While fuel and supplemental feed were still cheap, ranching
with typical European beef breeds was a business model that
worked very well. However, many factors are contributing
the current tough economic times the modern rancher is enduring.
Ranchers are having a tough time making a profit in the last
few years. Fuel prices have risen. Supplemental feed costs
have risen even more; for example, the demand for corn has
intensified dramatically since it has become an alternative
fuel feedstock. In addition, the process of desertification
has been under way in the western United States and northern
Mexico for more than a century, creating more unusable shrublands
wherever beneficial grasslands are lost. Throw in a drought
or two, and you have a good idea of the current dilemma ranchers
are facing: sell out and move to town, or keep trying to
make money with an outdated business model.
Enter the Criollo: with its feed efficiency, fertility, and
self-reliance, ranchers can expect very little out-of-pocket
expenses with raising Criollos instead of typical beef breeds.
These hardy little cows will hustle a living in even the most
hostile brushy environments and overgrazed pastures. They require
little, if any, supplemental feeding. They're easy on the land,
tending to improve a pasture, rather than destroy it. Their
fertility is unmatched: dystocia is unheard of in Criollos,
and 100% calf crops are common. In addition, the rancher needs
fewer bulls; stocking 1 Criollo bull per 50-75 cows, instead
of 1 beef bull per 25 cows. Pinkeye, foot rot, and other common
problems are equally unusual in Criollos.
Although they are smaller in size than the European breeds,
Criollos typically finish out at 850-900 lbs. A typical 850
lb Criollo steer will yield a hot carcass weight of 500 lbs,
so yield rates are exemplary. Since a Criollo rancher will
reliably wean more calves at significantly less expense, his
Criollo calf crop will net a higher profit than a European
breed calf crop.
For ranchers needing a bull for their first-calf heifers,
Criollos are the perfect choice. Average birth weight for Criollos
is 25-45 lbs; the F1 cross calves sired by Criollo bulls from
European beef breed first-calf heifers will be small enough
to be delivered easily, with little stress to the dam.
Another bonus from using Criollo bulls is that you don't need
very many of them: a mature Criollo will routinely cover 75
cows in a 90-day breeding season, with 95%+ conception rates.
Even yearling Criollos can cover 25-50 cows their first season!
The average beef cattle herd in the United States is approximately
30 head. Obviously the majority of cattle owners do NOT make
their primary living from their cattle. However, these small
holdings represent a large proportion of the US beef herd.
These small-scale ranchers face a real dilemma: they want to
protect their land from overgrazing, but can't afford the out-of-pocket
feeding expenses associated with keeping typical beef cattle
up while resting the land. They also can't afford the whipsaw
effect of selling off their entire small herd each fall and
buying new animals in the spring. This is where the Criollo
can really help: with their natural self-rotation and utilization
of all available vegetation, they'll actually increase the
carrying capacity of their available land with little or no
expense to their owners. So, the criollo owner has the best
of all worlds:
- his agricultural exemption is protected
- his land is protected
- his land is improved
- he has the pleasure of raising his cattle and watching
them thrive, with little stress and worry
- he makes a decent profit while providing a safe, wholesome
and healthful source of food for the consumer
A study done by the USDA concluded the following:
"The breeds we examined
differed in their use of the landscapes we studied. Criollo
cows tended to be
generalists spending more time exploring the landscape, traveling
longer distances, and spending less time
near water. In addition to other possible adaptations, the
smaller body size of criollo cows lowers forage
demand, which may partially explain the shorter time devoted
to grazing when compared to the larger British
breeds. Criollo cattle demonstrated behavior characteristics
that may improve profitability while having more
favorable environmental impacts than British breeds. It is
noteworthy that our study was conducted during a
year of average to above average rainfall and forage production
following an extended drought. While
differences were found during our study we believe the magnitude
of these differences may be greater during periods of drought,
a condition that typifies these sites. Based on this work
we believe there maybe
benefits
to using criollo cattle that are worth exploring further."
Click here to see the published
results of this study.
HOW CRIOLLO BENEFIT THE BEEF INDUSTRY
The business model for the beef industry throughout the 20th
Century has been European beef breed calves born & raised
on a ranch, put on winter wheat or other supplemental feed
at weaning until around 700 lbs body weight, finished out at
1,000 lbs+ on grain at the feed yard, then off to the packer.
Standardization of packing plants dictated that the ideal animal
for this business model was one who would finish at 1,000 lbs+,
with a 16-oz ribeye, heavy back fat and heavy marbling. What's
wrong with this picture?
Sharply rising costs on fuel and supplemental feeds are relentlessly
squeezing out any profit for ranchers, stocker calf operations,
and feed yards. The packers now have an animal the correct
hot carcass weight for their packing plants, but they are trimming
100 lbs+ in excess fat, so their yields are way down.
Meanwhile, consumers want a leaner product, a smaller product,
and one raised without antibiotics and hormones.
What's the beef industry to do?
European beef breed animals do not have the hardiness, disease
resistance, and hustle to raise themselves, so the rancher's
out-of-pocket expenses will continue to climb, as will the
stocker calf operator's. European beef breed animals, with
their inherent lack of feed efficiency, have great difficulty
finishing out on grain before 30 months without the use of
antibiotics and growth-stimulant hormones; the feed yard operator
loses his profit without their use, but loses his consumer
market with their use. The packer is losing money with the
poor yields due to the excess back fat and internal fat, and
not satisfying the consumer's wants.
Enter the Criollo. Needing very little help from man, Criollos
have been raising themselves for centuries, on what most people
would consider wastelands. With their fertility and longevity,
they lower the rancher's out of pocket expenses to bare minimums.
With their efficient foraging, Criollo feeder  calves gain well,
whether on wheat or brush. They'll finish out nicely, with
terrific feed efficiency, at the feed yard. The packer will
love the excellent yields--Criollo usually yield a 500 lb hot
carcass weight from an 850 lb steer.
Many fans of the traditional beef breeds point out, with total
accuracy, that their cattle are bigger and heavier, and therefore
bring more money at the sale barn or the packer, than Criollos.
That is completely true. However, the name of the game in the
cattle business is the bottom line. European beef breeds generate
more income, but also generate much more expense and require
more time & effort. Criollos generate less income, but
generate minimal expense and require minimal time & effort
. Average additional profitability for Criollos over beef breeds,
from 2006 data, is approximately $178/head. What's your time
and effort worth?
Pressure from environmental groups and government to reduce
the cattle industry's environmental footprint is not going
to go away. The cattle industry needs to re-vamp their business
model from a "going green" point of view. The Criollo
is the ideal "green" cow--it thrives without antibiotics/growth
hormones/etc., it doesn't need expensive feed supplements raised & delivered
with extensive use of fossil fuels, it is able to improve any
environment it lives in, and it provides a naturally lean,
tender and healthful protein source for consumers.
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