Line Ones

[greenwillowhereford II]

Since I'm going to have the Line One posse after me anyway, here goes:

More than one oldtimer has lamented to me over their lack of thickness unless you really spend some money for them. I've seen some that had some thickness though.

The majority of them from what I've observed, are lacking in the IMF EPD department.

A breeder who visited the Line One Station told me what he had observed during two or three days of looking the herd over: One of the things that stood out to him were that they had a consistent body shape, but their frame scores were all over the map. He said he thought he'd figured out why. They keep and breed their highest indexing weaning weight individuals, based on the data without much visual evaluation. Since there are smaller framed cows who sometimes wean a high indexing calf, their progeny was among those carried into the future along with some of the larger framed cattle. Matings are planned with the computer. He thinks there is no rhyme or reason to selection within certain parameters of size.

He was amazed at how many acres were devoted to growing feed for such a relatively small cowherd.

I don't mean to bash them. Just some thoughts and what others have told me.

 

[Wild Cattle]

It is dangerous work to select cattle only by its numbers or with the computer. You need to use your eyes and your brain to make selections. And that brain needs to be a good one.

Paul T

 

[KNERSIE]

There is still some very thick Line 1 cattle as well, Ned Jr. has some that really impressed me.

I think that some line 1 herds has placed too much emphasis on maternal traits, especially milk and that is showing in the phenotype of the cattle. If weaning indexes are used without visual appraisal, its very easy to fall in this trap and to boot the first few years it will look as if you make very quick progress. When the lack of easy doing ability starts to show at the profitability of your commercial bull customers' herds, its already very late in the day of the purebred breeder.

 

[greenwillowhereford II]

As I said, I've seen some that I thought had plenty of thickness, and some that I liked.

I am convinced that there was a time when Herefords had as much IMF as any breed out there, and that the fad races lost a lot of that and several other important traits in numerous bloodlines. Nevertheless, I believe that there are still three or four bloodlines that still have it. On another thread we've mentioned Feltons. My list would include Hazlett, Anxiety 4th, and Mark Donald. There are several derivatives of these basic building blocks throughout the country that have had some success. I'm not stating that these are the only good cattle out there. I just think they are the elite among carcass quality, with the ultimate test of carcass quality being the actual eating experience on the plate.

Again, I apologize if I offended anyone.

 

[jhambley]

Another thing to remember is that the Miles City herd is an experimental herd. That's how they get their funding. Their breed experiments/selection criteria may change from time to time yielding different performance/style cattle within a closed population.

JH

 

[KNERSIE]

Again, I apologize if I offended anyone.

Don't think you have offended anyone....yet :lol: