Show-Me Shorthorn University 2011

The state of Missouri was host for the 6th annual Shorthorn University.  This year Shorthorn Breeders and enthusiasts from 10 states including – Pennsylvania, Ohio, Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Colorado, Washington and Missouri were in attendance for a weekend of Shorthorn fellowship and touring.  Attendees were able to experience the variability of Missouri weather in June as Friday was hot and humid and the next day overcast and almost cold at times. 
The American International Charolais Association (AICA) were gracious hosts for the first stop of Shorthorn University.  The group was welcomed by J. Neil Orth, Executive Vice President of the AICA.  Orth gave a brief history of the association and explained the thre registration options for members of the AICA. 
Dr. Robert Williams, Director of Breed Improvement and Foreign Marketing for AICA gave a very informative and interesting presentation on the mechanics of how EPDs are calculated.  Throughout the presentation Dr. Williams stressed the importance of reporting every calf and making sure contemporary groups are broken correctly.  The group was able to see several examples and how proper contemporary grouping plays a key part in obtaining accurate EPDs.  One of the best examples was showing the group that you can’t feed an EPD into animal through creep feeding.    
The American Angus Hall of Fame, Smithville, MO is the longest running Angus sale management company in the breed.  The Hall of Fame has been in operation for 72 years.  The office is also home to the World Angus Headquarters.  To say the office is home to largest collection of Angus memorabilia in the world might be an understatement.  One cannot even begin to describe the shear size and scope of the memorabilia collection housed in the office.  Walking in the door you are greeted by walls of photos and head mounts of influential bulls and cows from the breed.  Every room is literally covered from the floor to the ceiling with various pictures of Angus champions, influential breeders, sale reports and newspaper clippings from around the world.
The Bertz Family, Meadow Lane Farms, has been raising Shorthorns in their Mayview, MO pastures since 1945.  Meadow Lane Farms now spans four generations of the Bertz family, who exhibit cattle at the state and national level. 
Today, the operation ran by Harold and Melissa Bertz still operates on land that has been in the family for over 160 years.  The current cowherd numbers 100 head of purebred Shorthorn and Durham Reds and 20 Simmental and SimAngus cows.  The primary focus of the operation is on the production of performance based, solid red, polled, cattle developed for commercial bull customers.  The family hosts “Tools of The Trade, Genetics for the Working Cattlemen,” a private treaty bull and female sale the third Saturday in October each year.
The attention to detail and the Bertz families’ dedication to data collection were evident as each participant was given a comprehensive booklet containing pedigree and performance information as well as the current EPD profile of each individual in the herd on arrival.  Harold and Melissa were great hosts sharing with the group their marketing plan.  The Bertz’s upon closer examination found that most of the cattle were selling within a 30 mile radius of farm and now concentrate most of their advertising efforts locally.   
Harold and Melissa have been avid supporters of the Durham Red program and it is easy to see why after viewing an impressive pen of fall bred heifers mostly bred to ML Cabela 0761.  In the bred heifer group some of the favorites were the result of mating a Durham Red bull to a Durham Red cow.  The F1 cross is impressive, but for those who haven’t seen the resulting F2 cross it takes practicality and functionality one step farther as the females were even deeper, soggier and stouter.  One can’t help, but walk out of this group of females and feel excited about the impact a Durham Red female can have on the industry.      
A stop through the fall herd bull prospects had attendees analyzing and writing down their picks of individuals that will highlight the firms fall private treaty sale.  Also on display were the replacement heifers and the Meadow Lane cowherd containing several Pacer Performance Dams.     
The Fahrmeier family is no stranger to the Shorthorn breed, with sons Brandon, Brad and Brett actively involved in the AJSA during their junior show careers.  More recently the family has turned their focus to Fahrmeier Family Vineyards and their fruit and vegetable operation, operated under the name of Fahrmeier Farms. 
Lorin Fahrmeier provided an excellent tour of the families facilities.  Fruit and vegetables are produced on 100 acres of farm ground and marketed at a nearby farmer’s market and local Hy-Vee stores.  Tomatoes, peppers and strawberries are just a few of the items grown on this diverse farm.  The vineyard is the most recent addition to the Fahrmeier families growing enterprise as they produce up to 64,000 pounds of wine grapes annually that are turned into wine in a converted farrowing house.      
