A group of cattlemen from Chile were recently in Montana visiting cattle operations like Reisig Cattle near Hardin.
Dustin Reisig had the opportunity to travel to Chile last fall and see their cattle operations and says it’s a great opportunity to be able to return the favor.
"Last year in November, I had the opportunity to go to Chile and see what genetics they had there. We went to several Black Angus places. And it was neat to see the genetics that they're using and where they're at,” he recalled.
“It's a beautiful country and what their feeds and stuff and what genetics they were using. And come find out it's a lot of the same genetics we are using, but we used three generations ago.”
“And so, now it's nice to see a delegation from Chile to come see us and see where, you know, we’re two to three generations ahead and to see what opportunities they could be doing with their cattle," Reisig said.
Peter Maclean, one of the Chlilean cattlemen and says Montana is known for its high-quality seedstock genetics. "Well, we were invited by the Agricultural Department in Montana. And the idea is that we could see your genetics and get a good idea of what you have to offer for our productive system,” he said.
“You know, we normally breed in cattle and we sell when young calves or winter calves to the northern part of the country. And it's in the genetic input is not what it should be,” Maclean added. “So, we're trying to get in new genetics from Montana. You guys have good quality and well, I'm especially looking for a middle size framed cattle," Maclean said.
Dustin says in Chile their cattle market is based on yield where ours is based on quality. And he says these Chilean cattlemen recognize this and that’s why they’re interested in Montana genetics. "You know their market might be headed towards a quality-based market instead of just a yield grade. So, they can see that in our in our genetics," Reisig said.
And Peter says it’s trade mission’s like this, where important relationships are developed that benefit everyone," wwe get genetics from Montana, but through big companies. I think the idea here is to be able to do a bit of direct business between producers, which makes it better for both sides."
