2016 Bull Test and Bull Development Programs

[gizmom]

Well the bull sale will be this coming Saturday I hope to see some of you folks at the sale. It sounds like we are in for a wet sale they are predicting lots of rain here anyway so I imagine Marianna will be getting some as well.

WB and TG

I think that is the truth about looking at a women's mother, the boss tells me I look more like my mom every day that I live. I consider that a complement she was a pretty lady inside and out. The same can be said on the male side since the boss looks more like his dad every day that he lives. And his daddy was a hansom man!

gizmom

 

[M-5]

I will see you there, yes it's gonna be wet . I'm looking forward to it.

 

[jscunn]

I will be there too, looking forward to catching up with M-5 and TG again. I will be bringing a pile of cash to outbid M-5 on the cakes and pies...

 

[M-5]

I will be there too, looking forward to catching up with M-5 and TG again. I will be bringing a pile of cash to outbid M-5 on the cakes and pies...

Hey now, The cake that always bought the most will not be there this yr . the gentle man that always bought it died last yr just before the sale and Big David bought it last time in his honor. I spoke with the cake maker (my mama) and the FFA teacher had not called her as of last Sunday. I did buy one of the Teachers cakes at the fall festival a couple months ago and it was good.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I will be there too, looking forward to catching up with M-5 and TG again. I will be bringing a pile of cash to outbid M-5 on the cakes and pies...

Hey now, The cake that always bought the most will not be there this yr . the gentle man that always bought it died last yr just before the sale and Big David bought it last time in his honor. I spoke with the cake maker (my mama) and the FFA teacher had not called her as of last Sunday. I did buy one of the Teachers cakes at the fall festival a couple months ago and it was good.

No wonder why I couldn't out bid him last year. I thought he was running me up and all this time I was running him up. jscunn, please go easy on me the boss is coming with me and she won't be denied.
Is Big Dave the manager now?

 

[jscunn]

No Problem TG I be watching you, when I see you bidding I promise not to run you over $100 bucks or so.. LOL.

I think David is the manager, but they will be replacing Dr. Lamb this spring. He is moving on to a different university. I wish him well, he always responded to questions I had. He is a wealth of knowledge that UF will find hard to replace.

 

[M-5]

yes David Thomas took over in 08 when my brother was killed

 

[elkwc]

Anyone have updates on how the sale went and how the bulls owned by the breeders on this board did?

 

[True Grit Farms]

Anyone have updates on how the sale went and how the bulls owned by the breeders on this board did?

Some really nice bulls sold way to cheap, and that's across the board with all the breeds. Don't really know why but it was probably a combination of things. The weather was terrible for starters, and then this bull sale took place right down the road a few months ago. https://southerncattlecompany.com/cattle-sales.html
So probably a lot of the local buyers bought there this year. IDK
But it was depressing to me the price some of the bulls brought. Hopefully Jscunn, Mrs Gizmom, or M5 will post their thoughts on the sale. I do know the wife and I had a great time and enjoyed seeing everyone. Thanks again everyone for the good food, lodging and hospitality, you know y'all are always welcome at our place. But please leave the bad weather at home.

 

[elkwc]

Anyone have updates on how the sale went and how the bulls owned by the breeders on this board did?

Some really nice bulls sold way to cheap, and that's across the board with all the breeds. Don't really know why but it was probably a combination of things. The weather was terrible for starters, and then this bull sale took place right down the road a few months ago. https://southerncattlecompany.com/cattle-sales.html
So probably a lot of the local buyers bought there this year. IDK
But it was depressing to me the price some of the bulls brought. Hopefully Jscunn, Mrs Gizmom, or M5 will post their thoughts on the sale. I do know the wife and I had a great time and enjoyed seeing everyone. Thanks again everyone for the good food, lodging and hospitality, you know y'all are always welcome at our place. But please leave the bad weather at home.

