NEW MARKET, Ala. (WHNT) — A cattle seedstock farmer tracks the lineage of their cattle for generations, identifying good traits and working to make sure they’re passed on to new calves.
A farm in New Market breeds cattle and supplies them to farmers across the country.
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“Our main market is other cattle farmers,” said Randy Moody, the owner of Little Mountain Farm. “They’re looking for the genetics that we raise.”
Moody is a third-generation cattle farmer. He has operated Little Mountain Farm since 1997, breeding cattle for characteristics that will benefit other farmers.
“You want a calf to come easy and grow fast,” Moody said.
Moody said farmers want cows that can deliver their calves unassisted.
“We like to sleep at night, too, so we don’t want to have to get up and go help deliver calves every time it turns around,” Moody said.
Cattle farms are also looking for physical traits that will impact meat.
“Is the ribeye big enough?” Moody said. “It needs to be big enough for you to enjoy it, but it doesn’t need to be twice as big as a dinner plate. When you go to the grocery store, you’re looking for marbling in the beef. Before we start breeding the cattle, we can research and know this animal’s going to be really good at marbling.”
The research process begins long before breeding season.
“All the females, we have all their registrations, and we know all that kind of good stuff about each one of them,” Moody said. “We put that in, and then we start looking at what traits they’re really good at and what traits needs to be improved.”
That is where the choice of bull becomes important. The combination should create a calf that will improve the genetics of another herd.
“Even though we’re a small operation as far as seed stock guys go, we’ve been very fortunate to have a reputation,” Moody said. “We’ve sent cattle all over the country.”
Little Mountain Farm also sells local beef. Moody said that if you are interested in purchasing local meat in bulk, he recommends finding a supplier in your area. The Alabama Cattleman’s Association maintains a list of suppliers.
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