What can four generations of ranching teach you about selecting cattle that actually work? In this episode, John Haskell talks with Steve Teichert of Mackay, Idaho, about the lessons he has learned over more than 80 years of working with cattle. Steve challenges some common assumptions about EPDs, phenotype, and cattle performance, arguing that genetics can't be evaluated separately from the environment and economics of the operation.

Steve shares examples from his own experience, including why extremely high EPDs don't necessarily translate to better cattle in a rough environment, what he learned from breeding oversized cattle, and why fertility and maternal ability matter more than simply producing a big animal. He also explains how decades of selection pressure helped move his own weaning weights from around 400 pounds to roughly 700 pounds on challenging range with very few inputs, and why ranchers need to pay attention to the actual results their cattle are producing rather than simply following an industry practice.

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In this episode, we cover:

• Why Steve questions the usefulness of comparing EPDs across breeds and production environments
• Why cattle selected for high production in one environment may not perform well in a rougher, lower-input environment
• What Steve learned from breeding extremely large cattle and seeing problems with fertility and maternal ability
• How selecting cattle for performance in their environment helped Steve nearly double his family's historical weaning weights
• Why calving season, forage availability, and reproductive performance need to be evaluated together

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Resources & Links:

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