True Grit thanks for the reply. There was some nice bulls in the sale. I'm always interested in what the market is elsewhere. The first sale in this area will be Feb 4th. That will be our fist indicator of what the market is. I feel it might be a good time to replace/upgrade some bulls. Although we don't have any plans to at this point. I'm retaining one off a good registered cow I purchased. But if the prices are soft enough we may change our minds. Watched the end of a sale in NE last Thursday but they have such a reputation and clientale you can't judge the market by it. Hate the market wasn't better for the breeders.

 

[M-5]

They were awful cheap. My take on it is people have lost site of what this test represents . The feed efficiency and daily gain they will give their calves is lost in translation. and then again a lot of folks may have my way of thinking not wanting a fed up bull to turn out. at the prices they were I probably should have bought 1 or 2 but I will stick to my plan to visit the farm and choose a bull that has his working britches on. the test to me shows me that I can expect to get a quality bull from a breeder that has consistency in the test over many years.

 

[gizmom]

Elkwc

If you were a buyer it was a great sale, if you were selling it was painful. Bottom line we have five less Bulls to take care of. I don't know what the average was but it's going to be low. I hate it for a lot of reasons, other than the obvious that we were selling. Dr Lamb has done a excellent job with the bull test and for his last sale to go this way was very sad. It will also make it difficult for whoever they bring in to replace Dr. lamb. On the positive side some folks got some excellent Bulls at a very low price that should make them some money. If a customer can make money with one of my Bulls that just makes me happy.

Gizmom

 

[wbvs58]

Very disheartening Gizmon. I don't know what it is but some sales just seem to be treated like poison yet they will flock to lessor sales and the success of those sales just seem to feed on themselves and they become the fad.

I am selling my bulls along with another local breeder who has similar objectives to me. Our first sale last year was a moderate success but we got our bulls into some good farms and am hoping that word of mouth from those buyers who got some very good bargains so we are hoping they talk and it may start a feeding frenzy.

We get told that buyers don't want bulls that are heavily fed and that they can tell a good bull in any condition, well these very same buyers always buy the heaviest bulls in the draft. There is another larger breeder not too far away that is very well off and only new to the bull business and pays a promotion company to do his advertising and spends a lot of money. His bulls are grossly overweight many 2 yr olds well over 1000kg yet the buyers come from all over the country and a lot from the north where these bulls would just melt and yet his average on 50 bulls was $14,000.

It is very hard to work out.

Ken

 

[jscunn]

TGF,
Yeah it was a tough day. Average was almost half of last years average (~$4000 in 2016 vs $2210 in 2017). I hope that most of the drop was weather and market related versus option 3. If you want to hear my unfiltered thoughts about option 3, PM me.. It is not for public consumption..

My thanks to the faculty and especially the staff at UF for the hard work at the sale, you guys displayed and sold these bulls in a professional manner. I hope that Dr. Lamb's replacement continues his support and leadership with the bull test.

 

[No Rest Farm]

That's pretty sad, I wish I was closer to the sale.

 

[elkwc]

We get told that buyers don't want bulls that are heavily fed and that they can tell a good bull in any condition, well these very same buyers always buy the heaviest bulls in the draft. There is another larger breeder not too far away that is very well off and only new to the bull business and pays a promotion company to do his advertising and spends a lot of money. His bulls are grossly overweight many 2 yr olds well over 1000kg yet the buyers come from all over the country and a lot from the north where these bulls would just melt and yet his average on 50 bulls was $14,000.

It is very hard to work out.

Ken[/quote]

Ken I have attended several sales and also talked to several breeders over the last 3-4 years. I've been told more than once many commercial breeders say they want more moderate framed cattle but when they purchase a bull more times than not they pick the largest framed and heaviest bull. I see it at the sales also. I had a breeder tell me last summer that he went and purchased a moderate bull because some of his clientale kept telling him that is what they wanted. But all he had left last summer were his sons. He hadn't sold a one.