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Herefords...The Good News! Satisfying the Needs of Producers and Consumers During the days of Hereford dominance, it was rare for a homemaker to buy a poor steak. Today it's rare for her to buy a good steak or even buy beef at all. In the race for more tonnage, the introduction of new breeds mongrelized America's good, straight cow herds to the point that beef no longer "eats well" on a consistent basis. Consumer tests show that in nation's commodity beef supply 10% of Choice, 25% of Select, and 50% of Standard beef "eats poorly"! No wonder chicken and pork no longer consider beef as competition! How can the Beef business survive if we can not supply consumers with consistent, high quality, good eating beef? Certified Hereford Beef... Herefords can change all that... not by going back to the past, but rather by stepping forward to the future through Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) and Courtney Hereford Bulls! Take heart, there is good news! Even though Beef continues to relinquish market share and the 1995 Beef Audit reports that now one in three eating experiences is a poor one, Herefords can change this trend! Hereford is the one breed that inherently "eats well" as the Monfort-CSU study and the Certified Hereford Beef program clearly has documented. Hereford and Hereford-Baldy cattle excel in the feedlot gain and efficiency with reports of 30% better feed conversion in CHB pens compared to commodity beef pens. Better feed conversion, less days on feed and premiums for qualifying cattle are the best way to profit, especially in times of high feed costs. CHB's current kill is 2,000 head/week with 85% of the cattle enrolled qualifying for CHB and premiums average $15/head up to a high of $45/head. To be eligible, cattle must be Hereford or Hereford-Baldy with no dairy, Brahman or exotic influence. For more information about Certified Hereford Beef, contact us or the American Hereford Association at 816/842-3757. Carcass and Ultrasound... In a continuing effort to offer our customers the best, we've feedlot tested our own cattle and those of customers over the years. During the last two years alone, we have gathered ultrasound data on over 800 head of our bulls and replacement heifers. Every animal born on this ranch gets weighed at birth, then at weaning, then as a yearling. We believe in accuracy and truth in performance and this can only be truly achieved by taking performance data on each and every animal born. Jerry Rehman, Brookover Feed Yards General Manager, Garden City, KS, made these comments at a recent Hereford task force meeting: ~ "Conversion is a function of disposition." ~ "We need to get back to the basics in place 30 years ago. The melting pot must be straightened out. I am concerned about the nation's cow herd going black. The concept 'If black, it's ok' is not adequate. We must focus on what's under the hide." ~ "All cattle should grade after being on feed 100 days. It is inefficient to feed cattle longer to grade. You have a genetic problem if they haven't graded at that point." Courtney Herefords, HC 50 Box 8, Alzada, MT 59311 Tom: 406/828-4480 Jim: 406/828-4529 |