Guess maybe using LL would mean LESS angus in the resulting cross? Pretty funny since the calves will be 50/50 from the sire and dam. How would he figure not getting "too much angus blood"by using a LL.
I have bought a few angus that I suspect were LL influenced for little or nothing at sales. Everyone laughs at the "little short cows". The one was about 750 lbs, called her shorty and she raised nice calves by "normal"sized angus bulls. Have several of her daughters/grand daughters and I like them.
But then, my son and I are known for buying the "low end"of cows at these sales. I find that if managed right, I can make more on these "crummy or little short cows" than on a high priced one. Since we are commercial, and we rent alot of land, we can take less than "nice" cattle and get them to raise a decent calf and cull the cow if need be and still make a little. Some have turned out to be really decent cows once they got a little feed and some care. I am not putting down anyone that raises real nice cattle or purebred breeders. We buy GOOD purebred bulls and occasionally keep a bull calf out of a nicer cow that is by a purchased bull. But, all that, I have found that these "short" cows will put a decent calf on the ground, and at weaning the calf is 3/4 as tall as the momma and as good as most of the rest.
Our cows as a rule average in the 10-1200 lb range. They seem to give us the most return for the input. They seem to be good grazers, and we seldom have much trouble with calving. We use easy calving bulls on the first calf heifers, but have 2 bulls that are + weight bulls on the different pastures of cows. We don't have many feet problems. A neighbor has BIG cattle, averaging 14-1700 lbs and he has consistent feet/leg problems. Some is probably genetic, but some is size I am sure.
I also am interested in some experimenting with the lowlines. If you look at the pictures of the angus cattle that were winning in the show rings in the 50's they were SMALL!!!! Then they got to be like Chianina's and I needed to stand on a bucket to reach them to breed A I. I am at this point doing a little experimenting with some other breeds on my dairy crosses to put some more butt on the calves since anything with dairy influence will get discounted here at the sales.
If the original poster had/has a market for smaller halves of beef, I think LL is a good way to go and the easiest is to get some semen and breed "down"to the size.
Just for reference, we sold 4 open cows avg weight 1050 and 4 weaned steer calves 475 lb size. a couple of weeks ago. Cows brought in the 60's calves brought in the 1.50+. Don't have the stub....but I do know they brought right at $5028.00 after all deductions. I turned around that same day and bought 5 cows and 6 calves ( one was supposed to have twins but they didn't guarantee it). Cows were sold with 175-200 lb calves. 4 bull calves, twins were heifers. Paid $5050 for the 11 total head. So that was an investment of about $22.00 for 3 more head We banded the bull calves, one cow had very short teeth but they were all in decent shape body wise and the calves all seemed to be doing good. They are all out at pasture with a bull. Unless we have a disaster, and some die or something as has happened in the past, these less than great cows will make money just in the calf crop, and any that breed will be a plus. 2 were fairly young so have a potential to be around for many years. This has little to do with the LL and small cattle, but just a little bit of what we do. I find that my jersey beef which is smaller sized, has a greater following than the real big "finished on grain"cattle also.
