Breed of choice for cow herd

[ALACOWMAN]

You could give 2 different breeders the same breed,equipment,facilities all equal, one will be a successful the other a failure..management..

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

We started with Angus cows and a Simmental bull, then went to Angus bulls and bought some Simmental cows. Then I decided to make some baldies and went with a Hereford bull and now we've been back to Angus bulls. The Simmental cows have been weaning their way out of our herd once I quit supplemental feeding. I'm planning on using Brahman cross bulls this fall. There's no doubt in my mind that the 5 Beefmaster cows I bought 4 years ago as an experiment excell in our environment and management system. I also buy a few trader cows through out the year and every year I end up keeping a couple of those. A smokie cow works really good here, but I'll never have another Charolais bull so I'm not going in that direction. At one time I had all black cows, then I kept a couple of Hereford baldie heifers when I started culling on quality instead of color.
Angus, Hereford and Brahman is where I think I want to be?

Angus, Hereford and Brahman looks like good place to be to me too.

Well 2 of those 3 anyway.

 

[Ky hills]

What do most of the successful neighbors have in their pastures?

I would say that most of the farms around are either mostly Angus based commercial black cows or mixed herds of many breeds and crosses.

But are they successful?

As an old friend use to say when someone asked him a similar question " I don't know I haven't counted their money" :lol:
On the serious side though in recent years a lot have gone to mostly black cows, but a lot of herds of all sizes are very mixed. Even farms with several hundred cows.

 

[Ky hills]

We started with Angus cows and a Simmental bull, then went to Angus bulls and bought some Simmental cows. Then I decided to make some baldies and went with a Hereford bull and now we've been back to Angus bulls. The Simmental cows have been weaning their way out of our herd once I quit supplemental feeding. I'm planning on using Brahman cross bulls this fall. There's no doubt in my mind that the 5 Beefmaster cows I bought 4 years ago as an experiment excell in our environment and management system. I also buy a few trader cows through out the year and every year I end up keeping a couple of those. A smokie cow works really good here, but I'll never have another Charolais bull so I'm not going in that direction. At one time I had all black cows, then I kept a couple of Hereford baldie heifers when I started culling on quality instead of color.
Angus, Hereford and Brahman is where I think I want to be?

Angus, Hereford and Brahman looks like good place to be to me too.

I would think Simmental would work alright in KY. Our problem is we have very little clover, no fescue and 100+ degree days are normal during the summer around here. We've been over a 100 twice already and summer isn't even here yet. Around here a pasture with 10% protein and a TDN better than 55 - 60% is unheard of unless you have irrigation.

There are several Simmentals around now black ones that is. I have kind of noticed though that some of the folks that used the Bulls have gone back to Angus. Our pastures are fescue and bluegrass with a lot of white clover and we have sown red clovers and orchard grass over the years as well. I have thought at times about Simmental Bulls but haven't. I have some commercial BWF cows that look more Simmental than traditional BWF. They are good cows and milk well with good udders, my knock on them is they are a little flighty compared to my Angus and Herefords, and they have all migrated a couple months or more behind the others in calving as well. One has a LOT of hair and lives in the ponds during the summer. We can have 100 degree weather, most years just a few days of it though. Quite a few 90+ days and humidity not as hot and humid as where you are but still pretty hard on the cattle and I suspect the endophyte adds to it.

 

[skeeter swatter]

There is often as much difference within breeds as between breeds. Just pick your favorite breed or cross and find individuals that work for you.
An old rule of thumb is to have cows that fit your environment and bulls to fit your market.

 

[mmfd1379]

Good momma cow. Find cows that are young and you watch how the care for the calf, a good red cow weighing 850-1000 breed black raiseing a 300 pound calf that is probaly black nosed you should be good. With todays bulls being homo black (sim,angus,lim) you should buy good mommas no matter the color. SE Alabama is my area there is alot of black hides here. My pasture is mixed and works for me. Good luck!!!

 

[Stocker Steve]

As an old friend use to say when someone asked him a similar question " I don't know I haven't counted their money" :lol:
On the serious side though in recent years a lot have gone to mostly black cows, but a lot of herds of all sizes are very mixed. Even farms with several hundred cows.

The vast majority of the herds here are black commercial angus.
The 2017 median net return here was exactly minus U$S 109.07 per cow. So a financial loss when fixed costs are included.
So black angus are losers? Or ?

 

[kdpihf]

An old rule of thumb is to have cows that fit your environment and bulls to fit your market.

^^The best advice you will ever get. Breeds matter less than individuals when it comes to today's cattle.

 

[Ebenezer]

The vast majority of the herds here are black commercial angus.
The 2017 median net return here was exactly minus U$S 109.07 per cow. So a financial loss when fixed costs are included.
So black angus are losers? Or ?

Poor management, too much expense or not looking at markets prior to picking a type or size. I blame a lot of the hype from promoters and semen companies for selling unproven bull semen or perpetuating the myth that carcass is a #1 priority. Fertility and maternal function is the money maker by 10:1. No better for the registered Angus breeder where the average length of a herd's existence is 7 years.

 

[Rafter S]

I appreciate all of the replies. My purpose is that over time we gain knowledge as to what works well for us and if there happens to be an area of weakness with that particular breed. I used to have Charolais and they worked ok until some calving issues and lazy calves started occurring as well as some heifers were not protecting calves from coyotes. Our Herefords are doing pretty good all around I think a little ear in some more of them wouldn't hurt a thing.

If you like the Hereford cows you might consider putting a Brahman bull on them for a while, keep the heifer calves, and breed them to a good black Angus bull.

 

[Midtenn]

I vote brangus x hereford cross for momma cows. Breed them to a high growth, large frame, high marble angus bull for calves that sale good. Plenty of " terminal" angus bulls these days.

 

[WalnutCrest]

An old rule of thumb is to have cows that fit your environment and bulls to fit your market.

^^The best advice you will ever get. Breeds matter less than individuals when it comes to today's cattle.

Agreed. This is essentially a restatementof what I said earlier.

 

[u4411clb]

I vote brangus x hereford cross for momma cows. Breed them to a high growth, large frame, high marble angus bull for calves that sale good. Plenty of " terminal" angus bulls these days.

Change that Brangus to a Gert and now you're talking.