Deer Valley....

[76 Bar]

The Trangie herd maintained that tradition at the Sydney Royal Show. Brave Edward Glencarnock, a grandson of Blackcap Revolution, sired several Sydney Royal Show champions, including Trangie exhibits which won the Narrangullen Cup three times. The progeny of the cow Glencarnock Eurotia 4th won many prizes at the Sydney Royal Show. Among the prizewinning progeny were champion bulls Trangie Prism and Trangie Edward 4th, the twice champion cow Trangie Eurotia 2nd, and several reserve champions. Another cow, Blackcap Bixie 2nd was imported carrying Glencarnock Blackcap Eric which was champion bull at Sydney in 1933.

A nostalgic snippet of history from nearly a century ago and a reminder that show ring prowess often as not wrecked havoc on the fundamental goodness of more than a few breeds of cattle.

 

[76 Bar]

If I'm not mistaken U.K. puts them in a large compost pile, covers them over and let's nature go to work.

Indeed. Bears & big cats would hasten the process. :roll:

 

[Ebenezer]

What I'm saying is this, you tell me how you can make a judgement call on longevity and feet on a 3 year old animal? You can't, you don't have a clue, you are just hoping it all works out. You don't have proof.

Same goes for unproven bulls like the ones you mention frequently and with reverence. People do not breed to great unproven AI bulls or named cows due to proof they do so out of hope. That's why Angus operations last about 7 years on the average for registered folks. They run out of hope and money at about the same time.

How long have you held on with your strategy?

50+ years and counting. How about you personally?

 

[Bright Raven]

I don't, I own a backhoe and bury everything that dies or we kill. He probably complains about the buzzards, dogs and coyotes getting his calves. Out of sight out of mind.

Yep. He hates the black Vultures. I have had cows die. I don't have a way to bury them. I put them on a round bale of hay saturated in diesel. If done right. They are gone.

If I'm not mistaken U.K. puts them in a large compost pile, covers them over and let's nature go to work.

Yes. They put on a presentation on disposal practices at our cattle association. They advocate composting but discussed other practices.
That is where I picked up the incineration practice.

 

[Ky hills]

Yep. He hates the black Vultures. I have had cows die. I don't have a way to bury them. I put them on a round bale of hay saturated in diesel. If done right. They are gone.

If I'm not mistaken U.K. puts them in a large compost pile, covers them over and let's nature go to work.

Yes. They put on a presentation on disposal practices at our cattle association. They advocate composting but discussed other practices.
That is where I picked up the incineration practice.

I am thankful that we have a dead animal removal service.

 

[Bright Raven]

If I'm not mistaken U.K. puts them in a large compost pile, covers them over and let's nature go to work.

Yes. They put on a presentation on disposal practices at our cattle association. They advocate composting but discussed other practices.
That is where I picked up the incineration practice.

I am thankful that we have a dead animal removal service.

Robertson County does not.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Yes. They put on a presentation on disposal practices at our cattle association. They advocate composting but discussed other practices.
That is where I picked up the incineration practice.

I am thankful that we have a dead animal removal service.

Robertson County does not.

Gallatin does as well. We use it.

 

[Bright Raven]

I don't, I own a backhoe and bury everything that dies or we kill. He probably complains about the buzzards, dogs and coyotes getting his calves. Out of sight out of mind.

Yep. He hates the black Vultures. I have had cows die. I don't have a way to bury them. I put them on a round bale of hay saturated in diesel. If done right. They are gone.

Ron this is pure speculation, but big calves can cause problems you can't see. I posted a picture of a fancy high priced Erica heifer that I put down years ago because she had a big dead calf, and everything else hanging out the back. She was bloated and her eyes rolled backwards and I tried everything to push the mess back in. Milkmaid said to put her down so that's what I did.

We shall see. I had one this fall that delivered a 125 pound calf and one that delivered a 112 pound calf. We shall see if it messed something up.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Ron, your cows and mine can handle a 125# calf with no problem. I don't advocate to have them, but I get a couple each year. Past due bull calves (steers).
Universities have been preaching compost disposal for a loooonnnggg time. I also have a backhoe. We shot one that got toxic mastitis and Phil buried her.
I am a strong believer in longevity in my breeding program. But, "I" think if a cow is going to have foot problems, you will know it by 3-5 years of age. Same with a bad udder. If they are 12 and start having a bad udder or foot problems, I don't put that on genetics.
Also, there are a lot of areas that cows wear down their teeth much faster than other places. I have NEVER had a cow with bad teeth. Just does not happen out here.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

So is the sale over - anyone know how they sold.

 

[True Grit Farms]

So is the sale over - anyone know how they sold.

Top cow $47k, adverage sale price $4015. I'd imagine some good buys were had.

 

[Ky hills]

If I'm not mistaken U.K. puts them in a large compost pile, covers them over and let's nature go to work.

Yes. They put on a presentation on disposal practices at our cattle association. They advocate composting but discussed other practices.
That is where I picked up the incineration practice.

