Loren Fischer of Nevada, Missouri, was recently honored as the American Gelbvieh Association’s 2020 Commercial Producer of the Year.
The AGA Commercial Producer of the Year Award honors individuals who use Gelbvieh and Balancer genetics in progressive commercial cattle operations and are proactive in their promotion of the Gelbvieh and Balancer breeds.
Loren and his wife, Marcy, along with their five children, own and operate Fischer Cattle Company, a diversified cattle and farming operation located in west central Missouri, near the community of Rich Hill.
Currently, Fischer Cattle Company runs about 500 commercial cows and replacement females. Like many operations in Missouri, the Fischers split their herd into two calving seasons, with 60% calving in the fall and 40% calving in the spring.
Loren shares that he has been purchasing Balancer bulls for more than six years now and appreciates the added growth and performance he has seen from implementing a crossbreeding program. He notes that introducing Balancer bulls was a smart, profitable and easy choice for him, and has allowed him to maximize hybrid vigor in his herd.
Fischer Cattle Company raises their own replacement heifers, and the added maternal strengths the genetics provide is another area of added value that Loren has found in the incorporation of Gelbvieh and Balancer genetics into his herd.
Known for both fertility and stayability, Gelbvieh genetics help to maximize cowherd profitability through good breed back and reproductive longevity. Both traits add up to more live calves on the ground throughout the herd life of a female and translate to increased herd profitability.
The Fischers also background their calves and have retained ownership in the feedyard for the last several years, making average daily gain, along with yield and grade, important components in the operation’s profitability.
Overall, Loren says that he is pleased with the results he has been seeing from Gelbvieh and Balancer genetics. And he attributes much of his operation’s genetic improvement and success in the commercial beef industry to the breeds’ genetics.