Page 21 - 2024-SJ-Beef-Week

Stock Journal Beef Week | 2024

US Hereford breeders Carter, Mary Ann and Jack Ward. Picture supplied

country focusing on expresses good maternal
supplying the type of traits.
cattle needed within their “Where we are located,
environment. the rainfall is moderate
He said Australian and the pastures are
Hereford genetics were in mostly native fescue grass.
use worldwide. Winters can be somewhat
In the US, Hereford harsh with both cold and
cattle had focused heavily snowy conditions.”
on maternal traits while With flights booked
taking advantage of for Beef Australia later
efficiency and selecting for this year, he believed
as much carcase quality as Australian Hereford
possible, he said. breeders had concentrated
With his wife Mary Ann on many of the same traits Replacement heifers on the Bedwell ranch. Picture supplied
and youngest son Carter, as breeders in the US.
Mr Ward operates Ward “It will always be “Whether it’s the He remains active in
Brothers in west central important to focus on consumer or retailer - the genetic decisions of
Missouri, which runs selecting for optimal whoever it is that’s asking the ranch, which also
about 60 breeding cows traits and not necessarily us - we’re taking that very backgrounds 1000 to 1500
that are both registered seriously at Hereford head of restocker cattle on
and commercial. extremes,” he said. because we have inherent wheat pasture in the winter
“There has been a big
It has a very intensive positives in terms of and grass in the summer.
embryo transfer program. push in the US to increase feed efficiency and using “We typically retain
They market most of traits associated with a Hereford bull on an ownership on male calves
their cattle through small carcass quality and that alternate breed cow to get and finish them in the feed
online auctions or by does seem to be the a heterosis boost. yard,” he said.
private treaty but last year same for breeders in “That effect shows its “Steers will finish with
did host a live auction Australia that are utilising biggest favour towards a pay weight of 1460
at the farm that grossed US genetics.” lowly heritable traits like pounds (662 kilograms) at
$585,550 on 40 lots. Hereford business in fertility and longevity.” 14 months. Replacement
“Ward Brothers actually the US was good, with bull quality heifers are retained
started in the 1960s by my sale average prices up, ON THE RANCH in the herd and culls are
older brothers and has he reported. Mr Bedwell grew up on a marketed through the local
transferred overtime to my “We have a lot of family cow-calf ranch near sale barn.”
family,” Mr Ward said. challenges in the beef Medicine Lodge in Kansas, The ranch was coming
“Our focus has been on cattle industry as the which runs 500 head of out of a two-year plus year
producing seedstock that world changes and the cow-calf pairs annually, drought and summer rains
have a balance between talk about sustainability utilising a rotational cross had greatly healed the
structurally sound cattle and environmental impact of Hereford, Red Angus, region but rain was still
and a genetic profile that increases,” he said. and Angus. spotty, he said.
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