beefmaster cattle....

Help Support CattleToday:

A

Anonymous

does anyone in here raise beefmaster cattle? I am about to buy my first few head of cows and I have a friend of a friend who's father raises beefmasters. Everything I have read about them seems to make them out to be a very good breed for here in N Texas. We have pretty mild winters, compared to most of you folks, we eventuallly get into the teens but only for a few days at a time, only get snow every couple of years, so I dont think weather will be a problem. I dont have any loafing sheds yet, as I just completed my fence, but I do have a big workshop and lots of trees they could block the north wind with if necessary. My main concern is that I dont ever hear of anyone mentioning this breed, most folks around here raise angus, brahmas and herefords, and my next door neighbor even has holsteins, but I like the look of the beefmasters and am thinking of buying about 6-8 head for my 18 acres, which stays green up until the first frost, usually late November or so, as I actually mowed the lawn and brushhogged the pasture yesterday. I am only getting cows at this time, no bull, and hopefully he will have some pairs which have been bred back, at least in a perfect world it will work out like that. Any suggestions / comments? Any advise is welcome, as I am as green as can be on the cattle business, just bought some acreage from a friend who's parents left it to him and thery had no desire to move out here, so we built a house and are really enjoying the country atmosphere!



[email protected]
 
is to select a breed you like. Doesn't make any diference how profitable a breed "may" be. If you like the breed you're more willing to go out in the crappy weather and do the unpleasent stuff that is alwasy required. If Beefmasters are what blows your dress up, go for it. Then learn what you will need to do for them that is different from other breeds. Start with sound, quality animals and go from there. Look into AI rather then using a bull. The estimated $350 it takes to feed a bull along with the attendent vaccinations, health chekc ups, etc. can go a long way towrards acquiring semen from the top bulls in the breed.

dun

> does anyone in here raise
> beefmaster cattle? I am about to
> buy my first few head of cows and
> I have a friend of a friend who's
> father raises beefmasters.
> Everything I have read about them
> seems to make them out to be a
> very good breed for here in N
> Texas. We have pretty mild
> winters, compared to most of you
> folks, we eventuallly get into the
> teens but only for a few days at a
> time, only get snow every couple
> of years, so I dont think weather
> will be a problem. I dont have any
> loafing sheds yet, as I just
> completed my fence, but I do have
> a big workshop and lots of trees
> they could block the north wind
> with if necessary. My main concern
> is that I dont ever hear of anyone
> mentioning this breed, most folks
> around here raise angus, brahmas
> and herefords, and my next door
> neighbor even has holsteins, but I
> like the look of the beefmasters
> and am thinking of buying about
> 6-8 head for my 18 acres, which
> stays green up until the first
> frost, usually late November or
> so, as I actually mowed the lawn
> and brushhogged the pasture
> yesterday. I am only getting cows
> at this time, no bull, and
> hopefully he will have some pairs
> which have been bred back, at
> least in a perfect world it will
> work out like that. Any
> suggestions / comments? Any advise
> is welcome, as I am as green as
> can be on the cattle business,
> just bought some acreage from a
> friend who's parents left it to
> him and thery had no desire to
> move out here, so we built a house
> and are really enjoying the
> country atmosphere!



[email protected]
 
> is to select a breed you like.
> Doesn't make any diference how
> profitable a breed "may"
> be. If you like the breed you're
> more willing to go out in the
> crappy weather and do the
> unpleasent stuff that is alwasy
> required. If Beefmasters are what
> blows your dress up, go for it.
> Then learn what you will need to
> do for them that is different from
> other breeds. Start with sound,
> quality animals and go from there.
> Look into AI rather then using a
> bull. The estimated $350 it takes
> to feed a bull along with the
> attendent vaccinations, health
> chekc ups, etc. can go a long way
> towrards acquiring semen from the
> top bulls in the breed.

> dun

I would suggest also that you check out why no one in your area is raising that breed. I live east of Dallas and while there are a few beefmasters around, there are mostly Angus. My point being, around this area prices are higher pretty much in this order: black, black baldies, brown, mixed,light, and then those kind with those really long horns. You might base your decision on the prices you can get in your area, but as Dun says, follow your desires, because if your not in it totally for the money, then get the flavor you think you would enjoy most.

