,” Gearysays.

They expose the tube to amagnet to sort out the badsemen and freeze only thegood semen.

The scientists are workingwith Select Sires Inc. of PlainCity, Ohio, a company that col-lects and sells semen frombeef and dairy bulls, to helpthe researchers purify it to re-move any of these markers.

Beef cow pregnancy ratesusing AI vary from year toyear, but generally are rela-tively high, in the 55 to 65 per-cent range. In preliminaryresults from 2013 trials,they’ve found the purifiedsemen offers a 10 percent im-provement in pregnancy rate,compared with nonpurified.

Pencil it outOnly about 7 to 8 percent of

commercial herds use AI —up only marginally from about4 to 5 percent about 15 years

ago, Geary says.

Looking for answers

Mikkel Pates, Agweek

GG Yearling heifers from the reproductive physiology herd atthe Fort Keogh Livestock and Ranch Research Laboratory inMiles City, Mont., are calved in the feedlot and then moved tograss.

BREEDING: See Page 3

“They have to pencil it, andit’s not always the cheapestway to go,” he says.

Kris Ringwall, director of theDickinson (N.D.) Research Ex-tension Center, says work on AItechniques is ongoing, butthere are labor and logisticscosts.

The center has gone to May-June calving to reduce laborcosts. But AI becomes moredifficult in July and August,when the cattle are out on pas-ture and otherwise unavail-able for pen breeding.

AI-sired calves are worthabout $100 more per calf, Ring-wall says. Minimum costs for

AI are about$20, but muchof the costs arein labor andlogistics. Gen-erally thepractice iscommon forpurebred pro-ducers.

Some pro-ducers areusing AI to im-

prove the genetics of their cowherd. Some are content withthe genetics and do well byhaving a less-intensively man-aged program.

Most AI users today employprocedures to time AI, ratherthan simply observing cows forsigns of estrus and breedingonly by heat.

AI is a process done at a sin-gle time for an entire herd, butall cows in the herd are not the

same. Some have calved morerecently. Other cows havecalved longer ago and arestarting to have estrus cycles.

“With a couple of differenttreatments, we can decide thatthree days from now. We canbreed all of the cows, andwe’ve got the fertility perhapsas high as if the bull had bredthem in a natural cycle,” Gearysays.

Good to betterIn preliminary results from

2013, scientists were able toincrease the pregnancy ratefrom AI about 10 percentusing four AI sires. The higherthe success rate, the fewercull cows and better repro-ductive success.

“We get higher pregnancyrate in the first service of theseason,” Geary says. “Produc-ers who are looking to use ge-netically superior sires anduse artificial inseminationwould benefit because nowthey could get 10 percentmore calves for the cost ofusing AI.

“It might be that we’re im-proving fertilization rates,and it might be that we’re im-proving pregnancy retention,”Geary says.

“Early embryonic mortalityoccurs in about 30 percent ofbeef cows. Fertilization oc-curs, but the embryo dies pre-maturely,” Geary says. “Itcould be that we’re removingthe sperm that create an em-bryo that wouldn’t survive.Now we have higher preg-nancy rates as a result.”

Continued from Page 2BREEDING

Geary

BREEDING: See Page 4


GG The Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratoryin Miles City, Mont., is a U.S. Department of AgricultureAgricultural Research Service installation, with 40 employees.

AGWEEK / Monday, December 22, 2014 - PAGE 3

0010

0932

9r1

Look To Us For All YourLivestock Equipment Needs!

For Info & Price Estimates, Call:

M&M SALES AND SERVICEWAYNE MITTLEIDER • TAPPEN, NORTH DAKOTA

701-327-8157701-471-8799CELL

001182

524

r1

Free Delivery

16-ComponentDigestion Engine

Lowest Total CostRisk-Free Guarantee

Rancher ApprovedTestimonials Online

LICKTUBS

Are you ready for winter?

“Supercharged protein/digestion tubs”

It’s easy & low costyou gotta get in touch

(888) 892-2877 | www.rionutrition.net

Call (888) 892-2877to deal-direct.

Rio | Nutrition


One of the challenges to im-proving pregnancy rates is toidentify pregnancies earlyenough to distinguish betweenhigher rates of fertilization orpregnancy maintenance.

“The earliest they can iden-tify pregnancy in cows is day 28,after breeding,” Geary says.“There’s a lot that has to occur

correctly before that stage, sowe lose a lot of pregnancies be-fore that stage.”

The factorsIn a separate but related

study, researchers are workingto learn what factors affect fertil-ity and pregnancy rates in cows.They have found a higher fertil-ity and pregnancy rate when theegg comes from a larger follicleand now want to know why.

In late June, the researchers

and colleagues from the Univer-sity of Missouri and the Univer-sity of Minnesota in GrandRapids collected eggs from 250cows in the herd, using an ultra-sound-guided biopsy needle tocollect eggs. They took eggs fromsmall follicles, large follicles, orfollicles from cows that were inestrus in the previous 12 hours.The ones in estrus are a fullymature egg and follicle. Thelarge ones are close to mature,and the eggs from the small onesare believed to be immature.

“We’re trying to understandwhat genes are turned on andoff in the ones that are fullymature versus the ones thataren’t fully mature,” Gearysays. “The goal would be toavoid ovulating some of thoseimmature follicles” and de-velop strategies that would im-prove fertility and offer moreopportunities for a cow to con-ceive in a breeding season.

It’s too early to say whatthose strategies might be, hesays.

Continued from Page 3

BREEDING

MILES CITY, Mont. — TheFort Keogh Livestock andRange Research Laboratory isa collaboration between theU.S. Department of Agricul-ture’s Agricultural ResearchService and the Montana Ex-periment Station, which ownsthe cattle herd.

The station has about 40 em-ployees, including seven fed-eral scientists — twonutritionists, two reproductivephysiologists, and three rangescientists. It was built on thesite of a military fort that wascreated after the Little Bighornbattle in 1876. The presidentsent a cavalry encampment towhere the Tongue River goesinto the Yellowstone River. The

fort squared off 10 miles to thewest and to the south from thatpoint. In 1924, the fort became afederal research station.

