Practical Guide for Cattle

Visual Evaluation

© 2021 RealWWW.RWRANCHING.COM
Wealth Ranching LLC. All rights reserved.
• REALWEALTHRANCHING@GMAIL.COM
 PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR CATTLE VISUAL EVALUATION
1

Man selection: high input genetics

The problem with livestock shows

Livestock shows and livestock judges have gone astray by selecting for
maximums, these can be daily gain, weaning weight, milk production, carcass
quality, etcetera. While these parameters allow for bragging rights, they do not
confer profitability for the ranch/farm or help improve our environment the
fastest.

To make matters worse, there has been a tendency to breed lean animals that are
more “efficient” on a high grain ration but fail on a real ranch/farm on forage with
very low inputs.

The genetics that have resulted from this meddling by man are disastrous in
terms of production per acre/hectare and due to the high inputs and chemicals
they require to express their “potential” they degrade our environment.

Cgoodwin, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

© 2021 Real Wealth

Ranching LLC.
All rights reserved.
V 1.0 JANUARY 2021 WWW.RWRANCHING.COM • REALWEALTHRANCHING@GMAIL.COM
 PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR CATTLE VISUAL EVALUATION
2

High input genetics not efficient in a whole ranch context

If we think about those high maintenance genetics in a whole ranch context, we

find they are not efficient, because even though lean muscle requires less energy
to produce than fat it also releases much less energy when metabolized in a
drought or sickness.

High input genetics require pampering

This includes:

Selective grazing
Total parasite control
Energy feeds
Low stocking rates

The above lead to less soil life, weaker roots, larger interplant spacing, less
desirable plant species taking over, less wildlife, soil erosion, less humus content,
and eventually economic distress.

© 2021 Real Wealth

Ranching LLC. Source: Jaime Elizondo, France "High input genetics"
All rights reserved.
V 1.0 JANUARY 2021 WWW.RWRANCHING.COM • REALWEALTHRANCHING@GMAIL.COM
 PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR CATTLE VISUAL EVALUATION
3

Nature selection: Low input

genetics

The better way

There is a better way.

We can agree that we need to bring harmony to the land and our monetary needs.
In nature, herbivores are hardy, parasite resistant, highly fertile, usually healthy,
and all the above without the use of chemicals or much human intervention.
So how can we select without contradicting nature?

Overstuffed package - visual evaluation

When visually evaluating an animal that has been raised on minimum inputs and
preferentially under very high stocking rates, doing Total grazing, we look for
the animal that does better than the rest.

The best animals in terms of good body condition are those that resemble an
overstuffed package, meaning that they look overfilled. How will that bag look?
Bulging at the seams! And that is exactly how we want our animals to look like.

This is an overstuffed package young Hereford Bull in Katy, TX.

© 2021 Real Wealth

Ranching LLC. Source: Jaime Elizondo, Texas "Hereford Bull"
All rights reserved.
V 1.0 JANUARY 2021 WWW.RWRANCHING.COM • REALWEALTHRANCHING@GMAIL.COM
 PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR CATTLE VISUAL EVALUATION
4

What can we read on an overstuffed package bull like

this?
High relative intake, which is governed by metabolic size, parasite/disease
resistance, climatic adaptation and individual appetite is essential for such
an animal to look like this.

Thanks to his high relative intake he has excess energy, after meeting his
maintenance requirements to put on weight and finally body condition, which is
the fat covering we can observe.

Look for fat

Fat is necessary for the immune system to function at its peak, is a drought
reserve and its essential in a female for estrogen production to cycle and get
pregnant.
As body condition is inherited, we need Bulls in natural great body condition to
sire daughters that will have high real-life fertility under the very-high stocking
rates necessary for profitability and to improve our soils the fastest via Total
grazing.

© 2021 Real Wealth

Ranching LLC. Source: Gerardo Diaz, Chihuahua, Mexico
All rights reserved.
V 1.0 JANUARY 2021 WWW.RWRANCHING.COM • REALWEALTHRANCHING@GMAIL.COM
 PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR CATTLE VISUAL EVALUATION
4

Look for short and heavy

We need short and heavy animals as they are more efficient and maintain their
good body condition under duress.

Observe your cows and you will see that under same reproductive stage and age
your shorter/heavier cows will maintain better body condition year-round than
the tall and lanky high EPD’s cows.

The relative intake is related to the metabolic size of the animal. The metabolic
size of an animal is the weight, determined by frame size, elevated to the 0.75
potency.

Source: Gerardo Diaz

Above picture, on the left first calf heifer is pregnant again, the tall first calf heifer
is open. Both calved in the same season and are grazing together.

© 2021 Real Wealth

Ranching LLC.
All rights reserved.
V 1.0 JANUARY 2021 WWW.RWRANCHING.COM • REALWEALTHRANCHING@GMAIL.COM
 PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR CATTLE VISUAL EVALUATION
5

Look for naturally occurring good body condition

As we can see, this visual appraisal tells us about naturally occurring good body
condition. It is better if we do not pamper our animals.

There are other requirements for a great Bull. Things like good hormone balance,
secondary masculine characteristics appearing early in life, locomotion, docility,
masculine behavior, etc. which will be covered with many others in our Adapted
Genetics & Selection pillar of Real Wealth Ranching.

However, this will give you a great start when evaluating your bulls and cows.

Remember:
Overstuffed Package
Fat
Short but Heavy
Little to no pampering

Source: Unknown

© 2021 Real Wealth

Ranching LLC.
All rights reserved.
V 1.0 JANUARY 2021 WWW.RWRANCHING.COM • REALWEALTHRANCHING@GMAIL.COM