Bingham Angus

Our family has been in the Registered Black Angus business since 1969. In that time we’ve seen all sorts of fads come and go. A lot of them have been to the detriment of the commercial man’s bottom line.

Breeding selection for any extreme without taking into account genetic antagonisms will inevitably result in failure in another area.

A couple of examples of genetic antagonisms are extreme growth to maternal function or the fact that selection for low birth weight can result in small pelvised heifers that have difficulty calving. Cattle breeding is forever a balancing act.

Over the years our bulls have won some acclaim at bull tests. We even won the champion pen of three at Midland once upon a time. While I still enjoy that sort of thing and realize the importance of feedlot performance, my main goal is to sell bulls that will leave daughters that will stand the test of time and keep their owners in business. That is the strength of the Angus breed, whether their hides are black or red.

While selection for terminal traits does not necessarily preclude superior maternal function, it does make it more difficult to attain. The two are antagonistic to each other.

Every month’s Angus Journal has pictures of giant, broken-backed, broken, uddered cows that have no possibility of standing up under realistic commercial conditions. Their owners, however, are proud of them because their genomically enhanced numbers indicate that they are within the top percentile of the breed for growth or carcass traits. You have my pledge that we will never drink that Kool-Aid here.