About half of the employeeswork for the federal govern-ment and half work for the stategovernment.

There are four cattle herds:nThe station maintains a

herd of 140 Line 1 Herefordcows — a closed herd dating tothe late 1920s and early 1930s.Line 1 cows trace to stock pur-chased in 1924 from George M.Miles of Miles City.

“They’re now about 30 per-cent inbred, and from a geneti-cist’s standpoint, that’s a goodthing to have,” says Tom Geary,a research animal scientist and

physiologist at the research lab.When researchers working in

Houston, Texas, were lookingfor a cow to sequence thebovine genome in 2003, they se-lected one cow in the world andit was a Line 1 Hereford cowfrom Fort Keogh — L1Dominette 01449.

“Millions of dollars fromaround the world went into se-quencing the genes of thatcow,” Geary says.nA 400-cow herd for physiol-

ogy studies, as well as 100 re-placements — predominantlyHereford-Angus cross cows.nA 500-head Composite

Gene Combination cow herd, aclosed herd since the 1980s.This herd is used for nutrition

and efficiency studies. Closedherd means all of the sires forthat herd came from within it.nThe station has started a

small Angus herd to cross Line1 Herefords with Angus.

“We know from heterosis thatwe get an improvement of a lotof traits that are of economicimportance, but we’re not realsure how or why that happensfrom a genetics standpoint,”Geary says. “If we see an in-crease in weaning rate, how is itthat that happens genetically?We get better growth rates andhigher weaning weights and weget better fertility. We’re tryingto identify the mechanisms inwhich the genes interact to im-prove those traits.”

4 herds

00118127

8r1

CALL605-380-5507

to locate your local dealer.

Hidf 3702 –28 tons 2013 Griggs County25+ Tons 2014 McLean Cty18 tons 2014 Flasher

Hidf 3108 –13.4 Dry Tons +19% over avg.

1st Place U of Mn11.7 Dry Tons 1st 3 yr avg.

U of W

Hidf 3105 –35 Tons Stutsman Cty 201125 Tons McHenry Cty 2013

Hidf 3510 –31.3 Tons Northern SD 201413.2 Dry Tons U of W +15%

over avg.

Reasonable price and great quality. Call for local sales

contact to DSM Keith-(605-380-5507). Check out

Dairyland Seed.com for more data or contact info.

Cash discount 10% or 0% Financing State wide delivery

and sales Western, Central and Eastern North Dakota.

©2014 Dairyland Seed Co., Inc. All rights reserved. ®Dairyland Seed and the Dairyland Seed logo are trademarks of The DowChemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. Dairyland Seed is a seed affiliate of Dow AgroSciences.

Tonnage AND digestibility—we believe you should expect both from your silage hybrid. That’s why wehave been—and continue to be—relentless in researching and delivering top-performing HiDF silagehybrids. And we’ve got the wins to prove it. Over the last two years, our four leadingsilage hybrids came away with a total of 59 top three finishes in Tons/Acre andMilk/Acre in university trials.



n Boeckelstill enjoysAngus work

By Mikkel PatesAgweek Staff Writer

HAZEN, N.D. — BoeckelAngus Ranch has been in theAngus business since 1946 — ayear that’s easy to rememberbecause it’s the year LeRoyBoeckel was born.

Boeckel, now 68, has beenrunning the place since hewas 22. His grandfather, Lud-wig, came from Russia in 1905and settled north of Beulah,N.D. Ludwig’s father, David,was among five brothers whofarmed in that area — in theland where coal gasificationnow is dominant. But Here-fords were king in the 1940s.

David was one of the first inMercer County to own regis-tered Angus cattle, whichmade a good cross with Here-fords. David held his first pro-duction bull sale in 1963. Hehad 35 milk cows, too, andcrossed Angus with Holsteinsto make them gentler.

LeRoy was the third-youngest of eight children,and remembers running thesilage cutter at age 13. Chil-dren had a lot of responsibil-ity in those days.

Bibles and bullsA Bible school teacher once

asked LeRoy what he wantedto be when he grew up.

“I said I wanted to be thebiggest rancher in MercerCounty,” he says.

LeRoy was drafted into theU.S. Army in 1968. He went to

In the black


GG LeRoy Boeckel’s family started in the purebred Angusbusiness near Hazen, N.D., the year he was born — 1946. Theherd includes these yearling bulls.ANGUS: See Page 7

PRODUCTION SALESaturday, January 31, 2015

1pm/ct • Kist Livestock • Mandan, ND

SELLING 400 HEAD:

• 100 Coming 2yr old registered bulls- (Calving ease bulls)

• 300 Bred Black Heifers- They are all ultrasounded and

will start calving March 15 - May 1- They are all bred to top bloodline low

birthweight bulls.- We can match heifers based on

ultrasound calving dates.

WE

HAVE BEEN

IN THE CATTLE

BREEDING

BUSINESS FOR

OVER 65 YEARS!

DELIVERY ARRANGEMENTSAVAILABLE!

Call us and see howwe can work with you!

Boeckel Angus Ranch701-748-6540 - Home • 701-870-6541 - Cell

00

1183

796

r1

ATV or Farm Utility VehicleMounted Calf Corral

Lets you form a corral around a newborn calf.Phone: 701-843-7581www.Rolinmfg.comEmail: [email protected]

Lets you form a corral around a newborn calf.

• Easy to install and remove on

your 4-wheeler or utility vehicle

Safely catch, tag, vaccinate,•

and treat newborn calf

Lets you form a corral around a newborn calf.

• Easy to install and remove on

your 4-wheeler or utility vehicle

Safely catch, tag, vaccinate,


Gate provides easy•access to utilityvehicle


Calf carrier attached•

Tool box holder included•


Tool box holder included

*,)'%-2/'4/..0'%#& !4!*).0$&("2/*10**4!)-30*

• QuickTach to Skid Steer.

• Ideal for winter calving cows

in corral.

• Equiped with 2 doors.

001184

095r1

+"*

QuickTach to Skid Steer.

Ideal for winter calving cows


basic training in the Seattlearea, where a commanding of-ficer was so impressed withhis drive and his conviction to“feed the world,” that the offi-cer found a way to send himhome, LeRoysays.

