SydGen

SydGen has utilized the same headquarters location south of Mexico, Missouri, in north central Missouri, since 1966. They currently calve about 800 head, of which 20-25% are embryo transplant calves. SydGen has a 65-day spring breeding season and a 50-day fall breeding season. The herd is maintained on 2500 owned and 750 leased acres. The farm is a combination farm with 25% in a crop rotation of corn, soybeans, and wheat, and 75% in pasture and hay. Most of the production is marketed through an annual production sale held each year in November. All fall yearling bulls and the January born spring bull calf crop are sold at that time, as well as a cross-section of females and embryos. Additionally, beginning in 1998, SydGen hosts a SydGen Influence Commercial Female Sale for their customers, the evening of their Production Sale. These heifers must be sired by and or bred to SydGen Sires and meet Show-Me Select-type guidelines. Since 2006, SydGen has also hosted a Spring Influence Sale in April, which includes the SydGen February born spring bulls as well as consignments from SydGen Customers. Those animals must be sired by a SydGen sire and or from a SydGen female and adhere to set health and performance reporting guidelines. SydGen is a leader in the independent marketing of semen and AI certificates on herd sires. Beginning in 1992 they printed their own semen directory. In 2002, SydGen, along with five other progressive breeders formed ORIgen and built a state-of-the-art bull housing, collection and distribution facility. The ORIgen network allows breeders to take advantage of the marketing opportunities while giving the bull owners control of their own bulls. Presently, SydGen sires are responsible for over 80,000 progeny with weights recorded in the AHIR database, and 3700 progeny on Australia's Breedplan. Although many are young sires, 24,000 daughters in production on AHIR. SydGen began carcass evaluation of herd sires in 1988, and today, own or co-own over 50 sires with actual carcass EPDs, based on over 3000 of their progeny evaluated. Mike Kasten, Millersville, MO, has used predominantly Sydenstricker Genetics since 1988. His cattle have shattered records in the Farmland Supreme Beef Alliance, and more recently, have consistently ranked near the top of AngusSource Challenges. His calves consistently grade 60+% CAB and Prime, and convert between 4.9 and 5.2 pounds of dry matter per pound of gain. His bred heifers are some of the most sought-after females in the Show Me Select heifer sales. Sire Summary sorts for well-proven sires with mult-trait excellence will consistently point to SydGen sires as real world performance bulls who can move your herd forward in a multitude of economically important traits.