RECAP: MCA Michigan Beef Expo February 21-23 at MSU Livestock Pavilion

 

CONCEPTIONS   Beef Cow-Calf Route Newsletter         March-April 2025

Mark Curry       (989) 984- 7027     Route Service and Sales Assistance

Sue Palen          (989) 277- 0480     Sales Order Desk, Products program

Greg Palen        (989) 277- 6031     AI Refresher training, Certified Seed Advisor

Mich Livestock Service, Inc  ***   “For the Best in Bulls”:      High Energy Forages
110 N Main St (PO Box 661)  Ovid,  MI  48866          office phone  (989) 834- 2661
www.michiganlivestock.com                           email:   greg@michiganlivestock.com 

 

 

This was our third year as an exhibitor at Michigan Beef Expo, held at MSU in conjunction with the annual meeting of Michigan Cattleman’s Association.   Many of you stopped by our booth, and we appreciated the opportunity to visit with you.

Beef Expo is a unique event in that it brings the purebred breeding world into contact with the club-calf show world.   Under the aegis of M C A, which is our “watch dog” over government’s intrusion into beef production and marketing, this event helps to put all into perspective.

Promoting Breed Differences

Why do we have so many breeds?   At “Expo” we saw Angus, Shorthorn, Hereford, Charolais, Simmental, Limousin, Main-Anjou, Chianina, and Club-Calf crosses stabled breed by breed as an effective visual comparison.

The Hereford exhibit had this message:  “Herefords on tests show 7% higher pregnancy rates, a $20 advantage in feed efficiency and a $30 advantage in feedlot profitability, adding up to  $51 more profit per cow per year.”   (What was the “control” group?   Angus, of course, as the most populous breed across the continent.)

“Certified Angus Beef” is an example of effective breed branding recognition.

The message in this is simple:  effective breed marketing has two levels: (1)  produce a uniform quality product,  (2)  develop strong customer brand loyalty.     Add in the rules of “commodity economics”:  (1)  be a “least cost” producer,  (2)  produce to the volume the market requires.

There are reasons (advantages) for each breed, and there is room for all breeds.   To succeed the rest is up to you, in how you design your farm crop production and manage your cattle.

Once you enter into crossbreeding (as in the composites on which “club calf” breeding is based) there are some extra rules.   Heterosis effects  (hybrid vigor)  run out after three generations.