“He said Icould do thiscountry moregood out ofthe servicethan in theservice —that’s justwhat he said,”LeRoy says.

It was akind of mira-cle, LeRoyfigures.

“I promisedGod that heblessed me sothat I was going to do some-thing for mission in my life,”he says.

LeRoy went home in May1968. He married Allegra inDecember of that year andtook over the farm the nextspring.

His father had accumulated35 quarters — about 5,600acres of land — plus land inCanada. He divided the cowsbetween LeRoy and his olderbrother Clayton and madedeals to take future calves onshares. He gave them someland, but sold them some, too

— Clayton in the west, andLeRoy in the east where therewas more pasture.

ExpansionIn the 1970s, LeRoy started

leasing more land. He thinksone of the keys to his career isthat he never mortgaged anacre of land. It was also easier

to deal withlenders be-cause they as-sumed if hedidn’t borrowmoney fromthem, he’dborrow fromhis dad.

“My dadwas an insur-ance policy,and he didn’tcharge me apremium,”LeRoy says.

The 1980swere tough.

“Therewere years we lost $100,000 infarming,” LeRoy says, but hecouldn’t give up. “I figuredGod made me a farmer, so Ihad my mind made up that if Ilose everything, I’d just startover.”

The farm credit crisis cre-ated opportunities for thosewho could expand. LeRoybought the ranch he lives on,another in the mid-1980s, andanother in Wing, N.D. He hada goal of owning 35 quarters

Continued from Page 6ANGUS


GG The Boeckel family was the first to bring Angus cattle intoNorth Dakota’s Mercer County in 1946, the year LeRoyBoeckel was born. They started their first annual productionsales in 1963. The 2015 sale will be the first week in Februaryat Kist Livestock Auction — 100 bulls and 600 to 800 bredheifers.

ANGUS: See Page 8

“I figured Godmade me a farmer,so I had my mindmade up that if I

lose everything, I’djust start over.”

LeRoy BoeckelFarmer

FARMING WITHOUT THE BANKYOUR SOLUTION TO FARM FINANCE

An eye-opening approach showing farmers and ranchershow to build a system that will allow them the freedom to

borrow money without having to go to the bank.

This book will show farmers and ranchers how to:• Increase Profitability• Have Guaranteed Access to Capital• Allow for Flexible Payback Terms• Keep Interest and Principal in Your Pocket• Build Tax-Free Assets

001183823r1

Order your book today fromFarmingWithoutTheBank.com/bookor call 701-751-3917 for more information


of land, like his father had. Hehoped to accumulate 300 goodAngus cows, but he’d do muchmore than that.

He bought land in the Zap,Wing, Pettibone, Steele andRiverdale areas. He dealswith coal companies that ownreclaimed land and wantsomeone to lease it. The farmtoday is about 37,000 acres, in-cluding some 12,000 acres ofcropland. He still farms 1,500himself, and the rest he leasesout.

Boeckel is still investing inthe future. This year, heturned a pasture on the Hazenranch into irrigated cropland,using some of the profits fromthe recently strong cattle mar-ket.

“It was always grass, and Ibroke it up July 7 and on theeighth we started seeding it,”he says.

He feels fortunate becausehis farm sits atop an aquifer,230 feet deep in a gravel vein

and putting out 1,500 gallons aminute. He irrigates out of theKnife River for three otherpivots.

Secrets of the tradeBoeckel says he’s cutting

back on cattle. Through the1990s and until 2005, he had1,500 to 2,300 Angus mothercows, a totalherd of up to4,500 cattle —all registeredAngus. Hewas one ofthe top fiveregisteredAngus breed-ers in theworld fornearly 15years.

In 2004,Boeckel sold 1,900 bred cowsand scaled back, in part to buyland. The market was goodand he paid off all of hisdebts. He bought a ranch andsome real estate in Bismarck.Today the herd is about 2,000head, including some cow-calfpairs and bred heifers.

If he has a particular talent,

Boeckel says it is for figuringout ways to control costs andstill raise quality cattle.

“If the top cattle are bring-ing $900, how can I sell cattlefor $850 and still makemoney?” he says. One key is tosell bigger calves and thenjust “work, work, work.”

He is known for buying year-ling bulls,using them tobreed heifers,and then turn-ing around andselling them assoon-to-be two-year-olds.

“I always buycalving-easebulls,” he says.

Boeckel hasconcerns abouthow the cur-

rent record cattle prices canhold up. Ultimately, it’ll beabout beef consumption andcompeting on the meat shelf.As a beef industry veteran,Boeckel says he thinks toomany heifers and heiferettes(a heifer that lost her calf theprevious year) are being bred.

Most ranchers calve in

March and April, and if aheiferette fails to support acalf, she goes to the sale barnand is bound for a feedlot inNebraska. This year, thosewere largely kept back forbreeding. Cattlemen werepaying $1,800 for them andthink they will bring $2,500when they come to market inDecember or January.

Boeckel is skeptical.Boeckel says he’s chosen not

to breed as many heifers as hehas in the past — “just to be alittle different.” Or maybe it’stime to cut back on the work.

He half-jokes that one bigmistake he made was not hav-ing more kids. Daughter Loriand son Travis took other ca-reers off the ranch. He has ahired man, but much of whathappens is up to Boeckel.

“Yes, I’m having fun, lovingwhat I’m doing, but I can’tquit,” LeRoy says. “When Ilook in the mirror when I getup, I think, ‘That’s the guy thathas to get things done today.’ Imight have to take the garbageout. I might make a million-dollar deal. Either way, I haveto grab my hat and go for it.”


ANGUS

“Yes, I’m havingfun, loving whatI’m doing, but I

can’t quit.”LeRoy Boeckel

Farmer

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2015Time: 2:00 CDT, at the ranch, Almont ND.

SELLING60 bulls and 40 open commercial heifers

Purebred to Half-Blood, all bulls homozygous verified.Bred for: Caving Ease,Performance, Moderate Frames.

A.I. ANGUS SIRES:Final Answer, Hoover Dam, Confidence, Vance,Traveler 004, Really Windy, and Conquest AR.

