The Angus Journal® is a monthly magazine known for in-depth coverage of American Angus Association® programs and services; the Angus business; herd management; and advertising reflecting genetics and herd philosophies.
Issue link: http://angusjournal.epubxp.com/i/529629
88 ■ ANGUSJournal ■ July 2015 O n the southern plains near Corn, Okla., you'll see the town's namesake everywhere. Row crops and winter wheat extend as far as the eye can see. That is, until you reach the father-son duo of Jim and Jay Richert's place, where black cows stand out among the fi elds. "Not many people are doing what we're doing in this area," Jim says. "Look around. This is corn ground. Ten years ago we were farming this, but we turned it into grass for more cattle." Cattle have always been his favorite, since helping his dad build a cow-calf enterprise back in the late 1960s. When a fi eld didn't have the best soil for cash crops, Richert's father turned it back to native grasses and added cows. That experience convinced Jim that cattle on native grasses could compete with crops here, even if his neighbors didn't think so. Straight-Hereford cows gave way to Brangus-sired baldies in the early 1980s, forming part of the herd base Jim took over 10 years later. To make cattle pencil out to pay more than crops, he turned toward more Angus genetics, selecting for quality and premium markets. Selling stockers to feedlots wasn't paying a quality bonus, even though the Richerts were buying top-end Angus calves from a Wyoming ranch to go with their own. When that ranch decided to sell out, Jim saw an opportunity to sell his crossbreds and replace them with a foundation set of quality Angus heifers. As grid-based pricing started to take off in the late 1990s, the Richerts saw more incentives taking shape. Grid proof "When grids developed, then we really started concentrating on selecting sires for carcass traits," Jim says. "[It's] probably one of That meant a change from commodity crops to premium beef for this Oklahoma father and son. Story & photos by Katy Kemp, Certifi ed Angus Beef LLC Doing What Works @ Jim and Jay Richert, Corn, Okla., plan to keep improving until all replacements achieve GMX scores of at least 90, ideally 95. They know using the test in concert with focused sire selection and culling on carcass data will help them reach goals faster.