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The name is legend. The herd is huge. But when it comes down to it, King Ranch is just like other cattle operations trying to be profitable in economically challenging times. One herd management resource they've recently looked to with an eye on profit is the comprehensive IGENITY® profile.
Primarily a cow/calf operation, the 155-year-old King Ranch supports a herd of 22,000 to 23,000 Santa Cruz commercial cow/calf pairs, plus 1,000 registered Santa Gertrudis cows — a breed developed on the ranch. Santa Cruz cattle are a composite of 50 percent Santa Gertrudis plus red Angus and Gelbvieh. King Ranch first started using DNA profiling as a way to identify sires in multisire pasture situations.
"Our pastures are so big we just can't maintain small breeding groups. DNA technology allowed us to work with what we have and still generate good data on our herd," says Scott Moore, area manager for the ranch in Kingsville, Texas. "Eventually we evolved as DNA profiles grew to use the technology to select for marbling and tenderness. It is a great way to account for more variability in the performance of the animal."
The purebred Santa Gertrudis herd is where King Ranch focuses most of their attention for genetic improvement. They keep extensive records and feed out all animals that don't make the cut for breeding stock for progeny testing. Now, they also get IGENITY profiles on all Santa Gertrudis calves.
"We're not like most seedstock operators, in that our primary source of income is not the sale of purebred cattle. Instead, our purebred herd is used primarily for the improvement of our commercial herd," Moore explains. "We're using IGENITY to improve genotypic performance and build the value of our commercial calves. We will eventually use the information to market our calves, too."
King Ranch uses the IGENITY profile and other data to create a calf value index, an overall rating that helps them to better select breeding stock that are moving their herd in the right direction. King Ranch has wrapped EPDs, genotypic information, phenotypic information and economic value into a formula for determining a calf value index. The economic value is created by applying more importance to varying traits based on the local environment and the importance of those traits to the success of the ranch.
"In South Texas, weaning weight largely depends on how much rain we get that year, so we place heavier importance on carcass traits simply because it's less erratic in our area and we can get more economic value out of building cattle that will feed well or grade well," Moore says. "It's been an evolution. We went from pedigree and physical appearance to ratios. We then progressed to utilizing these same ratios in combination with independent culling criteria for the number of alleles of specific genes. Now we have our own within-herd EPD system that takes into account the molecular breeding values for the entire genomic profile, which express this as an index calculated from economically relevant traits specific to our operation. We've married genotypic and phenotypic into one number."
Here's how they use the IGENITY profile for selection at King Ranch:
- Pull samples and get IGENITY profiles on all calves from the Santa Gertrudis herd at branding when they are 3 to 4 months of age.
- At weaning, collect weaning weight and frame score.
- Compile results from IGENITY with weaning weight and frame score to assign each calf a value index number. Selections for keeper bulls and heifers are made based on that index and the remaining cattle go to the feedyard for progeny testing.
- Bulls go on test and are re-evaluated with an updated calf value index that includes gain and ultrasound data before being used on the purebred or commercial herd.
- Replacement heifers are re-evaluated after they wean their first calf. King Ranch then evaluates maternal traits from the IGENITY profile, calf data, pregnancy status and the value index to determine if heifers stay in the herd.
- King Ranch also uses the IGENITY profile to select bulls from the commercial calf crop. At branding, the foremen visually inspect bull calves, select the top 2 percent to remain intact and then pull samples for DNA profiling. At weaning, King Ranch culls commercial bull calves based on information from the IGENITY profile and a second visual inspection. Bull calves are then put on test.
At King Ranch, heavier weight in selection is given to marbling, tenderness and, more recently, feed efficiency. Marbling and tenderness data is especially important to them as Moore notes that American breeds have a bad rap for both traits.
"Santa Gertrudis is as tender as any breed, and there are many sires identified that will marble with the best. The IGENITY profile information can help us get that information out there while continuing to enhance both of these traits," Moore says. "Nobody really pays for tenderness right now, but it takes two to three generations of selection to enhance a trait. If we wait until they pay for tenderness, we'll be 14 years behind. We want to be ready."
Feed efficiency is a trait for which Moore already sees value.
"Feed efficiency is important for all levels of production. You pay for it every day you run cattle because every animal is eating feed," Moore says. "We want to select animals that eat the same or less feed and gain more per day."
He also notes that feed efficiency is important in the pasture, too.
"Through DNA profiling we are taking into account more aspects that contribute to the variation in animal performance," Moore says. "We're getting a truer picture of the potential each animal has to perform."
And King Ranch has found that nothing matches the genetic picture created by the comprehensive IGENITY profile.
"The IGENITY representatives also have been very cooperative in working with us to make the system work in our herd," Moore says. "They have great customer service and I know and trust the people."
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