A.I. SIMMENTAL SIRES:JTL Blk Obomba, JTL M50, Manifest, Full Throttle,

and Ultimate Choice.

001180

810r1



GG LeRoy Boeckel was one of the top five registered Angusbreeders in the world for nearly 15 years.


GG Boeckel Angus Ranch is an institution in Mercer County,N.D. LeRoy and Allegra Boeckel for many years were amongthe nation’s largest registered Angus breeders in the country.

Learn about symbiotic partnerships•• Perennial grass plants•• Soil organisms•• Large grazing animals

Design pasture management strategyDevelop harvested forage plan

Presenters:Llewellyn Manske, Ph. D.Range Scientist, DREC

Tody StrohAssistant Professor, DSU

'/ ,&#!*)&, /, )/ /+)-!0 1/,& !0%/,1-)!/0. (/0)-() )"& %/33/$!0#2Llewellyn Manske, Ph. D. Toby Stroh

701-456-1118 [email protected] [email protected]

Workshop ScheduleJanuary 6-- 1-9 p.m.January 7 -- 8 a.m. - 9 p.m.January 8 -- 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Grazing Management WorkshopA Continuing Education Opportunity For Beef ProducersUse Twice-Over Grazing Rotation To Increase Carrying Capacity and Generate Greater Wealth

January 6-8, 2015Dickinson Research Extension Center

Corner of Empire Road and State AvenueDickinson, North Dakota

You Can Earn CollegeCredit By RegisteringAnd Completing Workshop


BullingerBarenthsen

Red Angus

Mark and Kathy Barenthsen & Family701-464-5741 [email protected] and Jessica Bullinger & Family701-464-4893 [email protected]

www.BBRedAngus.com

Wed. February 18, 201575 Bulls • 60 Yearling Heifers • 15 Bred HeifersSelling at the Ranch, Powers Lake, ND • 1:00 p.m. CST

Red AngusFactory

Cattle that perform in mother nature’s toughest conditions.of the North

Annual Production Sale

Herd Sire - Feddes Big Horn Z150Reg. #1516301 Herd Sire - SSS Twilight 457ZReg. #CAN1713752

Herd Sire - Feddes Gallatin Z113Reg. # - 1516448 Herd Sire -Red Lazy Cowboy 26XReg. #CAN1583567

Herd Sire - Larson Sun King 016Reg. #1384618 Herd Sire - PIE Code Red 199Reg. #1483973

16th


n Consumerdemand strongdespite record

pricesBy Jonathan KnutsonAgweek Staff Writer

Even the experts are strug-gling to understand why de-mand for increasinglyexpensive beef is holding upbetter than expected.

“Demand for beef isn’t asprice-sensitive as we oncethought,” says Jayson Lusk,who teaches at Oklahoma StateUniversity.

Lusk’s research focuses pri-marily on predicting and un-derstanding consumerbehavior as it relates to food.He oversees Oklahoma StateUniversity’s monthly Food De-mand Survey, which tracks con-sumer preferences andsentiments on food, particu-larly meat. The survey isweighted to match the U.S.population in terms of age,gender, education and regionof residence.

Though there are monthlyfluctuations, the survey doesn’tshow an overall downwardtrend in what consumers arewilling to pay for beef, Lusksays.

That’s welcome news to cat-tle producers and others in thebeef industry, who have beenconcerned that soaring beefprices will cut into demand.

Some fallback in demand isinevitable, economists say. U.S.beef supplies are smaller thanthey once were, and the marketuses higher retail prices to ra-tion limited supplies.

But the decline in theamount of beef sold is morethan offset by higher prices forit, putting more money inranchers’ pockets, Lusk says.

He notes that willingness topay isn’t the same as demand,but “the maximum consumersare willing to pay.”

Higher prices don’t necessar-ily reduce willingness to pay,and lower prices don’t alwaysincrease it.

That’s evident in the most re-cent food demand survey, re-leased Nov. 17. Consumerwillingness to pay for ham-burger rose from October toNovember, even as the price ofhamburger rose in the same

Newterritory forbeef industry

Good news forcattle producersHigh beef prices don't have a bigcorrelation with U.S. consumers'willingness to pay for beef, accordingto Oklahoma State University, whichtracks demand for meat. The mostrecent monthly figures show thatconsumer willingness to buy steak fellslightly, as did steak prices — theopposite of what might be expected.Their willingness to buy hamburgerrose slightly, as did hamburger prices,which also might be unexpected. Moreimportantly, willingness to pay for steakand hamburger is higher than a yearago, despite the higher prices,according to OSU.

Source: Oklahoma State University'smonthly Food Demand Survey.

Average price

Nov. 2013

Oct. 2014

Nov. 2014

Willingnessto buypercent changeOct. to Nov.

Hamburger

$3.96

$4.88

$5.16

5.74%

Steak

$6.72

$7.05

$7.00

- 0.71%

according to OSU.

Average price

PRICES: See Page 12

Bulls priced withGood…Better…Best Format• Cattle viewing from 11 am to 2 pm• Bids close and tie bid-off at 2 pm• $50 discount/bull if picked up

within two weeks• Yearlings & 2-year-old bulls• Semen tested and guaranteed

David, Maryln & Scott McIverFarwell, MN • (320) 283-5776

David (320) 232-7277 www.mcivershappyacres.netScott (320) 766-0415 email: [email protected]

40 Bred & OpenFemales Sell

J.R. Adcock – Sale Manager(785) 547-6781 • [email protected]

McIver Bull Selection DaySat. March 7, 2015at the Ranch, Farwell, Minn.

25 Salers &25 Hereford Bulls

Storm Date:Monday, March 9

Last year’s cattle soldto six states


period. Also, willing-ness to pay for steakfell slightly from Octo-ber to November, evenas the price of steakdropped slightly in thesame period. Most im-portant, however, con-sumers were willing topay more for virtuallyall meat products thisNovember than theywere a year ago, ac-cording to the survey.

No easy answersLusk doesn’t have a

simple or single answerfor why demand forbeef is holding up thiswell.

“There’s a whole hostof factors. We don’tknow the entire answer.

This is new territory forthe industry,” he says.

