Alabama star shares unique cow herd approach
By Mark Parker
Farm Talk (Parsons, Kan.)
November 1, 2006
via The Norman Transcript
PIERCE CITY, Mo. — The song Teddy Gentry is singing these days may never make it to the top of the country music charts but it was a big hit in Pierce City, Mo.
That’s where the bass player and songwriter from the legendary band Alabama spoke recently, sharing his experiences as a cattleman and doing a little crusading for grass-fed beef and the family farm.
Speaking at a customer appreciation dinner sponsored by Main Street Feeds and Joplin Regional Stockyards, Gentry provided a look at a progressive and unique cattle operation.
Bent Tree Farms began in 1980 as a hobby on his grandfather’s farm, said the Country Music Hall of Fame musician. Gentry’s passion for the industry, however, quickly led to a quest to develop a breed of cattle adapted to the hot and humid conditions of Fort Payne, Ala.
“Cattle have to be adapted to their environment first,” Gentry told the crowd. “That’s where you have to start.”
By the mid-’80s, Gentry was selecting cattle genetically adapted to thrive on grass and by the end of the decade he began putting together breeds of maternal-oriented Bos Taurus cattle to form a new composite breed.
In 1990, by crossing F1 Barzona-Polled Herefords with F1 Red Angus-Senepols, the South Poll breed was born.
In addition to producing slick-haired cattle capable of thriving in the Southeast, Gentry set his sights on moderate to small frame cows that were easy keepers, highly fertile and offered good longevity.
Gentry stressed that Bent Tree is data driven. His preference for cows with a frame score of about 2.5 and weighing 1,000 pounds comes from research indicating that he can run more cows and produce more beef per acre than he could with larger cows.
Additionally, he said, research shows that reproductive efficiency and longevity can decrease as cows become larger.
Gentry has mountains of data to back up his management choices.
With the help of analysis from Mississippi State University as well as other land grant colleges and private beef genetic firms, Bent Tree Farms has a reputation for having one of the most complete ranch data sets.
Gentry’s cattle primarily graze fescue-clover pastures, moving onto crabgrass for the hot summer months. He advocates a minimum of supplemental feed and pharmaceutical use, explaining that animals well adapted to their environment require less of each.
Highly efficient cattle utilizing forage resources leads to another Gentry passion - grass-fed beef. With the establishment of Burt’s Beef - named for Gentry’s grandfather - Bent Tree Farms is now marketing its own brand of grass-finished beef.
That, too, Gentry said, requires a certain type of beef animal. Selecting for the ability to produce tender beef has been another criterion in the development of South Poll cattle.
Today, with the help of a network of cooperators, Burt’s Beef is widely distributed and with the recent addition of 3,000 Tree of Life natural food stores as distributors, the company is taking a giant step into the marketplace.
Gentry feels strongly about the superiority of grass-fed beef. Grass-fed beef has up to 10 times the level of Omega-3 when compared with grain fed beef, he said. Diets rich in Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Meat from Burt's Beef cattle is sent to Iowa State University to have the nutrients and fatty acids evaluated. In addition to Omega-3 fatty acids, grass-finished beef contains higher levels of Conjugated Linoleic Acid, beta-carotene and vitamin A, Gentry said.
“You can have beef that is good tasting and good for you,” he said.
Currently, grass-fed beef represents only about 1 percent of the beef consumed in the United States. That fact, coupled with increasing consumer demand, paints a promising picture for the niche market, Gentry said.
Gentry firmly believes in value-added activities. Whether it’s free-range chickens, which he also produces, or direct-marketed crops, adding value to farm products offers a means of preserving small, family-based agriculture, he said.
Mark Parker writes for Farm Talk in Parsons, Kan.
normantranscript.com
By Mark Parker
Farm Talk (Parsons, Kan.)
November 1, 2006
via The Norman Transcript
PIERCE CITY, Mo. — The song Teddy Gentry is singing these days may never make it to the top of the country music charts but it was a big hit in Pierce City, Mo.
That’s where the bass player and songwriter from the legendary band Alabama spoke recently, sharing his experiences as a cattleman and doing a little crusading for grass-fed beef and the family farm.
Speaking at a customer appreciation dinner sponsored by Main Street Feeds and Joplin Regional Stockyards, Gentry provided a look at a progressive and unique cattle operation.
Bent Tree Farms began in 1980 as a hobby on his grandfather’s farm, said the Country Music Hall of Fame musician. Gentry’s passion for the industry, however, quickly led to a quest to develop a breed of cattle adapted to the hot and humid conditions of Fort Payne, Ala.
“Cattle have to be adapted to their environment first,” Gentry told the crowd. “That’s where you have to start.”
By the mid-’80s, Gentry was selecting cattle genetically adapted to thrive on grass and by the end of the decade he began putting together breeds of maternal-oriented Bos Taurus cattle to form a new composite breed.
In 1990, by crossing F1 Barzona-Polled Herefords with F1 Red Angus-Senepols, the South Poll breed was born.
In addition to producing slick-haired cattle capable of thriving in the Southeast, Gentry set his sights on moderate to small frame cows that were easy keepers, highly fertile and offered good longevity.
Gentry stressed that Bent Tree is data driven. His preference for cows with a frame score of about 2.5 and weighing 1,000 pounds comes from research indicating that he can run more cows and produce more beef per acre than he could with larger cows.
Additionally, he said, research shows that reproductive efficiency and longevity can decrease as cows become larger.
Gentry has mountains of data to back up his management choices.
With the help of analysis from Mississippi State University as well as other land grant colleges and private beef genetic firms, Bent Tree Farms has a reputation for having one of the most complete ranch data sets.
Gentry’s cattle primarily graze fescue-clover pastures, moving onto crabgrass for the hot summer months. He advocates a minimum of supplemental feed and pharmaceutical use, explaining that animals well adapted to their environment require less of each.
Highly efficient cattle utilizing forage resources leads to another Gentry passion - grass-fed beef. With the establishment of Burt’s Beef - named for Gentry’s grandfather - Bent Tree Farms is now marketing its own brand of grass-finished beef.
That, too, Gentry said, requires a certain type of beef animal. Selecting for the ability to produce tender beef has been another criterion in the development of South Poll cattle.
Today, with the help of a network of cooperators, Burt’s Beef is widely distributed and with the recent addition of 3,000 Tree of Life natural food stores as distributors, the company is taking a giant step into the marketplace.
Gentry feels strongly about the superiority of grass-fed beef. Grass-fed beef has up to 10 times the level of Omega-3 when compared with grain fed beef, he said. Diets rich in Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Meat from Burt's Beef cattle is sent to Iowa State University to have the nutrients and fatty acids evaluated. In addition to Omega-3 fatty acids, grass-finished beef contains higher levels of Conjugated Linoleic Acid, beta-carotene and vitamin A, Gentry said.
“You can have beef that is good tasting and good for you,” he said.
Currently, grass-fed beef represents only about 1 percent of the beef consumed in the United States. That fact, coupled with increasing consumer demand, paints a promising picture for the niche market, Gentry said.
It is also a way for family farmers to claim a bigger share of the value of the beef they produce, he said.
Gentry firmly believes in value-added activities. Whether it’s free-range chickens, which he also produces, or direct-marketed crops, adding value to farm products offers a means of preserving small, family-based agriculture, he said.
Mark Parker writes for Farm Talk in Parsons, Kan.
normantranscript.com