January 2019: The Story behind Anderson Cattle Company
This episode will includes how Anderson cattle Company got started, why we chose the cattle industry, the difference we home to make, and the process behind our decisions. We will also go into our management practices, topics to include genetics and antibiotics…. Stay tuned. Scroll down the page to read a little more about the beef life cycle, genetics, and antibiotic use in cattle!
From birth to harvest, it is 18-21 months. There are so many decions and factors that go into keeping calves alive. Take a peak at the beef life cycle to get a feel. We make choices from the genetics of who their parents to be, what type of vaccines to use, how to keep them from harms way etc. And then from us the cow calf producer, they still have 2-3 more stages to go!
Cattle can get sick just like humans do. And though we try every effort to use alternatives like probiotics and electrolytes, sometimes the only chose we are left with is to administer antibiotics.
Calves that have been treated with antibiotics are marked with a special tag and removed from the hormone/ antibiotic free age and source verified herd that we sell as GAP Certified.
Did you know all antibiotics have what is called a withdrawal period? Animals that are treated have to go through a 30, 45, or even 60 day period prior to them being able to go to harvest. This allows any residue of the antibiotic to work it’s self out of the animals system and meat tissue. When animals are brought to harvest and the meat tissue tested, they are being screened for antibiotic residue. So essentially, that treated meat is antibiotic free as well. Interesting stuff!
But as for 2A beef, and our boxed beef Beef to you program, you can rest assured it has never been treated with antibiotics. It is a natural, hormone free, locally sourced, sustainable beef product- wholesome, safe, and nutritious. Those animals that are treated go into a different program!
As cattle ranchers we rely heavily on genetics too. Did you know that bulls and cows have what we call EPD’s, Expected Progeny Differences. These EPD’s are genetic precursors for things like birth weight, weaning weight, even marbling. In our operation, since we raise cows and calves, we look for things that will benefit the operation.
For starters we rely heavily on birth weight and weaning weight. We want our calves born on the smaller side, 70-80lbs, so our cows can have easy unassisted births. When cattle run on thousands of acres, sometimes we just can’t see them all, all the time. It is important that we set our mother cows up for the best birthing experience possible.
We also look at weaning weight. Weaning weight is the weight the calf will weigh when we separate them from their mother. Why is this important? Larger calves bring more money at sale time. Since we mainly make a living on pound of calves weaned, we need the biggest calves come that 10 month mark. We pride ourselves on a hormone free environment, so we leave growth factors up to genetics and nature, the way it should be! Other EPD’s we look at are things like milking. When we decide to choose our replacement heifers, these are young female calves who have NOT had a calf, we want to make sure they will produce adequate milk for their future offspring, which in turns creates larger calves, thus more pounds at weaning.
Many hours are spent pouring over research, bull catalogs, and operation management so we can make the best educated decisions for our cows’ well being, our operation’s future, and you- our consumer! Since we got to pick genetics this year, we are excited to see the outcome.
The other reason I wanted to talk about genetics is this idea called Hybrid Vigor. You can’t beat it. It’s the principle behind the positive effects and outcomes of crossbreeding. Let me explain crossbreeding, so for example, we breed our black Angus or blank Angus/Herford, which are called black baldies cows to beef master, black Angus, or even Hereford bulls. The idea here is the best genetics from mom, the dam, and dad, the sire will combine to give us the best combination in the calf. The result: a hearty, healthy, thriving calf. One with hybrid vigor. We have come to learn and see first hand, that crossbred calves have a ton of hybrid vigor, tend to stay healthier, grow better, and perform best. So in our operation, that is another thing we strive for. Healthier calves means less antibiotics.