Mashona vs South Poll

[ncboy34]

Anyone that has any experience with either of these breeds what are your overall thoughts, pros and cons, etc? Thinking about crossing either of these with a handful of angus and baldie cows just to see how they turn out. Any opinions either way for those that have used these breeds?

 

[Hereford2]

We had south poll cattle, several years ago. They are good mothers with lots of milk. They grow a good calf. The only problem I remember having with them, was their udders would sometimes blow out, so they had Coke bottle tits.

 

[Ebenezer]

Mashona - quite a thrill. Both will decrease your market calf values for different reasons.

 

[Muddy]

South poll seems to be better choice and better marketability than mashona.

 

[RockinRB]

Mashona - quite a thrill. Both will decrease your market calf values for different reasons.

Can you explain why? I don't know much about either breed

 

[Ebenezer]

I helped with some Mashonas. We loaded the ones that did not run off or jump the fence. That carried over as a range of temperaments in the offspring. Some were dog-gentle. They were the exception. The Machona have a look that is different. It carries over several generations. The South Poll are generally a frame score smaller and various colors. When order buyers have a few seconds to mentally judge a calf and decide to bid, both the odd look and the combination of small frame and off color are not the most desirable traits to them. So they may be easier to raise, have wonderful attributes and entertaining stories and history but the income from them will not be there except for a fad market of if you want to go 100% to direct sales. In the direct sales I would favor the SP over the Machona just based on temperament, a guess at marbling differences and total yield.

 

[Little Joe]

I've been researching the south poll myself, I like what I read and hear from others about them. Smaller, lower maintenance cows, gentle and have red hides so they will do better in the heat in the south. I sell farm fresh beef so the dock at the sale barn is not a concern for me but even if you have to sell at the barn and get docked a little I think you still come out if you have lower inputs on your cow herd. As for the Marshona, I'm not familiar with them. Someone mentioned in another comment about coke bottle tits on the south poll, the ones I've looked at have nice udders, that is part of the criteria that they were bred for is good udders.

 

[HDRider]

I've been researching the south poll myself, I like what I read and hear from others about them. Smaller, lower maintenance cows, gentle and have red hides so they will do better in the heat in the south. I sell farm fresh beef so the dock at the sale barn is not a concern for me but even if you have to sell at the barn and get docked a little I think you still come out if you have lower inputs on your cow herd. As for the Marshona, I'm not familiar with them. Someone mentioned in another comment about coke bottle tits on the south poll, the ones I've looked at have nice udders, that is part of the criteria that they were bred for is good udders.

How backed up is your processor?

 

[M.Magis]

I've been researching the south poll myself, I like what I read and hear from others about them. Smaller, lower maintenance cows, gentle and have red hides so they will do better in the heat in the south. I sell farm fresh beef so the dock at the sale barn is not a concern for me but even if you have to sell at the barn and get docked a little I think you still come out if you have lower inputs on your cow herd. As for the Marshona, I'm not familiar with them. Someone mentioned in another comment about coke bottle tits on the south poll, the ones I've looked at have nice udders, that is part of the criteria that they were bred for is good udders.

How backed up is your processor?

This is the mantra for every niche breed in existence.

 

[Little Joe]

I've been researching the south poll myself, I like what I read and hear from others about them. Smaller, lower maintenance cows, gentle and have red hides so they will do better in the heat in the south. I sell farm fresh beef so the dock at the sale barn is not a concern for me but even if you have to sell at the barn and get docked a little I think you still come out if you have lower inputs on your cow herd. As for the Marshona, I'm not familiar with them. Someone mentioned in another comment about coke bottle tits on the south poll, the ones I've looked at have nice udders, that is part of the criteria that they were bred for is good udders.

How backed up is your processor?

When I dropped off steers in mid June they were already booked til end of next May so I went ahead and booked next years date. I hate booking that far out because it's hard to tell what kind of finish you'll have by then but you do what you have to do.

 

[Little Joe]

I've been researching the south poll myself, I like what I read and hear from others about them. Smaller, lower maintenance cows, gentle and have red hides so they will do better in the heat in the south. I sell farm fresh beef so the dock at the sale barn is not a concern for me but even if you have to sell at the barn and get docked a little I think you still come out if you have lower inputs on your cow herd. As for the Marshona, I'm not familiar with them. Someone mentioned in another comment about coke bottle tits on the south poll, the ones I've looked at have nice udders, that is part of the criteria that they were bred for is good udders.

How backed up is your processor?

This is the mantra for every niche breed in existence.

