M any bull suppliers today like to tout themselves as distinguished breeders of maternal genetics without the commitment to measuring it. It would be the same as breeding for performance without collecting wean- ing and yearling weights. We believe maternal function is assessed by a combination of both the tangibles and intangibles. Our definition of “maternal” reaches a lot farther than just an easy-fleshing cow that is good to look at. At Ellingson Angus, we are committed to producing bulls that will sire practical and problem-free females.
Over the past seven years, to ensure we are providing superior maternal genetics, we have taken a two-fac- eted approach to identify cows and cow lines worthy of propagation or elimination. The two facets are data collection and submission through MaternalPlus TM and using cowboy logic for the immeasurable. To make headway in progressing maternally relevant traits forward, we are relying heavily on both ap- proaches to make breeding decisions – and even more on them for making culling decisions. We have zero-tol- erance for any cows that fail to meet our criteria for any of the maternal traits we measure. If they fail, they are automatically disqualified from receiving another opportunity to breed and are shipped as a cull. We have earned the MaternalPlus TM designation by meeting the national inventory reporting requirements, plus more. MaternalPlus TM provides us and you the in- formation needed to make effective selection decisions. This voluntary designation is designed to capture ad- ditional reproductive trait data and, ultimately, expand reproductive and cow survivability tools. We are one of only a few breeders in the state that have taken this important step, because we know how critical it is for our customers’ profitability.
“ O ur definition of ‘maternal’ reaches a lot farther than just an easy-fleshing cow that is good to look at.”
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2025 Ellingson Angus Real-World Genetics Production Sale Catalog
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