The demand for cattle from the Burgett Angus Farm is consistently strong because the herd not only produces steers with top carcass quality, but it is also certified free from Johne’s disease.

95 Percent Choice

Both sons, Phillip and Bryan, came back to the farm after graduating from Ohio State. Building the herd became an important goal, and today Dad and the sons run the farm together. They are breeding their cows for carcass quality and selling them on a grade-and-yield basis. The resulting steers grade 95 percent Choice. The national average among processed cattle is 50 percent Choice.

Carcass data comes back to them after their cattle are slaughtered. It tells them the quality grade, yield grade, backfat thickness, intramuscular fat or marbling, size of ribeye, and the percent of retail cut.

A sufficient amount of this type of information has been gathered and banked by the American Angus Association to make carcass quality a measurable genetic trait, along with other desirable traits such as weanling and yearling growth. A sire’s performance data predicts the degree and the likelihood that the animal will produce these traits in his offspring. This information is expressed as EPD, or expected progeny difference.

“Most of our cows are bred by Artificial Insemination (AI), and for the last eight years we’ve used only sires that have a positive EPD for marbling, ribeye, and percent of retail cut,” said Keith.

Certified Angus

About 65 percent of Burgett steers grade high enough to qualify as Certified Angus Beef, a program of the American Angus Association which supplies consistently high-quality beef to CAB-licensed stores and restaurants. Beef marketed through this program must be from Angus-bred cattle and have a quality grade falling within the upper two-thirds of the Choice grade. A range of marbling scores determines each grade.

A beef carcass in the CAB program might return $20–$30 more than one of average quality, Bryan said. In this case, the feeder, or person owning the cattle at the time of processing, receives this added value.

Because the Burgetts sell their cattle to the owner of the feedlot, they negotiate for a price premium based on the high performance expected. “We try to get a premium of $8 to $10 per hundredweight over the conventional market price,” Bryan said.

Ultrasound On Bulls

Replacement heifers also provide ultrasound data, which gives them information about the strengths and shortfalls of the AI sires being used. Once their herd numbers level off at 250 to 300 head and there is no reason to keep so many replacement females, they will use the information to cull heifers whose carcass and reproductive traits are below the herd average.

Certified Johne’s Free

All cattle on this farm are tested annually for Johne’s disease, and for nine years the herd has been certified Johne’s-Free by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. To reduce the likelihood that their herd will be infected by diseased cattle, the Burgetts never buy females and seldom purchase bulls. If they do buy a bull, he is tested for Johne’s whether or not the previous owner had tested him.

The disease prevention has paid off. “Last spring and summer we sold every bull we had, about 30 head,” Phillip said. They also sell a few females and expect to sell more when their herd stops expanding.

A few bulls are marketed each year from the Ohio Bull test station, where they have been tested for feedlot performance. Classified advertising in regional magazines is also used to find bull buyers. “We sell bulls by word of mouth, too, when satisfied buyers tell their neighbors they bought a bull from us,” Phillip said. “We also have a lot of repeat customers.” The Burgetts host an open house on the farm each year, when they serve ... roast Angus-beef sandwiches, of course.

Long Grazing Season

Feeding efficiency adds to the seller premiums earned from high-quality carcasses. Good grass that shortens the winter feeding season helps profits. “The longer our cattle can graze into the fall, the cheaper our feed costs will be,” said Phillip.