Ag Progress Days
Rock Springs, Pa., August 18-20, 2009
The ninety plus degree heat didn’t discourage attendance at this year’s Ag Progress Days, held August 18th-20th, State College, Pa. Cattlemen and farmers come to this event to research new products, equipment, and genetics to improve their cattle operations. We spent all day Wednesday at the Pennsylvania Simmental Association booth talking to many people from all aspects of the cattle industry. Just about everyone agrees that, although the beef industry and the economy in general are going through some tough times, eventually things will improve. Cattlemen are looking for ways to improve production and efficiency in their herds–and what better way to do that than to blend Simmental genetics into their breeding programs.
We discussed the benefits of Simmental genetics with many breeders, including calving ease, great dispositions, improved feed efficiency and rate of gain, and increased muscling. Some people still have the misconception that Simmental cattle are too big to be competitive with moderate-framed Angus in today’s market. We were easily able to disprove that by pointing out our moderate-framed cow/calf pair we had on display.
As always, Ag Progress Days was very enjoyable and informative–we look forward to seeing you there next year!
