Barzona Cattle

[FlyingLSimmentals]

I thought the Limousin was a decent example of wild cattle. I've seen more wild ones than docile ones. But at the same time I don't go looking at very many Limo's. Lots more of Gelbvieh, Angus, and Simmental near me. But I have seen a few docile ones though and almost purchased a Limousin bull at one time at the TN Beef Agribition. I gotta go :hide: now because I'm in trouble, the Limousin folks are gonna tear me apart if I don't walk quietly. Yes, Dr. Jim Davis really loved his Barzona cattle.

 

[Lucky_P]

30 years ago, the Limousin cattle I got to work with were pretty wild/aggressive. Same for Charolais. I suspect that selection for docility/temperament has made as marked a change in those breeds as selection for smaller frame size/calving ease has changed the Simmental and Gelbvieh breeds over the same time frame.
I see very few Limousin in this area, and... all my patients are dead, anymore... so disposition is not an issue - except in my own herd.

 

[TexasBred]

I thought the Limousin was a decent example of wild cattle. I've seen more wild ones than docile ones. But at the same time I don't go looking at very many Limo's. Lots more of Gelbvieh, Angus, and Simmental near me. But I have seen a few docile ones though and almost purchased a Limousin bull at one time at the TN Beef Agribition. I gotta go :hide: now because I'm in trouble, the Limousin folks are gonna tear me apart if I don't walk quietly. Yes, Dr. Jim Davis really loved his Barzona cattle.

You're not in trouble. Just a bit underinformed to comment on the topic.

 

[WalnutCrest]

I thought the Limousin was a decent example of wild cattle. I've seen more wild ones than docile ones. But at the same time I don't go looking at very many Limo's. Lots more of Gelbvieh, Angus, and Simmental near me. But I have seen a few docile ones though and almost purchased a Limousin bull at one time at the TN Beef Agribition. I gotta go :hide: now because I'm in trouble, the Limousin folks are gonna tear me apart if I don't walk quietly. Yes, Dr. Jim Davis really loved his Barzona cattle.

You're not in trouble. Just a bit underinformed to comment on the topic.

I had a small group of half-blood Limis once. Temperament was just fine, actually more than just fine ... however ... the guy I got 'em from told me stories about guys who were in Limi's 30 years ago who didn't pay close enough attention to temperament and, as a result, there were pockets of nasty temperamented limi cattle still out there.

 

[Bigfoot]

I've been thru Doc'sherd a few times back in the day. Nice cattle.

 

[Mossy Dell]

I have found Barzonas interesting too. I figure they didn't take off because they are a niche breed, bred for really rough, extreme country. That might have kept them from spreading more. They do not seem like a farmer's cow!

 

[Rawhide_Horseman]

I think you are right Mossy, maybe they will take off at some point. Anyway, I think they are a pretty good breed.

 

[nolanzz]

Ive been around barzona cattle for 20 yrs. My father has been breeding them for 25yrs. They are extremely heat tolerant here in central texas with good parasite/insect resistance. Some mama cows have been around 20yrs having calved through the toughest drought in 40 yrs (2011). Id say efficiency most describes the breed as a whole. I may be a little partial but the performance ive seen beats the socks off the english breeds in high temp extremes like we have here. I cant seem to find a way to post pics of 2015 calf crop. Barzona x bonsmara.

 

[Rawhide_Horseman]

Too bad... I'd love to see some of the calves Nolanzz

 

[nolanzz]

Hey horseman i if u send me an email address i can get u some pictures.

 

[andybob]

Would you be prepared to send some pictures to me as well nolanzz?

 

[nolanzz]

Hey andybob. Yes i can send you pics in an email as well. I wish i could post them directly to this forum. If anyone has info on how to do that let me know. Thanks

 

[Son of Butch]

I have found Barzonas interesting too. I figure they didn't take off because they are a niche breed, bred for really rough, extreme country. That might have kept them from spreading more. They do not seem like a farmer's cow!

I believe you nailed it Mossy.
Specifically developed to thrive where other cattle can't. They would probably shine in the Australian Outback.
But Outback cattle wouldn't play in Peoria front pastures or vice versa.

 

[Muddy]

Hey andybob. Yes i can send you pics in an email as well. I wish i could post them directly to this forum. If anyone has info on how to do that let me know. Thanks

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13000

 

[GHzFarms]

Hi, Barzona breeder here. Our herd started in 1989, we are a registered seedstock producer with the BBAA with sales reaching coast to coast. Feel free to visit our website (its barzonas) .com and contact us from there. We have a ton of pictures, and one of our galleries has pictures of our stock in various places all over the country. Enjoy!

 

[MO-Ruminants]

Ah, yes, reviving the Barzona thread.

GHzFarms, what state are you located in?

I believe Jim Gerrish ran Barzona cattle in his Missouri days, and an senior grass farmer here in North Missouri just dispersed his crossbred herd.

 

[GHzFarms]

We are in Iowa. The Gerrish name sounds familiar, but I am a generation younger than most of them. Makes me a bit out of the loop with names. Herd dispersals are killing off the breed, we are trying to find a way to rekindle some herds.

 

[bird dog]

I'm glad this was brought back up. I bought a couple of Barzona young cows by accident at the sale barn a couple weeks back. To be honest I wasn't sure of their breeding, they were just nice mid weight cows with healthy heifer calves by their side. They were cheap like a lot are these days.

The cows had an ear tag with a ranch name and phone number so I sent a text off to see if I could get an answer to what exactly they were and their age. I thought they were a Santa Gert cross of some sort or possibly shorthorn. They were very gentle and well taken care of but a little bit underweight. Fortunately a few hours later I got a response from a very nice man that was a Barzona breeder from my area that had to sell a few because of drought conditions. He gave me all the info I could ever use on the animals.

I'm not sure if I will do anything different with the cows than I do with the rest of the herd. They will be exposed to my bulls in about a month, so next year they will have another cross to go into the mixture since my bulls are black angus and black limo.

 

[MO-Ruminants]

GHzFarms,
We're in Schuyler County. I've had curious interest in the Barzona breed for some time and would enjoy visiting about them at your farm some day if we pass through your part of Iowa. I had assumed that they are hot weather creatures, but it's good to hear they are performing somewhere north of us.

 

[GHzFarms]

Bird dog, do you remember the name of the breeder you got em from? And yes, MO-rum, i enjoy having visitors come to the farm so feel free to stop by. We have shipped bulls up to the Arctic circle in Canada, they do cold weather too. They develop a little different body style than the southern ones if you get em young so they can adapt.