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Iowa program begins effort to develop, market best heifers


 

By RACHEL LANE

AMES, Iowa — A new program in Iowa is focused on increasing the value of heifers for years in the future.

The Iowa Cowmaker Elite (ICE) Heifer Development Program was designed to help beef producers select, manage, develop and market better heifers. Working closely with veterinarians, farmers will be asked to maintain records for heifers in the program.

The calves from spring 2017 can be registered for the program now. Fall calves now will be registered in spring 2018.

The program has guidelines for managing heifers, from how heavy the calves should weigh at certain ages, to when vaccinations should be administered.

Currently, cows will have calves from 2 years old to maybe 8-10 years old, but it takes four calves before the cattle start to make the producer any money, said Patrick Wall, area beef field specialist of the Marion County extension office with Iowa State University, and the organizer of the program.

The program’s goal is to get cattle that will breed for more years and regularly, which should help make the calves that are part of the program worth more to the producers who buy them, Wall said.

While the program is just starting in Iowa, some other states have similar programs and have shown that the long-term profitability gets better. Farmers will enroll what heifers they have as they reach about six months old. From that point, the heifers will be closely monitored. If those cattle get sold, the documentation of the cow’s participation in the program will also go to the new owner.

Wall said farmers will report the findings on the heifer at each marker. If the cow misses a marker, the program will suggest ways to fix the problem – to help the heifer meet a certain weight goal, for instance.

The bulls that are being selected to be part of the program are being chosen with an eye toward material longevity in hopes that it will help any resulting heifers have a longer life, Wall said. With a longer life expectancy, the heifers will be worth more money.

“It’ll be used as a risk management tool for most folks,” he said. “We’re trying to find a cow that’ll be around in eight to 10 years (breeding).”

He has met with farmers around the state to answer questions and encourage enrollment in the program, but so far, no one had signed up in the two weeks since it officially started. There is a $25 annual membership fee, a $5 price per head and, if the heifer graduates the program, a $3 cost for the tag to mark them.

Wall said the fees will be used to employ people to manage the paperwork.

David Patterson started the Bourbon County Elite Program in Kentucky and was recruited to start a program called Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program with the University of Missouri extension. He said the programs were originally started decades ago because too many heifers were failing to become pregnant.

When he moved to Missouri, he said the support for the program cost millions of dollars in the first few years, but it did change things for cattle producers in the state. The program recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

The program has become so well respected that producers in 20 other states regularly purchase the Show-Me-Select heifers.

Patterson said it is an active program, with veterinarians involved in herd management and farmers using the latest technology to track the cattle. The requirements for the program are strict but it has been shown to add value to the heifers and cattle that are monitored.

“Most other programs are focused on the sales side. We’re focused on the education side,” Patterson said.

As a result of the program, there has been an increase in the use of technology. About 91 percent of heifers in the program were artificially inseminated and about 80 percent had pregnancies confirmed with ultrasounds, levels much higher than industry norms outside the Show-Me-Select program.

“The buys are looking for a lot of those things, especially repeat buys,” Patterson said.

Being part of the program in Missouri adds about $400 per head, compared to cattle in the state that were not part of the program.

The ICE program has information online detailing the requirements farmers will need to follow and how to register the cattle. It can all be found at www.iowabeefcenter.org/iowacowmaker.html

12/13/2017