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Isaacs Cattle Co. Newsletter

This is an example of one of our newsletters. If you are interested in receiving our newsletter or a sale catalog call or E-mail Nick and he will put you on the mailing list. Phone: (308) 836-4445;  E-mail: nick@isaacscattle.com

Volume 13 Issue 1

August 16, 2005

Dear Customer & Friend,

We hope you are having a good summer! We are so thankful for the rains we had this spring. Since the first week in June it has been very hot and dry with only one rain. Our oat hay crop was tremendous. We are having to replant our new alfalfa seeding. In one week we are seeding one pivot and half of another pivot to grass for irrigated pasture during breeding season. I am really excited about this and hope to utilize these pastures next spring with at least two breeding groups.

Another change we are making is to move our calving date earlier, two or three weeks, over the next two years. The irrigated pasture should be ready for cattle the end of April here in Nebraska. To save hay and labor and adapt our management to fit the environment we have some changes to make! We are also arranging our native owned pasture so we can graze through the winter as long as mother nature will let us.

We pulled our clean-up bulls after 40-45 days. We had a healthy bull breeding season, not losing any bulls to injury. We did have a case of foot rot but got him doctored up.

Travis, our son, has really taken an interest in our operation. It is so nice to work together and be close to our family.

CHANGES

We are currently testing our herd bulls for Trich. I have been told that Trich will live and pass on in frozen semen. All the yearling bulls will be tested for BVD and freeze branded. We have several customers that test any additions to their herd for BVD.

SEMEN

All of our herd bulls are collected so semen is available. John Weston at the Mitchell, SD stud does a great job!

FOR SALE

These bulls sell on a first come basis. We will also be selling 20-25 registered cows and 20 registered heifer calves.

2005 CALVES

The bull and heifer calves are really looking good. Here are the average birth weights of this year's calves for the different sire groups.

PUBLIC RELATIONS/CUSTOMER RELATIONS

A - We will be hosting a Hereford tour September 10 at 4:00-4:30 PM. Everyone is welcome.

B - We will be displaying a pen of Angus bull calves and Polled Hereford bull calves at Husker Harvest days at Grand Island, NE, on September 13-15. Stop by!

C - With Travis and Shayna ranching with us, Elaine and I will again be able to make ranch visits like we did prior to last year. We are excited about these visits. Please let us know if you'd like us to stop by or if you need a hand with vaccinating, gathering, shipping or preg checking. The visits give us a chance to see what our genetics are doing in your herd and help us make any adjustments we need to make, answer questions and tell a story or two and enjoy the visit. Any prospective customers are encouraged to call us for a visit. We'd love to see your cattle and learn about your operation.

NET PROFIT

Several of our customers have commented how their first calf heifers have calves on them that are as big as the running age cow's calves. My friend, this is Genetic Progress.We sell cattle by the pound. Net profit and success for every commercial cow-calf breeder is pounds of calf per cow exposed to a bull. EFFICIENT, trouble free cows pay the bills and give you a net profit. Expenses per cow, total investment and return on our dollars invested are also important factors.

Expenses per cow can be greatly trimmed by molding our operation to fit the environment (weather, feed availability) and market around us. many of us, Isaacs Cattle Co. included, need to have a lower break even cost. The cost of a unit of production - ie. calf, yearling bull, is directly related to the annual cost of keeping a cow. So you can understand a cow what weans 50% of her body weight (in 195-200 days), breeds back in 40-45 days, is trouble free (at calving time) and has a good workable attitude is going to have a positive influence on any ranch's net profit, yours and mine.

Isaacs Cattle Co. is producing these cows so their offspring can be used to genetically improve the economic traits in our customer's cow herds.

KEEPING REPLACEMENT HEIFERS

So.... continuing with our conversation. This is why a progressive cattleman needs to keep as many replacement heifers as possible. The investment in efficient mothered bulls is already there. Some don't like to keep their replacement heifers for different reasons:

1. No room. Inadequate facilities to properly develop heifers.
Solution: I have producers in SD and NE that will take your heifers and winter and AI them for you, depending of course, on your location.

2. "I need the fall heifer income."
Solution: I will share with you what we did 10 years ago based on Master Breeder, Lester Main's advice. When we were supposed to sell our heifer calves in the fall we borrowed that amount of money for one year. (Sell your very poorest heifers only.) Then next year, 2006, after preg checking, cull your cow herd or any bred heifers that don't match the others and pay this note off. You will be very pleased with the progress of your cow herd.

Call any time! I'd love to hear from you.

Best Wishes,

Nick and Elaine