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In Search Of Excellence

published: September 15th 2009
by: Martha Hollida Garrett

Byron Vassberg, whose operation is known as Kallion Farms, runs his business with one goal in mind: to be the best, to produce the best cattle, with the best meat, and to provide the best product to the consumer. The word Kallion means “In Search of Excellence”, and at Kallion Farms that is exactly what Vassberg is achieving. He is using actual data to identify Brahman cattle that possess the most desirable traits to attain excellence in the breed. In his search for excellence Vassberg is currently running over a thousand head of registered Brahman cattle in the Rio Grande Valley, College Station and Florida.
    Vassberg started in the cattle business with a commercial herd in 1994. Shortly afterwards he began to introduce a few purebred Brahman animals into the herd. After collecting the first data on carcass traits, he immediately saw opportunity for improvement. There were a few carcasses that graded Choice. The shear force data measuring tenderness showed that there were very few Brahman animals that had desirable tenderness numbers. This led him to start identifying the family lines of registered Brahman that produced calves with desirable carcasses and he started ultrasounding for carcass traits.
    “I became very excited about the breed and the potential it offered us all,” says Vassberg.
    A few years after he began collecting data on carcass traits, he produced a purebred Brahman steer that graded Prime. Vassberg instinctively became an avid enthusiast of the breed, because he knew where there was one that would grade Prime there would be another. The next day, he sold off his commercial herd and began a purebred Brahman operation.
    Vassberg’s vision of the future then grew to a new level with the advent of DNA marker technology for selection of animals based on desirable tenderness and marbling traits. He began testing all of his Brahman cattle for DNA markers as soon as the technology was commercially available. Today he uses DNA markers to aggressively select for tenderness, marbling, feed efficiency, fertility, and disposition. Vassberg has used DNA markers to test over 3,000 head of purebred Brahman cattle for these desirable traits. He is using the markers to identify the cattle he wants in his herd and for breeding the animals to fill the future needs of tomorrow’s commercial cattleman.
    “We are utilizing the latest technologies and are optimistically looking to the future. We feel Brahman cattle can be one of the main breeds in the United States and we have proven that they can excel in areas long thought to be problematic for the breed, ” he describes.
    To the consumer, an exceptional quality steak comes down to two things, tenderness and marbling. DNA markers are rapidly advancing Kallion Farms Brahmans to producing the product that the consumer desires. To date, the average ribeye area on Vassberg’s purebred Brahman steers has increased to an average of 13.5 square inches at harvest time. And, the Warner-Bratzler shear force values for tenderness have improved by more than two pounds per head in his herd. The average range on this scale is 5-20 pounds shear force. Restaurant quality beef is considered to be eight pounds shear force or less. Vassberg’s data shows that he is now producing animals in the 4-6 pound shear force range on a consistent basis using genetic selection on DNA markers.
    “We can now produce straight Brahman carcasses that will grade low Choice or higher with a degree of regularity. And, it is important to note that all of this testing is done on 100% Brahman animals,” he remarks.
    To the commercial cattleman feed efficiency is a climbing concern. In 2005, Vassberg first heard of a feed efficiency test that was available and began to research the possibilities and the profitability the data collected could provide to his herd and the industry as a whole. Today, Kallion Farms utilizes the Grow Safe System to collect data and identify the cattle that excel in feed efficiency. With the data collected using the Grow Safe system, Vassberg combines it with DNA markers to select animals for breeding that will add genetic value and profitability to the herd.
    “Feed efficiency is heritable and it is the single most important trait that we can test, study and breed for,” he says.
    Using Grow Safe data, Vassberg has found the range of his Brahman male and females to be from 5-14 pounds of feed to gain one pound. Vassberg believes that this test is proving that there are many animals that should not be propagated, and is using it as a valuable tool to select which animals are the best.
    An important fact to consider in Vassberg’s testing methods is that every animal is first evaluated on grass before they ever enter the Grow Safe system. At about two months after weaning all of the registered cattle, male and female, are put on grass for a period of four months. An average daily gain number is recorded on each animal throughout the period that they spend on an all forage diet. The collected data proves that there are particular genetic lines that do well on grass and some that don’t.
    “We take their performance on grass very seriously. It’s important to the industry to know how cattle do on grass, and as we continue to compete for corn and land this value will take on an even higher importance,” he explains.
    In addition to poor carcass traits the Brahman breed has long since been knocked for low fertility. Using hard data, Vassberg has been identifying cattle that reach puberty at an earlier age and breed back more efficiently with higher conception rates. His operation is using sexed semen along with embryo transfer to produce females at a faster rate that meet the stringent requirements of his program. Currently, his operation is using over 1,000 recipients for embryo transfer to increase the genetic quality of the herd.
     “We have identified the rare animals that can add value to the breed and we are rapidly multiplying them using today’s technology,” he explains.
     His data shows that as a result of years of genetic selection he now routinely has heifers that are cycling and breed at 12-14 months of age. This is impressive when compared to the breed norm which is 20-24 months of age. The sires have also shown an increase in semen production at an earlier age than other bulls in the breed.
    In addition to tenderness, marbling, feed efficiency, and fertility the commercial cattleman also desires an animal that has a mild temperament and of course eye appeal. On any given morning you can drive through the pastures at Kallion Farms and appreciate the extreme calm and beauty of the Brahman animals that you see grazing the fields. Genetic selection and strict temperament evaluations guarantee that Kallion Farms Brahmans are gentle. This is a highly desirable trait when you consider that mild temperament animals return more dollars to the commercial producer in the feedlot versus the aggressive ones.
    Vassberg has placed tremendous selection pressure in the herd for tenderness, marbling, feed efficiency, fertility and temperament. These five traits are critical to being able to provide the best animal to the commercial breeder and the best product to the consumer. Only the animals with the most desirable traits that will lead to value in the breed for the future generation are used in the Kallion Farms breeding program.
    “We note any and everything whether it is positive or negative. We are proving that Brahman cattle can excel in all areas of the beef industry. Plus when you remove these long held negatives and combine it with their maternal traits and their disease and insect resistance you have a superior product. Thus, allowing the breed to fit niche markets such as grass-fed, natural or organic beef,” he describes.
    Vassberg feels strongly that the future will include Brahman meat being served in the finest steakhouses across the country and in the world. His goal is to produce Brahman meat that is considered the best.          
    “It is our goal to get there and do it efficiently. It’s also important that as an industry we find out what the consumer wants and not only do it, but go above and beyond to deliver. It’s our responsibility to give them a product that is safe, healthy and tender,” he says and adds,  “At Kallion Farms the business plan is simple: identify problems, find solutions and provide the consumer with the best product on the market.