Bringing More to the Table

By B.J. Eick

A cross the country, around the world and in your own backyard, cattlemen strive to produce cattle that best fit their operation. From the cow-calf producer to the consumer, each industry niche requires cattle to possess specific traits to provide the most profit potential and quality to that cattleman’s respective business. The complexity of the cattle business requires a breed of cattle that is adaptable to most any production situation. Only one breed meets the needs of cattlemen across the industry — Maine-Anjou: Bringing More to the Table.

From the pasture to the plate, progressive cattlemen and industry professionals recognize Maine-Anjou cattle as performance leaders in all facets of the cattle business.

A Strong Base
The Maine-Anjou seedstock producers’ elite genetics provide the foundation of excellence for the breed. Seedstock is the genetic source from which a breed is developed and improved. Seedstock producers rely on years of genetic selection, marketing and customer relations to provide a successful income to their operation. They will tell you the most important key to success in the seedstock business is providing proven genetics that will “go home and work” for their customers. Blane Nagel and Larry Rademacher own and operate two of the nation’s most respected Maine-Anjou seedstock operations. Both the Nagel and the Rademacher families chose Maine-Anjou for their seedstock operations based on the breed’s astounding versatility.

Blane Nagel, Nagel Cattle Company, Springfield, S.D.
Based in Springfield, S.D., along the banks of the Missouri River, the Nagel family has built their operation on the foundation of Maine-Anjou genetics for 16 years. Blane and Cindy Nagel run 250 mature Maine-Anjou cows that serve as the base of the Nagel family’s seedstock operation. John and Delma Nagel, Blane’s parents, manage a 1,200 head feedlot while Blane’s brother, Bryan and his wife Angela, operate a 1,200 head custom feedlot. The Nagel’s attribute much of their success in the seedstock business to the Maine-Anjou cow herd they have developed over the years. “The first few years the primary goal was to develop a solid maternal foundation concentrating on structure, capacity and udder quality,” says Nagel. “I also needed more calf crop uniformity than in the days when we produced club calves. I limited sire groups and used only high percentage Maine-Anjou bulls.”
The advantages of fullblood Maine-Anjou genetics only add to the breeds amazing versatility. Fullblood Maine-Anjou cattle are the base of this fantastic breed of cattle. They still excel the field in growth, performance, muscling and efficiency. “I have the utmost respect and admiration for the Maine-Anjou Traditionalists,” says Nagel. “We need their genetics and I thank them for breed preservation."

"The lifeline of any breed is its ability to sell seedstock to the commercial cattleman,” says Nagel, who markets nearly 100 head of Maine-Anjou bulls to commercial producers each year through his annual bull sale. “My goal was always to produce Maine-Anjou bulls.”

“We have waded through 20 years as a breed being hammered by the commercial industry because of calving troubles, color issues, frame size and fleshing ability of the past,” says Nagel. “We’ve moderated birth weights, downsized frame scores and increased fleshing ability. Now the commercial industry sees the Maine-Anjou breed for increased heterosis. They look towards Maine-Anjou genetics to help improve carcass and feedlot traits.”

Larry Rademacher, Larry Rademacher & Sons, Loup City, Neb.
The Larry Rademacher & Sons family operation has been involved with Maine-Anjou cattle for over 20 years. Larry and Karen Rademacher started in the Maine-Anjou business while searching for show animals for their three sons, David, Scott and Wayne. Not only did the Rademacher family find the show cattle they had been searching for, but also, the breed that would become the foundation of their cattle operation.

In 1986, Larry and Karen Rademacher purchased their first Maine-Anjou bulls and bred their entire herd for the production of half-blood females. Since then, their herd has progressed to being comprised entirely of registered Maine-Anjou females, utilizing mainly purebred, 3/4 blood and half blood cattle in their breeding program.

“We were looking for a breed with a balanced set of traits, disposition, strong maternal values, performance and carcass values as well as working well in the show ring,” says Rademacher. “Maines did it for us.”

“The cows are excellent mothers,” says Rademacher. “They have a lot of milk which helps produce high performance calves to take to market. Maine-Anjou is one of the most complete breeds from the maternal side from birth to the finished product. They offer consistent calving ease, dynamic milking traits, reliable birth weights, weaning weights with outstanding live performance and carcass gains.”

