The Angus Advantage is committed to a system of producing consistently high quality beef at a profit. We are very much aware of the desires of the consumer - an enjoyable eating experience with beef at the center of the plate. These carcass traits must be balanced with economically important traits such as growth, fertility, calving ease, maternal ability, longevity, in a real world production system. Our goal is your satisfaction with this total breeding package.
By utilizing the forage produced by swine effluent in southeastern North Carolina, AA bulls are developed with longevity, durability and adaptability for hot, humid climates. This is not to say the bulls won't work in cold weather as a large number of AA moms were raised in Montana! Large contemporary groups of AA bulls graze in a rotational system to ensure that the bulls are developed in the same manner he is expected to work when he gets to your farm or ranch. AA bulls work because they are bred and developed with your needs in mind. Overly conditioned bulls are costly to produce and fat doesn't improve the genetic performance of a bull. The development of a quality breeding package with your needs in mind — Another Angus Advantage!
The Advantage of a Solid Guarantee
Everyone has seen those ads that list the price of certain important items. Then the clincher of the ad is the final item that is Priceless. A similar ad could be made listing prices of an Angus Advantage Bull, a Breeding Soundness Exam, Vaccination Program, and the final item would be: Unconditional Guarantee that Bull Will Work on Your Cows: Priceless.
That is just what the Angus Advantage Team promises to every bull customer. The attention to detail and being sure that every bull sold has passed a Breeding Soundness Exam is just plain good business.
Dr. Chad Aderhold from Apex Veterinary Hospital in Apex performs the BSE on all the Angus Advantage bulls. He travels from Apex to each group of bulls whether they are in Rowan County or on the East coast of North Carolina.
Each bull is loaded into the chute. The first thing Dr. Aderhold does is look at the whole bull. He checks the feet and legs, head, eyes and overall body condition. Then he palpates the accessory sex organs internally. One of the things he checks for internally are the inguinal rings and makes sure there is no hernia.
Then he measures the scrotal circumference of the bull. Bulls at 22 months of age should have at least a scrotal circumference of 34 cm. He also palpates the scrotum externally to be sure there is no swelling and that the testicles are symmetrical.
An electroejaculator is then placed in the bull’s rectum and a mild electrical current then stimulates the accessory sex glands. This stimulus actually contracts the muscles and forces semen out of the epididymus. The semen is collected in a test tube and is examined under the microscope.
In the microscopic examination, many things are important. Motility of the sperm should be at least 70%. In a very good sample, you can actually see the swirling motion of the fluid with the naked eye. Sperm tend to “swirl” or swim as a group and Dr. Aderhold even described it as the motion of a hurricane microscopically.
The morphology of the sperm is also important. The sperm is looked at from its head to its tail. Abnormalities are classified as primary or secondary. Primary abnormalities are developmental such as two heads and these are big problems. Secondary abnormalities are problems in the tail portion of the sperm. These tend to be caused by storage problems in the testicles. A small number of abnormalities are okay but a large number of one type or a large number of both types will cause the bull to be classified as deferred. Problems with the secondary storage abnormalities may mean the bull just needs to ejaculate more and clean out his system.
As he is looking under the microscope, the doctor is also checking for white blood cells and of course, a large number of those would mean that the bull has an infection. After the initial microscopic evaluation, the sample is stained with a stain created by the Society of Theriogenology. The slide is then taken back to Apex and Dr. Aderhold does a complete, thorough check there.
As the bull is collected, Dr. Aderhold is also looking at how well the penis is extended, and if there are warts present or if the penis is damaged in any way. The Breeding Soundness Exam that Dr. Aderhold performs is complete in every way. For him to give his okay to an Angus Advantage bull, you can be assured that the bull is going to be a satisfactory, complete package.
As a cattle producer himself, Dr. Aderhold knows how important a bull is to your herd. “A bull is 50% of your herd,” says Dr. Aderhold. “I would not buy a bull unless it has had a Breeding Soundness Exam.”
Joe Hampton sums it all up when he said, “If someone is trying to make a living off cows, what you are doing (BSE) is cheap compared to 30 open cows.”
The only thing that his breeding soundness exam cannot check for is libido. “We can check to assure that the bull is up to the job,” says Dr. Aderhold. Chad Aderhold has been doing these evaluations for 13 years. He says on very cold days, the semen held in the test tube is kept warm in a pocket until it can be checked microscopically. “The amount of semen collected is very variable. Density is not important when these bulls are collected artificially.” Says Dr. Aderhold.
Joe Hampton has found the best people for the job in Dr. Aderhold and his staff. Accompanying him on many of these tests is Earl Franks, who is invaluable and has been on staff for 12 years at Apex Veterinary Hospital. Also, Dr. Tyler Brady was able to attend this last test, mainly because he was sidelined from other vet work due to an injury.
“Good people are the key to a good test,” remarks Joe.
Dr. Aderhold has been performing these tests for the Angus Advantage group for four years now. He also has some praise for the AA in stating that it is the most solid two-year old bull sale in the state.
Anyone interested in attending the Angus Advantage Bull and female sale on November 13 in Clinton should contact Joe & Robin Hampton for a sale catalog. Give them a call at 704-278-9347 for more information or if you would like a video on the bulls offered at the sale. It will be to your advantage!
