Commercial beef producers do not get paid for average.

They get paid for pounds, performance, fertility, and calves that hit the target — consistently.

Margins are tight. Input costs fluctuate. Labor is limited. Markets shift. Through all of it, genetics remain one of the most controllable drivers of long-term herd profitability.

At Trans Ova, we believe the question is not whether genetics matter, it’s whether your herd is ready for what’s next.

The Commercial Beef Challenge

In today’s environment, beef operations must balance:

• Calf performance and weaning weights
• Fertility and reproductive efficiency
• Longevity and structural soundness
• Feed efficiency and adaptability
• Market flexibility and revenue diversification

Traditional AI improves a herd over time. But for producers who want to move faster — whether to tighten uniformity, elevate carcass merit, or build stronger maternal lines — incremental change is often not enough.

That is where IVF and embryo strategies create real leverage.

When IVF Creates Value in Commercial Beef Herds

IVF is not just a reproductive technology; it’s a herd design strategy.

It allows you to multiply the influence of your most valuable females and accelerate genetic gain across your operation.

1. Accelerated Genetic Progress

Instead of producing one calf per year from a top cow, IVF allows multiple offspring annually from elite females.

That means:

• Increased selection intensity
• Shorter generation intervals
• Reduced genetic lag between herd average and elite sires
• Faster improvement in economically relevant traits

You are no longer building from the middle of the herd. You are building from the top.

2. Stronger, More Uniform Replacement Females

With conventional breeding, replacements often originate from a broad portion of the herd.

With IVF and embryo programs, replacement heifers can come from the top 5–10% of females — or from externally sourced elite donor genetics.

The result:

• Greater consistency in maternal traits
• Improved fertility and calving ease
• Stronger structural soundness
• More predictable cow longevity
• Uniform calf crops year after year

Uniformity in the cow herd translates to predictability in the calf crop — and predictability drives profit.

3. Strategic Herd Segmentation

Embryo strategies also allow commercial beef producers to segment intentionally:

• Elite females → Produce high-value replacements through IVF
• Middle-tier cows → Terminal matings to maximize pounds and carcass value
• Lower-tier cows → Managed for recipient selection or culled strategically

This approach allows you to simultaneously:

• Drive long-term genetic improvement
• Capture terminal performance premiums
• Improve overall herd efficiency

It is not about chasing one trait. It is about aligning genetics with your marketing endpoint.

4. Data-Driven Herd Design

IVF programs work best when paired with genomic testing and performance data.

Producers can intentionally select for:

• Weaning and yearling performance
• Maternal strength 
• Calving ease and fertility
• Carcass merit and grid premiums
• Longevity and structural durability

This moves herd improvement from reactive to intentional.

You are not just breeding cows. You are engineering long-term performance.

The Economics: Investment with Compounding Return

IVF and embryo programs typically require a higher upfront investment than conventional AI. That is the reality.

But the return compounds over time through:

• Higher-quality, more productive replacement females
• Greater uniformity in calf crops
• Improved fertility and fewer open cows
• Increased feed efficiency, pounds, and carcass value
• Stronger lifetime productivity per cow

The ROI is not measured in one breeding season. It is realized across multiple calf crops and over the productive life of the cow.

For producers focused on sustainable profitability, that compounding effect matters.

When IVF Is a Strong Fit for Commercial Beef

These strategies make sense when:

• Accelerated genetic improvement is a clear goal
• Access to elite donors exists — or outside genetics are needed
• Replacement quality is a priority
• Long-term profitability outweighs lowest upfront cost
• Data and performance tracking guide decisions
• Meeting packer and feedyard demand for feed-efficient, heavy-muscled, high-marbling cattle is a priority
• The operation values sustainability, longevity, and forward-looking herd design

IVF is not about spending more. It is about extracting more value from your best females.

Tradeoffs to Acknowledge

Being producer-first means being honest.

IVF programs require:

• Planning and coordination
• Protocol discipline
• Labor and facility readiness
• Strong record-keeping and data accuracy

And the return is realized over time — not instantly.

But for commercial beef producers who want measurable progress, tighter uniformity, and a herd built for future market demands, that investment aligns with long-term goals.