I am thankful that we have a dead animal removal service.

As of now the County funds the service here, I am not looking forward to the result if they ever stop and folks start dragging them to the back forty like they used too. Coyotes, buzzards and black bears would have a food source for sure. I have a friend in Fleming County that says they have the service but have to pay, which I would be ok with personally, but am afraid a lot of folks wouldn't and just drag dead livestock over the hill.

 

[Bright Raven]

Yes. They put on a presentation on disposal practices at our cattle association. They advocate composting but discussed other practices.
That is where I picked up the incineration practice.

I am thankful that we have a dead animal removal service.

As of now the County funds the service here, I am not looking forward to the result if they ever stop and folks start dragging them to the back forty like they used too. Coyotes, buzzards and black bears would have a food source for sure. I have a friend in Fleming County that says they have the service but have to pay, which I would be ok with personally, but am afraid a lot of folks wouldn't and just drag dead livestock over the hill.

I hear you loud and clear. This county has NO service. Not even one you pay for. That is why we ask the UK folks to come out and present. I would bet that many cows that die are never moved from the spot they die on. Most are pulled by a tractor to the back of the farm.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I am thankful that we have a dead animal removal service.

As of now the County funds the service here, I am not looking forward to the result if they ever stop and folks start dragging them to the back forty like they used too. Coyotes, buzzards and black bears would have a food source for sure. I have a friend in Fleming County that says they have the service but have to pay, which I would be ok with personally, but am afraid a lot of folks wouldn't and just drag dead livestock over the hill.

I hear you loud and clear. This county has NO service. Not even one you pay for. That is why we ask the UK folks to come out and present. I would bet that many cows that die are never moved from the spot they die on. Most are pulled by a tractor to the back of the farm.

That's pretty sorry unless your in big country. I can't see training a varmint to eat beef, makes no sense at all to me. The cremation ordeal sounds like a good method.

 

[CattleMan1920]

As of now the County funds the service here, I am not looking forward to the result if they ever stop and folks start dragging them to the back forty like they used too. Coyotes, buzzards and black bears would have a food source for sure. I have a friend in Fleming County that says they have the service but have to pay, which I would be ok with personally, but am afraid a lot of folks wouldn't and just drag dead livestock over the hill.

I hear you loud and clear. This county has NO service. Not even one you pay for. That is why we ask the UK folks to come out and present. I would bet that many cows that die are never moved from the spot they die on. Most are pulled by a tractor to the back of the farm.

That's pretty sorry unless your in big country. I can't see training a varmint to eat beef, makes no sense at all to me. The cremation ordeal sounds like a good method.

Totally agree Grit. I had a neighbor who is no longer living, great guy, but he would drag every dead animal down to a corner where our properties meet, I guess he didn't think it was an issue. It sounded like Call of the Wild at night after he would take one down, coyotes howling like crazy, and vultures working on it by day.

Like I said, he's passed on, and that practice is over, and guess what, the coyotes have mostly moved on to other opportunities and same with the vultures, but it took a while. A licensed trapper worked a couple of years to thin out the coyotes, which were numerous beyond compare. I once spotted a coyote up on a bluff and it was watching a cow have her calf, I didn't have the chance to get some positive reinforcement out in time before it ran off, but that was too close for comfort.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Seen many a coyote trot right threw the middle of my cows. Not much of a threat cause the cows don't even look twice at them.

 

[elkwc]

Keeping bulls for 8 to 10 years requires a lot of management. I try and trade bulls every 3 years. I'm not much for management. Out of everything we do the only things I can see that actually work is our fly management and rotational grazing.

TG I guess I was raised by a different type of top cattlemen. My Uncle managed a 44,000 acre, 1,000 cow ranch for 33 years. He planned on a bull lasting till at least 8 and a cow at least a few more years. Most of the other good cattlemen I've been around have been the same. Our last set of bulls lasted till they were 9-11. We are using a 9 y/o this year. Plan to sell him this fall but he tested excellent and still sound. After a PB breeder told me not to expect his bulls to make it past 6. I quit considering his bull. We have a group of 15-18 y/o cows with a 100% calf crop.

Sure can't argue about success. I can't see any scenario where we'd ever keep a bull past 5 or 6 y/o. The simple fact is your herd is supposed to improve with every calf crop or your backing up. Besides risking death from the heat, a 15 - 18 y/o cow cannot make it here in our short tough grass unless you have dentures made for it.

TG normally we wouldn't keep cows this long. A combination of things influenced our decision to keep them this long. Since the drought our numbers have been down and we have gradually been building numbers up. We now have numbers up and intended to sell most of the old cows last fall. But prices were down so we decided to keep everything not bred. They all were so we kept them. For the last 4 years we have culled any open cows and these cows have raised a calf every year. We have kept heifers out of them because we fill they have a good chance of having good fertility and longtivity. Our plans will be to sell most this fall if prices are decent.