Episode Details

When Chris Earl and John Wessel came up with the idea for Genetic Allies, they recognized something pretty simple: there is value in bringing good Angus breeders together.

Not just to sell cattle, but to share genetics, knowledge, and fellowship with others who have the same passion for the Angus business. 

The producers involved are accomplished cattlemen with their own programs, their own breeding philosophies, and their own ideas about where they want to take their cattle. Genetic Allies gives them an opportunity to bring some of their best genetics together, learn from one another, and enjoy the relationships that are such an important part of the cattle business.

That was really the conversation I wanted to have when I visited with Chris Earl of CK6 Consulting ahead of this year's Genetic Allies Female Sale, September 12 at Edgar Bros Angus near Rockham, South Dakota.

Good Breeders Make Each Other Better
There is something to be said for surrounding yourself with people who are good at what they do.

Each of the producers involved with Genetic Allies has built a program of their own. They have developed cow families, made breeding decisions, learned from the ones that worked, and probably learned even more from a few that didn't.

Bringing those producers together creates an opportunity to share some of that experience.

And when you get cattlemen like that together, the conversation naturally turns to cattle.

What worked?

What didn't?

What cow families are you excited about?

What are you trying to build next?

Those conversations matter.

We have more genetic information available to us today than cattlemen could have imagined a generation ago. EPDs, genomic testing and other tools have given breeders tremendous ability to evaluate cattle and make breeding decisions.

But there is still value in experience.

There is value in looking at cattle with somebody who has spent a lifetime breeding them. There is value in talking about why a mating worked, why another one didn't and what somebody is trying to accomplish with the next generation.

That knowledge gets shared when good cattlemen spend time together.

Bringing Different Genetics Together
The other thing I like about the Genetic Allies concept is that nobody has to give up the identity of their own program to participate.

Quite the opposite.

Each breeder brings something different to the table.

Different cow families. Different genetics. Different experiences. And sometimes a different way of looking at cattle.

For buyers, that creates an opportunity to evaluate genetics from several outstanding Angus programs in one place and decide what might complement the cattle they already own.

For the breeders themselves, it creates an opportunity to see what others are doing and perhaps discover genetics that can move their own programs forward.

That's where the word Allies makes a lot of sense.

These producers can have their own programs and their own goals while recognizing that there is value in working together.

More Than a Sale
I've always thought some of the best conversations at a cattle sale happen before or after the cattle actually go through the ring.

They happen walking through the pens.

They happen leaning against a fence.

They happen over a meal when somebody starts talking about a cow family, a bull they used or a mating they are excited about.

That's fellowship, and I don't think we should underestimate its importance to this business.

The cattle business has always been built around relationships. Some last for a sale season. Others last for generations.

Genetic Allies creates another place for those relationships to develop.

Certainly, there is business being done. There are cattle to sell and genetics to evaluate.

But there