I wrote and article for an upcoming edition of Cowboy Wisdom, the quarterly newsletter of The American Herbataurus Society. In that article, I was asked to outline the Genetics, Mineralization, rumen development and using our God given talents in combining these tools on our farms. You can go to americanherbataurus.com to read other articles on the AHS website.
From Grass Genetics to Grass Finished in 16+ months by Steve Campbell
Where was that starting point? I guess I have to go "back to my future" twelve years ago, when I first got into the grass finished beef business.
"(B)y following the directions of M. Guenon, as laid down in the treatise, anyone can tell with certainty whether a cow is a good milker, or whether a heifer will become one, so that there need be no doubt as to the profit of raising an animal, and no chance of being taken in the purchase of one."
National tribute of the French Government Paris, September17, 1848 This quotation is from the first page of the 14th edition of A Treatise on Milch Cows by M. Francois Guenon. Imagine the usefulness of the discrepancy between Expected Progeny Difference that most of us are currently using and Guenon’s “tell with certainty” methodology. Why do we breed in variability by using animal science (which was not even heard of in 1848) and numbers, when animal husbandry, knowledge and a bit of observation can lead us to a more certain and consistent outcome? When we go out in the pasture, do we really see our animals? When was the last time you went out to the pasture, picked a long stem of grass, put it between your teeth, and took a few minutes to observe?