A 1930s era barn originally built for milking now houses the wine tasting room.  Walls adorned with banners and plaques from previous champion Shorthorn heifers and steers provided an excellent setting to end the first day.  The Lafayette County Cattlemen’s Association prepared an excellent meal of ribeye’s and fresh fruit and vegetables from local Lafayette county farmers.  Attendees were able to taste some of the families’ 14 varieties of wine.  Watching the group load the bus for the hotel it appeared most found a variety or two they liked! 
Learning began early the next morning as Jared Decker, PhD student in genomics at the University of Missouri-Columbia gave an informative presentation on “Across Breed Whole Genomic Selection.”  The presentation covered the evolution of DNA technology and the future implementation of this cutting edge technology.  The lab Jared works in is responsible for analyzing the Shorthorn DNA samples that were submitted this spring.  The take home message from the presentation was that more accurate and breed specific DNA tests will be commercially available in the future.
Sydenstricker Genetics (SydGen), Mexico, MO has been in the Angus seedstock business since 1952.  This nationally known program has produced noted sires such as SAF Fame, SAF Focus of ER and most recently SydGen CC&7.  SydGen currently runs 800 head of purebred cows calving in both the spring and fall.  The Sydenstricker program focuses heavily on the commercial side of the industry with a heavy emphasis on performance and dollar traits.  The tour was led by manager and recently retired BIF President Ben Eggers and his wife Darla.      
A quick stop to view the January bull calf pair’s showed some promising herd sire prospects.  Also, on display was an impressive set of big bodied fall bull calves that averaged 790 pounds at weaning.  Individuals from both groups will be marketed either through the firms annual fall production or the spring customer appreciation sale. 
The herd sires had just been pulled from cleaning up spring calving cows but were still an exciting sight to see.  Some of the bulls were Sydgen Trust 6228, SydGen Turbo 6684 as well as the number 2 marbling EPD bull in the Angus breed Gardens Prime Star G223.  All bulls were exceptional in dollar traits and near the top of the breed for docility EPD.      
Eggers’ then led a great question and answer session where many topics about the Sydenstricker program were covered.  The question was asked how the program retains their customers and how the operation continues to grow?  Ben proudly stated, “The biggest reason why customers keep coming back is the customer service we are able to offer them as well as an outlet to market their cattle.”  Customers can choose to market their cattle sired by SydGen bulls and females through two customer appreciation sales each year featuring bulls and bred heifers.  Another interesting comment from Eggers’ was that cattle are only allowed into the show barn after they have been ultrasounded and have a yearling weight recorded within their birth contemporary group.  Other topics included ideal cow size, bull wintering program, customer buying trends and a look at the SydGen record keeping system. 
Driving to the next stop Patrick Wall, ASA Director of Genetic Improvement and Eastern Field Representative went over the ASA’s new All-American Junior Breeder program.  Attendees were then given the All-American Junior Breeder exam to see how they fared.
Circle A Ranch’s motto is, “Quality Beef is Our Business,” their dedication to quality beef and belief in Circle A genetics was definitely on display at Circle A North in Huntsville, MO.  Circle A was founded in 1991 by the Gust family and has 4 locations across Missouri and Iowa encompassing 30,000 acres and includes more than 9,000 commercial females and 700 registered Angus females.  The ranch is the largest contributor of carcass data to the American Angus Association, and after 15 years of collecting carcass data and retaining ownership the ranch knew how profitable their genetics were in the feedlot.  This led to the formation of Circle A Feeders a 5,000 head state of the art feeding facility all under one roof.  Sitting on an old airplane runway this facility is over half a mile long and contains 50 pens for feeding cattle. 
The feedlot is filled with the ranch’s own calves and cattle acquired through Circle A Feeders calf-buy back program.  The program was designed to capture added value and increase returns for Circle A’s customers.  Circle A buys their customers cattle for top of the market price in their region.  Customers can also receive up to $45 per head in additional premiums.  Calves out of Circle A bulls receive $25; $10 if they are out of a Circle A cow and $10 if they are age and source verified.   
