Walsh, Alberta
Located along the Alberta/Saskatchewan border east of Medicine Hat near Walsh, you will find the Spring Creek Colony and the home of the Canadian Red Angus Promotion Society's 2008 Commercial Breeder of the Year, Andy Hofer. Andy is the Cow Boss at the Spring Creek Colony and since taking over the managing role in 1995, has changed the cowherd from a mixture of colors and breeds to a strictly red herd of Red Angus and Simmental cross cows thereby making the cowherd more consistent and decreasing the average
cows weight by 200 pounds and increasing the weaning weight of their calves by 200 pounds.
The 700 head of mother cows are all red with the Red Angus base cows being bred to Simmental bulls and the Simmental base cows being bred to Red Angus bulls as well as the heifers. Every cow has Red Angus influence. Andy strongly feels that by having the red base cowherd it makes for a more diversified cow. They sell some of their heifers and by having a red cow, "customers can breed them to whatever color of bull they wish and still have a calf that is highly marketable in the fall."
The choice to have a Red Angus cow base for Andy is simple maternal traits, fertility and longevity. With regards to fertility, Andy states that "out of 120 second calvers, only 1 cow came up open." And in terms of longevity, "out of their 700 mother cows, 170 of those cows are between 10 and 18 years of age." Quite impressive. Because all of their calves are finished at the Colony, each cow and calf is weighed at weaning time
and the cows are expected to raise 50-55% of their weight and if they don't, they are sold. As Andy says, "it's simple to raise good cattle - you just have to be ruthless in your culling program and acquire the best genetics
available."
Spring Creek Colony runs 15 Red Angus bulls with most bulls being purchased from two main breeders as well as using some AI sires on some of the cowherd and the heifers. Andy selects bulls for maternal traits and tries to keep birthweights around 100 lbs but depending on how a bull is made, that can vary. He uses EPD's as a tool in his bull selection but states "good ole common cow sense is still important." "If I could see the mother and the grandmother on both sides, that would mean more to me than any EPD number. The EPD tool alone would get pretty rusty in my tool box!"
Andy's thoughts regarding EPD's are probably more widespread than some would like to admit but his reasoning makes more than just good sense. "The base of EPD numbers should be zero, then the "Andy Hofer's" of the world could understand them more easily." "Numbers can be too easily manipulated thereby making them really only useful for in herd use." "That's why we always need to have common cow sense."
The cowherd begins calving the beginning of March in a 100 acre paddock and depending on the weather they have the option of moving the closer calving cows to corrals near the barn where they can calve if need be. Otherwise, the cows are calved on pasture. By May 1st cows are turned out to grass with 200 pairs going to their "River Lake Ranch" at Riverhurst, Saskatchewan as well as 100 bred heifers. Calves are generally weaned the end of September or beginning of October and the 30,000 acre land base of the Colony provides adequate fall grazing for the herd with all grain land being fenced and having water sources. Pastures are managed so there is always a year supply of grass and the native grass is saved for grazing until July. The Walsh area is generally very dry with 2008 being one of their better years in recent times for moisture until the largest hail storm in their history went through cutting a 15 mile wide swath leaving all of their land with 30-100% hail damage thus making harvest time a little shorter this year and allowing some late summer and fall rains to provide some re-growth to the fields for fall grazing.
A little different approach than some Colony's, Andy has become aggressive in marketing some of their
heifer calves and bred heifers for top dollar both privately and at sales. They consign females to the "Money
in the Bank" bred heifer sale in Maple Creek as well as have shown pens of heifers at the Medicine Hat pen
show where in 2006 and 2007 Spring Creek Colony had the Champion pen of open heifers. Andy also takes
females to the "Little Royal Show and Sale" at Fort Macleod Auction, co-hosted by Brylor Ranch, where they
have had much success.
Andy is a true believer, supporter and promoter of the Red Angus breed. The Canadian Red Angus Promotion Society recognizes and appreciates his enthusiasm and congratulates him on being awarded the 2008 Commercial Breeder of the Year. |
