When Tom Lasater left college in 1931 to manage the family cattle business, his goal was to turn around an operation that was in difficult times financially and to build his own ranch.  Lasater did not set out initially to be a seedstock producer or to develop a breed; his goal was to make a profit in the cow-calf business.  His forward thinking and selection for the Six Essential traits resulted in cattle that caused the neighbors to take notice.  Seeing first hand how the cattle performed, people began requesting that he save bulls for them to use in their own operations.  Thus, Tom Lasater entered the seedstock business. In 1954 the selection program and cattle he produced were recognized as a breed.

Tom Lasater’s example of how to enter into the seed stock business stands in stark contrast to how many people enter the seedstock business today.  For those who have enough money and a big feed bucket it is relatively easy to buy into the “seed stock” business and produce stock show champions. However, when cattle from that type of breeding program are asked to work in a minimum input environment and produce a profit, the results are often disappointing. 

 Lasater BeefmasterâGenetics have stayed the course that Tom Lasater set when he returned to the family ranch in 1931. Since that time, the breeding program has focused on the Six Essential traits that directly influence profitability.  Fertile, functional, productive cattle that are able to turn a profit in a range environment with minimum assistance are still the focus of our selection program.

The cattle industry has changed a tremendous amount since Tom Lasater began his career in the cattle business.  However, the Six Essential traits that are at the foundation of the Lasater Beefmaster selection program are still critically important to making a profit in the cow-calf business today.  You are invited to our 54^th annual field day and production sale to see for yourself the results of over seventy years of selection for profit driven genetics.

Numbers are important tools in any cattle breeding program, and every seedstock producer needs to generate and compare a variety of numbers that measure a particular animal’s traits as well as ones that quantify overall herd production.

But numbers are only important in context, and in any attempt to compare cattle, the context- the rest of the story-is critical. No judgment can be rendered on an animal’s merit without a complete understanding of both the management and selection program in the herd that produced the animal as well as the environment (including supplementation) in which the individual’s dam and other forbears were expected to produce.

Weight is the easiest number to get and is potentially the most misused in selecting breeding stock. Since it is so easy to weigh an animal, and we have many weights on each one, it often dominates the statistical data and we almost unavoidably over-emphasize that trait in our breeding decisions. Weaning and yearling weights are meaningful only when one knows the details of the conditions that produced that weight (such as the level of supplementation before and after weaning) as well as the production requirements put on the females in that herd.

How useful is the weight record of a bull whose dam had her first calf at three years of age, or who is nursing her fourth calf at seven? How helpful the outstanding yearling weight EPD of a bull whose dam had to be assisted in delivering him, or who had to be milked out for him to nurse?

Why are we concerned with the possible over-emphasis of weight? Because it is only one of six traits essential for profitable beef production, and because the average Beefmaster cow is plenty big already. Plenty big, that is, to be a functional mama paying her way on pastureland anywhere in the U.S. 

Weaning weights at 8-9 months averaging 550-625#  (available to anyone using good bulls) are as heavy as we are going to get in this country. Of course a few calves may be much heavier. That is good as long as their mothers breed back on schedule, are able to keep up the pace year after year, and don’t require a lot of extra feed expense to achieve those weights. Which means that a breeding cow’s longevity is a very important factor to include in any comparison of the numbers on individual animals. Longevity is probably the best single indicator that the various essential traits are in balance, and insures that we are not using the numbers to push any trait too far. 

The management practices and the long-term selection program in place for any herd provide the critical under-pining for the performance records generated. We would assert that unless you know those details about a particular farm or ranch, numbers are virtually meaningless. The breeding program established in the 1930’s and 1940’s which gave rise to the Beefmaster breed still forces a compromise between antagonistic traits such as weight and hardiness, and insures that these cattle are masters at converting forages to beef while producing pounds at a profit.  

1. Bulls that can gain, grow and effectively convert forage to pounds of beef sire calves that will do the same.

2. Bulls that demonstrate fleshing-ability when developed on forage pass these traits on to their daughters, resulting in easy-keeping cows.

3. “Bulls with wheels.”  Because the bulls have not been pushed for gain they will be sound on their feet and legs and able to cover big country.  Having been developed on forage will also enhance their longevity and adaptability to harsh environments. 

4. True phenotypic differences can be seen when bulls have been developed on forage. This may not be true if bulls are over fed and fat.

5. Two-year-old bulls are able to handle a heavier workload than yearlings and should require less feed and care in their first year of service.

How Lasater Beefmaster

Bulls are Developed

At weaning the bulls are evaluated and any bull with an unacceptable weaning weight or faulty conformation is cut.  This occurs in mid May.  The bulls are then grown through the summer on native range with the only supplement being salt and mineral.  In August, (on approximately their first birthday) yearling weights and scrotal measurements are taken.  At this time, those bulls that are to be used as herd sires for the Lasater Ranch are selected.  Under “normal conditions” the bulls are turned back out and roughed through the fall and winter on cake and range.  Hay is fed only when deep snow cover requires it. 

In mid August weights, ultra sound data and scrotal measurements will be taken and the bulls will be evaluated based on performance and confirmation.  Those that are deemed to be acceptable will then be eligible for our annual sale.  Only the top half of the bull crop makes it into the offering for our annual production sale.

When spring comes, development on native range continues through the summer.  This year, due to the drought, we took the bulls to Ron Morgan’s in Oklahoma to graze wheat pasture through the winter.  The bulls returned to the Lasater ranch at Matheson in mid May to graze native range through the summer as has been done in the past in developing the bulls.