Make Kentucky Cattle Great Again?

[CattleMan1920]

I know that by posting this article that I am going to make a lot of people upset in Kentucky, With that said, I don't really care, because I get upset when our state garners extremely low prices for cattle, and is the laughing stock of the cattle industry, yet has the most cattle production east of the Mississippi, and some of the most productive land in the country. It's a disgrace.

The vet and family mentioned in the article are from the county where our operation is located. I personally know the vet and his family. They are friendly people and have done a lot of good in the community, BUT, and a large one, what he did to the Kentucky cattle industry was nothing short of treachery. He made life much harder for everyone in Kentucky that is trying to deliver a high-quality product to feedlots, and make a living in the cattle business. So for that, shame on him.

Even when I discussed this issue with another highly respected vet in our county he told me, "don't go so hard on him, he's a good guy", so I asked our vet, "ok, so what you are telling me is this, if I have a bunch of sick calves/cattle I can pay you a little on the side and you will verify them as "healthy"?, or how about bulls, will you just sign a blank piece of paper saying that a bull is fine when he is sterile, for a few bucks?" He replied, "Absolutely not, I would never put myself, my legacy, my practice, or my family at risk" I know my vet pretty well and I know what he is saying about his business ethics are true, but the vet in this article below sold out himself to the lowest bidder, his family, and all the Kentucky cattle producers who work hard to produce a high-quality product that is marketable NATIONWIDE. He's going to pay a dear price for the pittance that he earned. The damage is done, to him, and the cattle industry here.

Lastly, when speaking with a cattle producer in our county regarding the article below he said, "Who cares, everyone ships sick cattle, that's just how the industry rolls" and "he didn't do anything wrong in my eyes, he's a good guy", and "don't be a do-gooder pointing out things like this"

Well, I spoke with an auctioneer that works nationwide, and he told me about the reputation that Kentucky cattle have, and it's lower than whale sh...t at the bottom of the ocean. Yes, we have Boyd's and Stone Gate, but they are "islands" in the sea of mediocrity here. Get mad! tell me to shut up! Tell me that I'm selling out my neighbor. Whatever you like, but when your cattle, that you have worked hard on, bring pretty much the lowest prices in the country, and you are a laughing stock in the cattle biz, ask yourself where your loyalties are....

This story is all about greed and dishonesty, with the main characters highly involved in the cattle business in Kentucky. I'm not outing these people, because this story has already been exposed on Drover's and the Lexington Herald-Leader. Hopefully with this behind us, Kentucky can implement some standards and get back on track, but I think it's going to be a long slow road to gain any confidence on the national scene. Click the link below for the details.

http://bit.ly/2FPdtXQ

 

[callmefence]

If you want to be the best go to where the best are. Look forward to meeting you.

 

[Bright Raven]

Blue Grass Stockyards should be punished more than Dr. Moran.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I think that's going on everywhere in the country. Something caused a fuss and it wasn't fixed properly. Kentucky has some good sales for the commercial cattle trader. I know traders who buy here and in other states and bring the cows to Kentucky and flip them.

 

[CattleMan1920]

If you want to be the best go to where the best are. Look forward to meeting you.

When it comes to Angus cows, Boyd's has some of the best cows in the country, most of the buyers are from all over the nation. Stone Gate runs one of the biggest Angus operations anywhere in the country and was one of the 40 operations chosen for a CAB barn painting.

I thought I was near the best??

Not everyone in Kentucky is raising dregs, there are producers that are working their butts off with their cattle and take a lot of pride in them. It's not the producer if you can even call them that, who has dead calves in the field, that is harmed by the story I posted, it's the producer that puts out a quality product here, because they are labeled with a broad brush

 

[CattleMan1920]

I think that's going on everywhere in the country. Something caused a fuss and it wasn't fixed properly. Kentucky has some good sales for the commercial cattle trader. I know traders who buy here and in other states and bring the cows to Kentucky and flip them.

That is what a local producer said, he didn't see any big deal in sending sick cows out the door.

If I am a feedlot, why in the h...l would I want to take delivery of sick calves, that die days after they arrive?

Just because everyone else is doing something doesn't make it right.

If I learned a way to print up fake Angus registrations for black cattle and sold them as registered cattle from AI to unsuspecting buyers, would that make things ok? Could I say "well it's going on everywhere, no big deal". If we did that we would be finished, in a heartbeat. Why is it accepted on the commercial side?

