The Bonsma Approach

This week, David welcomes Darris Meitler of Meitler Cattle in Lucas, KS and Brent Lonker of Lonker Cattle in Fresno, CA. They dive into the principles for selecting cattle for functional efficiency, as taught by Dr. Jan Bonsma, a renowned animal scientist from South Africa. Darris and Brent share insights on Bonsma’s approach to evaluating cattle based on visual indicators of hormonal balance and adaptability, and how these principles can be applied to improve herd productivity and longevity.

Mentioned in this Episode:

MontanaRanchAngus.com

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MeitlerCattle.com

The Bonsma All_Breeds Cattle Group

Quotes:

• “Three of my favorite things — wine, beef, and the fine art of breeding cattle.” [1:44]
• “The great cattlemen are already breeding Bonsma-type cattle, they just don’t realize it.” [3:00]
• “If you want to breed great cattle, it basically consists of three equal parts of observation, management, and science.” [29:57]
• “Your cow herds are no better than the mothers of the bulls you’re using, and so that should tell you exactly where you’re at.” — Brent [32:43]
• “If you apply the principles and you’re making those close decisions, the percentages are going to increase in your favor.” — Brent [1:26:03]