Jolley: Five Minutes With Wayne Vanderwert, American Gelbvieh Association

Wayne Vanderwert is a hard man to pin down. Had to chase him for weeks to get this interview. Part of the reason for the long chase was some research AGA was just wrapping up and Wayne really wanted to talk about it. Another part almost escaped me.

Here it is – the part that I almost missed: “Later this fall I am returning to play a more active role in the day-to-day operation of H-Squared Genetics, our 300-head cowherd near Madison, Missouri.”

I had to read it twice, then call Wayne for confirmation. “Yup,” he said, “six years in a breed association, before that 8 years at Limousin...I'm ready to do something different.”

.I’m tempted to say he’s riding off into the sunset but that would be wrong. He’s heading East from his current location near Denver to return to ranching in Missouri. With the improvements he’s helped make on that spread in just a few short years, I’m thinking he’s going to enjoy himself as he tries to step it up even more.

So, before he got away, I shot a handful of questions at him and got some interesting answers.

Q. Wayne, would you give me a brief outline of AGA and its members?

A. The American Gelbvieh Association has a solid base of about 1400 active breeders which includes our rapidly growing Junior program. Our adult members are very performance-oriented, many of the original Gelbvieh breeders were commercial cow-calf people who were impressed with the original Meat Animal Research Center evaluation of Gelbvieh as compared to other continental breeds of that time. That commercial focus in cow-calf production is the legacy of the Gelbvieh breed.

Q. Let’s talk genetics. One of the costly genetic defects the cattle industry is dealing with is Curly Calf Syndrome. Earlier this year you encouraged AGA breeders ‘producing Balancer cattle with black Angus genetics to access their pedigree risk and make matings accordingly.’ What was the reasoning behind that request?

A. Earlier this year the AGA did take a very strong posture against the AM (Curly Calf) problem that originated in the Angus breed and therefore impacts the Balancer program. That same stance will prevail as we address other genetic defects, which as you know, have surfaced in the black and red Angus populations. We have taken many steps to keep our members informed and have provided herd listings of cattle that are potential carriers. We have even provided financial assistance to underwrite the expense of breeders testing suspect Balancer cattle.

Q. What’s been the outcome?

A. Overwhelmingly breeders have been very positive about the aggressive effort to eliminate the gene. I assume that they will take the same approach on eliminating the other defects as DNA testing starts on those problems.

Q. The association promotes SmartCross steers (Gelbvieh x Angus) as a preferable animal in many cases. It does seem to produce an animal that performs better in USDA yield grades 1 and 2 at 50% or higher breed composition. What are some of the other benefits?

A. The SmartCross program has promoted the concept of building on the breed strengths of Gelbvieh and Angus that complement each other in crossbreeding. Angus has the carcass quality while Gelbvieh contribute yield grade components. The theory is to help feeders hit a very desirable Choice Yield Grade 2 endpoint. The SmartCross also provides heterosis for growth and efficiency during the feeding period.

Q. Can you improve on those results?

A. Everything can be improved upon. In the past few years we’ve had a concentrated effort on breed direction to improve carcass traits, marbling in particular, and the development of carcass EPD’s that are more in tune with the way the industry feeds and markets cattle. We’ve adjusted our EPD’s to reflect carcass traits at a fat endpoint rather than an age endpoint that is currently used in all other breeds. We also created an index EPD for carcass value that considers carcass weight along with the potential for quality and yield grade premiums and discounts.

The result has been EPD’s that are a better selection tool, highly predictive of the percentage Choice, where the Gelbvieh breed needs to focus, and also much more reflective of the end value of a carcass not just the grid premium dollars.

Q. What did you find out from your SmartCross research?

A. We completed the SmartCross research project with Angus, Balancer and Gelbvieh-sired cattle produced in an Angus and Angus X Hereford cowherd at CSU’s Maxwell Ranch. The findings in that research confirm those dollar differences right in line with the EPD’s. While the Gelbvieh breed has made some progress on marbling, the challenge is to keep breeders focused on that direction.

Q. With recent Choice/Select spreads narrowing, is it tempting to put end product merit on the back burner?

A. Yes. There has been an increase in the number of Choice cattle due in part to instrument grading, the low spread is more reflective of the economy pushing demand lower for middle meats. Choice isn’t going away.

Q. You’ve been with AGA for six years. What’s next?

A. Later this fall I am returning to play a more active role in the day-to-day operation of H-Squared Genetics, our 300-head cowherd near Madison, Missouri. We participated in a local feed company steer test in 2004 and had just over 50% Choice. Through sire selection we’ve moved that to over 90% Choice in five years with more Primes than Selects in the 67 head we grid marketed this spring and no YG 4 discount. I still have more goals for our seedstock operation in Missouri.

Q. Thousands of people read Cattlenetwork.com. What would you like to say to them?

A. It has been an enjoyable six years at the helm of the American Gelbvieh Association. With a Ph.D. in meat science, I’ve always been biased toward this industry being focused on a quality product. Without the great taste that quality beef offers, we’re forced to compete with other protein sources that are certainly more efficient to produce but offer less of an eating experience. This is going to be a very interesting time in the beef industry.

Chuck Jolley is a free lance writer, based in Kansas City, who covers a wide range of ag industry topics for Cattlenetwork.com and Agnetwork.com.

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