Dallas Burton of Hitchcock, South Dakota, was announced as the 2023 American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) Commercial Producer of the Year at the 53rd Annual AGA National Convention on November 30, 2023, at the Omaha Marriott Downtown at the Capitol District in Omaha, Nebraska.
Burton operates DWB Farms which is a cow/calf and feedlot operation consisting of approximately 400 cows. The farm was originally a dairy operation, but when Burton took charge, he chose beef cattle as the optimal path to maximize the use of the resources they had available. Burton targeted maternal and carcass traits to move the operation forward. He started keeping his own replacement females when he realized the females, he was producing were far superior to what he could purchase.
“We could never justify keeping our own replacements before, but after seeing the quality of our Gelbvieh-influenced females we couldn’t afford to not keep them,” said Burton.
Burton has used the strengths of the Gelbvieh breed to move DWB Farms forward. He understands that single trait selection is not beneficial, but certain traits are very important. Selecting Gelbvieh genetics with carcass merit and strong maternal traits has allowed Burton to sustain profitability in both the feedlot and his cowherd.
“Dallas has put an extra emphasis on carcass traits and has seen a direct improvement in the way his cattle perform on the rail. In 2022, his cattle went 97% USDA Prime or Choice, and virtually all yield grades 1-3. He monitors results and makes adjustments where needed,” said Blake Hojer, Hojer Ranch LLC. “Most notably, his most recent load of calves graded 100% USDA Prime and Choice with 50% grading USDA Prime.”
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