Open the Gates
by Christy Couch Lee, Angus
Journal
“Our focus is on performance and creating 'bull-maker
moms.'’
— Ted Willer
We are a family cattle business that began in 1995. We start in our pastures with dinner plates in mind.
Our cattle are a performance herd. Our goal is to provide “Customer Driven, Balanced Carcass Cattle”. We do thatby being the “Home of Bull Maker Moms” whose sons go on to "PERFORM" in test and in the pastures of America's progressive cattlemen.
The Angus cow is remarkable, and we expect our cows to do it all: provide us with a calf every year in a reasonably short calving window; wean a heavy calf able to develop a good carcass; and that calf becomes either a stout bull or another productive “Bull Maker Mom”. The quality of the cow is tested by the performance of her sons. Bulls are tested at the top national bull tests (IBEP-Indiana, Midland Bull Test-Montana, Werner Feed Efficiency Test-Iowa), and here at the farm.
Upcoming Events Involving WTR
Date / Time | Event / Location |
---|---|
August 21, 2021 | Share the Performance Sale at WTR 70+ lots bred females, open heifers, and bull calves |
- EPD's
- Ultrasound
- DNA
- AI
- Embryo Transfer
- Performance Testing
- Rate of Gain
- Feed Efficiency
- Nutrition
- Power of Pedigree & Genetics
- Structural Soundness
- Fertility & "Mothering" Ability
- Longevity
- Feed Conversion & Feed Efficiency
The Results Speak for Themselves...
CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE
- #1 ADG bull at 2014-15 Midland Bull Test (MT)... calving ease and power bulls and over all breeds (more than 1000 bulls)... we had 10 bulls at MBT that had ADG ratio of 114! Now that's CONSISTENCY
- #2 ADG Get-of-Sire at 2009-10 Midland Bull Test (MT)... was also #6 WDA
- #2 ADG bull at 2008-09 Midland Bull Test (MT)
- #1 Performance Index and WDA bull at IBEP 2016
- #4 bull for "Feed Efficiency" at MBT in 2018
- #6 - #9 - #15 Feed Efficiency bulls (adj Feed:Gain) at Iowa Cattlemen's/Werner Feed Efficiency Test in 2020 were WTR bulls... three (3) of top 15 bulls out of 106 on test! Consistency and Predictability for more Profit. Our group of WTR bulls had an adj F:G of 5.52 # feed/# gain vs. 6.12 test ave... that's over 7% less feed per pound of gain! WTR ADG 4.72 vs test ave of 4.32 (WTR bulls averaged 9% more ADG than ave). WTR bulls came off test at 1299 lb vs test ave of 1200 lb... 8% more weight than ave.
- 2019 we placed 12 yearling bulls on Feed Efficiency tests. We beat the industry Avg. and
pen Avg.
for Feed:Gain conversion.
— ADG: 4.70#/day
— ADJ Feed:Gain 5.43# Feed per pound of gain. - 2021 we placed 5 bulls on Feed Efficiency and Rate of Gain test at Werner/Iowa Cattlemen Performance Test…out of 65 bulls the five (5) WTR bulls placed #2, #3, #6, #16, and #17 for Feed Efficiency/ Conversion. In addition to Feed Efficiency they were all above average for ADG: we had the #2, #3, and #4 ADG ratio bulls as well (they ratioed 121, 121, 115, 111, and 105).
- High selling Heifer Embryo Pregnancy... Denver National Stock Show 2002... $12,000