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8 CapitalPress.com December 2, 2016 Blackford cattle perform well in harsh conditions By HEATHER SMITH THOMAS For the Capital Press Courtesy of Steve Teichert A young Blackford bull grazes near MacKay, Idaho. Rancher Steve Teichert raises efficient cattle called Blackfords — half Angus, half Hereford. , advertising and • • • • • We DELIVER ANYWHERE! DRINKING WATER AGRICULTURAL RAIN WATER Call for SEPTIC Specials INDUSTRIAL Authorized BANJO Dealer (800) 772-7284 • WWW.HarcourtsOROP.COM ALSO AVAILABLE! HYPRO Pumps and TeeJet spray system parts. L16-1/#5 See our full inventory at: www.jtisupply.com (541) 928-2937 1-800-982-1099 31989 Cinema Way Tangent, OR Storage Solutions NEW LOCATION! From Hwy 34, go north on Hwy 99E for a half mile Steve Teichert comes from a four-generation ranching family. He now lives at Mack- ay, Idaho, where he raises effi- cient cattle he calls Blackfords — half Angus, half Hereford. “I grew up in Wyoming and lived there 45 years. The best cattle there were black-baldy cows. Most ranchers used bulls of a third breed to make a terminal cross. But the biggest problem with that program is the black-baldy cow was the best cow they had, and they couldn’t keep any replacement heifers,” Teichert said. In the 1950s and 1960s his family raised registered Here- fords and had a large herd of commercial Herefords. “I started using the best An- gus bulls I could find, on my registered Hereford cows, to produce F1 females. The black white-faced cow was superior in all aspects,” he said. “I started my Blackford program, breeding F1 females to F1 bulls. We keep them half and half. Some of the bulls we have now are 25 generations of halfbloods on halfbloods,” he said. As long as you keep the mix half-and-half it works well. It doesn’t matter which breed the bull is, to create that FANTASTIC RANCH FOR THE HORSE ENTHUSIAST! 102.85 acres w/80 irrigated. Irrigated pastures, valley views & great equestrian facility. Covered, lighted arena, outdoor arena, trail course w/many obstacles, great trail riding. Stalls w/runs, extra-large stalls, small paddocks to large pastures. Cattle barn, working pens. 1086 sq. ft. home, 2 bdrm/1 bath. Currently a boarding facility, so successful there is a waiting list! $995,000. 79+ ACRE RANCH. 50.1 acres flood irrigated. Zoned EFU. Home, shop and arena sit on a knoll overlooking the valley. Gated entry, bass pond. 3796 sq. ft., 4 bdrm, 3 full & 2 half bath home. Covered arena, 2 tack rooms, viewing area, fully insulated 3162 sq. ft. shop, 5 roll-up doors, compressed air & dust collector, wine room that is temperature & climate controlled. Completely fenced w/great hay pastures, riding trails, two ponds, seasonal creek. H16-4/#5 $1,890,000. Blackford Cattle Company Owner: Steve Teichert Location: Mackay, Idaho, since 2004 Raising Blackfords since 1970 first cross, as long as the bull and the cow are selected for the traits you want. “My personal preference (but it depends on the individ- ual cow or bull) is to use a Her- eford bull. I like the black cow a little better than the Hereford cow, and the Hereford bull better than an Angus bull,” he said. The Hereford bull is more fertile, with more longevity, fewer breeding injuries, and will cover more cows in rough conditions. “Black bulls often shade up in hot weather, or spend more time fighting each other than breeding,” Teichert said. The Angus cow is a good mother and tends to have a better udder than the Hereford cow. “I prefer to put up with Her- eford bulls rather than Angus bulls. The Blackford bulls are also better than Angus bulls for breeding cows. Crossbred bulls are the most fertile and cover more cows,” he said. “I’ve been playing with Blackford cattle since early 1970s. I’ve made many mis- takes, but probably the reason I made so many is that no one else has tried what I’m do- ing. Once I got the kinks out of this breeding program, the cattle are phenomenal.” As a geneticist, Teichert wanted to create a better breed of cattle through crossbreed- ing. “I studied all the other breeds and composites — in- cluding Brangus, Santa Ger- trudis, Beefmaster, et cetera — and decided the most im- portant trait for cattle is fer- tility. So I used the two most fertile beef breeds — Angus and Hereford,” he said. “Eared cattle (with Brahman influence) don’t do very well in cold country. In Nevada, where I lived awhile, some cattle can’t handle that rough environment and traveling; they may have to walk 10 miles to water. But the Blackford cattle excel everywhere.” Steve Teichert, Idaho rancher About 85 percent of the calves are born in the first 21 days of calving season. He does some AI work, but doesn’t synchronize. “I’ve lived in five differ- ent Western states during my lifetime and I want cattle that work in every environment,” he said. “The Blackfords have worked very well in every en- vironment I’ve been in.” Other breeds may not al- ways work. “Eared cattle (with Brah- man influence) don’t do very well in cold country. In Neva- da, where I lived awhile, some cattle can’t handle that rough environment and traveling; they may have to walk 10 miles to water. But the Black- ford cattle excel everywhere,” he said. The Blackford breed as- sociation was created in the 1970s. “To be registered, the cat- tle must be half and half — from an Angus bull and a Her- eford cow or vice versa,” he said. “This first cross can be put back on black baldy cows. If you have half of each, you can register that animal. Often the choice in how a person crosses these two breeds is whether they have a superior black cow or a superior Her- eford cow.”