The Wobig Ranch has found a new way to add value to their calves. The family became one of the first races in the country to enroll in the Premium Red Baldy program, a collaborative effort by the American Hereford Association and the Red Angus Association of America. The program combines the best of both breeds to produce productive females.
“As far as the red baldy heifers, it was a marketing choice where maybe we could fill a void or niche market there as well,” Shane Wobig said. “So we are trying to figure out a way to still raise a moderate framed, fleshy cow that can raise a big calf, and by crossbreeding we’re hoping to do that.”
Premium Red Baldy is a tagging program that helps producers access genetically verified females that have the best combination of longevity, fertility, and adaptability. The Wobigs, who raise about 500 Red Angus commercial cows, replaced their entire bull battery with 35 registered Hereford bulls. They saw it as a way to add value to their heifer calves. For the Wobig family, the program offers a unique marketing opportunity to build buyer demand.
Premium Red Baldy is a program designed to identify quality replacement females that are predominately Hereford and Red Angus breed type. Females enrolled in the program must be sired by bulls ranking in the top 50 percent of the breed for the Baldy Maternal Index or the Herdbuilder Index. This insures an ideal balance of maternal and carcass traits that will yield cattle poised to increase profits for commercial producers.
“This is our first year of having those F1 baldy calves. You can get that crossbreed, you can get some bigger calves out of there, which helps with your weigh-ups,” Austin Wobig said. “You can sell a steer for more if it weighs more, so the excitement of that is pretty fun.
For more information from the American Hereford Association, click HERE.
For more information about the Premium Red Baldy Program, click HERE.