Gelbvieh Breeders, Owners Select for Maternal Efficiency
Annual Dam of Merit and Dam of Distinction Honor Roll
The American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) is proud to honor females in their herdbook that exhibit consistent maternal efficiency through the Dam of Merit and Dam of Distinction program. The AGA credits its members who continue to place selection emphasis on the maternal traits of the breed by being owners or breeders of these outstanding Gelbvieh and Balancer® females.
Of the 37,865 active cows in the AGA herdbook, only 5.8 percent qualify for Dam of Merit. Just 1.2 percent of all active cows qualify for the Dam of Distinction honors.
“The Gelbvieh breed has long had the earned reputation of possessing functional, hard-working females with the ability to breed at a young age, rebreed for the second calf and wean one in that would push down hard on the scale,” comments the American Gelbvieh Association’s Frank Padilla. “The females that qualified for the Dam of Merit and Dam of Distinction program did not achieve such a level of productivity by happenstance. Breeders placed selection pressure on these traits in the development of females that would perform at a level that surpasses others.”
The Dam of Merit and Dam of Distinction recognition program was started in 1991 to honor the top-notch cows in the breed. The program recognizes two levels of productivity based on data submitted to the American Gelbvieh Association office. A Dam of Merit must have produced at least three calves, while a Dam of Distinction must have produced a minimum of eight calves. Both levels must still meet the strict qualifications requiring breeders to place selection pressure on early puberty and conception, regular calving intervals, and above-average weaning weights.
“To be the breeder or owner of a Dam of Merit or Dam of Distinction Gelbvieh or Balancer female is a testament to the emphasis our breeders place on maternal efficiency,” said Susan Willmon, AGA director of breed improvement. “The Gelbvieh breed offers females with the genetics to maintain high maternal productively, which ultimately adds profit for cow-calf producers in terms of more pounds of calf per cow exposed.”
The following is the top ten ranking of states for the combined total of Dams of Merit and Dams of Distinction.
Rank State Total
1. Kansas 363
2. South Dakota 313
3. Missouri 284
4. Nebraska 265
5. North Dakota 226
6. Montana 199
7. Iowa 142
8. Minnesota 118
9. Colorado 89
10. Kentucky 82
The American Gelbvieh Association recognizes the following members who rank in the list of the top 20 owners and breeders of Dam of Merit and Dam of Distinction Gelbvieh females.
Top 20 Breeders:
Judd Ranch Inc., Pomona, Kan.
Bar T Bar Ranch Inc., Winslow, Ariz.
Sieler Ranch Inc., Plevna, Mont.
Lazy TV Ranch, Selby, S.D.
Knoll Crest Farms, Red House, Va.
Wehri Gelbvieh, Hebron, N.d.
Flying H Genetics, Arapahoe, Neb.
Gaaskjolen Gelbvieh, Meadow, S.d.
Pearson Cattle Co., Inc., Lake City, S.d.
Bar Arrow Cattle Co., Phillipsburg, Kan.
Feist Gelbvieh, Ludlow, S.D.
J-Bob Farms, Biscoe, N.C.
Schafer Farms, Inc., Goodhue, Minn.
Stuecken Brothers, Freeburg, Mo.
Chimney Butte Ranch, Mandan, N.D.
Diamond D Gelbvieh, Mandan, N.d.
Miller Gelbvieh Farm, Glen Ullin, N.d.
MlmGelbvieh, Superior, Neb.
Jeff Swanson, Oxford, Neb.
Redland Gelbvieh, Hysham, Mont.
Top 20 Owners:
Judd Ranch, Inc., Pomona, Kan.
Bar T Bar Ranch, Inc., Winslow, Ariz.
Sieler Ranch, Inc., Plevna, Mont.
Lazy Tv Ranch, Selby, S.D.
Wehri Gelbvieh, Hebron, N.d.
Schafer Farms, Inc., Goodhue, Minn.
Knoll Crest Farms, Red House, Va.
Flying H Genetics, Arapahoe, Neb.
A B Farms, Inc., Lathrop, Mo.
Gaaskjolen Gelbvieh, Meadow, S.D.
Pearson Cattle Co., Inc., Lake City, S.D.
Feist Gelbvieh, Ludlow, S.D.
Miller Gelbvieh Farm, Glen Ullin, N.D.
MlmGelbvieh, Superior, Neb.
Bar Arrow Cattle, Co., Phillipsburg, Kan.
Redland Gelbvieh, Hysham, Mont.
Jeff Swanson, Oxford, Neb.
Diamond D Gelbvieh, Mandan, N.D.
Sandy Knoll Farm, St. John, Kan.
Stuecken Brothers, Freeburg, Mo.