[email protected]
 
> does anyone in here raise
> beefmaster cattle? I am about to
> buy my first few head of cows and
> I have a friend of a friend who's
> father raises beefmasters.
> Everything I have read about them
> seems to make them out to be a
> very good breed for here in N
> Texas. We have pretty mild
> winters, compared to most of you
> folks, we eventuallly get into the
> teens but only for a few days at a
> time, only get snow every couple
> of years, so I dont think weather
> will be a problem. I dont have any
> loafing sheds yet, as I just
> completed my fence, but I do have
> a big workshop and lots of trees
> they could block the north wind
> with if necessary. My main concern
> is that I dont ever hear of anyone
> mentioning this breed, most folks
> around here raise angus, brahmas
> and herefords, and my next door
> neighbor even has holsteins, but I
> like the look of the beefmasters
> and am thinking of buying about
> 6-8 head for my 18 acres, which
> stays green up until the first
> frost, usually late November or
> so, as I actually mowed the lawn
> and brushhogged the pasture
> yesterday. I am only getting cows
> at this time, no bull, and
> hopefully he will have some pairs
> which have been bred back, at
> least in a perfect world it will
> work out like that. Any
> suggestions / comments? Any advise
> is welcome, as I am as green as
> can be on the cattle business,
> just bought some acreage from a
> friend who's parents left it to
> him and thery had no desire to
> move out here, so we built a house
> and are really enjoying the
> country atmosphere!

I have a couple of beefmasters in south texas (near corpus christi) and they do very well here. Your rainfall is higher up there, but down here, the people I know only run about 3 cow/calf pairs per 10 acres or so. Be careful not to overgraze.

[email protected]
 
I raise beefmasters in south Georgia. i highly recommend them. they are excellent mothers and will cross well with anything. one of their best traits is their docility. there are a lot of beefmasters in texas, more in the middle and southern parts than in your area. beefmasters are increasing in popularity and heifers are in high demand. the steers perform well too and the nolan ryan tender aged beef program is very promising. let me know if you have any questions
 
thanks for the replies....I had already considered the AI route, as I dont really need the added expense / hassle of raising a bull. I mainly just want to look sit on my porch and lok out and see a few cattle grazing. If I can make a buck or two, that's great, but while money is certainly a concern, it's not my main reason for raising cattle, as I have a "real" job already, just looking for a little rural atmosphere to add to the place!
 
Herefords are about as inexpensive of cattle as you can buy. No real problems and you can't get anymore "rural looking" then a pasture of Herefords, plus they're easy on the eye and I don't think there is a cuter calf then a little Hereford.

dun

> thanks for the replies....I had
> already considered the AI route,
> as I dont really need the added
> expense / hassle of raising a
> bull. I mainly just want to look
> sit on my porch and lok out and
> see a few cattle grazing. If I can
> make a buck or two, that's great,
> but while money is certainly a
> concern, it's not my main reason
> for raising cattle, as I have a
> "real" job already, just
> looking for a little rural
> atmosphere to add to the place!



[email protected]
 
> does anyone in here raise
> beefmaster cattle? I am about to
> buy my first few head of cows and
> I have a friend of a friend who's
> father raises beefmasters.
> Everything I have read about them
> seems to make them out to be a
> very good breed for here in N
> Texas. We have pretty mild
> winters, compared to most of you
> folks, we eventuallly get into the
> teens but only for a few days at a
> time, only get snow every couple
> of years, so I dont think weather
> will be a problem. I dont have any
> loafing sheds yet, as I just
> completed my fence, but I do have
> a big workshop and lots of trees
> they could block the north wind
> with if necessary. My main concern
> is that I dont ever hear of anyone
> mentioning this breed, most folks
> around here raise angus, brahmas
> and herefords, and my next door
> neighbor even has holsteins, but I
> like the look of the beefmasters
> and am thinking of buying about
> 6-8 head for my 18 acres, which
> stays green up until the first
> frost, usually late November or
> so, as I actually mowed the lawn
> and brushhogged the pasture
> yesterday. I am only getting cows
> at this time, no bull, and
> hopefully he will have some pairs
> which have been bred back, at
> least in a perfect world it will
> work out like that. Any
> suggestions / comments? Any advise
> is welcome, as I am as green as
> can be on the cattle business,
> just bought some acreage from a
> friend who's parents left it to
> him and thery had no desire to
> move out here, so we built a house
> and are really enjoying the
> country atmosphere!

I live the N Texas area and started with Beefmaster. They are good cattle that are easy to deal with. If you aren't in it for a profit then they are fine. My problem is that I am trying to make a profit. Everytime I went to sell I would get docked anywhere from 20 to 50 cents per pound. That can add up pretty quickly. In fact I have a about 7 I an interested in selling for that reason. They are great cows and very gentle, but I am having better returns with my herefords and angus.

[email protected]
 
> Gene, I am curious as to why you be shorted at selling time. From what I have read, and granted most of it is from the BBU folks, it is supposed to be some of the most tender, well tasting and delicious meat you can ask for! Why would the animals bring less at the sale barn then most cattle?
 
