Females

Sedgewood's Registered Angus foundation females were selected primarily on their performance ratios and the quality of their progeny. Pedigrees, phenotype, and EPD's were, of course, considered as well. Many of our females were bred in the nationally known Rolling Rock, McCumber, VanDyke, and Gardiner programs.

 

     In 2003, we closed the Sedgewood herd to new outside cattle. We did this because we felt our cattle were second to none and we did not want to risk importing any infectious diseases with outside breeding stock. We feel so strongly about keeping a 100% closed herd that we even have our own Jersey cows (AI'd to Jersey bulls) in order to produce the teaser bulls needed for heat detection in our intensive AI program.

 

     The Sedgewood health program addresses both disease prevention and surveillance. All cattle are vaccinated annually for BVD, IBR, PI3, BRSV, Lepto, and Blackleg.   Sedgewood has been a Certified Bangs Free herd since 1983. We joined the Mississippi Voluntary Johne's Testing Program in 2001. In the past we tested our calves for BVD-PI, but have never had a positive.  For many years we tested all the cattle in both the registered and commercial herds for Anaplasmosis, Bovine Leukemia virus, and Johne's Disease.  After several years of 100% negative results we stopped the expensive and labor intensive annual testing.   Since then we test any animals that are not thriving and have never had any positives for Anaplaz, BLV or Johne's.

 

      Sedgewood replacement females are aggressively selected based on fertility, performance, disposition, and for good foot and udder traits. They are expected to calve at 24 months of age, and then every year thereafter must breed back within the first 60 days of the breeding season. Females breeding after the first 60 days are sold. Any cows with bad feet or udders are sent to the sale barn. As a result of our rigorous selection process the Sedgewood Angus herd improves in quality every year.