The Bottom Line

If you simplify it, the strategy looks like this:

• Focus breeding on the best females in the herd
• Produce multiple calves per year from elite cows
• Fast-track genetic gain with intentional selection
• Customize traits that drive commercial profitability
• Build a herd designed for the next decade — not just the next sale

At Trans Ova, we work alongside commercial beef producers to design programs around real-world constraints and measurable outcomes.

Because being ready for what’s next is not about reacting to the market.

It is about building a herd that is positioned to lead it.

The post Ready for What’s Next: Building a More Profitable Commercial Beef Herd with Trans Ova appeared first on Working Ranch Magazine.

Saturday, March 7, 2026
At Ogallala Livestock Auction • Ogallala, Nebraska

THIS IS A GENERATIONAL OPPORTUNITY!

This sale represents Phase II of a three-year, nearly 6,000 head process to disperse our mature cow herd. These females represent generations of selection, retaining only the heifers that can graze our native Sand Hills, and raise a calf on their own year after year.

The cow herd has been built over decades with the goal of designing moderate, highly maternal, British based, low-input females. The herd is designed to thrive in a year-round grazing program. As a result, fitness and convenience traits have been a constant emphasis. The result is one of the largest, home-raised cow herds in America with generations of selection for udder quality, calving ease, and fleshing ability that deliver high fertility with maximum hybrid vigor.

Selling Approximately 3,000 Head of Home-Raised, “Maternalizer” Bred Females, Including:

500 2-year-old heifers (including 300 AI bred to high use Sim-Angus sire)

850 3-year-old cows

1,175 4- and 5-year old cows

500 6- and 7-year-old cows

Sale order is available here

The post Maddux Cattle Company’s Phase II “Maternalizer” Mature Bred Cow Herd Dispersal appeared first on Working Ranch Magazine.

Lucky 7 Angus is redefining what it means to be a successful rancher. Here are the three things Lucky 7 Angus does different than the rest of the industry that could just change your bottom line …

Mountain-Tested Toughness: A WIN for ALL

At Lucky 7 Angus, high elevation PAP testing is not just a practice; it’s a commitment to creating stronger, healthier cattle. The Jensen Family’s registered cows run above 7,200 feet eight months of the year and PAP tests over 400 bulls above 7500ft annually. This rigorous testing protocol significantly impacts the overall durability of the animals. The benefits extend beyond high elevation ranchers, as the robust health of these cattle translate to lower sickness and death loss-an advantage for all ranchers looking to improve their herd’s performance.

Proven Feed Efficiency: Feed is 70% of the Cost on a Ranch

Lucky 7 Angus measures every pound to save 30%–oon’t leave money in the trough. No one matches Lucky 7 Angus’s commitment to testing for feed efficiency. Utilizing the latest feed intake measuring systems, The Lucky 7 Ranch conducts real-world feed efficiency testing both on pasture and in controlled feeding environments. By measuring every pound of feed consumed, they optimize feeding practices that lead to more profitable ranching. This innovative approach positions Lucky 7 Angus as the leader in the field, offering a roadmap for other ranchers to follow. How would a minimum of 30% savings on your feed costs affect your operation?

The Nation’s ONLY 4-Year Bull Guarantee

Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of Lucky 7 Angus is their 4-year guarantee on bulls. Unlike other programs that shy away from such commitments, Lucky 7 Angus stands firm in their belief that their bulls possess the endurance and strength to meet this guarantee. The bulls are raised on 38,000 acres of open range, not overfed in a pen, so they are built to last.

Bottom Line: What Are You Waiting For?

By focusing on high elevation PAP testing, pioneering feed efficiency research and offering a unique 4-year bull guarantee, ranchers can significantly enhance herd health, reduce costs, and improve profitability. Will we see you at the Lucky 7 Bull Sale in Riverton, Wyoming the first Saturday in March?

The post Profitable Insights from Lucky 7 Angus appeared first on Working Ranch Magazine.

Profitability in the beef industry starts with genetics that work in real-world conditions. Leachman indexes provide a proven, data-driven approach to selecting cattle that deliver fertility, efficiency and carcass quality. These tools help producers build herds that last longer, perform better and maximize returns from pasture to plate. Here’s how each index works and why they matter.

