Scientific Cattle Breeding
The dictionary defines “science” as – a “branch of study concerned with observation and classification of facts, and especially with the establishment of variable general laws”.
The breeding of cattle on a world wide basis swings pendulum like from one extreme to the other. In 1880 Texas Longhorns were rounded up by the millions. Certain bulls were castrated and others were retained to breed the herd. If a bull calf was fleshy, muscular and appeared to be of good quality, he was castrated to develop a salable steer. If the bull was of low quality, poor doing or small he was left as a bull, later to be a herd sire. This early Texas practice, described in Dobie’s book, “The Longhorns” (1939), was popular when the west was unfenced and millions of cattle reproduced with no economic thought of insurance, interest or taxes.
The totally opposite example happened in Germany starting right after World War II. A country devastated by military destruction was ravaged by disease. People ha TB and so did the cattle. Hoof & Mouth disease was only one of the numerous problems with no CNN reporters present or even caring. The German national cattle herds had been consumed by starving soldiers and surviving residents. Very few farm livestock remained.
General George Marshall under directives of Harry Truman, developed and implemented the “Marshall Plan’ designed to use USA funds and leadership to rebuild Germany and the other European countries destroyed by the war. (The USA is the only world power that is attacked by a country, kicks butt, then returns to rebuild their country.)
Heino Messerschmidt was the German under Secretary of Agriculture. At Neuestadt (new town) Aisch (name of river) the Besammungs Verein genetic program was developed. The superior genetics of Germany and Europe were pooled for early artificial insemination use. There was an all out program developed to eliminate disease transmitted by natural copulation, and provide the highest scientific proven genetics to poor and starving people. Semen was processed on beef cattle, draft cattle, milk cattle, milk goats, milk sheep and swine. At this time artificial insemination was not a frozen product, but hot. There were no plastic AI sleeves.
Every mating was important – very important. Families were living on milk and meat. Disease could not be tolerated any more. The war was over. It was time to rebuild.
Heino Messerschmidt was Cambridge educated. His job was to reestablish the German genetics, then develop them to be the greatest in the world. The mentality of the German people was to do what ever it took, pay whatever price it cost, and become the best.
Every male admitted at Besammungs Verein was performance tested. Only one in thousands became a useable semen sire. It became a regulation that no one could own their own bull. No one swayed by personal feelings, sentimental love or even economics was allowed to own a male, or to breed to anything except government proven, tested males. All breeding were AI. A beef specialist individually inspected every cow and approved each mating with careful calculations. It was a regulation. (In Germany a regulation is as good as a law).
World renowned cattle scientist Jan Bonsma of Pretoria, South Africa was associated with Messerschmidt to develop the ultimate performance guidelines. He left no stone unturned to define the superior genetics.
The Besammungs Verein stud farm made the world’s fasted genetic advances. When this report was written, they had already been testing for over 50 years, (The Gelbveih breed is on result of their efforts.) and became the world’s largest semen center. The first calf born from frozen embryo technology was at Besammungs Verein.
From a meek beginning; German farmers with one to five cows had developed sires of world renowned quality. During Messerschmidt’s life time, genetic improvement happened so fast, semen and sires began to be exported to North America and world wide for herd improvement. Today the livestock quality in Germany is of world leadership vintage and superior to genetics from areas never touched by the ravages of war.
What was the success formula?
1. Identify superior genetics
2. Performance test large numbers
3. Do not allow natural service breeding to inferior untested bulls.
4. Do 100% AI with superior proven genetics
5. Provide professional assistance for every mating
6. Create genetics so superior the whole world wants.