CALGARY – When 200 cattle breeders get together at a livestock show, it’s more than an opportunity to swap tall tales.
It is a chance to make some deals and convince other breeders that one particular breed is best.
At this year’s Calgary Stampede, the Gelbvieh show was the best attended of the 16 cattle shows, where delegates from nine countries gathered for the breed’s world congress.
There is a major social component at a congress where breeders from around the world can initiate sales deals.
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“This is an opportunity to make contacts for breeding stock. They know who they are talking to when making long distance deals,” said Wendy Belcher, secretary manager of the Canadian Gelbvieh Association.
While in Calgary, breeders socialized and discussed export regulations and breed improvements. Some traveled to southern Alberta ranches to see Canadian-style Gelbviehs.
Gelbvieh, which means “yellow cow,” was imported to Canada from the Bavarian states of Germany in 1972. The Canadian association was formed the following year and now has 270 members, said Belcher.
The breed’s strength lies mostly in the West, but more breeders from Ontario and Quebec are joining.
Calgary hosted the first world congress 20 years ago and Belcher said it was exciting for Canadians to show an international crowd what they’ve done with the breed since then.
However, among some German visitors to Calgary there were differences in opinion over how Canadians have developed the breed.
In Germany, Gelbvieh is a performance breed. Producers prefer more dewlap because that is associated with milk production and fertility. In Canada the front end has been cleaned up, said former association president Philip Kaiser.
He lives at Fort Macleod, Alta. and runs 500 cows, 150 of them fullblood or purebred Gelbvieh.
Fullblood animals descend directly from German stock while purebreds have been bred over five or more generations using foundation cows like Hereford or Angus. By breeding back to fullblood bulls, the final product is deemed a purebred animal and can be registered with the association.
Kaiser said he likes the breed’s adaptability, and cites good maternal instincts and moderate frame size as his favorite attributes.
In a time of high grain costs, Gelbiehs do well on grass and with southern Alberta’s mild climate he is able to keep them on range longer than average and still have them grade single or double A.
Gelbviehs are easy to handle and don’t eat as much as some of the larger breeds, Kaiser said.
“These big-framed cattle don’t work very well on a ranch. What is seen in the show ring doesn’t necessarily translate well in real
conditions.”
Kaiser crossbreeds his Gelbviehs with Red or Black Angus to further improve maternal qualities as well as meat quality. He has shipped embryos to Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Chile, where breeders are looking for similar attributes.
