Recent content by Andyva

Is that one of the new solid black herefords?

Holsteins, the other black cow. Surprising that the black hair thing has caught on as well as it has, considering the millions of holsteins that are dropping bull calves every year. If the black hair is coming from holstein influence, that is not going to do anything for birth weight, that's for...

Today's sims aren't Angus. Angus don't normally throw giant calves, red, horns, and chrome. They might look the same, but that has nothing to do with the fact that they used Angus to add black hair, but that is the only thing that changed because of Angus genetics. Everything else is just a...

Deer can bring out the worst in people. I hate the darn things.

When my neighbor does get a good bull that it is really hard to find fault with it puts me in an awkward position. Making claims that aren't painfully obvious at first glance threatens my credibility. So I will say something like, "I'm surprised to see you went with such a big bull, are you sure...

Try this. "I get what you are trying to do, the quarter Holstein bull you've got there will theoretically put a little more milk on your heifers,and make it so your calves aren't so scrawny when you breed them to a good bull. Like in case mine jumps the fence or something. But you know, putting...

Guess I'm lucky to have good neighbors. My neighbor will call me over to look when he gets a new bull. When he asks me what I think of him, I'll say something along the lines of, "Well I reckon he's all right as long as the mangy, squirrel nutted, bony thing stays on his side of the fence, not...

I always liked herefords. I always thought a red cow bred to a black bull was a good way to go. Buy a red bull for every couple black ones and hold back a bunch of replacement heifers. I quit herefords. Hold back a bunch of heifers, and have to cull most of them by the time they are eight. Not...

So, with old genetics, is it possible to get back past when the other stuff was added? Or does it matter? We went hereford angus hereford angus for a lot of years. The last couple hereford bulls we had on the place looked good, but they didn't throw good replacement cows, which was the only...

I always figured that there was shorthorn added to knock the horns off and simmental to give them the pigment around the eyes. But I could be wrong.

I've always heard the vaccine was a waste of money. A guy here swears by it. Says he ran out on one bunch, he has places rented with 15 or twenty head, all pretty close together. The bunch he vaccinated had 5 cases and none of the others have had a single one. Yet. I'll be watching him...

Does it kill flies or does it just make cows smell bad? If you miss a calf or two are all the flies going to end up on them?

You'll look long and hard to find heifers that will let you play with their teats at the sale barn. Having a cow you can steal a little colostrum from to have in the freezer can be worth a lot in some situations.

So it's a thickness grade? That makes sense, the ones I have seen bring more are the 4 and 5 weights in the 2s. In October, but not now. Get up in the 6 and 7 weights and they start bringing less it seems like.

When I look up market reports, I see, for instance, steers 1, steers 2, heifers 1 and heifers 2. What is the difference in 1 and 2? I have seen instances where the 2s brought more money than the 1s on some weights, but not very often. What does it take to make a 2, is that a bony calf or an off...