64 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN March 2026 Tallow had been a valuable commodity for many years, being used to make candles, soap, for cooking and as a lubricant. However, unlike other countries, the United States had discovered oil in Pennsylvania in 1859, and after the Civil War, began to exploit this new commodity in various ways, including refining it into kerosine for lamps. This provided far better lighting than tallow candles and was infinitely cheaper than whale oil. Therefore, the rapidly expanding oil industry significantly lowered the value of tallow, and Professor George Marrow of the University of Illinois was an outspoken critic of the cost of putting weight on these aged steers, with much of the feed going to meet maintenance requirements. When the Illinois Agricultural Department announced it would be sponsoring an American Fat Stock Show in Chicago starting in 1878, it was met with great excitement. The father of American livestock journalism, Alvin Sanders, explained: “It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of the influence exerted by this exhibition. … Such a tribunal was demanded not only for a comparison of the relative values of different breeds for producing profitable steers, but to try the general economic issue of big bulk vs. baby beef.” Although the big Shorthorns held sway in the early American Fat Stock Shows, the Hereford and Angus enthusiasts would gradually make inroads. The seriousness the breeds took in this contest saw Angus and Hereford breeders importing prize steers from Great Britain to compete with the Shorthorns. The dam would officially break in 1888 when the 2-yearold purebred Angus steer Dot won the American Fat Stock Show. Although still weighing more than 1,500 pounds, Dot represented a clear break in type, being more compact, blocky, earlier maturing, achieving the new “baby beef” ideal of the time that would dominate the industry until World War II. With Dot’s win coming after the severe winter of 1886-87 that resulted in “the big die up” on the Western range, there CHANGES IN CATTLE TYPE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 62 CONTINUED ON PAGE 66 150 60% AI Sexcel sexed semen 40% AI Conventional 100% natural service 100% natural service 55% 90% 42 47 50% 6% 50% 50% 14 57 29 76 65% 50% 22 44 60% 50% 8 15 = = = = FIRST CYCLE SEGMENTATION CONCEPTION SKEW TOTAL CALF CROP TOTAL FIRST CYCLE DESIRED MALE CALVES TOTAL* 71 Second CYCLE 25 THIRD CYCLE 9 OPENS of herd produced CALVES in First CYCLE 73% of herd produced MALE Calves in First CYCLE 86 134 64% of herd produced MALE Calves in TOTAL CALF CROP 60/40 SYnch Scenario Increase number of male calves *Based on a 95% weaned calf rate Profit from Genetic Progress | 800.ABS.STUD | ABSglobal.com Would Having More Steer Calves Positively Impact Your Bottom Line? 60 40 SYNCH ABS Global’s Sexcel® 60/40 Synch is a strategic breeding program that has historically been used to design the right replacement heifers from the right segment of your cow herd. However, we understand that no two operations are the same, and thus, they have differing goals for the utilization of AI. Given the $20-$40/CWT price spread between males and females in the industry today, we flipped the script and utilized sexed male semen in the model here to increase revenue generated. Whatever your goals, use Sexcel 60/40 Synch to skew the sex rate of your calf crop and maximize profits. BOBBY STRECKER | District Sales Manager 970.571.2722 | Bobby.Strecker@genusplc.com STEPHANIE NELSON | Sales Team Leader 309.333.8463 | Stephanie.Nelson@genusplc.com Contact us to help you increase profits by skewing the gender ratio of your calf crop. NebraskaCattleman_JAN_1224_7-25x4-875_Ad.indd 1 1/10/25 12:52 PM “Dot,” the Overall Champion at the 1888 American Fat Stock Show, Chicago. Courtesy of R.L. Hough.
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