As ag economists forecast into 2026 and beyond, the cattle industry will continue to be challenged by harsh economic forces like rising input costs, tighter margins, and the scarcity of quality replacement females. It’s really going to test the sustainability of many beef herds nation-wide. Knowing this already, above average maternal traits will no longer a “nice to have,” they will in fact become the keystone of profitability, and therefore herd sustainability. Sure, in this sale catalog you’ll see we are proud to offer “power cows” and “growth leaders,” like BSG Embargo, BSG 2362, and BSG 2427; they are some exciting lots in this sale! But big growth without a balance of maternal superiority can be a bad deal.
Sadly, most beef herds and seedstock suppliers, especially within the traditionally maternal or British breeds, have drifted toward selecting terminal traits over maternal integrity: heavier yearling weights—which means greater size—which means females from those genetics are stuck being later maturing. The mainstream American cow herd is seemingly blowing their brains out once again on single trait selection (Growth) just like in the 1980’s, early 1990’s. Do folks not remember that the industry chase for scale-crushing pounds most often erodes the very edifice of a long-lived, efficient cow? Have we not been down this road before, or do we not recollect because most of the breeders of that time gone by era already exited the business?
The fact is, while selecting for max growth to better serve only the packer’s demands (and not your own herd’s integrity), you might get calves that weigh heavier, but the dams behind them will more than likely get taller, wear thin earlier, and erode in stayability. Bottom line: when naturally maternal cattle breeds are pushed away from their God-given structural, reproductive, and longevity design, these consequences are inevitable. But it’s happening all around us. You can observe it today in these maternal or British-based breeds where terminal traits are getting all the attention; you’re seeing compromised fertility, foot and leg breakdown, udder failure, and therefore early culling. And darn it, that is precisely what history and long-term evaluations from the USDA Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) germplasm reports have warned about across the numerous cycles of their multi-breed evaluation.
At BSG we don’t just talk maternal ability. We continually prove it. We’re proud to be one of the strongest $Cow Productivity Index (Calving-Ease, Adequate Growth, Longevity, Milk) programs in America. Even before $CPI was introduced in late 2024, our selection philosophy incorporated $Durham – calving ease, low birth impact, “growth with a governor,” and proven longevity. Plus we have always evaluated structural soundness, fleshing ease and udder quality as foundational traits, not added just added bonuses. While many breeders leaning more heavily towards “big pounds now,” we we’ve been anchoring growth inside a configuration of maternal integrity.
And the difference does matter. In 2026, replacement female prices are expected to break all-time records due to the long-anticipated national cow herd rebuilding process. Every cow that leaves the herd before having her 5th calf is a lost investment. Every later maturing heifer that grows “bigly” but fails to breed on time costs exponentially more! As most race to market the heaviest steers, many are forgetting that their dams may be expensive liabilities. The logic is simple: if you don’t sustain your female base, your gains in steer performance will be eaten by replacement costs and diminishing herd quality.
Anyone reading this sale catalog knows that Shorthorns in their most basic elements are a hardy, maternal breed with a free and natural genetic redisposition for carcass or meat quality (Marbling). If we let the breed be pulled too far into terminal selection (YW, CW, REA), we risk unraveling decades of progress. Over the past 20 years, we as a breed have advanced fertility, structural soundness, udder quality, and stayability. Turning away from that is flat out self-defeating!
We know from watching folks enter and exit this breed (and others) over the years, the future of the cow business belongs to those who build mama cow herds that last, not those that have the biggest cows on the block. Yes, growth is essential, but it must be backed by to reproductive performance and longevity. In 2026 and beyond, the “Maternal vs. Terminal Cow Herd Factor” will determine who thrives, those who struggles, and who gets out of the business.
BSG is staying steadfast:
- Maternal first.
- Pounds second.
- Profit always.
“Profit by De$ign”
Snelling, W. M., et al. “Genetic Correlations among Weight and Cumulative Productivity of Crossbred Beef Cows.” Genetics Selection Evolution, vol. 51, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1–12. PubMed Central (PMC), https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6313155/.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Germplasm Evaluation Program: Progress Report 20. U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, 2020. https://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2userfiles/place/54380000/gpe/gpe20.pdf.
Rowan, Thomas N. “Stayability, Longevity, and Cow Fertility Selection.” Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle Conference Proceedings, Beef Reproduction Task Force, 2024. https://beefrepro.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rowan_ARSBC-2024.pdf.