There was a day not long ago when my primary thought about the beef industry was genetics. Although we still produce purebred cattle, I have not given genetics much thought recently. That is until my trip to Denver last week. Suddenly so many basic breeding principles came racing back.

I have little doubt that the toughest breeding pitfall to avoid is single trait selection. It is so easy to focus on one trait and be the best in the country in that particular area. Using growth rate as an example, wouldn't it be a good thing if I had the fastest growing calves in the industry?

It only makes sense--right? If I have the biggest calves every year, I will get the biggest check. Not to mention the bragging rights I would have. What is easier to brag about while sitting at the sale barn or even at a basketball game than how big my calves were at weaning? Or even how fast they grew from weaning to market? That label would impress anybody.

Why I could use this as a tremendous marketing tool. Word would spread world-wide about the fastest growing cattle ever known to man and people would come that were willing to pay me whatever I wanted for these genetics. Scientists and other so-called experts continue to say single-trait selection might cost too much. Ranchers might just say they will pay more for rapid growth when in fact they use more factors than they realize to make purchase decisions. But I think they know that big calves bring big checks and they will pay me accordingly.

Before you fold up the paper and throw it in the recycling bin, I will admit that I don't endorse single trait selection but I was simply trying to illustrate how easy it is for us to fall into that mind-set. It is so easy to forget that beef production is extremely complex, yet we routinely attempt to simplify it with a silver bullet. If we don't factor in birth weights and calving ease, who cares how fast they grow? Dead calves don't cost much to feed but they don't get very big either. All the growth in the world isn't worth anything if the cow doesn't have enough milk to carry the calf to weaning. Rapid growth can be counter-productive if we don't take into consideration what it costs to achieve the gain. We call that feed efficiency.

Then the real fun begins because this is a precision world we live in. We need to produce specific qualities for differing tastes. Individual niches exist and require various procedures to meet the demand. The amount of marbling, leanness, tenderness or certain genetic abilities to excel on a grass-fed program are just some examples of the vast variance that exists in the beef industry.

There was a time in this industry where the only things that mattered could be evaluated by the naked eye. That is a romantic part of our heritage. Those of us who are actively engaged in the daily production of cattle may struggle to see all the dimensions of the beef industry. While genetics and an adequate supply of the "right kind" are of utmost importance to the remainder of the beef industry, it is only part of the whole equation. I must remember that however impressive my growth rate might be, it is only one little piece of this wonderful business.

While anybody in the business might love to have the answer lie in excelling in a single trait, that isn't reality. And more importantly, if you agree that balance must be implemented in a successful breeding program, why would you want to support an organization that claims to represent members of the industry but only addresses a single issue relevant to the success of it's producer members? Just as dead calves don't eat much, so too are trade issues irrelevant if we self-destruct because of a refusal to address all issues.

Editor's note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.FacesOfAg.com, or e-mail Trent at trent@loostales.com.

Date: 1/27/05

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