West Coast Brangus Assoc. Field Day! (pictures)

[branguscowgirl]

Last weekend was our field day and it was AWESOME! Thankfully, because I was in charge of putting it together this year! I had a 50/50 chance of either being the hero or the bu++! :cboy:

First we toured the Chico State University Beef Unit and Research Center with Dr. Doyle and a couple of his students. Of particular interest was their study on feed efficiency using the Gro-Safe feed tracking system. Each animal is implanted with a computer chip (of sort) that tracks, records, and analyzes everything about consumption. Frequency, amount ect.. The feeders are kept stalked with spent brewers grain from the local Sierra Nevada Brewery, which in turn serves the beef in their restaurant. The cattle in the analysis were Angus, Angus Lowlines, and Angus x Lowlines. It is now known that "the pure Lowlines and the pure Angus have close to the same feed efficiency." We also learned through their studies, "many larger framed cattle can be just as feed efficient as the smaller framed cattle." This has been a hot topic here on CT many times. To me, the studies at the University confirm what I have always believed about some lines of my large framed Brangus girls being very feed efficient. Everything, and I mean everything was analyzed! Our group was not short on questions either!
[URL[img]http://i881.photobucket.co...ads/IMG_20140503_101939_zps8c73caeb.jpg[/img][/url]
[URL[img]http://i881.photobucket.co...ads/IMG_20140503_105808_zpsde89a882.jpg[/img][/url]
The Meats Lab put the members to the test as Dr. Doyle had prepared two carcasses for evaluation. He led a lively, (and cold in the freezer) discussion on yield and grade in light of the changing tastes and preferences of the American consumer. Dr. Doyle's background in beef performance programs, animal breeding and genetics, and EPD development brought a broad appreciation for the "pasture to plate" concept as the group performed tenderness tests on meat samples. (Shear test)
[URL[img]http://i881.photobucket.co...ads/IMG_20140503_112857_zpse99f6d29.jpg[/img][/url]
[URL[img]http://i881.photobucket.co...ads/IMG_20140503_112904_zpsae2a42a9.jpg[/img][/url]
[URL[img]http://i881.photobucket.co...ads/IMG_20140503_114558_zps6083242b.jpg[/img][/url]
[URL[img]http://i881.photobucket.co...ads/IMG_20140503_115333_zpsb4db734f.jpg[/img][/url]
And, of course we got to sample some of the Meat labs fine sausages that they sell to the public!
[URL[img]http://i881.photobucket.co...ads/IMG_20140503_111651_zps97c76928.jpg[/img][/url]

Other highlights of the Field day were lunch speakers on photographing our cattle, Dr. Mennick on breeding issues, and Jason Bates from IBBA.
Then on to the Sierra Nevada Brewery for the Sustainability Tour. (Which I thought might be a bore, but it was really cool!) The Brewery sits on 50 acres. Virtually everything at the brewery is recycled or reused including the CO2 from the brewing process and the cooking oil from the kitchen. By using solar energy, only 21% of the total power must brought from outside this very large company. The brewery is a model for sustainability ideas from using all composting and bio-diesel from it's own facility, to tending its own gardens for kitchen herbs and landscape plants. I was actually very impressed! (The little samples of beer might have helped my attitude also. ;-) )
Hope that I did not bore you too much, I just had to share our great (cattle) day!

 

[Nesikep]

Good pics...

I've known for a long time too that some cattle are efficient and some aren't, and it doesn't have a whole lot to do with frame size.

I think sustainability is good, but these microbreweries take the idea and run to fanatic lengths with it for the sake of marketing to hippie-turned-yuppies... we have them here too.

We may not drive the most efficient vehicles out there, but making a vehicle takes a whole lot of energy too, and we save that!

 

[inyati13]

Thanks!

 

[cow pollinater]

Thanks for sharing. I'd have enjoyed that quite a bit. Feed efficiency and carcass traits are both about as relevant to our industry as it gets.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Thanks for sharing. I'd have enjoyed that quite a bit. Feed efficiency and carcass traits are both about as relevant to our industry as it gets.

Yes, it sure would have been nice to have had a better turn out. We had less than 15 people! The other members really missed out. (But it was open to anyone also.) People just have a really hard time getting away from the ranch this time of year. If you are not calving, you are haying, planting or breeding!
It was a great day though, maybe next time CP. ;-)

 

[Nesikep]

I wish there were something like that around here.. these f-all happening in this area as far as agriculture goes, especially if you want to learn. Same goes for 4H, FFA, or something like that, it would be a 5 hours trip each way to get even remotely close.

 

[Ryder]

You did a good job putting all that together BCG.
I'm impressed. :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[branguscowgirl]

You did a good job putting all that together BCG.
I'm impressed. :clap: :clap: :clap:

Thank you!
This is not all of it either. Lol I purchased lunch with all the fixins and put it out on tables for a nice picnic at the CSU farm. Made dinner reservations. Mapped everything out down to the minute even! :lol:
When I first started, CSU nor the Brewery would agree to either of the tours for that day. I had to go and personally pay them a visit to beg and plead my way in the door. I am glad it worked out after all my efforts. There will be a write up in some of the cattle journals, I am not sure which ones though.

 

[Craig Miller]

Thanks for sharing. I'd have enjoyed that quite a bit. Feed efficiency and carcass traits are both about as relevant to our industry as it gets.

Yes, it sure would have been nice to have had a better turn out. We had less than 15 people! The other members really missed out. (But it was open to anyone also.) People just have a really hard time getting away from the ranch this time of year. If you are not calving, you are haying, planting or breeding!
It was a great day though, maybe next time CP. ;-)

Looks like a good learninv experience. The others missed out. I always say you make time for the things you want to do.