The Larry Rademacher & Sons operation markets bulls and females to commercial producers, as well as a few select show heifer prospects through their annual sale. This year marked the 10th annual bull and female sale for the Rademacher operation. The Rademacher family, along with many other seedstock producers, takes great pride in the number of repeat customers they have each year.

“The Maine-Anjou breed has a great future,” says Rademacher. “Marketing these Maine calves is becoming a real easy project because feedlots are looking for cattle with these outstanding traits.”

Since their introduction to the United States, Maine-Anjou breeders have placed selection emphasis on many different traits. The breed has evolved to fit the needs of a vast variation of production scenarios. Selection indexes, EPDs, sire summaries, feeding trials, sire tests and a host of other data collection and evaluation criteria have allowed Maine-Anjou breeders to make educated selection decisions that have only improved this great breed of cattle.
Maine-Anjou has become a powerful breed in the seedstock industry. Its genetic versatility, from fullblood to MaineTainer, gives cattlemen a wide range of genetic solutions for their operations.

Maternal Power
The cow-calf operation is the heart of the cattle business. While much of the focus in the livestock industry is placed upon the sire, the true stockman realizes the power of the female. DeJong Ranch, Kennebec, S.D., and Enlow Ranch, Sapulpa, Okla., are two operations that fully recognize the value of Maine-Anjou females.

Miles DeJong, DeJong Ranch, Kennebec, S.D.
Raising Maine-Anjou cattle has become a family tradition at DeJong Ranch, Kennebec, S.D., Miles and Kim DeJong and their family have been involved with the breed since 1971. Annually, the DeJong Ranch markets nearly 100 Maine-Anjou bulls, as well as replacement females and show prospects. 2006 marked the 38th annual bull sale at DeJong Ranch.
Like many cattleman across the country, Miles DeJong was working with an Angus-based cow herd when he began to use Maine-Anjou. “They crossed well on Angus cows, adding carcass cutability and retaining quality,” says DeJong. “They also have a great disposition and we kept the black color.”

The maternal calving ease, exceptional mothering ability, outstanding pre-weaning gains and docile nature of the Maine-Anjou cow have earned her a place in the herds of even the most scrutinizing cattlemen, including DeJong.

“The females have made productive cows that are easy to handle,” says DeJong. “They compliment many positive traits that are required by the cow-calf industry, such as efficiency, performance and fertility. They offer versatility to fit the focus of many different operations, whether it is replacement stock, feedlot cattle for a terminal cross or the club calf producer. Maines can be used on a variety of different breeds to enhance the benefits of crossbreeding.”

Dewey and Josh Enlow, Enlow Ranch, Sapulpa, Okla.
Enlow Ranch in Sapulpa, Okla., has been involved in the cattle business since 1974. Dewey and Josh Enlow share a lifetime interest in the cattle business, plus the daily challenges and decisions at Enlow Ranch. The two are also the owners and operators of Enlow Tractor Auction in Tulsa, Okla. Enlow Ranch began making the move to a high percentage Maine-Anjou cow herd in 1991 and now runs nearly 200 Maine-Anjou females. Their operation is focused on producing high quality cattle and marketing herd sires, replacement females and show heifers and steers. In the beginning, Enlow Ranch used composite cows with Maine-Anjou and Chianina bulls. “We soon learned that mothering ability, calving ease and attitude were very important,” says Josh Enlow. “The Maine-influenced cattle we were keeping back were doing all of these things better.”

Maine-Anjou cattle, commonly recognized for their growth and carcass traits, are now used by many producers, like the Enlow’s, to provide the maternal power for their herds. “The Maine-Anjou breed has more to offer than any other,” says Dewey Enlow. “I love their growth and performance, the mothering ability they can possess and maybe most of all their attitude and handling ability.” “One great thing about the breed is that it is so wide open,” says Josh Enlow. “You can sell bulls, females or show cattle, you just have to find the niche that works for your operation.” The Enlow’s credit their success to the great partnerships they have made over the years. “That could be the strongest point of the breed, the breeders themselves,” says Josh Enlow. “Everyone we have met and worked with has been willing to share ideas and information and has tried to promote the breed as a whole.”

