Lowline angus bull in pic - any good?

[msbhavin]

I have a couple of small cows I need a small bull for. What do you think of this lowline angus bull? I'm no expert – he just looks good to me.

Here is the 2006 Australian Jr bull Champion for comparison:
seems to me his topline looks about the same as your bull's :roll:

 

[msbhavin]

Seriously, this breed is way to small, unless they are for pets. I mean, who are you going to sell this type of animal to?

Somebody is buying them! Here are the 2006 Denver Sale Results

• Total Average
  
  5 Fullblood Bulls $30,800 $6,844
  3 Percentage Bulls $6,700 $2,233
  7 Fullblood Bred Females $67,050 $9,578
  12 Fullblood Open Females $93,000 $7,750
  5 Purebred Open Females $13,800 $2,760
  2 Bred 3/4 Females $5,900 $2.950
  9 Open 3/4 Females $26,700 $2,967
  2 3/4 cow/calf pairs $7,750 $3,875
  10 Open Females $41,550 $4,155
  2 Embryo Lots (5 each) $8,000 $4,000
  
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  56.5 Lots Lowline Cattle $301,250 $5,332

 

[AAAcattle]

As a breeder of Lowlines, I can assure you they are 100% old time Angus blood and they can definitely navigate in deep snow, else there would not be quantity breeders of these animals in the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, etc.
Can't pass judgement of the particular animal shown on one photo, he certainly IS standing badly, but all of my animals are squarely conformed and definitely agile. My bull HANK stands 45" tall and weighs in at 1435 lbs. and can display the agility of any rodeo bull when he's in the mood. Very funny to watch. These cattle are also extremely docile and easy to manage, they raise their calves and fatten on grass alone, there are NO calving problems with first-calf heifers, and the meat is out-of-sight wonderful.
The curious are welcome to visit my website at http://www.AAAlowlines.com for more photos and info. Semen is of course available.

 

[Aero]

Just when I think I've come up with something original.....

Have a look at this site and decide just how original....

http://www.msu.edu/~ritchieh/historical/cattletype.html

interesting slide

 

[Aero]

Seriously, this breed is way to small, unless they are for pets. I mean, who are you going to sell this type of animal to?

Somebody is buying them! Here are the 2006 Denver Sale Results

ever been to a big purebred sale? it's called the purebred swap.

what exactly is a "fullblood" lowline anyway? is there an original source for these things?

 

[BRG]

That Denver report is only for breeding stock. No feedlot wants to buy them and feed them out, as they do not have a market for the meat.

So again, who will buy them once the novilty wears off, same thing happened to the Buffalo market. Now they are tough to give away.

 

[AAAcattle]

FULLBLOOD Lowlines must trace directly to the original stock from the Trangie Research Station (AUS) and to prove this they are DNA tested prior to registration. Their value is not in the feedlot, their value is in the purity of their genetics.... original Angus genetics uncontaminated by any outcrossing to other breeds. Lowlines are one of the few remaining pure Angus gene pools.

And no, most animals sold at our Lowline sales are not "swapped" between breeders, they are going to buyers new to the breed.

>>>.....they do not have a market for the meat.

Think again. The meat is mostly sold privately as naturally raised, grassfinished, and/or organic beef to restaurants and private processors, and there is more demand for it than there is available meat.

 

[Aero]

Their value is not in the feedlot, their value is in the purity of their genetics....

so they are useless in the feedlot? doesnt that limit the market by a large percentage? what good is "purity" of an arbitrary standard? what good is purity if it isnt useful?

 

[AAAcattle]

"Useless in the feedlot" are your words, not mine. I've already stated the reasons for their value and if you don't understand, or the terms used are new to you, then perhaps some research is in order. I'm not into meaningless arguments.

 

[WAguy]

Just when I thought this thread was dead, someone resurrected it.

So again, who will buy them once the novilty wears off, same thing happened to the Buffalo market. Now they are tough to give away.

I would agree that, despite my vision for America, lowlines will probably not replace the commercial beef industry. So rest easy. However, I don't know that I would compare lowlines to Buffalo. It has never crossed my mind, and that of most small acreage people, to get a Buffalo. But there are alot of people who want a cow or two, but don't want/need 1500 pounders. I find lowlines great for sizing down cows, and offering the next best alternative to goats.

While they might never achieve great numbers, I don't see them going away anytime soon, as they do have a practical use for the backyard rancher. And a bit easier to handle than buffalo. As I've said, acreages aren't getting any bigger.

