Bret":25gj9s7p said:
I had to vote no. I am very weak on EPD's.
I keep gaining. For my requirements I am interested in the basics: Can I can expect a small first calf the first time out of my heifers with little help from me, etc. My vet and mentor does most of the straw picking(AI)with a nod from me like I really know. Learning is more important at my stage of ranch and herd development.
I think us hobby people do have something to contribute to the industry however.
Now about my anatomy and holes in the ground--I can only say my butt gets tired when I dig post holes by hand. Why is that?
It's good you have a mentor. I, too, think "hobby" people have something to contribute. Something like 80% of the beef sold in the US is produced in herds of less than 50 cattle. Not many people can live on the profit from 50 head of cattle, so they likely mostly hobby farms. In my area, the average herd is less than 50 cattle.
Heck, if you want to look at that way, Express Ranches, is a "hobby" operation. They probably have thousands of cattle, but the owner is a multi-millionaire, maybe a billionaire. I doubt that he and his family are living in the style they're living in on his cattle profits.