Nick Hammett, Commercial Marketing Director for Circle A told the group about the formation of the Angus Sire Alliance in 1996.  The alliance was formed, to measure the costs and returns of a sire’s progeny in a real world commercial setting based on actual profitability.  In its early stages the alliance collected feedlot, carcass and ultrasound data and in 1998 began collecting individual feed efficiency data using Calan gates.  At the same time half sisters to steers on feed were retained within the herd and performance was tracked in a commercial setting.  This allowed the ranch to develop in herd EPDs for heifer pregnancy rate, cow stayability, tenderness, feed intake, average daily gain and overall profitability.  In 2003 ABS Global and Circle A began an exclusive agreement to test ABS’s most promising young sires.  Progeny are fed through Circle A Feeders and individual feed intake data is collected using the GrowSafe system.   
Once again making the tour was Congressman Franck Lucas and his wife, Lynda.  Congressmen Lucas is the Chairman for the House Committee on Agriculture and gave an informative and thoughtful discussion on some of issues in Washington, D.C.
Jim and Stephanie Sneed of Ashland Farm Shorthorns, Sedalia, MO strive to maintain a consistent herd of easy fleshing, moderate framed cattle that were first introduced to the farm in 1854.  The Sneed’s have sent calves to Iowa the past two years for the ASA’s Great State Feedout and Jim shared his experiences with the program.  Current herdsires running with cows were MM Mohawk BLT 07 a son of DF Biltmore and Waukaru Imperial 9014 a son of Waukaru Coppertop.  Some of the groups favorite individuals were Jim’s three-way Shorthorn, Hereford, Red Angus cross cows.  These soggy, good uddered females showed just how valuable adding Shorthorn into a crossbreeding rotation can be.    
Later in the evening some attendees were able to learn about Jim and Stephanie’s pollen harvesting business.  The business harvests pollen from different plants and is sold directly to pharmaceutical companies to be used in allergy shots.    
Right across the road sits Sneed Shorthorns, owned by longtime Shorthorn University attendee Rob Sneed.  The Sneed cattle have been at the forefront of calving ease Shorthorn genetics developed in a foraged based system.  The herd currently numbers 300 registered and commercial Shorthorn cows.    
The first pasture attendees were able to view were part of Rob’s commercial fall calving herd.  The commercial females are comprised of mostly Shorthorn genetics.  The fall calving cows have their work cut out for them at Sneed Shorthorns as their calves are not weaned until July.  One might think the cows might be tough to look at nursing a calf that old however this was not the case as big strapping calves were nursing big fleshy cows.    
Rob retains ownership on all of his calves and finishes them out on the farm using only homegrown shelled corn and hay.  The resulting calves typically grade at least 90% low choice or better.  One sort had already been performed on the pen, but it looked like more calves were ready to head to town.              
Longevity and maternal function were definitely on display throughout the evening going through pasture after pasture of impressive easy fleshing females at Sneed Shorthorns.  Maybe, one of the best examples was in the last pasture as a someone asked Rob about a particular cow who looked no older than 5 or 6 years old, but to the surprise of the group she was a hard working female who was actually 15 years old!  The group ended the night with an excellent fish fry provided by Sneed Shorthorns.         
The final day of the tour kicked off bright and early at Show Me Farms in Columbia, MO.  Show Me Farms began in 1992 as owner’s Don and Mary Lou Mayse decided to “retire” and buy a farm south of Columbia.  The initial herd of 10 head of Shorthorns has grown into 150 purebred mother cows.  Don’s background is in the meat business and the operation quickly evolved into a beef business and is now marketed under the name of Show-Me Farms “Born Tender Omega Beef.” 
Steers and heifers are finished on the farm using corn, oats, flax seed and other natural grains.  All cattle are age and source verified from birth to processing and an animal ID number is placed on every cut of meat.  The cattle are harvested weekly at a local plant and the meat is cut and packaged by Don and Jerome. 
