As our mission statements says “The goal of the Tom Brothers Ranch breeding program is to continually improve our cattle from pasture to plate and provide customers with an enjoyable and profitable experience with their cattle.” A simple statement that encompasses the hard work, attention to detail, and focus on the big picture that we are ultimately in the business of producing food.
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The fundamentals that we believe are essential to a successful cattle operation is handling our cattle with respect, using quality products for a comprehensive herd health plan, and incorporating industry tools and our own data collection to make better selection decisions. To put it simply we want to raise happy, healthy, genetically advanced cattle, which translates into profitable cattle.
Putting all the physical and genetic pieces together in our cattle is a challenge we embrace and can always find room for improvement in. We collect and report information on every animal for every trait from birth to carcass that is used in the genetic evaluation for the American Simmental Association. Not only is this information invaluable for our own and customers’ improvement, but it is passed on to the entire industry so other producers across the country can make more informed decisions.
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It’s easy to get lost in all the EPDs and data available to use for herd improvement but for all the information available it has to be coupled with “cow sense”. Not only do we try to advance the genetics of our cattle, but we also want to enjoy our time working with them and enjoy what we see while doing it. We have zero tolerance for cattle with bad dispositions, structural issues that inhibit their ability to travel, bad udders, and undesirable hair coat. If a cow is causing us to expend extra labor she must go, and most are culled before they are a problem.
We have a short, controlled breeding season of 60 days which puts selection pressure on fertility. Heifers must calve at two years of age and cows must conceive every year. Every cow is set up for a timed-AI or embryo transplant at the start of breeding. We then monitor the cows for another cycle and AI cows that did not catch to the first cycle and bulls are turned out for 30 days to clean up. We’ve been fine-tuning our breeding regimen for years and have been able to achieve pregnancy rates of 90% and AI/ET calf crops of 90%. The most efficient way to improve any herd is through the use of AI and ET.
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We’ve always believed that great herd bulls have great mothers and much emphasis has been put on the quality of our cowherd. Our observations of cows that work in our hot, humid environment are deep bodied and structurally correct with a slick hair coat. Key purchases of donors and embryos from elite SimGenetic breeders in the country have been made to advance the position of our herd so we can offer the highest quality genetics in the country to our customers.
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Herd bull selection now more than ever has become of utmost importance. With the nation’s shrinking cowherd and tight supply, quality of cattle is going to be ever more important. Our criteria on herd bulls we sell to customers is “Would I use this bull in my own herd?” In our own AI sire selection calving ease, moderate to above average growth, and above breed average marbling are all boxes that must be checked off for a sire to be used in our program. We strive to produce a calf crop that is born unassisted, weans at an acceptable weight, and produces a desirable carcass that the consumer will enjoy. In turn, we strive for the bulls we sell to do the same for our customers.
We’re not here to sell you a bull, we’re selling a program. Customer success is paramount to our own success. Our favorite customer is a motivated producer who wants to get the most out of their calf crop and takes pride in producing beef to feed the world. If we can be of any assistance to adding value to your calves we are glad to help. Thank you for taking the time to visit our web site and learn more about Tom Brothers Ranch.
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