A Breeder’s Philosophy

I am committed to breeding for maternal function. There are presently no EPD’s to take me where I want to go. Other breeders may seek outlier genetics to create useful terminal bulls. I want to create a holistic herd of Angus capable of thriving on grass in diverse environments.

When I saw the fallacy of terms like “maternal power” which promises maternal function and growth with no loss of efficiency, I began a whole-herd fixing of type using Wye genetics which offer sustainable efficiency on grass and excellent carcass. I experimented using foundation Wye genetics on pure lines of Shoshone cattle. Naturally there was a tremendous heterosis effect. I repeated proven nicks such as Fabron on Prince of Malpas, Viking GD60 on Emulation 31 and Rito 054.

Realizing that the Angus “breed” today is typically represented by a dysfunctional composite animal which hides its lethal genes in breeding programs that continuously market change as progress, I sought out breeders who demonstrate integrity and single-minded purpose. The genetics I am using come from the Wye herd in Maryland, from the Dunlouise herd in Scotland, from the Pinebank herd in New Zealand, and from the Octoraro herd in Pennsylvania. Why? Because each of these closed herds represents from 45 to 150 years of consistent work in a positive direction, which provides me with a solid genetic base.

We are now using bulls like Dunlouise Cortachy Boy or Dunlouise Jipsey Earl on daughters of Pinebank 41/97 or Pinebank 152/04, whose dams were sired by sons of foundation Wye bulls which include Prince of Malpas, George of Swiftbrook, Jai of Frampton and Fabron of Wye. Never before have these concentrated proven genetics from closed herds been combined. The result: we have achieved a herd of cattle that meets the growing market demand for cow efficiency and grass-fed beef.

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