The continued popu-larity of high-proteindiets is one factor, as isconsumers’ lower-than-expected willingness toshift to poultry, he says.

Food retailers aredoing their part tomaintain demand forbeef by absorbing someof its rising cost, saysLaura Strange, directorof communications andmarketing for the Na-tional Grocers Associa-tion, which representsindependent groceryretailers and whole-salers.

“In this highly com-petitive marketplace,food retailers look todifferentiate them-selves from the compe-tition, and price is oneof those areas,” shesays.


PRICES

John Brose, Special to Agweek

GG Consumer demand for beef is strong, despite record prices. Consumerwillingness to pay for steak and hamburger also is higher than a yearago.

001180

286r1


AnnualProduction Sale

Tuesday, March 3, 2015Time • 1:00 pm (MST)

Stockmen’s West • Dickinson, ND

Yearling Angus BullsSelling 65% Heifer Bulls

Selling 65

Arthur, Kurt, Keith & Rusty Ridl11425 34 R. St. Southwest • Dickinson, ND 58601Office (701) 483-8277 • Art’s Cell: (701) 260-8277

Rusty’s Cell: (701)260-2579

Maternal • GrowthHigh Fertility • Performance Data

Sires Represented:AAR Ten X 7008

Connealy Right Answer 746Basin Excitement

Hoover DamWMR Hero 321

DL Consensus 462Evenson Program 209

Basin Excitement

AAR Ten X 7008

BW-0.2

WW+73

Milk+21

YW+130

BW+0.4

WW+69

Milk+24

YW+131

001183755r1


n Use theavailable EPDsBy Kris Ringwall

A producer does not need toknow all the mathematics, jus-tifications or scientific as-pects of breed associationexpected progeny differences(EPDs). These EPDs are avail-able to all purebred and com-mercial producers, so usethem. The be-hind-the-scenesprofessionalswill fine-tunethis terrifictool for beefproducers.

The otherday, whilewatching cat-tle sell, thevariation wasobvious. Thisis not to saythat all varia-tions can bemanaged, butthe thought ofthe geneticsource of thecattle cer-tainly was onmy mind.

Single-colored cattle do notmean similarity in geneticbackground. For example,black hair coats are the resultof a dominant allele, so tech-nically, all cattle need is oneallele or gene to express ablack hair coat. While thereare many modifying genes, thebottom line is hair coat colorhas nothing to do with overallgenetic uniformity in beef cat-tle.

It begins by accepting thefact that all bulls are not cre-ated equally. Bulls might looksimilar, but they are not ge-

netically equal. Genetic uni-formity starts at home by se-lecting good bulls throughknowledgeable and informedselection and implementingfocused production goals forclear outcomes relevant tobeef cattle production.

A visit to the many breed as-sociation websites proves thepoint. Because we started dis-cussing cattle with black haircolor, let’s go to the AmericanAngus Association website atwww.angus.org.

Like manywebsites, theassociation’sbusiness af-fairs are upfront. It offersopportunitiesto marketcalves or evenget involvedwith thebreed. But as-sociations arelarger thansimply manag-ing a breed ofcattle. The as-sociation isthe home ofthe geneticdatabase.

Let’s con-tinue at

www.angus.org. Althoughthere are multiple ways to getto the Angus EPDs, let’s findthe tab that references “Man-agement.” Click on it andmove down to the “Sire Evalu-ation Report.” Click on the“Sire Evaluation Report” anda screen will come up thatlists several interesting op-tions.

This will be the primaryscreen needed by someonelooking for bulls. A review oftraits available can be foundat “How to Read the Results— Definitions.”

Preppingfor the bull-buying season

BUYING: See Page 16

Genetic uniformitystarts at home byselecting goodbulls throughknowledgeableand informedselection andimplementingfocused

production goals...



n Be readyto evolvewith change

By Kris Ringwall

I could not help noticingWhit Hibbard’s article, It’s AllAbout Mindset, that poppedup on the Drovers CattleNet-work. The article talked aboutlow-stress livestock handling.The article quoted Bud Willi-ams, who notes that to estab-lish the principles of low-stress livestock handling, onemust have the correct mind-set.

Whit points out the low-stress concept and also sayswe really need to think aboutwhat the term “mindset”means. The article gets usthinking about low-stress live-stock handling and how im-portant the concept is withinbeef cattle operations.

In a broader sense, I couldnot help thinking about howthat mindset term floats

around the beef industry. Fallis the time for class, at leastfor young minds who arrive atschools and look forward to ayear of learning.

With time spent teaching,one comes to appreciate theterm mind-set veryquickly.

As the stu-dents fileinto class,there is thisfeeling, asan instruc-tor, on howthe day willgo. Actually,after sev-eral classes,instructorsbegin to geta feel forhow the se-mester willgo. Thatfeeling is a direct response tothe mindset of the students.

The overall experiences,joys and frustrations of teach-ing depend on the correctmindset within individual stu-

dents, as well as the wholeclass. There is no questionthat the instructor has the ca-pacity to enhance or constrainstudent mindsets, but theoverriding factor is the mind-set of the students.

If they donot want tobe in class,the chal-lenge begins.If they donot want tolearn, thechallenge in-creases. Ifthey do notwant to ex-periencechange, thechallengebecomesmore insur-mountable.

Perhapsmoving more toward an openmindset versus a closed mind-set is the goal.

But it is not fair to just pickon students because the worldof educators and academics

also can get caught in thesame trap.

How many times should onesay: Do we not already knowthat? But, those with ad-vanced degrees also strugglein the effort to crack openminds that then can ask newquestions. It would be evenbetter if those minds couldtake those new questions andanswers and apply them to anindustry that may or may notwant the answer.

I wish I could write downthe number of times I haveheard someone say: “Thosedarn academics just don’t livein the real world.” Sometimesthe quote is made ratherstrongly. The quote is some-times true and sometimes not.

Now back to the originalpoint. As Whit pointed out, theright mindset is critical tomoving forward with an evalu-ation of any particular beefprogram, operation, students,teachers and even producers.But why point this out today?

