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A new way to study cow profitability?
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<blockquote data-quote="cypressfarms" data-source="post: 618552" data-attributes="member: 2653"><p>This is getting good! Nova, please don't take me quoting you so much as personal, it's not meant that way. </p><p> </p><p>A $35 test per cow to tell me if she is above some "magic" number with feed efficiency. No thanks, here's why. Feed efficiency is <strong>one trait </strong>associated with a cow. So is temperment, good udder, conformation, milk production, and the list goes on. So if I test 20 of my cows and find that they don't meet the magic number, I'm then supposed to cull them? So then I need to buy more replacements. How many commercial sellers have efficiency tests to go along with their replacement heifers? None that I can afford. I'm not saying that it isn't important, don't get me wrong. What if the test on my 20 cows reveals that 10 of mine have great feed efficiency (which is heriditary), but they all have poor udders or some other un-desirable trait. Am I to keep their offspring just because they have good feed efficiency? Ofcourse not. I do have cows in my herd that I consider "very good" cows whose offspring I would retain because of the moma's good qualities. I also have some cows that throw good steers, but I would never retain their progeny to breed. I'm sure there are many other cow calfers just like myself. We all don't have "front pasture" cows as our whole herd.</p><p></p><p>I can, however, think of one group whose main concern is feed efficiency. Stocker growers. If I were a stocker operation I would not care about udders, pendulous sheaths, etc, etc, etc. I would only care about feed conversion since I would be shoveling feed to calves (inputs), and trying to get the most beef (outputs) one a time basis.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="cypressfarms, post: 618552, member: 2653"] This is getting good! Nova, please don't take me quoting you so much as personal, it's not meant that way. A $35 test per cow to tell me if she is above some "magic" number with feed efficiency. No thanks, here's why. Feed efficiency is [b]one trait [/b]associated with a cow. So is temperment, good udder, conformation, milk production, and the list goes on. So if I test 20 of my cows and find that they don't meet the magic number, I'm then supposed to cull them? So then I need to buy more replacements. How many commercial sellers have efficiency tests to go along with their replacement heifers? None that I can afford. I'm not saying that it isn't important, don't get me wrong. What if the test on my 20 cows reveals that 10 of mine have great feed efficiency (which is heriditary), but they all have poor udders or some other un-desirable trait. Am I to keep their offspring just because they have good feed efficiency? Ofcourse not. I do have cows in my herd that I consider "very good" cows whose offspring I would retain because of the moma's good qualities. I also have some cows that throw good steers, but I would never retain their progeny to breed. I'm sure there are many other cow calfers just like myself. We all don't have "front pasture" cows as our whole herd. I can, however, think of one group whose main concern is feed efficiency. Stocker growers. If I were a stocker operation I would not care about udders, pendulous sheaths, etc, etc, etc. I would only care about feed conversion since I would be shoveling feed to calves (inputs), and trying to get the most beef (outputs) one a time basis. [/QUOTE]
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