SINCE 1945
Beckton Performance
Every sire entering our own program is used first on our own heifers, then on our cows. We have never used high birth weight sires in any part of our program, so big birth weights are rare. We get the pay weight, but with lower birth weights and greater calving ease. Full production from heifers. We use the same bulls on heifers and cows. Weaning efficiency, and rate of gain to slaughter weight second to none. Growth traits must be consistent with maintaining maternal qualities. Beckton cattle are ideally sized for today’s packer demand. Every cow in the herd has spent part of her life in the Big Horn Mountain summer range, at elevations from 7000 to 10,500 feet. In 2001 we PAP tested all of our herd sires. The herd average PAP score was 32.5 at 4000’, equivalent to a herd average PAP of 39 at 8000’ (excellent scores). By the time she is 5, our average cow will have been trailed over 80 miles, above and beyond normal pasture rotation. The typical dam of our bulls weans over 50% of her body weight in 205 days, under range conditions, with no creep- feeding. The average dam produces over 100% of her own body weight in a year. Every bull in our program is used in natural service, with 30- 50 heifers/cows. Every cow in our program must cycle naturally and breed early under range conditions. Beckton Red Angus produce more growth without high birth weights. They are the one-bull solution that can be used on both heifers and cows. Carcass quality is an extra benefit. Beckton has been genetically improving Red Angus since 1945, a 30-60 year lead time over other producers. It is a complete, genetically sound breeding program, which demands whole-herd performance.
ed selection since 1945, and we he most efficient in the industry.
mature weight is too often ignored. Cross- breeding and composite breeding and selection for larger bulls have done little more than simply increase overall cattle size over time. More of the grass on the ranch is going into the cows. Supplemental feed must be purchased or stocking rate must decline. Crossbreeding and composites are promoted as a free lunch, but they aren’t free. Feed supplementation is a big business. Cow Efficiency in the Catalog By keeping cow size down, you can run more cows, and harvest more calves and more total calf weight, on the same amount of grass. You can also reduce supplement feed costs. For each dam in our catalog, we give a measure called “PRI Cow Efficiency”, which was created by ag scientists decades ago. Cow Efficiency measures calf weaning weight relative to the cow’s metabolic weight (how much she eats), and is expressed as an index above or below 100.
Beckton Fall Production Sale
5
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online