Angus Valley

Description

ANGUS VALLEY FARMS & BULL STUD BRANDON YEAGER (570) 965 2616 Breeding Philosophy At Angus Valley, we strive to produce Angus cattle that will help commercial cattlepeople increase their profits. By researching the beef industry all over the world, we have come to the conclusion that the role of beef cattle can be summed up in this phrase: to produce as much of the highest quality red meat as quickly and efficiently as possible. Although this may sound simple, hitting a multiplicity of targets consistently is quite difficult. However, we have been fortunate enough to locate cattle that can accomplish this task. Certainly, fertility is most important. You must have a calf in order to sell one! At Angus Valley, we also select for cattle that are low in birth weight, yet gain weight rapidly. However, there is more to growth than just pounds. We believe that calves should be producing muscle. Therefore, when we select cattle based on weaning and yearling weights, we pay particular attention as to whether the calves have gained weight by means of muscle, fat, or bone and frame structure. We have found that two 1300-pound yearling bulls can have very different phenotypes: one desirable, and one not so desirable. Not only must our calves have the proper birth weight, adequate growth rates along with the correct physical make-up, but they also have to gain weight efficiently. We have even gone so far as to perform qualitative experiments to see how much certain calves eat compared to others and how their weight gains compare. Efficiency in the cow is also critical. Our cows must be able to maintain their conditioning while milking heavily enough to wean off a large calf. Finally, the meat that these cattle are producing must be of adequate quality to satisfy consumers. Research has shown a strong correlation between intra-muscular fat deposition (marbling), and physiological maturation. Thus, we at Angus Valley strive to produce cattle that will gain weight rapidly, producing a large muscle mass, but who also reach maturity at an early age. Our heifers routinely start cycling at 6-7 months of age, and our bulls are often breeding cows as early as 10 months. These are the traits that we feel are most important to the commercial cattle rancher. However, we also realize that not every rancher has the same needs. Therefore, as a seed stock producer, Angus Valley has sought to produce a wide variety of Angus cattle to fit the varying needs of many different ranchers. We have everything from frame 5 to frame 10 cattle, those with a little more growth than most, and those who are a little more moderate in their mature size. We feel it is our obligation to provide a whole range of different cattle types. However, we take it a step further and offer what we call

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