A herd of longhorns

[DCA farm]

Man down the roads got a herd of longhorns said he's bee. Running long horn cows with black angus bulls for the last 18 years and ain't lost a night of sleep. He told me he takes a small dock at the scale with his calves that don't come solid black but what he's got in his herd abd what it cost to maintain then every year he makes plenty of money. He told me he paid $200-$250 a head when he started with them abd still buys them on occasion if he sees one at sale I asked him if he keeps any heifers he said he did last year to breed and make sone 3/4 angus 1/4 longhorns he said best decision he ever made in cow business was getting rid of black and red cows abd buying longhorns

 

[True Grit Farms]

Around here Longhorn calves are getting hammered right now big time.

 

[Bigfoot]

Answers will be all over the board on this. In my opinion, the cheap cost of getting in is absorbed by the hit on the calves. The beef cow will always have a higher salvage value than the LH cow. Your gonna have cash tied up in both of them either way. Why not start with one, that's going to gross more on calf sales, and salvage for more when her days are done?
I've had my share of longhorns around. It's kind of a necessity of what we do. They'll weigh a 150 pounds or more less at weaning, and be 50 cents back from the same beef calf. You do the math on em, and they just don't pencil out.
If you want a bunch of cows cheap, that give few problems, and will be with you a while, then it's the way to. You won't be making anything though. A charlois bull will hide "some" of your problems, and the old char genetics would add a few pounds. They won't fix everything.

 

[ddd75]

you gotta sell em real young, like 300 - 400 lbs

i know a cattle trader who runs them and runs BA and char bulls with them.. calves look great

 

[True Grit Farms]

you gotta sell em real young, like 300 - 400 lbs

i know a cattle trader who runs them and runs BA and char bulls with them.. calves look great

Anyone who thinks an order buyer that sees thousands of calves a week can't pick a Longhorn influenced calf out in 5 seconds is fooling themselves.

 

[Dave]

Buyers and feeders also remember where calves came from. Those calves will not feed as well or grade as well. That cost the feeder money.

 

[DCA farm]

I'm not gonna own a herd of em but I do own 1 paid $330 for her 3 months bred planning on hamburgering her calf every year

 

[Farm Fence Solutions]

I'm not gonna own a herd of em but I do own 1 paid $330 for her 3 months bred planning on hamburgering her calf every year

LH actually marbles very nice, and has great flavor. Don't grind them ribeyes just yet!

 

[DCA farm]

I'm not gonna own a herd of em but I do own 1 paid $330 for her 3 months bred planning on hamburgering her calf every year

LH actually marbles very nice, and has great flavor. Don't grind them ribeyes just yet!

Oh I'm not gonna grind the steaks

 

[MtnCows93]

i think your real advantage is with the smaller longhorn cows and corrientes, if you could get a hold of some 600 or 700lb longhorns you could run 2 to 1 beef cow and you turn around and breed them lbw angus or charolais then your making money with them.

 

[Silver]

Get 'em trained to run in a straight line when the chute opens and the value goes way up.

 

[elkwc]

Get the beef type of LH and you don't lose as much weight or get docked as much.

 

[crossbredcalves]

I started with Longhorns when I was in college, January 2010. I was able to buy them cheap. I couldn't afford to buy a "good, black" cow, but I bought a couple younger Longhorn cows in the 3rd period for $300 each. They were both bred to a decent black bull, and they both calved within the next couple weeks. I sold the calves at about six months for more than I paid for their mommas. It's been too many years to remember how much they weighed and brought, but I know they both cleared $500 each. Both were steers, one solid black and one black, with a white skunk tail. Since I graduated, I have kept some replacement heifers and gotten away from the straight Longhorn cows. The Longhorn cows did their job for me. They got me a solid start in the cattle hobby, and that's what I needed.

 

[Nesikep]

non-mainstream cattle do well when prices are good, but they're the first that will take a hit, and take more of a hit when markets are down

 

[DCA farm]

Get 'em trained to run in a straight line when the chute opens and the value goes way up.

My uncle tried to get me to buy 10 head of longhorn cows to bred to his corenti bull and he'd buy the calfs from me

 

[Bestoutwest]

I'm not gonna own a herd of em but I do own 1 paid $330 for her 3 months bred planning on hamburgering her calf every year

I started with LH. Slaughtered a 24 m/o bull, hung at 288 lbs, and a 24 m/o heifer that hung at 328. Slaughtered a 32 m/o that hung around 570 lbs. Took in an Angus x LH (AI out of Rampage) that hung at 570 lb at 16 m/o. He's the best I've ever eaten, very minimal grain, grass hay that I put up. Slaughtered another at 28 months that hung at 490 lb. Point is, if you're looking for a lot of meat, 12-16 months on a LH isn't going to much for you. Even the influenced ones aren't too impressive for me. I've got one that's 1/4 LH. She's 9 m/o and looks about 6. She's filled out nicely, all black, has the Angus look, but has the LH height to her.

Before folks jump down my throat, I'm just sharing my experiences. I wish someone had given me their real-world experiences before I started with LH. I got blinded by "quantity vs. quality" and I've paid ever since.

 

[ddd75]

you gotta sell em real young, like 300 - 400 lbs

i know a cattle trader who runs them and runs BA and char bulls with them.. calves look great

Anyone who thinks an order buyer that sees thousands of calves a week can't pick a Longhorn influenced calf out in 5 seconds is fooling themselves.

I think they more then likely trick smaller producers who feed out some.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Most buyers go in with a order to buy, or put together a group, that will finish at,or around the same size and time....and it don't have to be strickly a longhorn that don't fit in the group..pretty simple to see. simular problem few years back with the old Simmental genetics ..to much frame..

 

[djinwa]

Answers will be all over the board on this. In my opinion, the cheap cost of getting in is absorbed by the hit on the calves. The beef cow will always have a higher salvage value than the LH cow. Your gonna have cash tied up in both of them either way. Why not start with one, that's going to gross more on calf sales, and salvage for more when her days are done?
I've had my share of longhorns around. It's kind of a necessity of what we do. They'll weigh a 150 pounds or more less at weaning, and be 50 cents back from the same beef calf. You do the math on em, and they just don't pencil out.
If you want a bunch of cows cheap, that give few problems, and will be with you a while, then it's the way to. You won't be making anything though. A charlois bull will hide "some" of your problems, and the old char genetics would add a few pounds. They won't fix everything.

You're probably right that Longhorns don't pay as well.

But to "do the math" you need all the figures. Like how much does a Longhorn eat vs an Angus. The extra 150 pounds isn't free - it takes feed. And to maintain a higher muscled cow all year isn't free either.

Can anyone tell me how much their Angus eats? And how much their Longhorn eats? Both cows and calves?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

When you are doing your math, also consider cull cow salvage value.
If you "search", there are charts that tell you what a cow of a certain weight eats.
University extension agents all were telling producers that they needed small cows to make money. funny thing, when the universities actually researched it, moderate frame & size cows were the most profitable. Small frame calves get discounted. I think people can make money with whatever they "like" to raise - but your "likes" need to fit your environment. I would be totally foolish to be raising longhorn cattle with the lush pastures we have here in NY - just would be a waste of resources. Just like there are lots of places that would not maintain heavy muscled or good milking cows.