$100 semen

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Alan

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Been keeping my eye on a bull I really like the looks of and his breeding I just can't pull the trigger on a young bull at $100 per straw even if he is a non-cert bull. I won't name names because I have so much respect for the breeder. To be honest I also have a lot of the bull bloodlines in my herd already, but the semen price is what keeping it from my tank.

So this is not so much about the bull as it is about the semen price. Would you buy semen at that kind of price?
 
The bull would have to be fairly proven (^.70 acc) for me to use that semen, and then I'd probably only use it for a flush. I think that semen that high is a great way for hereford breeders to keep their cattle out of the market in mass amounts, especially an unproven bull.
 
Really dissappointed me when hereford breeders doubled or better the price of semen on non-cert bulls the whole point of non-cert bulls was to increase the use of that bull (young unproven bulls, or breeders without popularity, to say). Makes it pointless to use a non-cert bull at $100 a straw, that bull is now more expensive to breed too than a bull that has $25/straw and $75 a cert. Respect for the breeder or not, thats pathetic. I would not even consider a bull at that price; more to the fact, that breeder is charging way too much and in a few year there will be son's of that bull out producing him with lower price tags.
 
Never underestimate Hereford breeders for making poor fiscal pricing decisions.
There are Hereford sire options with high proof levels and lower investment cost out there. One just has to find them.
OR, just ask the owner for a "good friend" discount, if the semen is that important to you.
 
I have in the past paid $100 per straw for dairy sires, having said that I brought them for flushing & the bull has long been dead hence the price, here in Australia the AI companies sell beef bulls as dairy beef semen meaning we buy any type of beef bull for $7.00 per straw My cousin who breeds Limousins was after some cheap straws as he had just done an AI course I put him touch with my supplier he was rapt he got 50 straws of a bull that was rrp for almost $200.00 per straw for $7.00ea needless to say he brought them out & a few others as well. What I'm trying to say is if you like the bull look around & see if you can buy it cheaper elsewhere
 
Alan":q443xwmb said:
Been keeping my eye on a bull I really like the looks of and his breeding I just can't pull the trigger on a young bull at $100 per straw even if he is a non-cert bull. I won't name names because I have so much respect for the breeder. To be honest I also have a lot of the bull bloodlines in my herd already, but the semen price is what keeping it from my tank.

So this is not so much about the bull as it is about the semen price. Would you buy semen at that kind of price?

I've got semen in my tank that's supposedly worth more than $100 a straw, but I sure didn't pay that much for it.

Like you, even though the first calves from a bull priced like that look impressive, I can't bring myself to pull the trigger, at least not yet. I have more or less imposed a limit on what I'll spend - and it's somewhere around $100 total per calf, including certs. $100 semen, even without certs, exceeds that price when you include all the set-up and AI fees, even if you had 100% conception. So, he's a bull that's on my watch list that I may never end up using. At $50-$60 a straw, I'd be tempted.

George
 
Got to admit Alan; Yes I did. Bought semen out of GH Rambo 279R the Canadian bull.
Posted a pic of his daughter we got out of him on my thread.
Got 3 cows AI'd to him right now.

Was looking for a good growing good milk bull. Too many guys down here have a bloodline in them I won't use so I looked north.
Really wanted some semen out of Cory's Lad bull but could not get it exported to the US.
Looking at another Canadian bull that Ace has semen on at $25 a straw. Looking at putting that in a few of our Bear bull daughters.
Got a few straws left of Rambo. Watching the Bear bull daughters to see which ones I want to put that into.
 
If it is Wonder you are referring too, then buy some and use it on a select set of females. I really like the calves that I have seen by him. We flushed E39 (SHF marshals dam) to him last year, we have 4 calves on the ground and 6 more embryos in the tank. He is going to be used very heavy in the coming years, if you want to be on the forefront of that then get in line now. I believe that he is going to be a breed changer. He was excellent as a calf, and is breeding true to type from what I have seen. The bulls in Kevins sale out of him are at the top of the bull pen, in my opinion.

Maybe you weren't even talking about wonder, in which case ignore previous statements.
 
oakcreekfarms":3us35i37 said:
If it is Wonder you are referring too, then buy some and use it on a select set of females. I really like the calves that I have seen by him. We flushed E39 (SHF marshals dam) to him last year, we have 4 calves on the ground and 6 more embryos in the tank. He is going to be used very heavy in the coming years, if you want to be on the forefront of that then get in line now. I believe that he is going to be a breed changer. He was excellent as a calf, and is breeding true to type from what I have seen. The bulls in Kevins sale out of him are at the top of the bull pen, in my opinion.

Maybe you weren't even talking about wonder, in which case ignore previous statements.


Since we're naming names, yes it is wonder. Just can't pull the trigger Would have a hard time doing it on a $50 per straw, $50 per cert bull. My luck I dump $1000 in semen and get 6 steers and 4 non settles. I do like the bull but I can't do it, not much of a factor it's all about the price and pricing, but I do have a lot of M326 and Rib Eye blood right now, so looking at other bulls to maintain my current direction with Herefords. Not for anything but I did notice on AHA site the breeder is listed as (I assume) his daughter, not Kevin, on their web site Kevin is listed as the breeder...... just thinking college fund????

I have all kinds of respect for Sandhills, and believe they are trying to take Polled Herefords the right direction..... so I'm trying to copy them with a much smaller herd and tiny tiny budget. :D

Alan
 
Don't know much about Wonder, but the most expensive semen I bought was also the biggest disaster.
 
Alan I am doing the same thing, over 80% of my cows go directly to sandhill cows or bulls. He is one of the most trustworthy men I have ever been around, and I consider him the best mentor around. I was 21 when I first met Kevin, and he spent hours talking with me over the phone. If you want to move your herd forward at some point you have to spend some money. Not huge money, but go spend the money to buy the bull you want. Or buy the $100 semen and raise one to use that suits you. Either way you have to invest in your cattle. The semen is quickly becoming the cheapest thing we do to invest in our herds. I truly believe that he should be used. And yes I was disappointed when the price came out that high. It will limit his use, and he won't be as big of a factor as he should be in the future. However, when you spend 25,000 you want to make back some of your money. However, that is only 500 straws that they have to sell to make all their money back. A person might be able to get semen from one of his sons selling this year for a discount. However, they both may go for the same amount as their sire.
 
Personally I'll do just about whatever I have to do to get the genetics that I want because I do it for a living and I make enough money at it that I can afford to write my bad investments of as a business expense. :D
Realistically, I encourage all of my customers both beef and dairy to keep it simple and fairly cheap. In the long run they're building better cattle by consistantly getting alot of cattle bred to a mid-range bull and don't kill themselves off over it than they are when they use high end stuff and sit around worrying about the results.

I have also seen alot of $100 dollar bulls that I could beat hands down for $30. Alot goes into a bulls price, importation, availability, royalties...
 
Alan i have to agree with Doug and a few of the others thats way to much to pay for semen imo. i don't mean to offend you but as the old saying goes about a fool and his money. i guess if people start paying such a high price for semen those selling it will start thinking it is worth it. i quit being impressed with high dollar bulls a long time ago. i am in this business to make money, for my habits not someone elses.
 

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