 

[ddd75]

lol.. you're crazy man

 

[bball]

I think that's going on everywhere in the country. Something caused a fuss and it wasn't fixed properly. Kentucky has some good sales for the commercial cattle trader. I know traders who buy here and in other states and bring the cows to Kentucky and flip them.

That is what a local producer said, he didn't see any big deal in sending sick cows out the door.

If I am a feedlot, why in the h...l would I want to take delivery of sick calves, that die days after they arrive?

Just because everyone else is doing something doesn't make it right.

If I learned a way to print up fake Angus registrations for black cattle and sold them as registered cattle from AI to unsuspecting buyers, would that make things ok? Could I say "well it's going on everywhere, no big deal". If we did that we would be finished, in a heartbeat. Why is it accepted on the commercial side?

Interesting question and I don't have any factual answers; pure speculation but here is merely one possible answer...
If it is truly "accepted" by the commercial side/guys, is it because they feel no real loyalty to a system that many feel have been screwing them for years at every turn? Buying their product for substantially less than it should be worth, flooding our market with foreign beef products, COOL, beef check off, etc. Many a commercial cattleman feels betrayed by the current 'system' in place; consequently, a lack of loyalty?? Just try to survive?? Idk. Merely speculating.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I never said anything about condoning shipping sick cattle. But cattle are selling and being delivered and loaded at every sale all day long. For starters a vet doesn't have the time to stick a thermometer in every cows but to see if it's running a fever. And if they did we couldn't afford to pay for that service. Dollars and cents is something I worry about. The AAA laughs all the way to the bank between registration and 50k fees. We can't afford to pay that extra.

 

[CattleMan1920]

I think that's going on everywhere in the country. Something caused a fuss and it wasn't fixed properly. Kentucky has some good sales for the commercial cattle trader. I know traders who buy here and in other states and bring the cows to Kentucky and flip them.

That is what a local producer said, he didn't see any big deal in sending sick cows out the door.

If I am a feedlot, why in the h...l would I want to take delivery of sick calves, that die days after they arrive?

Just because everyone else is doing something doesn't make it right.

If I learned a way to print up fake Angus registrations for black cattle and sold them as registered cattle from AI to unsuspecting buyers, would that make things ok? Could I say "well it's going on everywhere, no big deal". If we did that we would be finished, in a heartbeat. Why is it accepted on the commercial side?

Interesting question and I don't have any factual answers; pure speculation but here is merely one possible answer...
If it is truly "accepted" by the commercial side/guys, is it because they feel no real loyalty to a system that many feel have been screwing them for years at every turn? Buying their product for substantially less than it should be worth, flooding our market with foreign beef products, COOL, beef check off, etc. Many a commercial cattleman feels betrayed by the current 'system' in place; consequently, a lack of loyalty?? Just try to survive?? Idk. Merely speculating.

In our state, our Congressman Andy Barr voted against COOL, yet pressed palms with all the farmers while making empty promises. A big part of the commercial problems you mention above are due to our lawmakers. I think money from lobbyists is far more appealing to lawmakers than serving the farmers that voted for them.

 

[CattleMan1920]

I never said anything about condoning shipping sick cattle. But cattle are selling and being delivered and loaded at every sale all day long. For starters a vet doesn't have the time to stick a thermometer in every cows but to see if it's running a fever. And if they did we couldn't afford to pay for that service. Dollars and cents is something I worry about. The AAA laughs all the way to the bank between registration and 50k fees. We can't afford to pay that extra.

It cost $7 to register an Angus calf. you pull up the tail take a blood sample and you are out another $37 for a high-density DNA test via Angus Source.

Let's do the math $7 + $37 is $44. That's $44 dollars! You make it seem like Registered Angus owners pay hundreds if not thousands to register and test an animal. That's not correct. That $44 lets buyers know a lot about your animal and I assure you that $44 pays itself back MANY times over.

At risk of making some people mad, I have observed a lot of "down and out" farmers that have no problem buying cases of Mt. Dew and cartons of cigarettes without blinking an eye, oh, lotto tickets and scratch off's too, am perhaps some Old Grandad. They never meet a yard sale they can pass up and they collect junk tractors like they are a savings account. I'm not saying at all that this is your scenario, let me make that very clear, but I hear people complain about cattle costs like crazy, but they never look at their own habits. I can count on both hands farmers that pinch every penny on their cattle, but waste money on the things I mentioned above without a second thought. It all comes down to where your priorities are. I said it before, the cattle business is "guns or butter" If you are focused on butter in your personal life, there won't be any "guns" for your cattle business, and the latter is what pays the bills.

 

[callmefence]

If you want to be the best go to where the best are. Look forward to meeting you.

