The ranch is located on the face of the Bighorns, but cattle don’t run at very high elevations, so bulls are not PAP tested. Bull customers who run at elevation keep coming back every year. “They really stick to a certain pedigree and have had really good luck with them,” Baker said. “They have been using the same genetics long enough to identify what works.” Replacement heifer calves are hauled to Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania at weaning, where Steve Blankely II manages their development and first seasons in the cow herd. “I send heifers, and I get young cows back in return. They have the facilities to develop the replacements. It hasn’t been 100 percent smooth sailing, but so far we’ve done well. It has been a useful process of being able to see which genetics handle adapting better,” Baker said. Fred Saunders joined the Sinclair team in 2021, bringing past experience on the N Bar to the table. Saunders is involved in planning matings for the cows. Regardless of who chooses the sire, the goal of every breeding decision is to create problem free cattle. “We’re trying to make the best cattle we can, all while we keep an eye on mothering ability, fertility, longevity, feet and udders,” Baker said. “We keep an eye on growth too; it may not be the most important part of the decision but it is part of the equation.” Every fall, a select few cows are chosen to join the embryo transfer program. “We take the oldest, most proven cows we have here, generally 14 years old and up, and send them back east with the heifer calves in the fall,” Baker said. The time-tested Emulation 31 genetics prized by the N Bar and furthered by the Sinclair program continue to perform well on the ranch and for Sinclair Cattle Company’s bull customers. “Emulation genetics seem to bring an optimum level of intelligence, fertility and production to the table, along with a unique ability for adaptation,” Baker said. “A lot of that is being in the sweet spot for size and productivity; I think that allows them to adapt better to different environments. They are cows that don’t have to be babysat all the time. My kids don’t know what a maternity pen or a calf puller is.” Baker is glad that his children can be involved on the ranch year-round. “I think it’s pretty cool that some of them have known multiple generations of these cows,” he said. “I feel blessed to be able to raise my kids here, put them on a good horse, go out and work with some good cattle.” Jolene Baker works as a part time nurse but is vital help on the ranch, as well. “She does a lot of ranch and computer work; when I need help sorting or gathering, she seems to always find a way to be there,” Baker said. Pursuit of excellence drives each member of the Sinclair team.
“I like to learn from the cows and see how we can make them better,” Baker said. “I like nature to do what nature wants to do; I think God made them where they can handle it. I also keep in mind that nature doesn’t have to pay any bills. We use technology and other aspects of the industry to continue to try to make them better and more profitable.” STEVE BLANKELY II While some programs may chase the latest “fad,” Steve Blankely II believes the Sinclair program, founded on the good old N Bar genetics, is about building things that last. He started working for Sinclair Cattle Company at their Warfordsburg, Pennsylvania location in 2007. Blankely has been doing ET work for Sinclair since he started. Since 2021, development of replacement heifers has shifted to Pennsylvania as well. “We’ll calve 140 heifers this year,” he said. Heifer calves in Wyoming are weaned and loaded on a truck for Pennsylvania. “We develop them slow and try to give them an equal playing field,” Blankely said. “We breed at 15 months, and give 60 days with the bulls. If they don’t breed, they don’t last.” The south-central part of Pennsylvania is a very different climate from north central Wyoming. Making the most of the strengths of both climates, the Sinclair managers also believe that moving cattle from one ecosystem to the other helps to weed out less versatile individuals and increase the capacity for adaptability in their program. Keeping the young females in Pennsylvania seems to be working well. “We have better facilities here, and although our weather can get pretty harsh, it’s usually not as harsh as long as the weather in Wyoming.” It was a huge change for the program, but lower death loss on the first calf heifers’ calves and lower heifer development costs offset the hauling expenses. “You can’t expect different results if you don’t try something new,” Blankely said. “We tried, and the results have been better.” They start calving around February 10, and calve for about 60 days. Heifers are calved at a central location where they can be penned in the barn if needed; cows are calved on grass. Recip cows in the embryo transfer program calve right in the middle of it all. “It’s hell for about three or four weeks but then it’s done and over with,” Blankely said. There are no excuses during calving season. “If she’s nasty, has a bad udder or doesn’t want her calf she’s going to be a problem again. If one cow is going to mess me up for half a day, I have other things to take care of when I’m calving out 400 head.” All of the heifers and cows are synchronized and AI’d, so Blankely is busy when the calves start coming.
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