By
Wayne Vanderwert, Ph.D.
Pure
and simple, Jeff Pritchard is a builder. If what you want isn’t available to
buy, then this Spalding, Neb., producer believes you should build it
yourself. Whether it’s related to his
corn and soybean operation or his cow-calf operation, that philosophy of
build-your-own plays a major role. It is also a big part of his decision to use
Balancer® genetics.
When
I arrived, Jeff was making final adjustments on a 15-inch soybean planter that
he designed and built to better meet the needs of his no-till cropping
system. During my visit he pointed out a
center pivot that he redesigned to cut the amount of time it took to irrigate;
he talked with pride about his calving barn and the herd health program he’s
designed that has cut death loss to practically zip.
In
the pasture he pointed out several replacement females he’d purchased from one
of Nebraska’s reputation Angus breeders and quickly compared them to
Balancer-sired home raised females of the same age. “Why would I buy when I can make females like
these?” he asked.
As
a beef producer, he annually feeds his own steers and the heifers that don’t
make the replacement pen. He understands
first hand what daily gain, feed efficiency, post weaning health, quality and
yield grades mean to the bottom line. As
a cow-calf producer he recognizes the importance of the fertility and maternal
traits that Gelbvieh bring to table.
This combined experience has influenced his move to incorporate Balancerâ genetics in
his program.
Jeff
typically weans his calves early in September and places them on a growing
ration until January 1, then on a finishing ration until they are
marketed. This past year the steers
gained 3.7 pounds per day in the growing period and had a 4.2 Average Daily
Gain (ADG) during the finishing phase. Steers weighed right at 1,400 pounds and
the heifers 1,250 pounds at an average age of just under 14 months.
On
the rail they went 70 percent Choice or higher and 70 percent Yield Grade 1s
and 2s with no Yield Grade 4s. Cattle-Fax data indicates that as an industry we
produce about 46 percent Yield Grade 1s and 2s and about 52-53 percent
Choice.
For
the past several years Pritchard has been a bull customer of Taubenheim Gelbvieh at Amherst, Neb. “Jeff was skeptical at first about using
Gelbvieh on his Angus based commercial herd, but became a believer with the
first calf crop,” says Mike Taubenheim
Building
it yourself and making it better is Jeff Pritchard’s approach to all of his
farming operation. I’d bet with time and good selection, he’ll make cattle with
even more impressive performance.
Photo
captions:
Nebraska
beef producer Jeff Pritchard studies the impact that Balancerâ
bulls have made in his cowherd.
The
Balancer influence is evident in the productive younger females in the herd.
Home-raised
Balancer sired steers grow rapidly and combine quality and yield grade
superiority.
Jeff’s
building skills are evident in this 15-inch soybean planter that he has
designed for his no-till crop rotation.