That may be so but let's face it even when you are running them good mainstream cattle you might be getting top dollar at the barn but your inputs are going to be high. I was talking to an old man the other day that has always kept his herd up with the trend and he says it's just not profitable, he's looking at buying longhorn and longhorn crosses to run with good bulls. I myself bought a few longhorn cows last fall bred to a black baldie bull and I think from the inputs so far and what I have in them that even with the longhorn dock they will be pretty profitable due to low inputs and low maintenance. Most people aren't looking at their inputs when they brag about what their calves brought at the barn. I want cattle that work for me not the other way around. I've had registered angus and mainstream commercial cows and always lost money on them so I have to do something different.

 

[VaCowman]

I've been researching the south poll myself, I like what I read and hear from others about them. Smaller, lower maintenance cows, gentle and have red hides so they will do better in the heat in the south. I sell farm fresh beef so the dock at the sale barn is not a concern for me but even if you have to sell at the barn and get docked a little I think you still come out if you have lower inputs on your cow herd. As for the Marshona, I'm not familiar with them. Someone mentioned in another comment about coke bottle tits on the south poll, the ones I've looked at have nice udders, that is part of the criteria that they were bred for is good udders.

How backed up is your processor?

When I dropped off steers in mid June they were already booked til end of next May so I went ahead and booked next years date. I hate booking that far out because it's hard to tell what kind of finish you'll have by then but you do what you have to do.

Our processor is booking for Nov. 2021 harvest already. We've booked our direct market beef dates through Dec. 2021. They will not let us book 2022 yet, but it'll be coming soon.

 

[Little Joe]

I've been researching the south poll myself, I like what I read and hear from others about them. Smaller, lower maintenance cows, gentle and have red hides so they will do better in the heat in the south. I sell farm fresh beef so the dock at the sale barn is not a concern for me but even if you have to sell at the barn and get docked a little I think you still come out if you have lower inputs on your cow herd. As for the Marshona, I'm not familiar with them. Someone mentioned in another comment about coke bottle tits on the south poll, the ones I've looked at have nice udders, that is part of the criteria that they were bred for is good udders.

How backed up is your processor?

When I dropped off steers in mid June they were already booked til end of next May so I went ahead and booked next years date. I hate booking that far out because it's hard to tell what kind of finish you'll have by then but you do what you have to do.

I'll be finishing some of those longhorn crosses I talked to you about next year. Here are Some pics of them from a few months ago.

 

[VaCowman]

How backed up is your processor?

This is the mantra for every niche breed in existence.

That may be so but let's face it even when you are running them good mainstream cattle you might be getting top dollar at the barn but your inputs are going to be high. I was talking to an old man the other day that has always kept his herd up with the trend and he says it's just not profitable, he's looking at buying longhorn and longhorn crosses to run with good bulls. I myself bought a few longhorn cows last fall bred to a black baldie bull and I think from the inputs so far and what I have in them that even with the longhorn dock they will be pretty profitable due to low inputs and low maintenance. Most people aren't looking at their inputs when they brag about what their calves brought at the barn. I want cattle that work for me not the other way around. I've had registered angus and mainstream commercial cows and always lost money on them so I have to do something different.

I had a pile of extra (mediocre) hay several years ago and bought a load of bred cows a couple states away. Pics were of some pretty nice cattle. When they were delivered, they shot off the trailer like a herd of greyhounds on raceday. I ended up with a handful of some LH or Corriente type cattle, maybe a cross between the two. I was PISSED! Those scraggly things were NOT in photos and he knew it. After a few minutes of negotiating ( I hadn't paid when he opened gate to offload cattle THANK GOD ) I was able to get a significant discount on those cows. I ended up giving him $225 a head for them, they were bred to boot! Not a bad buy but he knew what he had done and I told him I'd either pay him for them or he could catch them and put them back on the trailer. (They were almost to the back side of the property by now...lol) Those cows looked like SHEET, but let me tell you, they fleshed up good on some marginal dry winter grass and marginal hay during the winter. Come spring, turns out those things were bred to some Charolias bulls and had some very nice calves, considering the cows. The calves did take a hit, compared to the herd mates that were British cross type calves, but I'm pretty sure they made me the most money. The calves sold for a tick over $500. I bred the cows back to a Char bull and advertised as such. I sold the cows at ~7-8 mos bred and got $500 for them. Pretty good deal I thought. Got rid of some ditch hay and made some $$

 

[Little Joe]

This is the mantra for every niche breed in existence.

That may be so but let's face it even when you are running them good mainstream cattle you might be getting top dollar at the barn but your inputs are going to be high. I was talking to an old man the other day that has always kept his herd up with the trend and he says it's just not profitable, he's looking at buying longhorn and longhorn crosses to run with good bulls. I myself bought a few longhorn cows last fall bred to a black baldie bull and I think from the inputs so far and what I have in them that even with the longhorn dock they will be pretty profitable due to low inputs and low maintenance. Most people aren't looking at their inputs when they brag about what their calves brought at the barn. I want cattle that work for me not the other way around. I've had registered angus and mainstream commercial cows and always lost money on them so I have to do something different.