I would guess just off-hand that it's because they show that slight Brahmna influence. You know that buyers will use any reason (excuse) they can to by top cattle at rock bottom prices.

dun

[email protected]
 
> I live the N Texas area and
> started with Beefmaster. They are
> good cattle that are easy to deal
> with. If you aren't in it for a
> profit then they are fine. My
> problem is that I am trying to
> make a profit. Everytime I went to
> sell I would get docked anywhere
> from 20 to 50 cents per pound.
> That can add up pretty quickly. In
> fact I have a about 7 I an
> interested in selling for that
> reason. They are great cows and
> very gentle, but I am having
> better returns with my herefords
> and angus.

Pardon me if this is an insult to your intelligence (it is certainly not meant to be) but don't just look at price per pound --- you also need to look at pounds of calf sold. Many Beefmaster raisers feel that the hit they take on a per pound basis is offset to a great extent by higher weaning weights. In my personal experience, thankfully, I have never taken a hit anywhere near 50 cents per pound for even 100% Beefmaster calves.

I have Beefmaster and "tigerstripe" cows and a year or two ago when my Beefmaster bull turned up dead unexpectedly I switched to an Angus bull. The same cows are now giving me black calves but they definitely weigh less at weaning time compared to my earlier Beefmaster sired calves. Its also hard to make good meaningful comparisons when the forage base is not of the same quality and quantity year after year. I hope the price per pound difference for the black calves will make up for the size difference. But maybe this Angus bull just isn't high powered enough from a genetic standpoint as compared to the bull I had been using. For me, another year will tell. And it is hard to beat the good replacement heifers that you can usually get out of the Beefmaster breed.

Perhaps you need to run your good Beefmaster cows with a "growthy" type black Angus bull to get black calves without too much ear. Or do like a lot of people around me do and use a good Charolais bull --- it is my understanding that in many markets in Texas a stocky, noticeably Charolais influenced calf will sell as well or better than even Angus calves.
 
you mentioned the possibility that this particular angus bull may not have the genetics to produce those really growthy calves. So many people loose sight of the fact that some animals just don't have the genetics to excell. It turns out to be more of a bull comparison then breed comparison.

dun

> Pardon me if this is an insult to
> your intelligence (it is certainly
> not meant to be) but don't just
> look at price per pound --- you
> also need to look at pounds of
> calf sold. Many Beefmaster raisers
> feel that the hit they take on a
> per pound basis is offset to a
> great extent by higher weaning
> weights. In my personal
> experience, thankfully, I have
> never taken a hit anywhere near 50
> cents per pound for even 100%
> Beefmaster calves.

> I have Beefmaster and
> "tigerstripe" cows and a
> year or two ago when my Beefmaster
> bull turned up dead unexpectedly I
> switched to an Angus bull. The
> same cows are now giving me black
> calves but they definitely weigh
> less at weaning time compared to
> my earlier Beefmaster sired
> calves. Its also hard to make good
> meaningful comparisons when the
> forage base is not of the same
> quality and quantity year after
> year. I hope the price per pound
> difference for the black calves
> will make up for the size
> difference. But maybe this Angus
> bull just isn't high powered
> enough from a genetic standpoint
> as compared to the bull I had been
> using. For me, another year will
> tell. And it is hard to beat the
> good replacement heifers that you
> can usually get out of the
> Beefmaster breed.

> Perhaps you need to run your good
> Beefmaster cows with a
> "growthy" type black
> Angus bull to get black calves
> without too much ear. Or do like a
> lot of people around me do and use
> a good Charolais bull --- it is my
> understanding that in many markets
> in Texas a stocky, noticeably
> Charolais influenced calf will
> sell as well or better than even
> Angus calves.



[email protected]
 
i completely agree with everything jsut said.

what we have been doing for the last 6 or so years is breeding the commercial beefmaster cows (most are half beefmaster and some percentage of angus and/or charolais) to good black LimAng bulls. these are either half and half or 3/4 limousin 1/4 angus. anyway, the calves are EXCELLENT. We have used Charolais bulls as well with great success but due to a lot of replacement heifers and higher demand for black we have been using the limang bulls for a while. in all we are using 3 beefmaster bulls, 3 limang bulls, and one angus. the angusXbeefmaster calves are good too, but tend to be a little smaller framed b/c of all the british blood. the limo stretches them out and adds muscle.

I can probably round up some pics if anyone is interested, lemme know.
 
Eric,

Dun is right. I got docked because of the ear and the pattern. The bull I was using was very painted up like a longhorn or shorthorn. I have found that the solid Beefmasters sell better than the painted up ones do, but they still don't bring anything near what the solid black or solid reds do.

