Farm Update:

Our winter has been fairly normal except for what seemed to be innumerable foggy days. The cows and I are definitely ready for spring. They have all gone back out on pasture in the last week to a bountiful supply of grass. We are about half way through calving and are quite pleased with many of the calves this year including a couple of exceptional calves sired by Thornwood Major and a wonderful IVF Kinnaber Leader 9th daughter. The calves sired by our Pleasant Dawn Seal 2nd son, Styker, are also outstanding.

Quarterly Topic: What Constitutes The Constructive Livestock Breeder?

The Problem:

The average breeder turn over in the purebred livestock industry is approximately 5 years. That means there is little opportunity to have a positive impact on the breed other than buying breeding stock and then dispersing breeding stock. Developing a viable & impactful breeding program is not a short term project. It takes real commitment, patience, and principled dedication to achieve a specific breeding goal. Most breeders are only focused on short term sales and will embrace whatever are the “hottest” bloodlines with little regard to the long term consequences. It is understandable that most breeders simply do not grasp the importance of breed improvement and they either lack the skill set to make needed trait selections through planned matings or they are unwilling invest the time it takes to make breed improvements by adhering to strict principles to achieve long term goals, despite whatever is the latest show fad.

Definition:

Since my interests revolve around Shorthorns, especially Heritage Shorthorns, this article will use examples from the Shorthorn Industry although the principles apply to any breed of livestock. I would suspect most breeders are not familiar with the term Constructive Livestock Breeder because in the rush to capitalize on technology through EPDs and genomics the true art of breeding Shorthorns/Livestock is being thrown in the dustbin of time. A Constructive Breeder visualizes the positive characteristics that need to be incorporated into a breed before anyone else because he/she has the acuity to recognize the need for adjusting breed characteristics to meet the demands of the evolving marketplace for cattle genetics. The shortsighted do this through crossbreeding while a Constructive Breeder does it through a selection process that maintains breed purity. The necessity to improve the genetic characteristics of the breed to fill newly developed niches for his/her breed can be met by a systematic selection approach without resorting to crossbreeding. This preserves the core of the breed but allows for development and enhancement of various traits. Essentially Constructive Breeders are positive change artists that move the breed in the right direction and bring a new paradigm to the breed in the process without altering what made the breed a breed.

Shorthorn Constructive Breeders:

When I survey the historical landscape of Shorthorns around the world over the last 60 years few individuals qualify as Constructive Breeders. Two that had a tremendous impact on the Shorthorn breed were: Robert (Bob) Gordon (Kinnaber herd) who was located in Souris, Manitoba, Canada and Rick Pisaturo (Mandalong herd) who was located in St Mary Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Careful consideration of their involvement in the cattle industry will show a lot of similarities as they effectively changed the Shorthorn breed around the world for the better. When they came on the scene the Shorthorn breed was mired in a precipitous decline as a result of obsequious devotion to the show game that was controlled primarily by wealthy industrialists. The Show Shorthorn type in the 1950’s-1960’s was short in all body aspects from head to tail. Many had a dwarf look to them that was similar to what was seen in the dwarf Herefords at that time. To say they were literally and figuratively “dead end” cattle can not be emphasized enough. Both men recognized the problem and tried to solve it in two different ways.

Robert (Bob) Gordon:

Bob Gordon saw TPS Coronet Leader 21st (bred by Thiemans in Missouri) at a sale, and instantly viewed him as the answer to the ongoing problem of small Shorthorns. Leader 21 was a huge bull for the time and was purchased by Bob Gordon on the cheap because nobody wanted him. He was too big. By using the size attributes of Leader 21, along with his soundness, Gordon bred him to a larger type of cow producing offspring that were bigger, grew faster, had fewer genetic problems, and became more competitive in the cattle marketplace. Leader 21 sons became the answer to the problems of “Belt Buckle” Shorthorns in America. Everyone had to have one because they were the change the Shorthorn breed needed at the time. All because of one man’s acumen and resistance to the pull of the Shorthorn breeding masses/judges/show breeders. Effectively he ended the Shorthorn “Belt Buckle” era. Gordon was a masterful promotor of Shorthorns and was involved with several other cattle breeds during his colorful career. Anyone interested in reading more about Bob Gordon should try to obtain a copy of his autobiographical book, written with his wife Joyce, “A Cattleman’s Walk Down Memory Lane”. Used Copies can be occasionally found for sale on eBay or Amazon.

Rick Pisaturo:

To say Rick’s life story is unique is an understatement of the highest magnitude. Since this article is about breeding quality livestock I will dispense with a discussion of Rick’s history going from his home in Italy to WW II POW in Australia to the preeminent Shorthorn breeder in the world. Rick became involved in Shorthorns in 1960 at a time when the Shorthorn breed was on a downhill slide in Australia and the rest of the world. Many of the problems in Australia were similar to the USA, just not as extreme. From his childhood Rick was enamored by the size of many of the cattle breeds in Italy such as the Chianina. When he embraced the Shorthorn breed he realized it had to change if it was going to be competitive in the cattle industry long term. He saw a need for larger, faster growing Shorthorns that could thrive in diverse environments while maintaining their positive breed characteristics such as maternal instinct, docility, milking ability, reproductive performance, marbling, and feed efficiency. Rick decided that Australian Dairy Shorthorn bulls could solve these problems. He eventually purchased a couple of large Dairy Shorthorn bulls at a dairy dispersal sale and the rest, as they say, is history. Those bulls sired Mandalong Super Flag and Mandalong Super Elephant from cows that Rick had bred for size and maintenance of breed characteristics. Super Flag was sold to Dr. Gary Carter in Canada who promoted him as a changer bull that would return Shorthorns to prominence. Depending on which set of statistics you believe Super Flag constitutes 12-14% of all Shorthorn genetics in Canada today. He was also used extensively in the USA. Super Elephant semen was sold all over the world and had a tremendous impact on the Shorthorn breed. It is interesting to note that Super Elephant was the grandsire of the high selling Shorthorn bull at the recent 2022 Stirling sale in the UK. A testament to his “staying power”. Rick moved on to other interests in the late 70’s and developed several original breeds that are unique to Australia. Rick will 100 years old this month and is still engaged in the livestock industry despite his many other business interests. He truly is a Constructive Breeder. If readers are interested in Rick’s thoughts on stud breeding or his colorful life history I would strongly recommend the two books he has written: “Stud Beef Cattle Breeding & Common Sense” and “Australia, My Love” which is his autobiography. Both books are available on Rick’s website (www.rickpisaturo.com.au).

Constructive Breeders Needed:

Given current societal and Shorthorn trends I see two particular areas of market interest that need to be developed in a systematic manner by determined Heritage Shorthorn breeders. Those areas are: grass-fed Shorthorn Beef, and Dual Purpose Dairy Heritage Shorthorns. With the diverse genetics available in Heritage Shorthorns there is no question that both can be produced with resultant superior genetics which can be marketed in a variety of ways. Anyone who establishes consistent superior Heritage Shorthorn bloodlines that redefine and upgrade Shorthorn genetics in either of those areas may well be on their way to becoming a Constructive Breeder. The challenge presented by trying to compete with commercial composite beef cattle needs to be met through alternative marketing rather than simply going “head to head”. There has never been a better time to seize the opportunities that exist in today’s dynamic cattle industry and take on the challenges of changing the direction of the Shorthorn breed to expand and fill growing niche markets in the cattle industry.

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Future Topic: The Pursuit Of Calving Ease: A Potential Disaster

Joseph Schallberger, DVM, PhD
Whispering Hills Farm
Member Academy of Veterinary Consultants