Ebenezer
Well-known member
We are not discussing the constant comparison of cheap sale barn bulls and prearranged high dollar top selling greats of the Big Boy sale bulls. Arguing extremes is extreme and avoids the discussion.*************":1l60krsw said:If the weather is hot, the excess condition of the cows can slow the loss of core heat and cause the embryo to not attach. Fat does not aid fertility in those conditions.Ebenezer":1l60krsw said:How do you explain, maybe we suck at A.I. or it could be that A.I. is a bit more challenging than everyone would have you think.
I understand that you sell named cattle and calves of known herd and sire names for a higher price, better recognition, ... and you say that they are superior cattle for you and commercial breeders who buy. If you have been using superior AI sires for decades, how long will it take you to have superior cattle, if ever. Seems to be a process where you never quite become a source?[/quote}
I think our cattle are way above average right now, but that is my opinion, other people may see them and say they aren't worth a sh....t. The quest for superiority is ever changing, in the 60's it was Wye that ruled, now it's SAV, in 40 years who knows??? One thing is for sure I wouldn't be doing myself any favors by picking up a $1k random bull at the stockyards and using him as our sire for 2019. Wouldn't you agree? So with that said, wouldn't it make sense to AI and try to produce the very best I'm capable of and let the chips fall where they may? There are roughly 20,000 head of beef cattle in our county alone according to Gov information. If the biggest Angus producer in our area, along with Boyd Angus, and our operation sold strictly in our little podunk county and everyone used only Angus, there would barely be enough bulls to get the job done, that leaves 119 counties left to serve in Kentucky alone, not to mention other surrounding states. What we produce at Branded is a drop in the bucket versus the overall demand, especially given the size of the beef herd in Kentucky, which is relatively large and growing. Again, why wouldn't I shoot for the best I could when the market is clearly there? I've had people try to convince me that there is no difference at all between a stockyards or homegrown bull and a top AI sire. I disagree, because the results I've had from a phenotypic standpoint and EPD standpoint prove otherwise. I'm sure Select Sires, ABS, and Origen would agree with my views.
Wye was a creep based phenomenon and sought growth at the expense of female function. You mentioned Conan one time. That told the story there. Ever wonder why folks drifted away from Wye after Conan was widely used? For every cause there is a symptom. The cows you have posted pictures of are, for the commercial guy, over-conditioned and the last cow had a less than ideal udder and a ski sloped rump. Pounds never trump function in the best of cattle or in a sound breeding program.
Nobody has ever strongly proven that the constant increase of weaning weights can avoid the law of diminishing returns. To know the environmental limits and seek economical ways to up those limits in an average year is the efforts of a thinking commercial producer. That partly ties to the environmental fit of the cow based on mature weights, ability to function on the forages and feed that are economical and such. And to be totally honest, to breed year-round and to have multiple AI on cattle are symptoms of something that I would totally avoid in a breeding stock source.
You have a lot of market potential there and can place your bulls. I'm glad for you and appreciate that you follow up with buyers. I wish you the best and decades more in the business.