Recent content by W.B.

My logic says no. Never tried it though.

Yes the ones that maintain good foot quality at 4 to 10 years of age are the ones to be using. I will use younger bulls ai if I know the cows behind the bull. There are herds I will avoid entirely because of previous poor foot experiences. It’s a multigenerational fix once the problem exists so...

I don’t disagree at all but there are some good footed Angus out there. Let your eyes be the judge. Most breeders i know will send pictures if you ask.

I think AAA would tell you they already have done all of that. I think feet are a harder fix than either disposition or udders as sometimes problems aren’t realized till animal is 4 to 6 years of age and environment is a rather large factor whether the problem is presented. The problem I see...

How true. Go through any semen catalog and they all have good feet. It’s the buzzword of the day it seems. I think most of the AI companies have treated their beef bulls like dairy bulls and trimmed their feet regularly. In the process they created some real foot killers.

No personal experience with the bull. Used his maternal grand sire back in the day. Likely some of poorest feet the Angus breed has ever seen. Fertility was good though.

Nice looking heifers. I am a little surprised you are still using Niagara. Good luck with the sale.

I would agree with that. I was disappointed when AAA went with dna test to be included in foot epds as I didn’t think they had the data base to have any accuracy. Genomics in general have been weighted too heavy in determining epds but by doing it this way they make sure nearly everyone does the...

And I will further add that the bull we are using AI is consistent for the traits I am looking to improve in my herd. Some of what we are doing is unorganized line breeding in a sense but it is working. There is more than one way to skin a cat even if it’s bass ackwords.

My point on age is I am running out of time to get the cows I want as I won’t live forever. The progress rate I am currently making would not be possible without outside genetics.

Likely weaning weights haven’t changed as environment is the limiting factor. Epd inflation is real as genomics have entered the picture. This seems to bother some but in reality it’s just the way the system works.

that’s one that’s one idea for sure. You can’t screw it up that way. Won’t make much progress unless you have some numbers to work with. My thoughts are to find a seedstock supplier that is selecting and managing cattle similar to your operation and take advantage of his selection pressure. I...

Epds + visual+genomics will make better breeding decisions than just using one or two of the above. More is not always better but using the tools the right way makes the most sense.

I am pretty sure all three of the outfits you listed use epds in their own sire selection. Dismissing epds entirely kind of defeats the purpose of your own breeding program at that point.

Are all American bulls priced that high? The semen on Right Time 7861 was collected at World West in Billings Montana. They have a solid reputation.