Page 21 - MWC 8-10-2023s

drought has forced our hand build up his embryo bank. The Midwest Cattleman · August 10, 2023 · P21
in doing that too,” Epley said. “The challenging thing is
“In the past, running commer- that Marlin has raised all these
cial cows, I'd put the bull in himself, and I'm new to them,”
and didn't pull till we weaned Epley said. It's hard to know
calves. This year, if the females that there is a nine-year-old
are not bred within three cy- cow out there, and I don't know
cles, they're gone.” anything about her previous
Cole AI'd everything this performance until I look up the
year for the first cycle. He pedigree, progeny and EPDs.
turned the bulls out two weeks There are some cows that I like
later and left them in for 45 the looks of, but after looking
days. at her list of progeny, realize
“Anything not bred in three that she has never contributed
cycles will be culled,” Epley a bull to the bull sale or a heifer
said. “Of course, we also cull to our herd. That is helping me
for bad feet, bad udders, and in my culling decisions. One of
bad temperament, but we don't my donor cows was a Dam of
have to deal much with that.” Merit three or four times. Her
The final decisions are up to mother was Dam of Merit or
the new man in charge of the Dam of Distinction every year
MLM brand. until she was 13 years old
“Marlin is the type of guy to when she died. She has lot of “It's all new,” he said. “I and registrations.
answer questions,” Epley said, females in the herd that I re- had never used A.I. We were “The thing that blows my
“but has definitely let me take ally, really like. All three donor just commercial. A lot more mind in the cow-calf business
the reins on a lot of things. He cows are that way, when you goes into the registered side is that it is really a five-year
says, 'They are yours now, you look at their dam and grand of things. It's a lot of bookwork process,” Epley said, “from the
make the decisions.'” dam returning to the herd. and it takes a lot of time.” time you decide how to breed
Meyer used to utilize embryo Fortunately, the American Gel- Epley is not tackling such a cow, to seeing if that deci-
transfer but has not for several bvieh Association records all frontiers alone. His wife Amber sion worked. Let's say she has
years. Epley is already enlist- that available information to is hands-on. This summer, her a bull. He hits the ground and
ing three donor cows he consid- help me make those decisions.” main job has been hauling it's kind of exciting, but also
ers to be the cream of his new Epley isn't just new to the water daily. Year round, and in there's a lot weighing on that
crop. These, he left open in the MLM herd, he's on a learning drought or drench, she'll play
spring and will flush this fall to curve for all things purebred. the key role in record keeping continued on page 23

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