Herefords are the optimum breed

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Hereford cattle produce beef that is second to none, are the most feed efficient, have the highest fertility(96% breed average conception), tend to have excellent dispositions, and have posted performance of up to 6 pounds per day gain. This is not just boasting, but scientificaly proven. Hereford bulls last longer and breed more cows. They are far less prone to jumping fences than Angus bulls. :D
 
Howdy,
That sounds great, We bought a heifer at the auction, I'm pretty sure that she's bred to my Simmental bull,
I've heard that this is a good cross , And wer'e really looking forward to seeing the results. :lol:
Do Herefords do well on their first time?
About the only breed , that I've ever heard of having problems is Charlais.
How much longer are the Hereford Bulls good for??
 
greenwillowherefords":2ij98pu5 said:
This is not just boasting, but scientificaly proven.
Then you should be willing to share your data, or post some links....
 
I have never pulled a calf out of the horned Hazlett bloodline bull that I traded this spring. It depends partly on how old the heifer was when she was bred, and what kind of breeding selection is behind her bloodline. Colorado State University did a decade long study of Herefords versus other breeds. They found that the average Hereford steer gained 4# per day on 2# less feed per pound of gain than the industry average. Hoffman Herefords advertises a bull named Latitude that has sons that gained 6 pounds per day. Scientific studies also found that Hereford beef in the select grade actually tastes better, is more tender and juicy than the upper 2/3 USDA Choice. I believe this was also CSU. Go to the AHA website. The Australian Hereford society website is also very good. An independent researcher found that Herefords improved the fertility of other breeds when crossed by up to 13%. A rancher out west stated that his customers told him on a regular basis that the Hereford bull lasted 2 years longer in the rugged conditions there. I personally know of one who was put down at 15, and another going at 12. :D
 
The Hereford World publication produces about 5 tabloid style issues a year. You can receive the tabloid (Newspaper type paper) free if you are a commercial cattleman. To get the whole year including the glossy paged issues, is $25. I am based in Coweta, OK. My new polled Hereford bull sired a steer that a local butcher described as having the best marbling he had ever seen, regardless of the breed.[/u]
 
greenwillowherefords":gy93vqt4 said:
They are far less prone to jumping fences than Angus bulls. :D
Amen! I have observed in my life many Hereford breeders (a vanishing breed itself here) that have kept Herefords fenced in with just three rusty strands of barbed wire while many of the Angus cattle that I have seen like to "walk the road" if you know what I mean.
 
greenwillowherefords":1zx5epu1 said:
.......the average Hereford steer gained 4# per day on 2# less feed per pound of gain than the industry average.
Not trying to be argumentative, just want to be sure I understand your figgers....

Two pounds less feed per pound of gain seems to me like a phenomenal figure. Information from Sterling Marketing shows the average conversion for 2003 at 5.68 pounds. At two pounds less feed per pound of gain, it sounds to me like you are trying to say that Herefords will improve that feed conversion by over 35%!

An improvement like that should put cost of gain down in the mid-30's! That could easily amount to $100 a head increase in profits! If that's the case, why aren't cattle feeders putting out more Hereford orders? No reason to even think about a CAB premium with that kind of sure thing! If I were a cattle feeder, I wouldn't have a black at my bunk!
 
The figures I used were in the fact sheets from the CSU tests. Bear in mind that we are comparing an industry average here. Angus cattle are going to be much closer. I'm not here to trash Angus. English breeds produce the best beef, and Hereford and Angus are both English. The last test I saw of Hereford, Angus, and Red Angus bulls had the Herefords gaining right down the middle of the Angus, except on less feed. Hoffman Herefords of Leola, SD advertises a bull whose sons on test gained 6 pounds per day. His name is D&M 53H Latitude 102L. The CSU test was in the 90's I believe. I personally had a bull who sired a calf that weighed 294 at 53 days, and 400 at 3 1/2 months, on Momma's milk alone. There is also a premium to be gained if you can produce Certified Hereford beef. :)
 
Texan":2uo4sy36 said:
greenwillowherefords":2uo4sy36 said:
.......the average Hereford steer gained 4# per day on 2# less feed per pound of gain than the industry average.
Not trying to be argumentative, just want to be sure I understand your figgers....

Two pounds less feed per pound of gain seems to me like a phenomenal figure. Information from Sterling Marketing shows the average conversion for 2003 at 5.68 pounds. At two pounds less feed per pound of gain, it sounds to me like you are trying to say that Herefords will improve that feed conversion by over 35%!

An improvement like that should put cost of gain down in the mid-30's! That could easily amount to $100 a head increase in profits! If that's the case, why aren't cattle feeders putting out more Hereford orders? No reason to even think about a CAB premium with that kind of sure thing! If I were a cattle feeder, I wouldn't have a black at my bunk!