$RANCH®: Building Better Cows from the Ground Up

The $RANCH® index improves the core drivers of cowherd profitability: fertility, feed efficiency, longevity and weaning weight. It predicts how much profit a bull’s daughters will generate each year, allowing producers to build females that stay in the herd longer, breed back reliably and raise bigger calves while eating less feed.

• Fertility First: Cow fertility is the No. 1 component of $RANCH®. Cows that calve every year and stay in the herd to age nine or beyond dramatically boost revenue while reducing replacement rates.
• Moderate Size, Lower Feed Costs: $RANCH® selects for cows that require less feed, supporting higher stocking rates and lowering winter feed bills.
• Practical Weaning Growth: While reproduction and feed cost matter most, $RANCH® still favors cows that produce heavier calves.

The result is herds that thrive in real-world ranching conditions: more fertile, more efficient and more profitable.

$FEEDER®: Turning Genetics Into Feedlot Profitability

The $FEEDER® index focuses on profitability once calves leave the ranch. It ranks bulls on how their progeny will perform in the yard and on the rail, making it a key tool for producers who retain ownership, supply feeders or sell into value-based grids.

$FEEDER® improves:

• Feed Efficiency: The largest cost in the feeding period. High $FEEDER® cattle convert better, finish with fewer pounds of feed and reach harvest sooner.
• Average Daily Gain: Genetics that gain fast reduce total days on feed, yardage and interest cost.
• Carcass Quality: $FEEDER® targets cattle that grade Prime and high Choice at high rates, earning significant grid premiums.
• Optimal Yield and Carcass Weight: The index balances ribeye, muscle and fat cover to hit top weight brackets without excess trim.

In short, $FEEDER® drives faster growth, better carcasses and more money on the grid.

$PROFIT®: The Complete System for Cow-Calf and Feedlot Success

$PROFIT® combines everything: 22 traits spanning reproduction, growth, carcass merit, feed efficiency and longevity into one economic score. No other system balances so many economically relevant traits in a single, easy-to-use number.

$PROFIT® improves both sides of the business:

• Cows That Work: Higher fertility, more longevity, better udder quality and reduced feed intake.
• Steers That Pay: Faster gain, superior efficiency, heavier carcasses, higher marbling and stronger grid returns.

By weighting traits based on real economic impact, $PROFIT® selects cattle that maximize net return across the entire production chain from birth to harvest.

Why These Three Indexes Work Together

Each index can be used individually, but the real power is in their combined selection pressure:

• $RANCH® improves the factory: fertile, efficient cows that last.
• $FEEDER® improves the output: fast-growing, high-quality feeder calves.
• $PROFIT® ties everything together, balancing maternal and terminal traits for the highest total economic return.

This integrated system ensures that producers do not chase single-trait extremes. Instead, they build balanced, profitable cattle that work anywhere from harsh ranch environments to high-performance feeding systems.

Blended Semen: Consistent Fertility, Better Conception Rates and Superior Calf Crops

Blended semen has become an increasingly valuable tool for producers who want dependable conception and more uniform calf crops. By combining multiple sires in one unit, blended semen offers several key advantages:

1. Improved Conception Rates
   Blending semen reduces the risk that any single sire’s semen quality will limit fertility. Multiple sires in the dose create redundancy, which often results in more consistent and sometimes higher conception rates compared to single-sire semen, especially in large pasture-bred groups or timed A.I. programs.
2. More Genetic Consistency Across the Calf Crop
   When all sires in the blend share similar genetic targets such as growth, calving ease, maternal traits or carcass merit, producers see tighter uniformity in:

• birth weights
• gain
• mature cow size
• carcass results

This uniformity leads to stronger marketability.

3. Reduced Genetic Risk
   Using a single sire concentrates all your risk in one bull. Blends spread that risk across several high-ranking sires, protecting against outliers for birthweight, performance or phenotype.
4. Better Use of Elite Genetics
   Blended semen allows customers to access top sires whose inventory may be limited individually. By distributing genetics across a blend, more operations can capitalize on elite bulls.

The Bottom Line

Leachman indexes $RANCH®, $FEEDER® and $PROFIT® provide a powerful, data-driven framework that improves cows, feeder calves and total ranch profitability. Blended semen complements these tools by improving conception consistency and delivering more uniform, predictable calf crops.

