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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Featured Member- Gene and Cheryl Wirth

Gene and Cheryl Wirth

The 2011 Indianhead Hereford Assocation Hall of Fame award was presented to Gene and Cheryl Wirth of New Richmond. Wirth Polled Herefords began in 1968 with a few commercial Herefords on a small hobby farm on Bass Lake near New Richmond. The first 2 registered heifers were purchased on a sale in North Dakota from Tuffy Torgeson and Ed Kalianoff in 1972. A bull was added from the Indianhead sale in the fall of 1973. A group of bred heifers were purchased from Glenkirk Farms in Maysville, Missouri in August of 1978. The commercial cattle were eventually phased out with the purchase of more of registered cattle over the next few years. They usually only keep 12-15 cows because of limited acres.

Over the years, all four of the Wirth children showed cattle through FFA and junior associations on the state and national level. A lot of guidance in the beginning came from the Langness family, that lead to a life long friendship and several partnerships on herdbulls. It’s a good thing they live only 5 miles apart!
In more recent years, the majority of the herd is based from Jensen Brothers in Courtland, Kansas, 
one cow family from Klippenstein Family Farm in Maysville, Missouri, and the featured herd matron, and their most recent Dam of Distinction, CPH Miss Radar 11R, from the Carters in North Dakota.




Along the way, the Wirth cattle have had numerous     accomplishments in the showring considering the size of the cow herd. They exhibited Champion or Res Champion Heifer or Bull at the Minnesota State Fair from 2003 to 2007 along with the premier exhibitor in 2006 and 2007. Others highlights include a Junior National Res Division Bred and Owned Heifer in 1992, Supreme Champion Hereford Female at the 2000 World Beef Expo, and Champion Cow/Calf at the American Royal 2001
They annually consign to the Indianhead Sale, the North Star Classic in Valley City, North Dakota, the American Royal, and the National Western Sale in Denver.

Gene retired from Cemstone Ready Mix in 2004 after almost 40 years in the concrete business. He took up a new hobby of golf. If you ever want to play 9 holes, you know who to call. In 2006, he went back to work at Anderson Ford in Baldwin and that was the end of his retirement.
Cheryl has always stayed at home. She keeps busy between the house, yard work, garden, and farm chores. 
Tracy works as a travel agent for Travel Leaders in New Richmond. She also finds time to help with cattle at several shows and sales.
Matt lives by New Richmond and works as a loader operator for Barton Sand and Gravel in Minnesota. He recently got back into the cattle business by buying a club calf donor cow with Gene along with a herd of recipient cows. He helps with keeping the cow herd fed and the equipment in working order.
Brent works as the assistant herd manager for the Emerald division of Da-Mar Farms. A 1200 head Red Angus, Simmental and commercial cow/calf operation. He also does most of the AI breeding at home.
Lance is the manager of Lamb Brothers in Wilson. Along with the running the 120 cows, crops, and sale cattle of Lambs, he owns 15 cows between the home farm, Lambs, and other partnership animals. He also maintains the show and sale cattle at home.
Over the years of being involved in the cattle business, they have most enjoyed the people they have met and the friendships they have made along the way.


 
 



Previously Featured Farms - Archive

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

For Sale


CTR Via John Wayne is out of the 2009 National Champion Bull KT John Wayne 7167. His dam is one of our oldest , problem-free cows.  He has a moderate Birth Weight EPD of 3.4 and a Ribeye of .44.  He is very attentive and should make a great herd bull prospect.  www.CTRherefords.com    or call 715-483-1184.




Sunday, April 10, 2011

Temperament and Pregnancy

By Scott B Laudert, Ph.D., beef cattle technical consultant.

Undesirable temperament in feedlot cattle has been reported to reduce slaughter and carcass weights by 40 lbs. and 17 lbs., respectively (BEEF, June 2010, “Research Roundup”).  Since temperament is a moderately heritable trait in cattle, one would rightfully conclude that excitable feedlot steers and heifers are the progeny of excitable
Sires and dams.  Now researchers from the University of Florida (UF) and Oregon State University (OSU) are studying the effect of temperament on reproductive function of beef cows and heifers.

Prior  to the start of cattle- breeding season at both universities, cows were classified by a final temperament score of 1 to 5 with 5 being extremely excitable and 1 being calm.  The final score was an average of observations recorded while the cows were restrained in a squeeze chute for a blood draw, exiting the squeeze chute and crossing a holding pen.  Cows scoring 4 or 5 were considered to have excitable temperaments.

UF cows were Brahman crossbreds and were exposed to bulls for a 90- day breeding season.  OSU cows were British crosses and were either exposed to bulls for a 50-day breeding season or estrus synchronized and timed-AI followed by 50 days of bull exposure.