Adding value to America’s cow herd, the MaineTainer female is now recognized by many as the industry elite. Supplying the optimum amount of Continental performance with a balance of the traits that have made British cattle the industry standard, the MaineTainer female is the commercial cow herd of the future. Maine-Anjou genetics are leaving their mark on America’s cow herd.

In the Yards
In addition to keeping an attentive eye on the ever-changing cattle markets, the feedlot operator must manage a diverse set of costs and input functions in order to maximize profits, minimize losses and control the bottom line. The cattle feeding business is the bridge between the cattle producer and the consumer-driven beef packing industry. To excel in profitability under these conditions, feedlot operators must seek cattle that will perform both in the yards and on the rail.

Roger and Trevor Tuell, Tuelland, Inc., Eckley, Colo.
Tuelland Inc., is a family-owned feedlot and farming operation nestled in the sand hills of north eastern Colorado. Three generations of the Tuell family have been involved in the cattle feeding business. They base their success in the cattle business on their fundamental belief of buying good cattle and feeding them to obtain maximum profitability. Tuelland Inc., has been involved with Maine-Anjou for nearly a decade, not only in the feedlot, but also marketing some club calves, bulls and replacement females. Roger and Trevor Tuell have used the Maine-Anjou breed’s diverse economic advantages with great success to increase Tuelland Inc.’s bottom line and have become active promoters and supporters of Maine-Anjou.
Many feedyards across the country and around the world are becoming integrated with packers, producer groups and alliances. They prefer to purchase specific genetics and are willing to pay a premium for the proven performance those genetics offer. Tuelland Inc., is no different in this respect. “The Maine-cross cattle we receive in our feedyard are cattle we have fed for a number of years and we have worked with producers on their breeding programs,” says Roger Tuell. “Not only do we want good cattle in the feedlot that will perform for us, but we also want the producer to have a good set of replacement females that will continue to raise us good cattle in the future.”

This has led the Tuell family to become huge supporters of MaineTainer cattle. “The advantages of MaineTainers are obvious and they really prove themselves economically for our business,” says Trevor Tuell. “Not only do we prefer crossbred cattle, we pretty much don’t buy anything else to feed. We are successful using cattle that outperform industry averages both in the feed yard and on the rail.”

The advantages of feeding Maine-Anjou cattle are numerous. “We believe the Maine-Anjou breed offers the feedlot industry heterosis,” says Trevor Tuell. He also notes, “the inherent disposition of the breed is second only to is ability to be profitable for the breeder and the feeder. These well-mannered cattle have proven themselves worthy of dispositional credit when they can be moved great distances with ease. We spend a lot of time sorting cattle before we put them on feed and we appreciate the way they handle.”

“No one can argue with cattle that have the genetics and disposition to be great profiteers in the yard and on the rail,” says Roger Tuell. “They have consistently graded above 70% for us, with a high percentage of yield grade 2’s. In addition, they have excelled in feed efficiency as well as average daily gain, not to mention superior dressing percentage.”

Like Tuelland, Inc., many feedlots across the country have witnessed the advantages of Maine-Anjou genetics. Demand for Maine-Anjou feeder cattle has never been higher and continues to increase. Each time a group of cattle go to the rail and outperform the average, the feedlot operator makes a mental note. Recently, when he opens his notebook to the breed section, Maine-Anjou is the only breed on the page.

Prime Cuts
All over the world, consumers demand quality meat products. Today, and in the future, producers must make genetic selections that will provide the kind of quality desired by the consumer and will be rewarded by beef packers for doing so.

Brian Bertelsen, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Premium Beef
Brian Bertelsen was raised on a grain and livestock farm in western Illinois. He received his bachelor and master’s degree in animal science and ruminant nutrition from the University of Illinois. Bertelsen is the director of field operations with U.S. Premium Beef (USPB), a producer-owned beef processing company that is the primary owner of National Beef Packing Company, the nation’s fourth largest beef processor. Bertelsen provides technical service and education to producers on genetics, management and production of the cattle they deliver to National Beef. He also analyzes the company’s carcass database and coordinates between National Beef Staff, USPB management and the producer-members of USPB to further develop its integrated beef production system. Beef industry experts, like USPB, are beginning to see the advantages of reinstating the use of Continental breeds of cattle into rotational crossbreeding systems to provide added performance benefits and additional carcass characteristics.

