Leachman Cattle of Colorado is at the forefront of animal breeding around the world.

Through accurate measuring and data collection, the company has established its own data pool of hundreds of thousands of records. These all feed back into one overall self-contained $Profit index which is used in the Angus, Charolais and Stabiliser breeds.

This index, driven by co-owner Lee Leachman, highlights what can be achieved from the proper processing of big data.

The herd

The company aims for the cow to be 1,300lb (589kg), with a weaning ratio of 50%, at seven months.

Weather conditions in Colorado are much more severe than those in Ireland, so for young calves to achieve an average daily gain in the region of 1.3kg/day is a testament to the conversion ability of the animal and the maternal ability of the dam.

Oracle is the most-used bull in the Red Angus breed in US this year. Mated to 3% of all Angus cows and about 1,000 progeny expected.

Lee says: “We stay right on a 365-day calving interval. You want to wean 90 calves from 100 cows.

"Our average commercial herds would breed 60 to 90 days and they would get 95% pregnant and they’ll lose 3% to 7% at birth, largely down to the weather, due to everybody calving outside.

If I have a customer and he has to assist more than 15% of those 24- to 27-month-old heifers, then I have an unhappy customer

“We would also want to calve 100% unassisted. Average birthweight across bulls and heifers would be 80lb (36kg).

"We sell a lot of semen to commercial herds to use on heifers, and I sell 2,000 bulls a year. Half of those bulls will be used on 14-month-old heifers so I’ve got to make sure I have enough calving ease to use on those heifers.

"If I have a customer and he has to assist more than 15% of those 24- to 27-month-old heifers, then I have an unhappy customer.

“You don’t need them to be that low for a cow, but half my bulls are going to be used on heifers.

I want the ones that have the guts but don’t eat very much

"Our bulls relative to Angus populations are pretty heavily muscled; relative to European Charolais, they’re not.

“When I measure the profit, some of the cows that are really efficient are built like a Limousin. I’m scared of them. But some of the ones that are really efficient are big-middled and they’re the ones I want.

"I want the ones that have the guts but don’t eat very much.”

Stay tuned to the farmersjournal.ie for part two and three of the Leachman Cattle of Colorado series.