Tex all good points and Herefords are good cattle as many others, I own some of the finest bloodlines and they can,t touch this rate of gain. The only breed I have found that grades consistently with the Angus are Whites. This is the reason that in Australia. one of the number one crosses is HerefordXWhite. Sounds like the rancher that breed these Herefords also developed World Feeder Bermuda
 
**No Advertising**
About the black cattle, Angus folks did a tremendous job of promoting what is admittedly a good product. Add to that the fact that black hides defects in show cattle, and meanwhile for years horned and polled Hereford people weren't getting along, wasting their resources arguing.
In the old days before we had the facilities we do now, you couldn't find many cattle west of the Mississippi that weren't Hereford, because as Doc Easley (Turner Ranch Vet) said, 60-70% of Herefords would survive a blizzard, while 30% of other breeds did. Herefords have thicker hides, and are more cold-hardy. By the way, black absorbs heat, and darker colored cattle have more heat stress, which is one reason I can't understand why they are so dominant.
 
greenwillowherefords":2ges15k5 said:
Bear in mind that we are comparing an industry average here.
An industry average is what I was citing from 2003. I'm sure there has been an improvement in feed effficiency across all breeds since the mid 90's. I just don't know how much. I guess I'll have to go CSU and try to find that study if you can't link it for us. That's something I've got to see!
 
greenwillowherefords":13g37e34 said:
**No Advertising**
About the black cattle, Angus folks did a tremendous job of promoting what is admittedly a good product. Add to that the fact that black hides defects in show cattle, and meanwhile for years horned and polled Hereford people weren't getting along, wasting their resources arguing.
In the old days before we had the facilities we do now, you couldn't find many cattle west of the Mississippi that weren't Hereford, because as Doc Easley (Turner Ranch Vet) said, 60-70% of Herefords would survive a blizzard, while 30% of other breeds did. Herefords have thicker hides, and are more cold-hardy. By the way, black absorbs heat, and darker colored cattle have more heat stress, which is one reason I can't understand why they are so dominant.

Not picking a fight , pretty cheap for such a kick butt Hereford bull.I will never leave the Braxton Giant, Victor lines, Its just irratating to listen to breeders ( reguardless of the breed) that sound like an East Texas preacher trying to holler up a revival. You can try to sell this to a newbie, not old time Hereford cattlemen We are just not ate up with a lot of blizzards in the South, here again is another reason Whites. Brangus and Brahman x's are great in the South.

Nuff Said.
 
Friends, I'm certainly not trying to be argumentive either, and I'm not going to say that it is impossible for me to make a mistake about "figgers" that I don't have in front of me at the moment. The industry average gain in the decade study at CSU was 2.9 pounds.
Don't forget the fact that Hereford beef does not have to have as good a grade to still actually taste better than the USDA upper 2/3 Choice.
The same is true of Angus, for that matter.
I personally fed a show heifer for my son that gained over 3 pounds per day, and I believe steers should out-perform heifers. I culled this heifer because I felt her yearling weight was too small.
 
Pretty cheap for such a .....bull
With all due respect, we are small breeders without a big name to promote us. We are talking about a 7 month old price also. The calf in question is out of a Boyd Victor daughter and a Day Herefords Hazlett bull. The cow came from Vernon Swank's dispersal. She is a tremendous milker. People involved in cattle are usually some of the most honest, decent people in the world. I am not trying to trash any of you, or feed you false information. Anyone can obtain the data by contacting the AHA. I believe their website is herefordbeef.org. Any search engine should be able to find it. They sent me the data at my request.
 
I'm not disputing your ADG numbers. Wasn't even asking about the gain aspect. My question was concerning the statement you made about Herefords being able to accomplish that gain with two pounds less feed per pound of gain. To me that seems like an awesome number. That's a question of feed efficiency, not gain.

By the way, I think we forgot to tell you- Welcome to the board! Hope you can take the time to register and join us more often!
 
"Friends, I'm certainly not trying to be argumentive either, and I'm not going to say that it is impossible for me to make a mistake about "figgers" that I don't have in front of me at the moment."

That's why it's best to have the figures in front of you (with an internet link) before you start promoting your cattle.

"The industry average gain in the decade study at CSU was 2.9 pounds."

Where did that figure come from, please?

"Don't forget the fact that Hereford beef does not have to have as good a grade to still actually taste better than the USDA upper 2/3 Choice. The same is true of Angus, for that matter."

Taste is a personal thing. I prefer grain fed, high quality. Some people prefer lean, grass fed. But, bottom line, the packers pay more money for marbled beef. The last I knew, they based their grids on yield and quality grades. "Taste" didn't earn the producer a cent.

"I personally fed a show heifer for my son that gained over 3 pounds per day, and I believe steers should out-perform heifers. I culled this heifer because I felt her yearling weight was too small,"

While your claims of 6 lbs per day and feed conversion are impressive (though undocumented), they don't really mean much without some idea of the age of the bull, type of feed and feeding conditions. For example, if you're hand feeding a yearling bull by himself or with only one or two penmates that he's been around his entire life, he might gain better than if he has to compete with other bulls in an unfamiliar environment, or was a younger bull. Since you're right here in OK, home of one of the largest bull test stations in the US, let me suggest that you contact them and put some of your bulls on test. That way you will have something to back up your claims about average daily gain. Believe me, it's a learning experience ;-) Test results for several breeds of bulls can be found at http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/exten/OBI/test_results.htm. You might recognize some of the Hereford breeders who test their bulls at OBI.
 

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