It is easy to see why the operation has been successful with the quality control they have in place to ensure their customers have an enjoyable eating experience.  Through extensive testing over the years they have been able to identify genetic lines that produce the highest quality carcasses.  Each calf is tenderness tested using the Warner-Bratzler shear test performed by the University of Missouri.  If a calf shear tests to high all of the cuts are ground and sold as ground beef. 
The most unique part of the operation is their use of ground flax seed in their finishing ration.  Many physicians and nutritionists have recommended increasing consumption of Omega 3 Fatty Acids.  Recent research indicated that Omega 3 Fatty Acids could be enhanced dramatically in beef cattle by including it in their diet.  Owner Don Mayse has worked extensively with Kansas State University to test the Show-Me Farms beef once flax was included into the diet and the beef showed almost a 600% increase in essential High Omega 3 Fatty Acids.  This means that a serving of Show-ME Farms Beef contains more Omega 3’s than a serving of salmon and less saturated fat than chicken!      
Beef can be purchased at the Show Me Farms Market or every Saturday at the Columbia Farmer’s Market.  Beef is also available through Columbia Hy-Vee stores and at several Columbia area restaurants.
Owner’s Don and Mary Lou Mayse along with manager Jerome Grethen provided a tasty breakfast of breakfast burritos containing Shorthorn sausage.  With current herd sire Sho-Me Goldstone 7C15V ET an impressive son of HD Bloodstone watching in the background.  According to manager, Jerome Grethen, “Goldstone is working for both the production of females and providing high quality carcass cattle for the meat business.” 
Don Mayse stated, “We tried other breeds of cattle including Angus and crossbreds and those cattle didn’t measure up to the Shorthorns for their carcass quality.”  After the stop one can’t help but leave excited about Shorthorn genetics.     
The final stop of the tour was at Crestmead Farm, Pilot Grove, MO.  The Crestmead herd was started in 1888 and today is owned by Bob and Bill Betteridge.  The current focus of the operation is to use solid red, polled bulls for the production of bulls and females for commercial cattlemen.  Currently the Betteridge family runs 60 head of predominately solid red cows sired by GFS Red Cloud 7026 and Key Ridge Explorer.  The group already had the chance to see the impact of ML Cabela earlier on the tour at Meadow Lane farms and now had the chance to see this moderate framed easy fleshing bull in his working clothes as he is owned jointly by the Betteridge and Bertz families.
The tour concluded with lunch at the historic Crestmead Plantation built in 1859.  This Missouri plantation once encompassed 4,600 acres of land.  The residence was bought by the Betteridge family in 1903 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A big thank you, to all of the participants, hosts and sponsors who made this year’s tour a success!

Whenever anyone says they are from Fargo it usually brings one of two responses. “Oh, it must be cold up there,” or “I’ve seen the movie.” North Dakota State University in Fargo proved to be a very gracious host for KEY Conference and portions of the 2010 edition of Shorthorn University. Participants from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota and Wisconsin were pleased to be able to enjoy pleasant weather and the chance to escape some of the heat and humidity that much of the Midwest was experiencing. Rob Sneed and his wife Ann from Missouri were in attendance. Rob has been at every Shorthorn University that has been held. Shorthorn breeder and Congressman Frank Lucas, a member of the House Agriculture Committee and his wife, Lynda were present again this year. Congressman Lucas gave an informative and thoughtful discussion of some of the happenings in Washington, D.C.
Patrick Wall initiated the event with a presentation on the fundamentals of ultrasound. We then proceeded to the NDSU Beef Unit for an actual demonstration of ultrasound techniques. People were able to make their own estimates on four head of live cattle that were scanned and then went directly to the NDSU Meats Lab for harvest with the carcasses to be evaluated and viewed on the last day of the program. The group then toured the NDSU Sheep and Dairy Units and the Animal Nutrition and Physiology Center. Dr. Rob Maddock then broke everyone into groups and presented us with choices of production scenarios with challenges to identify strategic plans to carry out the scenarios. Dr. Carl Dahlen, Extension Beef Cattle Specialist, gave a brief run down on North Dakota agriculture and some of NDSU’s research activities.  Carnivore Caterers, an NDSU graduate student run organization was a constant presence with excellent meals for the group and a taste panel experience as well.
The Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks, an independent Northern League baseball team were at home to play their arch rivals, the Winnipeg Goldeyes. As is the tradition, both the “Star Spangled Banner” and “O Canada,” the Canadian national anthem are sung at the start of the game. Pleasing both the local fans as well as the KEY and SU visitors, the Redhawks won.   
Fargo, located in the Red River Valley (of the north) borders Minnesota and is surrounded by some of the flattest, blackest and most fertile agricultural land in the world. Many non-natives were unaware that the Red River actually runs north, emptying into Lake Winnipeg and eventually into Hudson Bay. Proceeding west from Fargo riders on the Shorthorn University bus saw evidence why North Dakota ranks first among all states in the production of  at least nine different agricultural crops; spring wheat, durum, barley, sunflowers, dry edible beans, pinto beans, flaxseed, canola and honey.
The Robert Miller family, Millvale Shorthorns, have been raising Shorthorn cattle “since the time of the buffalo.” When the Miller family homesteaded near Fordville, Dakota Territory before statehood in 1885, they brought Shorthorn cattle with them. Previous to this bison grazed these prairies in northeastern North Dakota. Now in their fifth generation, the Millers are tireless promoters of the breed. The “Rorvig pasture” located eighty miles from headquarters where the Millvale pairs are pastured also has a long Shorthorn history and is the place of origin of some famous cow families. This group of hard working, great uddered cows with husky calves are expected to function under North Dakota environmental extremes and were being serviced by a stout son of RB Eagle 255th *x. Bob Miller was honored as a “Builder of the Breed” in 1977 and his wife Rose Lynne was a “Lassie of the Year” in 1986.
Collin LaPlant, his wife Luceine and their two young boys along with his semi-retired parents run about 350 commercial Angus, Red Angus and Simmental based cows near Binford, North Dakota. Along with growing wheat, corn, soybeans and alfalfa, Collin describes it as “some of the finest shale gravel/sand in the county” so because of soil conditions are “always two days away from a drought!” This impressive cow herd is calved in a 45-day calving season from mid-May through June so, as Collin states, “To be more in synch with nature.” They have Shorthorn sired calves on the ground now and nearly forty percent of his herd sire battery this coming breeding season are Shorthorns with the remainder Herefords. The cows have minimal human contact so Collin likes the disposition of these two breeds and is confidant they will bring a balance of calving ease, moderate frame size, keeping ability, the right amount of milk while adding hybrid vigor and not straying too far from the British base. A thousand head feedlot is under construction where progeny from the cow herd will be backgrounded, some finished and some heifer development is planned.  One comment from one of the SU attendees was, “In a few years this herd could be a poster child for the Shorthorn breed.”
 Spickler Ranch, Glenfield, North Dakota has been producing seedstock in the James River Valley for seven decades. In this 600 cow Angus herd, approximately 450 calve in March and April and the balance in August and September. Justin and Nathan Spickler are young in years but extremely knowledgeable and savvy in the cow business. One member of the SU contingent said, “The ideal way to explain an operation is just how Justin Spickler talked to us.” The Spickler family merchandises 120 yearlings and 40 coming two-year-old bulls and 110 heifers in an annual sale held at the ranch the first weekend in May. Recently several bulls have been purchased by AI units. This year they have 120 calves sired by one of their main home raised herd bulls S Chisum 6175, whose sons in their last sale averaged close to $5000.
The Spicklers are believers in propagating their best genetics through embryo transfer with about 150 implanted last year. However cows are not flushed until they have proven themselves. Virtually every female is AI bred or serves as an embryo recipient. All bulls and females are ultrasounded for carcass traits. They also finish all cull heifers and steers which are ultrasounded before slaughter and actual carcass data is also obtained on them as well. They are very conscious of the use of numbers in their operation. Justin pointed out a heifer calf that weighed 62 pounds at birth but projected a yearling weight EPD of 106 which is in the top 5 % of the breed. He said, “She should be kind of a curve bender.”