The Dickinson Research

It’s all in the mindset

The definitions are neededto remind producers how theselection of a particular traitwill impact future beef cattle

performance.The defini-tions are notcomplicated,but under-standing themis important,particularly ifa producerchooses to usethe indextraits that as-

sociations have developed.Let’s keep it simple, at least

for the traits we want to re-view. We want to find the ge-netic information available onbulls. Again, do not get lost inthe numerous additional tabs.Go back to the “Sire Evalua-tion Report” and we will endthis discussion on the “BreedAverages for EPD and $Val-ues” table.

Those numbers are indica-tive of the average EPD valuefor each particular trait.

Knowing those numbers willhelp a producer meet produc-tion goals.

For the Dickinson ResearchExtension Center, the traits ofinterest for the average non-parent Angus bull includeEPD values for birth weight of1.8 pounds, weaning weight of49 pounds, yearling weight of85 pounds, milk production of24 pounds, rib-eye area of 0.46square inch and a marblingscore of 0.47. Those are realnumbers. But the real ques-tion is how to raise the per-centile threshold selectionpressure while still being ableto afford the bull.

The competition is usingEPDs, so use them to find theright bull, pay the right priceand sell the right calves.

Editor’s note: Ringwall is aNorth Dakota State UniversityExtension Service livestock spe-cialist and the Dickinson Re-search Extension Centerdirector.

Continued from Page 14BUYING

GG A producer does not need to know all the mathematics,justifications or scientific aspects of EPDs. But all producersshould use EPDs to find the right bull and meet productiongoals.


MINDSET: See Page 18

...The right mindsetis critical to movingforward with anevaluation of anyparticular beef

program, operation,students, teachersand even producers.

Ringwall

Maurer BrothersHarvesting & Manufacturing

605-380-0610 (cell)

StandardSize:

16x40

CustomBuild

Any Size

Portable Cattle & Calf Shelters

001180

304r1

StandardSize:

16x14

CustomBuild

Any Size

Mfg. by: Burkel Grain Service Inc., Greenbush, MN218-782-2121 001180268r1

(701) 838-1728Cell (701) 720-0006Fax (701) 838-17291-800-210-7212

Ron Bye2721 4th Ave. SEP.O. Box 380Minot, ND 58702

Animal Health • Livestock EquipmentFeed • Seed • Twine • Diamond Pet Foods

NORTH CENTRAL FEED & SEED, INC.

001179

923

r1

Your Pole Barn Experts“We will customize any building to fit your needs!”

1-800-554-3944 or 218-945-6964

001180

289r1

Jim ZieglerLET US HELP SERVICE ANY OF YOUR

LIVESTOCK MARKETING NEEDS701-662-2223800-858-7049

LAKE REGIONLIVESTOCK

Hwy. 2 East - Devils Lake, ND 58301Sales Every Tuesday

001180284r1

Wyndmere, ND 58081 10 Miles North on ND Hwy Hywy #181-(800) 458-4796 or (701) 439-2534

cel. Don 701-799-0976 cel. Mike 701-730-1895HARSH mixer wagons & truck mixers

SUPREME mixer wagonsMEYER’S manure spreaders

MEYER spreaders, feeder wagons & Self-unloading forage semi-trailersROTO GRIND hay grinders

New & used grain dryers Used TMR mixers of all brands

001180

257r1

Sales every Wednesday!Livestock Marketing & Order Buying

Central Livestock AssociationSell your livestock the auction way!

001179

943

r1

Kelly Melius,35791 160th St., Faulkton, SD 57438

www.commonsensemfg.comFor a dealer near you call:

605-598-4157 or 605-216-0687(cell)

COMMON SENSEMANUFACTURING

001180

294r1

COMMON SENSEMANUFACTURING

For Info &Price Estimates

Call:WAYNE MITTLEIDER

TAPPEN, NORTH DAKOTA701-327-8157

701-471-8799 Cell

001180

512r1

M&M SALES AND SERVICE

001180

547

r1

001180272r1

001180

300r1

001180307r1

CHS Nutrition-PlantEdgeley, ND 1-800-482-4824

www.chsnutrition.com

Nathan Robbins MS, PASCHS Nutrition Consultant Eastern ND

Lamoure, ND Cell: 701-388-7583

South Central- Stephanie SteffesMandan, ND 402-760-1432

North Central- Evelyn WoodallMinot, ND 701-240-3628

THIEF RIVER FALLS, MN 218-681-6281MIDDLE RIVER, MN 218-222-3519

8TH STREET EAST & DAVIS AVENUE • P.O. BOX 525THIEF RIVER FALLS, MN 56701-0525

001180

302r1

Storage• Custom Slaughtering • Smoking • Big Game Processing

• Showcase • Deli • Fresh Meats • We sell locally fed animals• We sell sides, fronts and hinds

Craig & Michelle HalversonOwners

PO Box 368 52 Langer Ave NCasselton, ND 58012

Phone & Fax701-347-4781

001180

240r1

Elliott ..........701-683-5854Forman .......701-724-3238Gwinner ......701-678-2416LaMoure .....701-883-5351Lidgerwood 701-538-4585

Lisbon .......701-683-4183Litchville .....701-762-4251Milnor .........701-427-5233Oakes..........701-742-3081Valley City...701-845-0812Wyndmere ..701-439-2263

Dakota Plains Cooperative151 9th Avenue NW, Valley City ND 58072-2725

PHONE: 800-288-7922 • FAX: 701-845-2680

001180

311r1

2014 LIVESTOCK DIRECTORY

Representativefor Northern

LivestockVideo Auction

BOWMAN AUCTION MARKETBOWMAN, NORTH DAKOTA

1-701-523-5922 • 1-877-211-0600 Toll FreeSales Every Monday at 10AM!

Harry Kerr,Owner/Manager

www.bowmanauctionmarket.com

001180

276r1


• 14 Gauge Steel

• Adjustable Cone Basket

• Save 10% More Hay Per Bale!

