Bakers Northside

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You describe a curve bender. A true curve bender is a short gestation bull every time. Stack enough of them and you will end up with calves coming very early. More power to you but know where you're headed and you'll have your work cut out for you.
 
Jeanne,
I havent used Northside, I believe there are bulls out there from the same farm actually, but it isnt like he is a goat.. A good calf is subjective, if you are selling all your calves at weaning across the scales, Northside is going to do you alot of good, (frame, Length, performance) those calves should be very popular with the buyers in the seats. If you are creating cattle with big EPDs Northside will do you alot of good. I think the growth in the Northsides is real, some more popular big EPD bulls the growth isnt real at all.

Most of our calves now end up on a hook at 14-16 months, he would do me alot of good there as well. Those look to be cattle you could really crank on feed wise and they would just keep humming along.
The other side of the equation does the bull have real muscle? The REA EPD says absolutely (top 4% in the breed for REA), the muscle everyone fawns over is round/rump muscle which is 90% fed on (Fat). You take two bull/steer calves one FS4 (frame score 4)and one FS7 (Frame score 7) you look at them after 100 days on feed and you would swear that the FS4 has more muscle, probably not, the FS7 is just greener because he isnt done growing. The FS4 is putting on fat everywhere. Now ultrasound them the FS7 will probably be a bigger rea.. One last thing about "muscle" the USDA only cares about Ribeye muscle not round/rump muscle.. so round rump muscle shape isnt near as important as width of top and rib shape which Northsides have plenty of (the dozen or so I have seen)

Is he alittle light in the britches, maybe depending on the other half of the equation. (Cow) Jeanne you know there isnt a perfect bull. Everything mating is gonna lack something or need to add something to on the next mating.. Northside is above breed average for 24 out of 28 EPDs, not many Angus bulls will do that.. He is top 25% for 20 out of 28 EPDs, if you believe in the numbers very few bulls will do that at all.

I looked hard at the Northside cattle last year for a friend, found alot of things I liked and a few I didnt, pretty much like any other bull if you look at enough calves. He did end up purchasing a Northside son BTW..
 
Fungus,
You are dead on correct about stacking curve benders, but you have to stack them (3 or more generations). You start getting calves that weigh 50 when they should weigh 75-85.. then the growth on true heifer safe bulls is very suspect, they end up in the feedlot. Had a heifer have an AI calf this year out of a proven AI bull weighed exactly 100# on a scale at birth, 45 days later care to guess the best calf out of all the heifers? yeap the 100lber.. beautiful big and healthy..
 
jscunn said:
Fungus,
You are dead on correct about stacking curve benders, but you have to stack them (3 or more generations). You start getting calves that weigh 50 when they should weigh 75-85.. then the growth on true heifer safe bulls is very suspect, they end up in the feedlot. Had a heifer have an AI calf this year out of a proven AI bull weighed exactly 100# on a scale at birth, 45 days later care to guess the best calf out of all the heifers? yeap the 100lber.. beautiful big and healthy..
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The stacking, at whatever generation creates an issue, no different than human preemies: less lung development, lower BW (like you said) and both will create problems, decrease calf vigor, and increase labor for the breeder. A 100 pound calf, long and lean, is the easiest of births. A 50 pound basketball will clog the pipeline every time. Life's too short to do the same dumb things over again. What you need to know before you buy semen is how many generations of curve benders is that bull built from (poor grammar). You can quickly import the problem. Good post - I like what you do and write.
 
LJCB said:
I agree but when trying to fix a frame issue by using a 7 frame bull there isn't many choices out there. Plenty of bulls to fix what he lacks. In my sire evaluation searches I can't seem to find very many bigger bulls . I know epds aren't perfect but it would make it a heck of a lot easier if everyone would publish frame scores vs off an epd
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@jscunn - Boy don't I know there are no perfect bulls - - or cows!!! Always striving for that perfect one - but it is an ever changing goal! LOL
I misunderstood - LJCB made it sound like he didn't care if the bull in question didn't have good traits other than frame. I wanted to make it clear you should NEVER go after ONE trait. As being discussed - CALVING EASE/ BW - can get you in big trouble in a heart beat.
 
Byergo has some large framed cattle. They are focused on efficiency as well. We haven't ever used them but Drew and the crew seem like top notch folks.
 
We have a son of his from Sydenstricker. Too early to know...his numbers are growthy for sure.
 

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