“The Spickler family has been raising and selling seedstock for a span of seven decades. During this time the livestock industry has experienced many changes, as has Spickler Ranch. As third generation seedstock producers the Spickler brothers know that some things do not change-sound, functional, adaptable, maternal and efficient cattle. Spicklers have taken a responsibility to their customers to provide herd changing genetics that will move their customers programs forward.” With a virtually “ironclad” guarantee on their breeding stock sales, it is understandable why a many of the Spickler Ranch bulls sell to repeat customers with the majority of them within 100 miles of the ranch. Hubbard Feeds graciously sponsored the lunch for the group.
Topp Herefords at Grace City, North Dakota have created an outstanding herd of cattle and a marketing plan from which many could draw some very fundamental but innovative ideas.
They believe in balanced trait selection across the entire herd. Their herd sires stem from superior cow families backed by generations of above-average production in all traits. They want them to be consistent in type and designed with a specific emphasis on individual traits to improve every female that is bred in the herd. The bull’s job is to maximize the cow’s potential but the female is still the factory. Their list of standards for females is short and simple. She must maintain herself on minimal inputs, rebreed in 60 days, be short-teated, level-uddered and durable enough to produce for an extended period of time.
            The Topp marketing program is referred to as “A Common Sense Approach” and is built on the development of relationships with a strong emphasis on customer service. Working with Tom Bresnahan, SB&B Feedlot of Casselton, ND they assembled an alliance that directly connects the commercial man to the feedlot and the feedlot to the genetic base of the feeder cattle being purchased. This alliance also connects SB&B with the Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) program. SB&B markets their finished cattle, many obtained from Topp Herefords’ bull customers on a grid-based system and returns complete carcass data to the cattle suppliers. Topps have focused on the feedback from their customers to make the genetic changes required to accommodate these needs. Considerable travel is involved in gathering the important customer feedback needed to supply the information back to all members of the alliance.  
            “Shorthorns Designed with the Commercial Cattleman in Mind” defines the objectives of the Westridge Shorthorn program owned by Ray and Mike Berntson of Valley City, ND. Alta Cedar First Blood 5R x, champion at the Canadian Western Agribition and his harem of cows graze pastures along the very rough but picturesque hills that line the Sheyenne River Valley. First Blood was added to incorporate his thickness and fleshing ability. Kolt Mastercharge 12T *x, a son of DFS Red Rider 844 *x and former Denver sale top seller is another important herd sire. Berntsons market both bulls and females from their 150 cow herd primarily to commercial customers in the area in keeping with the slogan that they use to define their program. A 500 head feedlot has recently been added as a way to promote their program all the way from calving to the dinner plate.      
            The Berntson family has been staunch supporters of not only the Shorthorn breed but has been active in community and state agricultural and civic organizations. Ray currently represents the flax industry on the North Dakota Oilseed Council and was a long time member of the governing board for the North Dakota Winter Show.
            Jungels Shorthorn Farm (JSF) is owned and operated by Derek and his son Brock and Derek’s parents, Dennis and Rita. The first Shorthorns were purchased by the Jungels family in 1953. When Derek returned to the operation in 1999 both the size and scope of the operation was expanded. “Durhams for Denver” is a trademark that has brought considerable notoriety and marketing success to the JSF program. Each year at Denver “In the Yards” bulls have competed successfully in the pen shows and been merchandised from coast to coast. They have also been sold from Canada to Texas and interests to Australia. From these Denver pens Select Sires AI Unit purchased JSF Capiche 46U *x, their first Shorthorn bull acquisition in nearly 25 years and have had excellent success with semen sales and calving reports.
               SULL Red Demand 9329 ET *xAR was running with a group of two-year- old pairs at Derek’s home place. Bull calf pairs were accompanied by JSF Troubadour 37W x, an impressive red son of SBR Tsunami 20T x. It is from this group that many of the 2011 Denver pen bulls will be selected and several were writing down numbers with the intention of following them through to that event. Jake’s Proud Jazz 266L *x has acquired a widespread and enviable reputation as a sire of moderate-framed, easy-doing progeny. Approaching his ninth birthday he still looks very impressive following the group of cows with heifer calves at foot. The entire SU group was not able to see the excellent group of black and commercial cows but reports were that JSF Top Hand 34R *x really “looked like a stud” in this very rough pasture.