Bertelsen notes that while USPB does not record genetic data on cattle harvested, there are definite advantages to Maine-Anjou cattle from the viewpoint of the beef packer. “The USDA Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) data has shown Maine-influenced cattle excel in muscling and leanness, also carcass weight and growth. These are certainly important and valuable traits for a beef processing company,” says Bertelsen. “It also appears Maine-Anjou genetics can provide these cutability traits in a designed crossbreeding program with English breeds without drastically increasing frame size.” In the past few years, packers have seen an increase in the number of yield grade 4’s. This can be attributed to several factors. Cattle prices have been high while corn has remained cheap, causing producers to retain cattle to heavier weights. Some believe an increase in producer selection pressure towards British genetics could be an additional cause. With branded beef premiums at an all time high, it is important for producers to realize the specific qualifications for cattle to meet branded beef program requirements when making mating decisions. Even with cattle coming from many different producers, 95% of the American Maine-Anjou Association (AMAA) feeding trial cattle harvested in 2004 met branded beef program requirements. “With value-based marketing programs such as ours, there are plenty of opportunities for all breeds and composite or hybrid lines to create and capture value,” says Bertelsen.

Ken Conway, Ph. D., Owner and President, GeneNet
Dr. Ken Conway received his bachelor and master’s degrees from Kansas State University and went on to attain his Ph. D from Texas A&M in 1996. For 17 years, Conway developed and ran R&J Ranch, a large Angus seedstock operation in Texas. R&J Ranch was one of the first and largest in the United States to develop and use embryo transfer. Since then, Conway has focused his studies on alliances, feedlot management, packer relationships and retail meat marketing with GeneNet.

GeneNet is an integrated marketing alliance that is working with more than 1,400 cow-calf producers, 150 feedlots and a large number of seedstock producers in the United States to develop producer alliances and supply chains for beef marketing programs. An additional focus of Conway’s work with GeneNet has been to develop beef packer grids that pay premiums to producers for raising high quality cattle.

USPB, which pays its highest premiums to producers for quality grade, has recently implemented a new grid rewarding producers for yield grade and cutability. Under the new USPB grid, Maine-Anjou cattle would hold a strict advantage based on data provided by Conway and GeneNet, who harvested the cattle from the AMAA feeding trial in 2005. One hundred eighty-one head were harvested. Sixty percent of the cattle graded choice while 72% still maintained a yield grade of 1 or 2.

“This is impressive as a breed,” says Conway. “Continental breeds will own crossbreeding systems if they can establish consistent carcass traits and marbling ability.” Based on this and numerous other recent data sets, Maine-Anjou cattle are well on the way to meeting this need.
Most producers making the move to Maine-Anjou from a highly British cow herd have seen little to no decrease in percentage choice when they take their cattle to the rail. Maine-Anjou cattle commonly grade 70 to 80% choice with select groups returning up to 90% yield grade 1’s and 2’s. With this kind of carcass performance, producers utilizing Maine-Anjou genetics have seen packer premiums greater than $50 over the cash market.

As beef packers begin to create grids rewarding producers for consistently producing a product that will grade choice and maintain yield grades of 1 or 2, commercial producers will begin to look to alternative crosses. Based on AMAA feed trial data, as well as other data collected in recent years, Maine-Anjou cattle look to be an obvious choice for producers looking to increase gains, feed conversions and cutability without sacrificing carcass quality.
“Commercial breeders are leaving a lot on the table in terms of hybrid vigor,” says Conway. By not taking advantage of the benefits of continental breeds in their rotational crossbreeding systems, many cattle producers are unknowingly giving up added growth, performance, efficiency and carcass cutability before the cows are ever bred.

Maine for you…
                               …more for you
The seedstock producer, who provides the genetic base for the industry, the cow-calf operator, at the heart of the cattle business, the feedlot manager, who is the bridge from the cattleman to the packer and the beef processor, the cattleman’s direct link to consumers all agree. The versatility of the Maine-Anjou breed is unmatched within the industry. Maine-Anjou cattle can sire, calve and milk. The can grow, feed, grade and yield and they can provide a quality beef product to the consumer. The industry experts, revered cattle producers and progressive stockmen who have made the move to Maine-Anjou genetics concur, Maine-Anjou brings more to the table for the American cattleman than any other breed of cattle.