When it comes to Angus cows, Boyd's has some of the best cows in the country, most of the buyers are from all over the nation. Stone Gate runs one of the biggest Angus operations anywhere in the country and was one of the 40 operations chosen for a CAB barn painting.

I thought I was near the best??

Not everyone in Kentucky is raising dregs, there are producers that are working their butts off with their cattle and take a lot of pride in them. It's not the producer if you can even call them that, who has dead calves in the field, that is harmed by the story I posted, it's the producer that puts out a quality product here, because they are labeled with a broad brush

No your not anywhere near the best.
I don't know any of the outfits you speak of. You sure like name dropping. Why don't you do like Raven and call every one by their first name in pathetic need to feel popular. You say you've been at since the 60s. We've been here since the battle if the Alamo. And raising cattle before Ww1. Not that any of that means anything . But it's exactly how you sound. You can do what you please but if your cattle where worth a dam you wouldn't be needing to pimp em here

 

[Lazy M]

Branded I think you'd find life more enjoyable if you kept your eyes and your thoughts inside your own fenceline.. maybe try to figure out a way to reduce expenses and maximize profit.. Kinda like a real cattleman..

 

[CattleMan1920]

If you want to be the best go to where the best are. Look forward to meeting you.

When it comes to Angus cows, Boyd's has some of the best cows in the country, most of the buyers are from all over the nation. Stone Gate runs one of the biggest Angus operations anywhere in the country and was one of the 40 operations chosen for a CAB barn painting.

I thought I was near the best??

Not everyone in Kentucky is raising dregs, there are producers that are working their butts off with their cattle and take a lot of pride in them. It's not the producer if you can even call them that, who has dead calves in the field, that is harmed by the story I posted, it's the producer that puts out a quality product here, because they are labeled with a broad brush

No your not anywhere near the best.
I don't know any of the outfits you speak of. You sure like name dropping. Why don't you do like Raven and call every one by their first name in pathetic need to feel popular. You say you've been at since the 60s. We've been here since the battle if the Alamo. And raising cattle before Ww1. Not that any of that means anything . But it's exactly how you sound. You can do what you please but if your cattle where worth a dam you wouldn't be needing to pimp em here

Alamo? That's pretty awesome! Our farm was purchased in 1840, You have a 4 year head start on us. I agree, it doesn't mean squat, it's just trivial conversation.

As for Boyd's and Stone Gate, their owners both either held the office of President or Vice President of Angus Assoc. Boyd's sells cows for $100k or more yearly. Few can claim to do that. Stone Gate probably clears 7 figures a year. Those operations are hardly "nobodies". I mention them because I admire their operations and success. Nothing wrong with that. If you want to be successful surround yourself with successful people, right?

Would you like for me to not be on the forum?

I signed up here to meet people, learn if I can, and if anyone does want to do business with us, that's great, but not necessary. You are probably right, I shouldn't post on here. God knows the top Angus operations wouldn't give most people on here, including you, the time of day, why shouldn't I do the same? I guess I thought, mistakenly that this was a forum about cattle, and we could discuss issues we all face in the business. We are not the biggest or the best Angus operation in the country, but we give it our best effort and produce a high quality product. We don't have to "pimp" our cattle, buyers know quality when they see it.

I wish you all good luck, and prosperity whichever way you may run your business. As for me, I'm not posting on here anymore, the way we run our cattle business and the way others on here run theirs is vastly different, so much so that there just isn't any common ground amongst us. There will be no more "fat" cattle pics to upset everyone. LOL! Happy Trails.....

 

[True Grit Farms]

Branded your to thinned skinned, I'd be danged if I'd let anyone chase or cause me to leave. When the going gets tough the tough get going. Have you ever transported cattle across state lines? If you have you know it's a joke. How about across the border? It's a bigger joke. It's definitely going to catch up with us one of these days and when it does the cattlemen won't be happy. Here's cattle coming across the border.
https://youtu.be/WfXssB95_Lg

 

[Silver]

Alamo? That's pretty awesome! Our farm was purchased in 1840, You have a 4 year head start on us. I agree, it doesn't mean squat, it's just trivial conversation.

As for Boyd's and Stone Gate, their owners both either held the office of President or Vice President of Angus Assoc. Boyd's sells cows for $100k or more yearly. Few can claim to do that. Stone Gate probably clears 7 figures a year. Those operations are hardly "nobodies". I mention them because I admire their operations and success. Nothing wrong with that. If you want to be successful surround yourself with successful people, right?

Would you like for me to not be on the forum?

