This Tennessee producer found his niche with Gelbvieh

Sep 10, 2006 10:14 PM

Courtesy of American Gelbvieh Association

Crossbreeding brings extra pounds to the calves produced

Tom Head knew he needed something different for his cowherd four years ago. Too many generations of Angus on Angus-based cows wasn’t giving him the pounds at weaning he wanted. "I knew I needed to bring in some genetic diversity," admits Head, a cattle producer near Adams, TN, northwest of Nashville. Tom and his wife, Sarah, manage the farm together.

"I needed hybrid vigor and something that would work on my Angus-based cowherd," he says. He had a chance to look at another cowherd using Gelbvieh and says, "After looking at their cowherd and seeing what Gelbvieh could do, I made that first purchase of a purebred Gelbvieh bull."
Since then, Head has purchased a second Gelbvieh bull to complement the first one.

The Transition Into Beef Production
Head purchased his farm on the western edge of Robertson County in 1983. "It was a row crop farm raising corn and soybeans," he explains. "I raised crops the first couple of years, but figured I could be more profitable converting the farm to a beef-cattle operation."

He slowly transitioned from row crops by backgrounding feeder calves, as well as bottle-raising dairy calves. "I continued to work on building fences and getting the pastures ready for a larger beef operation," Head says.

In 1987-88, he purchased his first commercial cows from a herd dispersal at the local sale barn. Head continued to purchase small groups of cows. He also continued to raise the dairy calves. Occasionally he would get a heifer calf that was sired by an Angus bull. "I kept those females since they were Angus x Holstein crosses," shares Head. "They made tremendous mama cows."

Taking the Next Step
About five years ago, Head realized he was missing a great opportunity to retain and raise his own replacements. Some rearranging of land leases made it easier for him to retain the better heifers and develop them separate from the cowherd.

"I was buying registered Angus bulls and the heifers were top notch," says Head. "Whenever you buy at a sale barn you never know what you’re buying. I realized I needed to build my herd using known genetics."

Out of his 54 cows, nearly half are home-raised females. His first Gelbvieh-sired heifers calved in the spring of 2006. He breeds the heifers to a calving ease Angus and uses the purebred Gelbvieh bulls on the mature cows.
Head says he’s never had any calving problems with the Gelbvieh bulls. His cowherd is all spring calving. The cows begin calving Feb. 1, while the heifers start calving March 1. He says the weather moderates and is warmer in March, so if he needs to assist a heifer then it is easier to handle them.

Head sells his calves through the auction barn in Guthrie, KY. "It’s a good market in this area," he says. "The location and the management attract order buyers from a wider area. I've had good luck selling there."
"I'm pleased with how Gelbvieh has worked on my cowherd," Head concludes. "The added hybrid vigor boosts weaning weights and my replacement heifers look great. It was the right decision for me."

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