There will always be a few people wanting to raise their own little beef, just like raising their own little garden.

 

[Aero]

And no, most animals sold at our Lowline sales are not "swapped" between breeders, they are going to buyers new to the breed

Dont kid yourself... this is how breeders make money in the swap. they trade until some unwitting millionaire comes along for the ride. I am not saying this is a lowline thing; it's done in every breed.

"Useless in the feedlot" are your words, not mine. I've already stated the reasons for their value and if you don't understand, or the terms used are new to you, then perhaps some research is in order. I'm not into meaningless arguments.

I am not into meaningless arguments either; i am into explorative discussion; and btw this is research. It's not a problem with the terms you use, it's the content of your terms that i question.

...Their value is not in the feedlot

this is why i asked if you were saying they were useless in the feedlot. How many lowlines have been sent through the feedlot?

..., their value is in the purity of their genetics.... original Angus genetics uncontaminated by any outcrossing to other breeds. Lowlines are one of the few remaining pure Angus gene pools....

now let's go through this one very slowly... are you saying that the average fullblood lowline is what Angus animals were 100 years ago? Do you think obvious selection for smaller animals has eliminated some of the original "pure" genes? Exactly what good are "pure Angus genetics"? Are they linebred for prepotency? Or is it just another gene pool? Other than extreme size, what does this gene pool offer that others dont?

The Trangie herd was reinforced with further imports from Canada, the United States of America and Scotland between 1930 and 1950.

Why did they bring in American Angus in 1950? were the animals not small enough?

 

[MikeC]

Matt, email Dan at Decatur County Feedyard in Kansas.

[email protected]

He was telling me while back about feeding several hundred calves bred from Lowline bulls that sold on the grid. I think he said they came from North Dakota.

Ask him to give you some generalities on how they did.

Let us know what he says.

 

[Aero]

Matt, email Dan at Decatur County Feedyard in Kansas.

[email protected]

He was telling me while back about feeding several hundred calves bred from Lowline bulls that sold on the grid. I think he said they came from North Dakota.

Ask him to give you some generalities on how they did.

Let us know what he says.

email sent, thanks.

 

[Northern Rancher]

You know I'm really glad I've got a couple thousand straws of Angus semen in my tank off bulls that are the right frame size for me. It's been my policy to collect a bull that I buy if I feel he has potential-doesn't cost much more than insuring them and you have the genetics available for several years. I fell of the 'new and improved' band wagon a long time ago-if what I'm using works I don't see a reason to change. We sample some young bulls to compare them to the old stand byes but I still use alot of semen from bulls I bought 10-12 years ago. Guess what I'm saying if you never bred them too big no reason to jump on the smurf bandwagon.

 

[Northern Rancher]

That post kinds of sounds wrong-those smaller framed cattle probably do have a place-I just happen to like my cattle a bit bigger.I still remember my Dad telling me about backing the milk cow into a hole so our 50's Angus bull could breed her lol. I bet those jersey lowlines would be producing little buggers if they get enough to eat. I guess a breed needs some cattle at the outer ends of frame for breeders to use that want to change their herd makeup.

 

[Aero]

Mike,
I got a reply back about the feedlot performance of a Lowline lot at Decatur. Pretty impressive really.

ADG: 3.03
FE (dry): 6.38

QG
Prime: 0.0%
Upper Choice: 48.6%
Choice: 18.9%
Select: 32.4%
Lower: 0%

YG
YG1: 0.0%
YG2: 40.5%
YG3: 56.8%
YG4: 2.7%
YG5: 0.0%

REA Dist
0-11: 8.1%
11-16: 86.5%
16-99: 5.4%

 

[dun]

What were the carcass weights?

 

[Aero]

well, maybe this is it...

Pay Weight: 823
Avg Sale Weight: 1179

 

[htrc]

Producing lbs. of beef,effeciently is how most people in the beef industry stay in business. You can run 7 ewes for every cow,but they don't bring in any more gross $.Fact is they won't bring in as many $ in most cases.
Lowlines,dexters and the other minis do fill a niche.If someone wants to raise beef for themselves or sell private treaty.

 

[Ozraptor]

Hi WAguy

Do you have any beeding information - or registration number for the Lowline bull pic you posted? I now maintain the Midnight-Erica database and would be interested in pulling out his pedigree - Regards Jack