I signed up here to meet people, learn if I can, and if anyone does want to do business with us, that's great, but not necessary. You are probably right, I shouldn't post on here. God knows the top Angus operations wouldn't give most people on here, including you, the time of day, why shouldn't I do the same? I guess I thought, mistakenly that this was a forum about cattle, and we could discuss issues we all face in the business. We are not the biggest or the best Angus operation in the country, but we give it our best effort and produce a high quality product. We don't have to "pimp" our cattle, buyers know quality when they see it.

I wish you all good luck, and prosperity whichever way you may run your business. As for me, I'm not posting on here anymore, the way we run our cattle business and the way others on here run theirs is vastly different, so much so that there just isn't any common ground amongst us. There will be no more "fat" cattle pics to upset everyone. LOL! Happy Trails.....

I think the problem is that you come across as making the assumption that your favorite breed is better than everyone elses, and that your cattle are better than everyone elses. I haven't got the impression that you are all that interested in learning from this forum, but that you were expecting all to be fawning over you your product.
There are some very good cattle people on this forum that raise some top notch cattle, and you could in fact learn something from them. It is important to remember that while the commercial cattleman needs the seedstock producer, the reverse is even more true.
My advice would be to climb down off your high horse and stick around awhile, maybe we can learn something from each other.

 

[Lazy M]

When it comes to Angus cows, Boyd's has some of the best cows in the country, most of the buyers are from all over the nation. Stone Gate runs one of the biggest Angus operations anywhere in the country and was one of the 40 operations chosen for a CAB barn painting.

I thought I was near the best??

Not everyone in Kentucky is raising dregs, there are producers that are working their butts off with their cattle and take a lot of pride in them. It's not the producer if you can even call them that, who has dead calves in the field, that is harmed by the story I posted, it's the producer that puts out a quality product here, because they are labeled with a broad brush

No your not anywhere near the best.
I don't know any of the outfits you speak of. You sure like name dropping. Why don't you do like Raven and call every one by their first name in pathetic need to feel popular. You say you've been at since the 60s. We've been here since the battle if the Alamo. And raising cattle before Ww1. Not that any of that means anything . But it's exactly how you sound. You can do what you please but if your cattle where worth a dam you wouldn't be needing to pimp em here

Alamo? That's pretty awesome! Our farm was purchased in 1840, You have a 4 year head start on us. I agree, it doesn't mean squat, it's just trivial conversation.

As for Boyd's and Stone Gate, their owners both either held the office of President or Vice President of Angus Assoc. Boyd's sells cows for $100k or more yearly. Few can claim to do that. Stone Gate probably clears 7 figures a year. Those operations are hardly "nobodies". I mention them because I admire their operations and success. Nothing wrong with that. If you want to be successful surround yourself with successful people, right?

Would you like for me to not be on the forum?

I signed up here to meet people, learn if I can, and if anyone does want to do business with us, that's great, but not necessary. You are probably right, I shouldn't post on here. God knows the top Angus operations wouldn't give most people on here, including you, the time of day, why shouldn't I do the same? I guess I thought, mistakenly that this was a forum about cattle, and we could discuss issues we all face in the business. We are not the biggest or the best Angus operation in the country, but we give it our best effort and produce a high quality product. We don't have to "pimp" our cattle, buyers know quality when they see it.

I wish you all good luck, and prosperity whichever way you may run your business. As for me, I'm not posting on here anymore, the way we run our cattle business and the way others on here run theirs is vastly different, so much so that there just isn't any common ground amongst us. There will be no more "fat" cattle pics to upset everyone. LOL! Happy Trails.....

Calm down dude. I too know and consider the Boyd's top Angus producers. I'm pretty sure that they'd give anyone on here the "time of day".

 

[Bright Raven]

The rain has hammered us for the whole day. Good bye James. I will keep in touch.

80 years from now, no one will give this any thought. So why does it matter now. Yeeeha.

 

[ddd75]

.hmmmmmmmm

 

[wbvs58]

Branded, I'll be sorry to see you leave, please reconsider. I do like your cattle and you post great topics that create a lot of discussion and are not afraid to post things that many people disagree with but many also agree with you, maybe not so vocal. Even if no one agrees with something you say you put it out there for discussion, just a shame that some people get personal about it.

Just on what you were saying, Australia has had RFID for over 10 years along with our NVD (national vendor declaration) and Animal health declarations where vendors have to list any treatments that may be within withholding periods and other disease related issues. It may seem like a bit of an impost but really it works very smoothly and the traceability does give us a bit of a leg up in our export markets.

Ken