• 18 Years Experience

605-428-5122

001182

532

r1

001183

830r1

For more information or a catalog contact us at

Nordlund Stock Farm44946 151st Ave., Clearbrook,MN, 56634

Mike’s Cell 701-799-0943Sam’s Cell 701-799-1613

Home [email protected]

Feb. 21, 2015 Clearbrook, MN

NSFR Mimi A11- Selling full siband maternal brothers

Six Mile Zero Gravity- Selling his first progeny

Nordlund Stock Farm, LLC.

18th Annual Production SaleSelling: 80 Bulls (yrlg & 18 mo.)

56 Females (Reg. & Com.)

Videos will beon the website.


Extension Center has to re-eval-uate the cow herd. Ever-occur-ring change surrounds thecenter. As land with a long-standing agricultural use is ab-sorbed in urban spread orimpacted by the energy indus-try, the center needs to becomemore focused and more intensein terms of programs that areoffered. It means the center’smindset needs to be broadened.

A human trait is to resistchange. The general logic be-hind the resistance is the ac-knowledgment that what isbeing done presently is thebest. Unfortunately, the presentis generally evaluated by thosewho are there, so the evaluationcertainly is biased toward theidea that “if it’s not broke, don’tfix it.”

Sounds like a mindset clog.The bottom line is that the

world is changing and the cen-ter needs to change with it. Theneeds of today’s cattle industryare not the same as yesteryear’sneeds. Granted, much that wedo does not change, but as weadd knowledge, just like thestudents we are trying to edu-

cate, we to need to sit up andlisten.

Whit’s article was on the prin-ciples of low-stress livestockhandling and establishing thecorrect mindset for evaluationand change. The same can besaid for cattle performance andfitting cattle to the environ-ment.

Modern genomics are just be-ginning to creep into the indus-try. Some would say the worldof genetics is a dynamic changebutton in any world. The knowl-edge being revealed will chal-lenge the mind. The tendencyto move forward or backwardwill depend on how open one isto trying to implement thisknowledge within managerialstructures.

The answers are not set andthe questions start with us look-ing at our own mindset. If we donot want to be in class, the chal-lenge begins. If we do not wantto learn, the challenge in-creases. If we do not want to ex-perience change, the challengebecomes more insurmountable.But change is coming.

Editor’s note: Ringwall is aNorth Dakota State UniversityExtension Service livestock spe-cialist and the Dickinson Re-search Extension Center director.

Continued from Page 16MINDSET

GG Change is coming in the cattle industry and producers mustevolve.



LIVESTOCK AUCTION COMPANY

For more information on any of these sales - to Consign or for an on farm appraisal call:663-9573 or ND Toll Free 1-800-732-1163. • Bill Kist 221-3230 • Fieldman & internet rep: Mike Herman 701-471-5226.

If you wish an on the farm appraisal call toll free 1-800-732-1163.

Web site is www.kistlivestockauction.comAlso visit www.cattleseller.com

ND TOLL FREE 1-800-732-1163 • PHONE 701-663-9573 • PO Box 1313 • MANDAN, ND 58554

2015 SCHEDULE OF SPECIAL SALES AT KIST LIVESTOCK

001183

786r1

Saturday, January 3rd ND State Angus Sale 1:00 pmSaturday, January10th Stock Cow & Bred Heifer SaleSaturday, January 17th Spickler/McCumber Ranches & Friends SaleMonday, January 19th Dale, & Val Miller Angus Ranch 1:00 pmSaturday, January 24th Severance Charolais Bull Sale 1:30 pmMonday, January 26th North Dakota Gelbvieh Golden Rule Sale 1:00 pmSaturday, January 31st Stock Cow & Bred Heifer Sale

Tuesday, February 3rd Koepplin Black Simmental Sale 2:00 pmMonday, February 9th Edge of the West Bull & Female Sale 5:00 pmSaturday, February 14th Stock Cow & Bred Heifer SaleMonday, February 16th Tokach Angus Ranch Sale 1:00 pmFriday, February 20th Dakota Express Simmental Sale 12:00 noonSunday, February 22nd Kal-Kota Gelbvieh/Red Angus Sale 2:00 pmTuesday, February 24th Bill Larson Simmental Sale 1:30 pmFriday, February 27th Uppin The Ante Simm/Angus Sale 1:00 pmSaturday, February 28th Brenner Angus/Red Angus Sale 1:00 pm

Tuesday, March 3rd Doll Charolais/Simmental Bull Sale 1:00 pmFriday, March 6th Chimney Butte Gelbvieh Sale 1:00 pmSaturday, March 7th Last Stock Cow & Bred Heifer SaleMonday, March 9th Keller Ranch Simmental Sale 1:00 pmTuesday, March 10th MacDonald Ranches Salers Sale 1:00 pmSaturday, March 14th Fast & Dohrmann Angus Sale 1:00 pmTuesday, March 17th Robert Angus Sale 1:00 pmSat & Sun, Mar. 21 & 22 Hermanson / Kist Spring Horse Sale

9 am each dayMonday, March 23rd Hager Cattle Co Limousin Sale 5:00 pmTuesday, March 24th Lodoen Cattle & Huber EY Red Angus Sale 1:00 pmSaturday, March 28th Schaefer ChiAngus Sale 1:00 pm

Saturday, April 4th Wakefield Flying W/Rock Creek & Triple M RanchRed Angus Sale 1:00 pm

Thursday, April 10th Haugen/Josephson Angus Sale 1:00 pmFriday, April 17th Effertz Ranch Sale 1:00 pmTuesday, April 21st Diamond J Angus Sale 6:00 pm

Saturday, May 9th First All Breeds Bull SaleSaturday May 30th orSaturday, June 6th

Monthly Horse & Dairy Sales - CALL FOR SALE DATES.

Final All Breeds Bull Sale


n Informedbull selectionis critical

By Kris Ringwall

Acquiring good bullsthrough knowledgeable andinformed bull selection is crit-ical to the survival of the beefbusiness.

Implementing focused pro-duction goals, with clear out-comes relevantto the produc-tion of beef, iscritical. If indoubt, simplyglance over thefence and viewthe competition.The poultry,swine and dairyindustries rou-tinely producevery uniform,marketableproducts thatmeet predefinedproduction goals utilizing thesame tools that are availableto the beef industry.