Results at both locations suggested  that reproductive responses of cattle with excitable temperaments are similar.  Plasma cortisol concentration was elevated in cows with an excitable temperament.  An elevated level of this hormone is known to interfere with reproduction. 

Cows with excitable temperaments at both locations were less likely to become pregnant during the breeding.  Reduced pregnancy rate wasn’t overcome by a longer breeding season at the UF site.

Management strategies that improve temperament will benefit overall herd reproductive efficiency and productivity.  Aggressive culling of animals with excitable temperaments and selection of replacements with non-aggressive temperaments are advised.

Featured Member- Boettcher's Brookview Acres

(Profile Archive)

Back Row: Ryan Timm, Brandon, Maryellen, Michael, & Garritt 
Front Row:Tiffany Timm, Clarence, Andrew, & Gwen


The farm was purchased by Grandfather, Albert Boettcher, in 1908. He built the main barn in 1911 after spending two winters hauling sandstones by team and stone boat from a quarry a mile away. He operated a dairy farm until 1938 when a tornado destroyed the top of the main barn. At that time, Albert and his wife Selma moved to a smaller farm in Augusta selling the original farm to their son, Clarence E. Boettcher. He and his wife, Bernice, operated it as a sheep and poultry farm until 1950 when he again started a Jersey dairy herd that became the mainstay of the farm until it was dispersed in 1972. A lamb feedlot was added to the operation during the late fifties and continued until 1988. A steer feedlot was started in 1963 and continues as part of the operation today. The first registered Polled Hereford arrived in 1966 as an FFA project heifer for Clarence L. “Butch” Boettcher. The first three original heifers all came from Roy and Esther Brenizer of Sterling Polled Herefords. The registered and commercial beef cow herds grew substantially following the sale of the dairy herd. The farm operation was taken over by Butch and Maryellen Boettcher following the death of Clarence E. in 1980. With the help of all four children; Tiffany, Brandon, Garritt, and Michael, the farm became principally a registered seedstock operation selling bulls, replacement females, and finished cattle to document breeding stock performance. A herd of registered Polled Shorthorns was added in 1989. The herds now number 100 brood cows handled in a forage based environment with youngstock developed on home grown forages with limited grain.


Butch and Maryellen operate the home farm. Brandon purchased a neighboring farm in 2002 and operates it along with the home operation. Tiffany & Ryan Timm, Garritt & Gwen Boettcher, and Michael Boettcher have all retained ownership of some of their project cattle and they are integrated into the breeding herd. In August of 2008 the farm was awarded the prestigious of ‘Century Farm’ from Wisconsin Dept of Ag.

The breeding program is focused on producing functionally sound cattle that will efficiently convert low value feeds into high value breeding stock and beef. The breeding herd is handled under commercial cow environmental conditions in an effort to ensure that bulls will perform and produce offspring that will thrive in typical upper Midwestern conditions.

SHF Missle 236G M48 (Governor son out of an Interstate cow) purchased from Sandhill Farms in Yard Pen Show at NWSS in Denver in 2003.


  • Mohican Slugger 32S (Mohican Mint son out of a Kelso cow) purchased from Mohican West in Yard Pen Show at NWSS in Denver in 2007.
  • NJW Z17 Vaquero 25C (Southern Cross son out of a Wrangler 832W cow) Sire of Distinction. Foundation Sire of cowherd.
  • C&L LLL Trpl Tradition 9B 20P (Doubletime son out of 434V cow) purchased at Genetic Selection 2004. Calving ease specialist.
Cowherd:
  • Built on Wrangler 832W bloodlines through Vaquero 25C, Wrangler 21D and Wrangler 20D. Added growth from Thunder 62J daughters.
Heifers to watch in the future:
  • SSF MS Java 885 ET (full sister to Shrek)
  • Brookview M48 Twang 07T
  • NWJ 73C Wilma 15P
Off the farm, Boettchers’ sell carefully selected breeding stock at Genetic Selection Sale in Fond du lac, Wisconsin Polled Hereford Spring Sale in Lancaster, World Beef Expo at West Allis, Indianhead Polled Hereford Sale in River Falls, and Central Wisconsin Calf Sale in Marshfield. Showing is very limited now since all the kids have full time jobs. Small show strings, however, still make it to the Central WI State Fair at Marshfield, World Beef Expo, and Badger Kickoff Classic.
Family careers:
  • Butch – Farm Business Instructor at Chippewa Valley Technical College (recently retired and now full time farmer)
  • Maryellen – substitute teacher at Osseo Fairchild Schools
  • Brandon – Artificial Insemination technician for ABS Global and self employed farmer
  • Garritt – Design engineer for John Deere at Horicon, WI
  • Gwen – Agriculture Instructor at DeForest High School
  • Michael – Sale and show cattle manager at Gaffney Family Angus at Barneveld, WI
  • Tiffany Timm – Agriculture instructor at LeRoy, MN
  • Ryan Timm – Senoir Meat Scientist for Hormel, Inc. at Austin, MN
  • Andrew and Clara Timm – the next generation!!