I had a pile of extra (mediocre) hay several years ago and bought a load of bred cows a couple states away. Pics were of some pretty nice cattle. When they were delivered, they shot off the trailer like a herd of greyhounds on raceday. I ended up with a handful of some LH or Corriente type cattle, maybe a cross between the two. I was be nice! Those scraggly things were NOT in photos and he knew it. After a few minutes of negotiating ( I hadn't paid when he opened gate to offload cattle THANK GOD ) I was able to get a significant discount on those cows. I ended up giving him $225 a head for them, they were bred to boot! Not a bad buy but he knew what he had done and I told him I'd either pay him for them or he could catch them and put them back on the trailer. (They were almost to the back side of the property by now...lol) Those cows looked like SHEET, but let me tell you, they fleshed up good on some marginal dry winter grass and marginal hay during the winter. Come spring, turns out those things were bred to some Charolias bulls and had some very nice calves, considering the cows. The calves did take a hit, compared to the herd mates that were British cross type calves, but I'm pretty sure they made me the most money. The calves sold for a tick over $500. I bred the cows back to a Char bull and advertised as such. I sold the cows at ~7-8 mos bred and got $500 for them. Pretty good deal I thought. Got rid of some ditch hay and made some $$

And that's the name of the game for me, what will make a profit not what's pretty. I bought 5 longhorns in the fall bred to a black baldy bull for 390 each, they were in good shape one of them probably weighs 1,000 lbs. Fed them 16 round bales all winter at $25 each and they have decent looking calves. To me good cattle are ones that put money in my pocket.

 

[M.Magis]

How backed up is your processor?

This is the mantra for every niche breed in existence.

That may be so but let's face it even when you are running them good mainstream cattle you might be getting top dollar at the barn but your inputs are going to be high. I was talking to an old man the other day that has always kept his herd up with the trend and he says it's just not profitable, he's looking at buying longhorn and longhorn crosses to run with good bulls. I myself bought a few longhorn cows last fall bred to a black baldie bull and I think from the inputs so far and what I have in them that even with the longhorn dock they will be pretty profitable due to low inputs and low maintenance. Most people aren't looking at their inputs when they brag about what their calves brought at the barn. I want cattle that work for me not the other way around. I've had registered angus and mainstream commercial cows and always lost money on them so I have to do something different.

Why in the world would inputs be high for running "mainstream" cattle? If you lost money on cattle because they were "mainstream", the fault doesn't lie with the cows.

 

[VaCowman]

That may be so but let's face it even when you are running them good mainstream cattle you might be getting top dollar at the barn but your inputs are going to be high. I was talking to an old man the other day that has always kept his herd up with the trend and he says it's just not profitable, he's looking at buying longhorn and longhorn crosses to run with good bulls. I myself bought a few longhorn cows last fall bred to a black baldie bull and I think from the inputs so far and what I have in them that even with the longhorn dock they will be pretty profitable due to low inputs and low maintenance. Most people aren't looking at their inputs when they brag about what their calves brought at the barn. I want cattle that work for me not the other way around. I've had registered angus and mainstream commercial cows and always lost money on them so I have to do something different.

I had a pile of extra (mediocre) hay several years ago and bought a load of bred cows a couple states away. Pics were of some pretty nice cattle. When they were delivered, they shot off the trailer like a herd of greyhounds on raceday. I ended up with a handful of some LH or Corriente type cattle, maybe a cross between the two. I was be nice! Those scraggly things were NOT in photos and he knew it. After a few minutes of negotiating ( I hadn't paid when he opened gate to offload cattle THANK GOD ) I was able to get a significant discount on those cows. I ended up giving him $225 a head for them, they were bred to boot! Not a bad buy but he knew what he had done and I told him I'd either pay him for them or he could catch them and put them back on the trailer. (They were almost to the back side of the property by now...lol) Those cows looked like SHEET, but let me tell you, they fleshed up good on some marginal dry winter grass and marginal hay during the winter. Come spring, turns out those things were bred to some Charolias bulls and had some very nice calves, considering the cows. The calves did take a hit, compared to the herd mates that were British cross type calves, but I'm pretty sure they made me the most money. The calves sold for a tick over $500. I bred the cows back to a Char bull and advertised as such. I sold the cows at ~7-8 mos bred and got $500 for them. Pretty good deal I thought. Got rid of some ditch hay and made some $$

And that's the name of the game for me, what will make a profit not what's pretty. I bought 5 longhorns in the fall bred to a black baldy bull for 390 each, they were in good shape one of them probably weighs 1,000 lbs. Fed them 16 round bales all winter at $25 each and they have decent looking calves. To me good cattle are ones that put money in my pocket.