But first let’s talk aboutworking cattle because it al-ways is challenging. With thecold snap and several sets ofcows needing ultrasoundingfor pregnancy evaluation, I gotready.

Chuteside attire certainlyvaries with the weather. Hav-ing prepared for the cold withlayered clothing under thetraditional blue coveralls, Isuddenly realized my abilityto put my plastic boots overthe cowboy boots was in ques-tion.

Reaching my feet was achallenge, but the job gotdone.

I was reminded that we allchange. If nothing else, we getolder. Our individual flexibil-ity seems to come up shortsome days, but with an appro-priate tweak, we get the job

done. But those tweaks onlycan do so much.

As an industry, our tweakingis evident. But some days, Iwonder because we can dobetter. Maybe one should notsay that. But, the other day,while watching several sets ofcattle sell at a public market,the variation that was presentwas notable.

The cows, bulls, yearlingsand calves of all sizes andtypes were selling to thesound of the auction. Witheach swing of the door, one set

went out and onecame in. Thecrowd waitedwith anticipationfor the announce-ment of what wasbehind the in-coming door. Ifthe set of cattlewas large, themooing of the cat-tle could beheard. If the setwas small, thedoor would swingopen and closequickly, and the

bidding would begin.I do not want to be critical

because the type of cattle pro-ducers choose to raise is up tothem, and the market does anexcellent job at connectingthe seller and buyer. Butsometimes thoughtful presalepondering by the producer onhow those cattle will look atthe market isn’t always evi-dent.

For the most part, there al-ways is a buyer, but some-times determining how to bestpresent the cattle needs to bethought through. The conceptthat the auction market willsort away all the problems isnot true. That being said, cat-tle that are unthrifty need tostay at home, eat some gro-ceries and “beef up” a littlebit. That might not be easy butcertainly is a worthy goal for a

We cando better

BETTER: See Page 22

The conceptthat the

auction marketwill sort away

all theproblems is not

true.



beef operation.But we can do better.Fundamentally, there is a

larger issue than the simplemanagement, presentationand sale of cattle, which is thegenetics of the business.Those cattle that arrive forsale lacking good structure,condition and muscling areproducts of breeding pro-grams.

As was noted at the begin-ning, focused breeding goals,with clear outcomes relevantto the production of beef,should be at the heart of allcattle operations. Simplybreeding cows to producecalves with no thoughtful pur-pose challenges the industry.The competition appreciatesthose cattle, but the cattle in-dustry should not.

As producers, the tools arereadily available to assure theavailability of bulls that willcarry with them the geneticsthat will meet focused breed-ing goals and outcomes rele-vant to the production ofexcellent beef for consump-tion by the consumer.

The ultrasound evaluations

of the cows are finished. Thepregnancy rate is good, but mycold hands started my mindthinking some inside workwould be good, which meansbull buying. The bull catalogsare starting to arrive, and theopportunity for proper selec-tion of genetics means a bet-ter product.

Focused production goalsfor the Dickinson (N.D.) Re-search Extension Center thatinvolve clear outcomes rele-vant to the production of beefare open for discussion. Butthe center has selected forbirth, weaning and yearlingweight, and rib eye area forseveral years. Attention formilk production and marblingalso have been part of the se-lection process.

The real question is settingthe percentile thresholdswithin the various breeds. Theselection pressure is risingwhile keeping the bulls af-fordable. Not all bulls are cre-ated equally, so find the rightbull, pay the right price andsell the right calves.

Editor’s note: Ringwall is aNorth Dakota State UniversityExtension Service livestock spe-cialist and the Dickinson Re-search Extension Centerdirector.

Continued from Page 20BETTER


GG Focus and consideration should be at the heart of all cattleoperations, with an emphasis on genetics.

RYDEEN FARMS VISION XVIISIMMENTAL & SIMANGUS SALE • FEBRUARY 8, 2015, 1PM AT THE FARM

RYDEEN FARMS VISION XVIISIMMENTAL & SIMANGUS SALE • FEBRUARY 8, 2015, 1PM AT THE FARM

Est. 1897

Polled Red & Black Simmental Cattle

Paul cell: 218-280-1916 | Farm: [email protected]

Visit our website for updates including videos at:rydeenfarms.com

LOOK FOR THESEPOWERFUL HERD

SIRE PROSPECTS INOUR 2015 SALE!

B42

B136

B71

00

1183

00

2r1

80+ Black and Red Yearlingand 18 month old Bulls—

Blacks DNA tested for coat color

40+ Bred Females10+ Open Females

For online catalog, visit:rydeenfarms.com

Ruffy Brook Simmentals 218-776-3457Sale will be broadcast through

Contact us with any questions:


001180

795r1

2443 North Frontage Road Billings, Montana 59107 1-866-616-5035 406-896-1897

VIDEO SALES:1/12/2015 .......................................................................................... 2015 DIAMOND RING6/22/2015 - 6/23/2015 .......................................................2015 EARLY SUMMER SPECIAL7/20/2015 - 7/22/2015 ..........................................................2015 SUMMERTIME CLASSIC8/24/2015 - 8/25/2015 ............................................................. 2015 EARLY FALL PREVIEW9/21/2015 - 9/22/2015 ......................................................... 2015 FALL PREMIER SPECIALINTERNET SALES:2/19/2015 ........................................................................ 2015 FEBRUARY INTERNET SALE3/19/2015 ............................................................................. 2015 MARCH INTERNET SALE4/16/2015 ................................................................................ 2015 APRIL INTERNET SALE5/13/2015 .........................................................................2015 MAY INTERNET SALE PAYS5/28/2015 ...........................................................................2015 MAY INTERNET SALE BLS10/15/2015 ........................................................................ 2015 OCTOBER INTERNET SALEPRODUCTION SALES:1/17/2015 ....................................................................................... 2015 REDLAND ANGUS3/26/2015 TO 3/27/2015............... 2015 VERMILION RANCH SPRING PERFORMANCE SALE3/28/2015 ..................................................................................... 2015 CONNEALY ANGUS4/2/2015 ........................................................................................................Arntzen Angus4/7/15 .............................................................................................................Hilltop Angus

The Best of Northern Cattle

CHANNEL 998


Documents

Bull producers1214