cmboettcher@centurytel.net
http://www.brookviewacres.com/



(This Member Profile was taken from the Wisconsin Hereford association Website)

Featured Member- Gary and Marilyn Reinke

(Profile Archive)

The Reinke Family – Thanksgiving 2010

Gari-Alan Farm began in 1960 when Gil and Esther Reinke moved their greenhouse business from West Allis to Muskego to build a new greenhouse on a 19 acre farm. In the fall of 1960, when Gary started college at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Gil bought 3 registered Polled Herefords from Laurence Holmes of Oconomowoc, a bred cow with a heifer calf at side and a bred heifer. The bred heifer later produced a bull out of their first herd sire “Khrushchev” (GHF Mischief 247) that was the champion bull at the state sale in Lancaster in 1968 and sold to Joe Lewis of Alfalfa Lawn Farm in Larned, Kansas who judged the show. The name Gari-Alan Farm comes from Gary and two sons of family friends whose first names were Alan. The name was kept as people got to know the Reinkes by the farm name. Nineteen acres and a little rented hay land weren’t going to be enough and Gary and Marilynn spent a lot of time riding the roads of Jefferson County and were led to the present 80 acre farm at Johnson Creek which was purchased in 1968, 4 years after Gary and Marilynn were married and 6 months after the birth of their first child Rachelanne. An additional 80 acres is rented from neighbors. For 43 years Gary commuted to his teaching job at Wisconsin Lutheran High School in Milwaukee while Marilynn chased cows, sold bulls, tended to newborn calves etc.



GAF Modernizer V11 - 1968 WPHA Champion Bull sold to Joe Lewis, John M. Lewis & Sons, Larned, Kansas

Gari-Alan Farm has always striven to raise productive cattle that grow and do well in their environment. The first herd bull born in March of 1962 was “too big” to show as a yearling, as the cattle of that day were small and short. Many of the GAF females trace back to heifer calves purchased from Hubert Glascock of Kingman, IN. in the 1960’s. Most of Hubert’s cattle never saw a barn. Gari-Alan Farm also believes in a breeding “program” where consistency and a degree of uniformity are important. Eighty percent of the cowherd carries the GAF prefix. On occasion a cow is purchased to bring in something new to the herd and two purchased cows who have had significant impact on the herd are DL Vicki 162A 28E bred by Dale Lacy and LJR Reba 211L, a D.O.D from Journagan Ranch. Both cows are in the pedigrees of one of the present herd bulls, GAF Thick Mister J 917U. GAF has always tried to be careful about chasing after the latest fads as that can result in a roller coaster breeding program. The truck license plate says “Bulls” and that signifies what keeps GAF in business-selling bulls to commercial and registered breeders. “We did 12 years of all A.I. from 1980-1992 and decided that it was more profitable to forego high semen and certificate costs and use natural service herd sires with a background that matched our goals.” Most of the 35 cow herd is bred to GAF Thick Mister J 917U, 1st place winner at both 2008 and 2009 World Beef Expo out of the Journagan D.O.D. LJR Reba 211L, his sire, GAF Thickfella Plus 836R, Reserve Fall Calf Champion at 2006 World Beef Expo, owned with BBC Farms, a double grandson of the Lacy cow, used A.I., and LHF P417 Sheridan W959, from Fred and Jerry Larson, whose first calves are eagerly being anticipated. A few cows and heifers are bred to selected AI sires to try new blood lines. “We strive to have balanced traits, combining productivity with an attractive visual appearance, trying to avoid extremes” The herd has been performance tested since 1968. Attention is also paid to carcass traits. Mister J ultra sounded a 14.73 rib eye and a 4.14 marbling score (Low Choice) at 11 ½ months.

 GAF Thick Mister J 917U - Class Winner 2009 & 2010 World Beef Expo

Remaining in Polled Herefords for 50 years would not have been possible without the hard work of the whole family. Marilynn (who never was going to live on a farm), Rachelanne, Matthew and David who all worked hard on the farm, especially when dad was away teaching school, and presently youngest son Nathan, now a college student, who is in charge of fitting and showing, teaching the grandkids, and working hard at rejuvenating “old dad”. Granddaughter Annah Dobson is in her fourth year of showing and her younger brother Connor is starting this year so it looks like the tradition is continuing. Of course, all of this would not be possible without the Lord giving us good health and all of His other blessings that have kept us going over the years. We are very appreciative of the many wonderful cattle people whom we have met over the years and we treasure our membership in the WHA, the IPHA and the privilege of being involved in the various sales, tours and other activities.
(Profile taken from Wisconsin Hereford Association website)



Saturday, April 9, 2011

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