            Engelvale, North Dakota is not universally known as one of the “hot spots” of the northern plains. However they do know how put on a good meal and cook a good steak that was sponsored by JSF. Dennis and Rita Jungels deserve special thanks for serving as tour guides for our trip through North Dakota. The country band helped to top off an enjoyable day and evening before departure for a late night arrival in Enderlin, ND.
            After an early morning departure for Galbreath Farms, Enderlin, ND we were treated to breakfast and a look at a portion of their 100 cow Shorthorn herd. The Galbreaths are truly a livestock family. In addition to the purebred Shorthorn herd they run 300 commercial cows with 25 Red Angus used to raise Durham Reds.  A large swine program produces some show pigs and their sheep operation has a commercial and a club lamb element so each April they host the “Top of Dakota” sale featuring these productions. Additionally they have 4000 tillable acres raising corn, wheat and soybeans. Ryan’s parents as well as his sister and brother and their families are all involved in the operation.
            In the spring of 2009 Galbreaths purchased the entire Gordon Brockmueller spring calving herd which brought them to their current number of purebreds. JSF Jazz 34S *x is leaving a set of muscular, stout made calves. Other herd sires on display included Canadian-bred bulls Glenford Prince 84U x and HC Leader’s Legacy 9U ET *x.  Leader’s Legacy is sired by TPS Coronet Leader 21st x, a white bull born in 1960. This writer happened to see Leader 21st show as a senior bull calf in Chicago and sell at a National Polled Shorthorn Congress in Omaha. Who would think that we would see a son and discuss this bull nearly fifty years later! Interestingly enough, Jake’s Proud Jazz 266L *x is also a grandson of Leader 21st.  
            Early records indicate that the North Dakota State University Shorthorn herd was established in 1896 when the University (then called North Dakota Agricultural College) and the state of North Dakota was only about six years old. Cows and calves are pastured at the Ekre Grassland Preserve located in the North Dakota Sand Hills approximately forty miles southeast of the campus in Fargo. A handout in the folders of all those in attendance outlined the history of the herd with a listing of all the sires used in the herd since its inception 114 years ago. Shorthorn registrations have occurred nearly every year since the herd was started. The NDSU herd would certainly rate as one of the older herds in the US under the same ownership. Nearly sixty percent of the 24 cows in the herd are members of the Orange Blossom family tracing to heifers purchased from Stangl Brothers, Java, SD. 2010 calves were sired by Saskvalley Pioneer 126P x and two of his sons as well as Eionmor Marquis 86G x, Alta Cedar Samurai 46T x and RS DV729 01 034 04 x (034). Many breeders from across North America have supplied semen for use in the herd.
            When the bus arrived back in Fargo at mid-morning on Sunday all Shorthorn University and KEY Conference attendees put on white frocks and hairnets preparing to see the carcasses of the four cattle viewed live and scanned on Friday afternoon. Dr. Paul Berg, NDSU meat scientist led the discussion on the evaluation of the carcasses. He thoroughly explained the processes employed in packing plants that are used to measure value in beef carcasses which generated considerable discussion. The results of the scans and carcass measurements are as follows:

                                      Ultrasound Measures                        Carcass Measures
B.F.      REA     Marb                              B.F.   REA   Marb
Black Baldy Steer          .34        15.7       SL+                        .45     14.7    SM60
2002 Red Baldy Heifer  .52        13.6       SM-                        .40     12.9    SM80
No Tag Red Heifer        .35        14.1       SM-                        .35     13.6    SM70
977 Yellow Heifer         .25        12.5       SL+                        .30     14.6    SM20
            
            During another superb lunch prepared by Carnivore Catering videos prepared by KEY Conference members were shown. These juniors demonstrated their creativity putting together Advocacy discussions on the Beef Industry.