Also, remember when reading breed info from any of the breeds that they are sending out marketing info. They overemphasize the positives of there breeds while leaving out the negatives, in most cases. Afterall, they are trying to get you to buy their breed. They want your fees for keeping the animals registered and they want to increase the values of the animals already for sale. It's like buying a car. When you buy a suburban they don't tell you about the mileage. When you buy a Tercell they don't mention the poor survival rates in car accidents. Remember to look at everything with a jaundiced eye when you read marketing info.

Again, I have had a good experience with my beefmaster girls as far as handling them. One other problem I have had and so has a neighbor is that they are late maturing and sometimes never give you a calf. They seem to have a higher sterility rate than some of the other breeds. Good luck on finding some cows you enjoy.

[email protected]
 
I'm glad to know you were never docked 50 cents a pound. I was on some calves that were very painted up. The buyers just weren't very impressed. I have switched to an Angus bull and a Hereford Bull. I am hoping we will come out better this year. Last year we had all heifers and they turned out really nice. We are just having our first set of bulls/steers. The Angus and Hereford certainly pull off the ears and belly button. I hope the buyers like the calves better.

> Pardon me if this is an insult to
> your intelligence (it is certainly
> not meant to be) but don't just
> look at price per pound --- you
> also need to look at pounds of
> calf sold. Many Beefmaster raisers
> feel that the hit they take on a
> per pound basis is offset to a
> great extent by higher weaning
> weights. In my personal
> experience, thankfully, I have
> never taken a hit anywhere near 50
> cents per pound for even 100%
> Beefmaster calves.

> I have Beefmaster and
> "tigerstripe" cows and a
> year or two ago when my Beefmaster
> bull turned up dead unexpectedly I
> switched to an Angus bull. The
> same cows are now giving me black
> calves but they definitely weigh
> less at weaning time compared to
> my earlier Beefmaster sired
> calves. Its also hard to make good
> meaningful comparisons when the
> forage base is not of the same
> quality and quantity year after
> year. I hope the price per pound
> difference for the black calves
> will make up for the size
> difference. But maybe this Angus
> bull just isn't high powered
> enough from a genetic standpoint
> as compared to the bull I had been
> using. For me, another year will
> tell. And it is hard to beat the
> good replacement heifers that you
> can usually get out of the
> Beefmaster breed.

> Perhaps you need to run your good
> Beefmaster cows with a
> "growthy" type black
> Angus bull to get black calves
> without too much ear. Or do like a
> lot of people around me do and use
> a good Charolais bull --- it is my
> understanding that in many markets
> in Texas a stocky, noticeably
> Charolais influenced calf will
> sell as well or better than even
> Angus calves.



[email protected]
 
> I'm glad to know you were never
> docked 50 cents a pound. I was on
> some calves that were very painted
> up. The buyers just weren't very
> impressed. I have switched to an
> Angus bull and a Hereford Bull. I
> am hoping we will come out better
> this year. Last year we had all
> heifers and they turned out really
> nice. We are just having our first
> set of bulls/steers. The Angus and
> Hereford certainly pull off the
> ears and belly button. I hope the
> buyers like the calves better.

Luckily I've only had one Beefmaster calf that was really painted up (I call her Pinto). I really liked the way she looked from the standpoint of conformation, udder, etc. and the fact that her dam was one of my top producing cows so I kept her for a replacement. Probably would have taken a bigger "hit" on her if I had sold her at the auction barn. My Beefmnaster bulls in the past have themselves been almost 100% reddish brown and threw essentially solid colored reddish brown calves. Don't know what my Pinto heifer would have produced if bred to another Beefmaster -- she just had her first calf and it was all black, sired by my new Angus bull.
 
> Luckily I've only had one
> Beefmaster calf that was really
> painted up (I call her Pinto). I
> really liked the way she looked
> from the standpoint of
> conformation, udder, etc. and the
> fact that her dam was one of my
> top producing cows so I kept her
> for a replacement. Probably would
> have taken a bigger
> "hit" on her if I had
> sold her at the auction barn. My
> Beefmnaster bulls in the past have
> themselves been almost 100%
> reddish brown and threw
> essentially solid colored reddish
> brown calves. Don't know what my
> Pinto heifer would have produced
> if bred to another Beefmaster --
> she just had her first calf and it
> was all black, sired by my new
> Angus bull.

The Angus x Beefmaster calves have been nice for us, but they still have a little too much skin. They do turn out solid black or black with a little white line on their bellies. The Hereford bull seems to take the extra skin away and at least make a more uniform pattern on them. We'll see what the sales do this year. What part of N Texas are you in?



[email protected]
 
What part of N Texas are you in?

Actually, I'm in southeast Texas, about 30 miles southwest of Houston. The original poster that started this current Beefmaster "thread", named Eric, indicated that he was from N. Texas.
 

Latest posts

Top