An Interview with Jessie - by Dan Rieder

Rieder: What were your thoughts as you assumed this leadership post?

Driggers: My first thought is what a huge honor it is to to serve. While attending the Beef Improvement Federation meeting in Billings in 2005,I made my first visit to Bozeman and ASA headquarters. I can remember walking around the boardroom and looking at the portraits of past board chairmen, never once dreaming that I might one day stand where they stood. It is still hard for me to fathom that a poor country boy from Georgia could one day be elected chairman of the very best cattle breed association in the world. I am humbled and honored.

Rieder: During your year as Board Chairman, are there any major actions you would like to see accomplished?

Driggers: I am so very excited about the expansion of our Multi-Breed Genetic Evaluation with other breeds including Red Angus, Gelbvieh and others. Even though it may still be several years away, I would like to see increased accuracy of marker-assisted EPDs and Indexes. It would be huge to determine which carcass is most tender and flavorful through analysis of a simple DNA sample. I told the Executive Committee when we held our first meeting that I was going to “unveil” my personal agenda. “Right now, it is estimated that the Simmental breed holds an 11% market share of the US bull business.  It is my goal over the next year to increase that market share to 91%!” Of course, they knew I was joking, but if I have any goals, it is to promote and do whatever is possible to increase market share for the breed and in turn increase the profitability of those involved in the Simmental business.

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The Driggers’ family, left to right, front: Ashley, Anna
and Mindy. Back row: Jason, Chrissy, Jessie and Joshua.

It Has to Make Economic Sense

Arkansas breeder Tom Murray’s approach to business is based on a philosophy of sound economics.

by Dan Rieder

Tom Murray, owner of Big Branch Simmentals and Big Branch Breeder’s Service, lives in the Avilla community, 20 minutes west of Little Rock.  He is, like most people, not bashful when asked about his topics of interest and experience, primarily herd efficiency and reproductive management.  “If it makes economic sense, then let’s do it. If the math doesn’t make sense, then let’s just drop it,” he says. “That’s the bottom line foundation of the various businesses that I have been involved with over the years.”

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“How do you get such high API indexes on your cattle?” I am frequently asked this question. Well the answer is simple. You breed your cows to high API bulls. Finding high API bulls is also a very easy task. Just use ASA’s EPD search tool and put in a suitable minimum level for API. Click the button and bingo, all the
candidates magically appear on your computer screen. Actually making those high API bulls with some accuracies to their EPDs is a little more involved process.  The Carcass Merit Program (CMP) has been an integral part of the process in developing those high numbered bulls for us. It is all a process of elimination. We collect calving, birth, weaning, yearling and ultra sound information on all our bulls. After ASA
calculates the EPDs with all the data we recorded, the top bulls are sorted out for further evaluation. At this point in the past years the top two or three bulls would been run through the CMP program. Last year we sorted the top 15% of the bulls one more time with DNA test. The top three bulls will be sampled by us and
placed in the CMP program. You might ask “Why would you bother investing all that money and time enrolling those bulls in the CMP program when you have all that other information collected on them already?”                      read more