Why do we have a beef nutritionist?
Cows are so much like humans as they need great nutrition in order to breed and raise healthy off spring. With the help of a beef nutritionist (Chris Muegge, M.S.), we can come together and review problems we are seeing in the cattle and discuss which mineral the cow could be getting to much of or not enough of in their diets. Some times we have to take blood tests to determine what their specific needs are. Chris also reviews all feed tags (from bought feed products) to make sure they contain the proper quantities of vitamins and minerals.
Why we use a Balancer Bull
A Balancer bull is a cross breed of Black Angus and Gelbvieh Bull. There are several reasons why Kestler Farms chooses to use a Balancer Bull rather than a pure bred Black Angus.
- Bigger Rib-eye (which most customers want)
- Moderate size cattle
- Better temperament
Why keep Black Angus in the mix?
- Produces better marbling of beef (this is what makes the beef tender, juicy and flavorful)
- Cows are better mothers (our opinion)
- Most livestock buyers want a black hided beef
- Most black hided beef can be certified as Angus at the grocery stores even if they are not Angus if they meet other certain criteria
Why cross breed at all?
- 2-6% increase in calf survivability
- 16-38% increase in longevity of cows
- 6-9% increase in weaning weight of calves
- 25% increase in lifetime productivity of cows