Great Breeders

[librarian]

As time goes on, I become more interested in breeders than breeds.
Please suggest whom you consider to be great breeders from the last century.
People who consistently applied selection pressure and genetic discipline over time to produce true strains within any breed?

 

[oakview]

I'm not going to name names, but the breeders I respect and admire the most are the ones that have generation after generation of home raised cattle in their pedigrees.  I just love to see extended pedigrees that have 5 or more generations of specific female lines with the herd name on them.  You don't see that so much today, especially considering the average life expectancy of a purebred cattle herd probably isn't much more than 3 or 4 years.  Many of the herds I admire are not afraid to add an occasional female or two, nothing wrong with that.  Many will acquire a new herd bull from a breeder they trust with the hope of adding desired traits to what they already have.  What I find extremely interesting is that the long time, well established breeders with generation after generation of home raised females is they have such wide ranging, diverse goals.  They range from strictly commercial oriented to show calf production and everything in between.  These folks have figured out how to successfully manage and, in many instances, market what they produce.  My totally unscientific observation would be the percentage of real "breeders" (using my definition of breeders} would be higher in Canada than in the US.   

 

[aj]

Becktons of Red Angus fame......and the other early breeders of Red Angus. They started their own association.....their own breed.......the cattle weren't popular or the latest craze.....they just systematically bred good cattle within parameters. Cates in the Shorthorn breed and Wakurau.......they been in it along time.

 

[RyanChandler]

Legendary Angus cattle breeder Larry Leonhardt of Shoshone Angus is, IMO, the supreme expert on all things cattle and belongs at the very top of this list.

"We're told hybrid vigor is a non-additive phenomenon and must be maintained to avoid regression. I accept that in general continually crossing different types mongrelizes genotypes...and certainly there are beneficial mongrels, they simply lack the genetic ability to renew themselves with any continuity. So if we want to IMPROVE the utilization of hybrid benefits without the haphazardness of crossing mongrelized types, and if parent lines or strains are presumed to be stabilized, then properly applied linecrossing would offer more predictable consistency of hybrid production systems..."

http://www.keeneyscorner.com/t900-reflections-condensed

https://vimeo.com/9062707

Second on my list would be Tom Lasater.  Lasater developed the Beefmaster breed in south Texas. He closed his herd in 1937 and no outside genetics have been introduced into the foundation herd since that time. Intense selection for economically important traits over the last 75 plus years has resulted in a homozygous beef breed that has locked in the explosive growth potential of a hybrid.

http://isabeefmasters.com/Beefmasters/articles29.html

Jim Lents makes my list as well.  Jim Lents of Indiahoma,Ok.  He has a book, "The Basis of Linebreeding", that extensively covers the work he has done linebreeding Anxiety 4th Hereford Cattle.

http://www.steerplanet.com/bb/the-big-show/basics-of-linebreeding/

http://hereford.org/static/files/0708_Legends.pdf

 

[ROMAX]

Griswolds look like they got it going on.

 

[idalee]

Stuart Rowe of Innisfail Milking Shorthorns.  Production and exceptional show ring type.    Retired now but family in Milking Shorthorn business for nearly 100 years.    He served as Judge for National and International shows,  served on the Milking Shorthorn Board of Directors multiple times,  and National President and served five years at Executive Secretary for the Milking Shorthorn Society.  Also, the late  Keith King,  of Kingsdale Milking Shorthorns.    High production and good show ring type,  for more than 75 years.  Multiple terms on the Board of Directors and National President of the Milking Shorthorn Society.    Both breeders of wisdom and integrity. 

 

[aj]

There have been several Shorthorn breeders who were great Shorthorn breeders. They spent 5 million dollars on developing their herd and then they had a 1 million dollar dispersal. They were always the embryo transfer people that won shows for a couple years.

 

[beebe]

Bonsma, Thiemans, Teegarden and while it did not end well, My friend Doc Nold who is recovering from heart surgery did a lot for the Shorthorn breed.  Ankony and Jorgensons also.

 

[knabe]

There have been several Shorthorn breeders who were great Shorthorn breeders. They spent 5 million dollars on developing their herd and then they had a 1 million dollar dispersal. They were always the embryo transfer people that won shows for a couple years.

yet another positive quote from the man who has produced nothing.  how much $ did you waste with registrations?  seems like birds of a feather fly together.  really don't see any difference between them and you. is OT your buddy?

 

[knabe]

Mr. George Robertson
Justin Morgan
cooper/holden

 

[woodyc]

the Durno family of Uppermill the Bigger family of Chapelton and Bill Bruce of balmyle is a start for Scottish breeders

 

[bedrock]

Dave Nichols,  Gib Yardley, Jim Leachman Lee Leachman Dennis Breing Gateway Simmental

 

[Bradenh]

There was a guy named Craig Hoyt he doesn't know anything about cows or breeding them but in his former life his cattle were top notch bucket calves