Together, they help producers build better cows, better steers and better bottom-line results for the long haul. For more information on how Leachman indexes and blended semen can benefit your operation, visit http://www.leachman.com.

The post Building Better Cattle: The Power of Leachman Indexes and Blended Semen appeared first on Working Ranch Magazine.

With new label, Dectomax^®-CA1 Injectable is the first and only parasite control product with conditional approval to help control economically devastating pest Cochliomyia hominivorax (New World screwworm).

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Sept. 30, 2025 — Zoetis announced today that Dectomax^®-CA1 Injectable is the first and only parasite control product to receive conditional approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention and treatment of infestations caused by larvae of Cochliomyia hominivorax (myiasis), and prevention of reinfestation for 21 days. This conditional approval applies to beef cattle, female dairy cattle less than 20 months of age, pregnant beef cows, newborn calves and bulls. 

In the first half of 2026, producers and veterinarians will begin to see the 250-milliliter and 500-milliliter bottles of Dectomax^® Injectable with a new label for Dectomax^®-CA1 (doramectin injection). Dectomax-CA1 is the same effective doramectin formulation as Dectomax Injectable. 

Zoetis is committed to supporting livestock producers with scientific solutions for this economically devastating pest. New World screwworm poses a continuing threat to livestock health, and the financial impacts of the disease to the U.S. agricultural economy are estimated in the billions of dollars.¹

“New World screwworm has the potential to bring unprecedented economic and animal health harm to livestock producers,” said Mike Lormore, DVM, MS, MBA, Director of Cattle and Pork Technical Services at Zoetis. “Our top priority is to support keeping animals healthy and provide timely, efficacious solutions to our customers and partners. With this conditional approval, Dectomax-CA1 Injectable can now be used as part of safe, effective control measures against New World screwworm.” 

Livestock producers are encouraged to work closely with their herd veterinarian to implement strategic prevention and control measures. 

Early detection of New World screwworm and rapid response are critical to protecting the health of animals and the livestock industry. Producers are encouraged to immediately report any suspicious wounds, maggots, or infestations to their local accredited veterinarian, state animal health official or the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. USDA APHIS animal health contacts can be found at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/contact/animal-health. 

For more information on the New World screwworm and the conditional approval for Dectomax-CA1 Injectable, visit zoetisus.com/NewWorldscrewworm

Dectomax-CA1 is conditionally approved by FDA pending a full demonstration of effectiveness under NADA 141-616.

Dectomax and Dectomax-CA1 Injectable for use in cattle have a 35-day pre-slaughter withdrawal period. Do not use in female dairy cattle 20 months of age or older. Do not use in calves to be processed for veal. Use of Dectomax or Dectomax-CA1 in dogs may result in fatalities. Consult your veterinarian for assistance in the diagnosis, treatment, and control of parasitism.

About Zoetis

As the world’s leading animal health company, Zoetis is driven by a singular purpose: to nurture our world and humankind by advancing care for animals. After innovating ways to predict, prevent, detect, and treat animal illness for more than 70 years, Zoetis continues to stand by those raising and caring for animals worldwide – from veterinarians and pet owners to livestock producers. The company’s leading portfolio and pipeline of medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and technologies make a difference in over 100 countries. A Fortune 500 company, Zoetis generated revenue of $9.3 billion in 2024 with approximately 13,800 employees. For more information, visit www.zoetis.com.

DISCLOSURE NOTICES 

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements, which reflect the current views of Zoetis with respect to expectations regarding products, product approvals or licenses, products under development and other future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or actions. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if management’s underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. Zoetis expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. A further list and description of risks, uncertainties and other matters can be found in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including in the sections thereof captioned “Forward-Looking Statements and Factors That May Affect Future Results” and “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in our Current Reports on Form 8-K. These filings and subsequent filings are available online at www.sec.gov , www.zoetis.com , or on request from Zoetis.

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¹ Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. USDA APHIS animal health contacts can be found at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/contact/animal-health. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/nws-historical-economic-impact.pdf. Accessed August 15, 2025.

All trademarks are the property of Zoetis Services LLC or a related company or a licensor unless otherwise noted.

© 2025 Zoetis Services LLC. All rights reserved. DMX-00234

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