Nailed it! Pretty ain't always profitable, especially if you don't have the name recognition of some of the big seedstock outfits. Commercial outfits have to look at things differently...or should I say SHOULD look at things differently. Old habits die hard though.

 

[Little Joe]

This is the mantra for every niche breed in existence.

That may be so but let's face it even when you are running them good mainstream cattle you might be getting top dollar at the barn but your inputs are going to be high. I was talking to an old man the other day that has always kept his herd up with the trend and he says it's just not profitable, he's looking at buying longhorn and longhorn crosses to run with good bulls. I myself bought a few longhorn cows last fall bred to a black baldie bull and I think from the inputs so far and what I have in them that even with the longhorn dock they will be pretty profitable due to low inputs and low maintenance. Most people aren't looking at their inputs when they brag about what their calves brought at the barn. I want cattle that work for me not the other way around. I've had registered angus and mainstream commercial cows and always lost money on them so I have to do something different.

Why in the world would inputs be high for running "mainstream" cattle? If you lost money on cattle because they were "mainstream", the fault doesn't lie with the cows.

Bigger framed cattle eat more hay, require more acres per cow, don't have the longevity, and have more fly problems than a small- moderate framed cow. Also a black cow is not going to tolerate heat as well as a red one. Black ones also tend to attract more flies. Look up the studies that have been done regarding the size of cattle in comparison to number of flies on them, the studies show that the larger they get the more flies due to fewer hair follicles per square inch on larger cattle with the exception of Brahman cattle. Brahman cattle had more hair follicles per sq inch than any other breed. A lot of cattle that are out there also don't do very well on fescue. Where I live you'd be hard pressed to not have fescue in a pasture. Everyone I know that has mainstream type cattle will tell you themselves that when prIces are good they make money, when they're down they're losing money and that mostly has to do with inputs. I've had different types of cattle and inputs vary with size and type. This nonsense that a 1500 lb cow won't eat anymore than a 1000 lb cow is just that, nonsense. I see you're in Ohio, have you ever been in Arkansas this time of year? We have air you can wear, you have to cut the stuff with a knife, Big black cattle struggle in this environment. I have a black bull and he spends most of his time in the shade or pond when it get this hot.

 

[Muddy]

South Poll do not come in various colors as it's mostly solid red breed with few motley faced and white faced individuals (from Hereford makeup). You can find large framed South Polls if you want something bigger. Plus they cross very well with Angus if you're in crossbreeding program.

I agree with Ebenezer on Mashona. They do have that exotic look despite of being black or red and the exotic looks will show up in the cross.

 

[BFE]

This is the mantra for every niche breed in existence.

That may be so but let's face it even when you are running them good mainstream cattle you might be getting top dollar at the barn but your inputs are going to be high. I was talking to an old man the other day that has always kept his herd up with the trend and he says it's just not profitable, he's looking at buying longhorn and longhorn crosses to run with good bulls. I myself bought a few longhorn cows last fall bred to a black baldie bull and I think from the inputs so far and what I have in them that even with the longhorn dock they will be pretty profitable due to low inputs and low maintenance. Most people aren't looking at their inputs when they brag about what their calves brought at the barn. I want cattle that work for me not the other way around. I've had registered angus and mainstream commercial cows and always lost money on them so I have to do something different.

I had a pile of extra (mediocre) hay several years ago and bought a load of bred cows a couple states away. Pics were of some pretty nice cattle. When they were delivered, they shot off the trailer like a herd of greyhounds on raceday. I ended up with a handful of some LH or Corriente type cattle, maybe a cross between the two. I was be nice! Those scraggly things were NOT in photos and he knew it. After a few minutes of negotiating ( I hadn't paid when he opened gate to offload cattle THANK GOD ) I was able to get a significant discount on those cows. I ended up giving him $225 a head for them, they were bred to boot! Not a bad buy but he knew what he had done and I told him I'd either pay him for them or he could catch them and put them back on the trailer. (They were almost to the back side of the property by now...lol) Those cows looked like SHEET, but let me tell you, they fleshed up good on some marginal dry winter grass and marginal hay during the winter. Come spring, turns out those things were bred to some Charolias bulls and had some very nice calves, considering the cows. The calves did take a hit, compared to the herd mates that were British cross type calves, but I'm pretty sure they made me the most money. The calves sold for a tick over $500. I bred the cows back to a Char bull and advertised as such. I sold the cows at ~7-8 mos bred and got $500 for them. Pretty good deal I thought. Got rid of some ditch hay and made some $$

An older gentleman in the north part of my county told me the best money he ever made farming was on drought cows. He had lots of hay and grass so he bought two potloads out of Georgia. Said by the time he was done they nearly doubled in weight, sold them for double the price per pound and got 53 calves to boot. Buying dirt cheap is the trick it appears to me, one mans disaster is another's gold mine.