The Gelbvieh Difference

Our nearly 30 years of experience with Gelbvieh cattle has made us true believers in the breed. Early on, we chose Gelbvieh because of data from the United States Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) that showed:

• Gelbvieh produces more pounds of weaned calf per cow than any other widely used breed.

• Gelbvieh is the only breed that excels in calving ease, weaning growth, yearling growth, milk yield, and retail yield combined.

• Gelbvieh are known for their heat tolerance and maternal qualities, such as fertility and milk.

Almost 30 years later, Gelbvieh cattle still possess those qualities and data from USMARC shows the Gelbvieh breed has reduced mature cow size, has the lowest birth weight of the 4 main continental breeds, and the earliest age at puberty. USMARC data also shows the Gelbvieh breed has the highest retail yield of the most widely used breeds. Additionally, a study conducted by the Colorado State University Research Foundation found Gelbvieh sired calves to have a 16 pound advantage in weaning weight when compared to other heavily used breeds.

We feel that our Gelbvieh bulls and females are the complete package for commercial producers. This includes cows that breed easily (see our "females" page) and calves that efficiently perform with heavy weaning weights. We consistently have customers tell us they gain 75-100 pounds at weaning time by using our genetics.

The Proof

Here are a few statistics from our 2012 bull sale offering:

Fall Bulls	Spring Bulls
BW Avg = 83 lbs.	BW Avg = 84 lbs.
205 avg wt = 673 lbs.	205 avg wt = 693 lbs.
WW Avg = 838 lbs.	WW Avg = 796 lbs.
YW Avg = 1112 lbs.	YW Avg = 1198 lbs.
Yrlg SCR Avg = 38.5 cm	Yrlg SCR Avg = 39.3 cm
ADG = 4.53	ADG = 3.33
Yrlg REA = 12.7	Yrlg REA =13.4
Weaned 58% of cow wt	Weaned 58% of cow wt
Yrlg frame = 5.6	Yrlg frame = 5.8
Yrlg back fat = .05	Yrlg back fat = .11

Add Value with Crossbreeding

Many of our customers buy Gelbvieh bulls and cross them on Angus or Red Angus cows. Crossbreeding is proven to improve efficiencies and profit. Dr. Larry Cundif from the USMARC says, "Crossbred females are 30 percent more productive over their lifetimes." Other USMARC data says that crossbred cows reduce breakeven production costs by as much as 10 percent and stay in the herd about 2 years longer.

Crossbreeding adds value:

Cow efficiency +8%

Cow longevity + 38%

Cow lifetime productivity +25%

Calf weaning weights +5%

Calf yearling weights +4

*Source: American Gelbvieh Association, "Add Pounds. Add Proft." January 2011.

A successful crossbreeding program requires planning, so please contact us to discuss your operation and goals.