National Western Stock Show

[Aubracusa]

Hello, everyone --

Did anyone here attend the National Western Stock Show last week?

I'd like to read your thoughts on the cattle shows.

Thanks,

aubracusa
http://www.aubracusa.com

 

[Schnurrbart]

Hello, everyone --

Did anyone here attend the National Western Stock Show last week?

I'd like to read your thoughts on the cattle shows.

Thanks,

aubracusa
http://www.aubracusa.com

I went but since we pulled out of the show this year, I didn't watch any of the shows. Last Friday was some Angus I think, (they were black anyway) and a whole bunch of Herefords. Didn't watch them though. Was just glad we canceled our yard display!! It hadn't been that cold in the past 7 years that I have been going!!

 

[DOC HARRIS]

Hi again, Aubracusa!

We haven't heard from you recently. How are your cattle doing in the High Lonesome of the Colorado Shining Mountains?

I "chicken-ed out" (if you'll excuse the Poultry reference) of going this year because we had three feet of snow in our driveway, and below Zero weather.

I am looking forward to your First Aubrac sale on March 1. Be sure and send me a catalog when it is available.

DOC HARRIS

 

[Aubracusa]

Thanks, Doc and Schnurrbart --

Weather was definitely a factor this year... Denver's had three big blizzards since the 20th of December, so I'm sure attendance will be down this year.

I am particularly interested in getting some comments from our friends in the southeast who may have been in attendance. I would certainly appreciate any information you could send my way about your thoughts on the show this year.

And thanks, Doc, for the support on the sale. We've had good interest, and are expecting to make a legitimate run at it. Hosting the first sale of its kind for Aubracs in North America is a great unknown. But our message seems to be appealing to many within the beef industry who are looking for an alternative path.

Best regards,

aubracusa
http://www.aubracusa.com

 

[oakcreekfarms]

I was there for five days, helped with a polled hereford set of 6 in the yards. It was cold, cold, cold!!!! The number of attendents was way down, and the private treaty sales were way down. The herefords looked good for the most part, and the angus lose more muscle every year (which is what everyone was talking about). Sorry for those that run black angus. THe red angus looked good, the mains were out in full, and the shorthorns looked alright. A few char breeders were there, and the simmis were coming in as we left. That is pretty much a quick over view of the stock show.

 

[Aubracusa]

Thanks, Oakcreekfarm --

Where are you from? How long did it take you to get there? Do you attend every year?

Best,

aubracusa
http://www.aubracusa.com

 

[tlmcr]

We went for the Hereford show and sale. The crowd was very strong and the cattle were equally as good. We had not been since 2004 and I felt the spectator numbers for the Hereford show were far greater this year. On Saturday walking through the exibits it was a mad house, it did not look like the weather hurt the numbers to me.

Tom

 

[Frankie]

I talked to my sister in law at the Ft Worth Stock Show yesterday. She says attendence is way down there, too. This bad weather is affecting people all across the US.

 

[iowahawkeyes]

How did Reload look in the bull show? Any other good bulls there?

 

[Jake]

angus lose more muscle every year (which is what everyone was talking about). Sorry for those that run black angus.

it's those New Design genetics and a couple of the other popular show strands that are detiorating the muscle mass of the angus breed.

 

[Frankie]

angus lose more muscle every year (which is what everyone was talking about). Sorry for those that run black angus.

it's those New Design genetics and a couple of the other popular show strands that are detiorating the muscle mass of the angus breed.

Jake, come on; you're smarter than this post. 036 himself and several of his sons have plenty of ribeye (read muscle). It's not pretty, but it's muscle and it's marbled. Take a look at some of the Continental breeds that have started emphasizing marbling. They, too, have the flatter, softer looking muscle instead of the rippling, bulging muscles we used to see. And you don't see many New Design bulls in the show ring.

 

[Jake]

angus lose more muscle every year (which is what everyone was talking about). Sorry for those that run black angus.

it's those New Design genetics and a couple of the other popular show strands that are detiorating the muscle mass of the angus breed.

Jake, come on; you're smarter than this post. 036 himself and several of his sons have plenty of ribeye (read muscle). It's not pretty, but it's muscle and it's marbled. Take a look at some of the Continental breeds that have started emphasizing marbling. They, too, have the flatter, softer looking muscle instead of the rippling, bulging muscles we used to see. And you don't see many New Design bulls in the show ring.

NO you don't see many New Design bulls in the ring as they can't compete structurally with what the ring wants. But from what I've been told it was the display bulls that showed the problems and the problem with ultrasound of REA is that it's a 2 dimensional shot of a 3 dimensional trait. Just because the bull has ribeye mass doesnt' mean it carries it through his whole body. The majority of New Design bulls we had come through work were extremely inadequate with through their hindquarter. You can see this in a lot of the GAR cattle that are so highly sought after is that they have a lot of inadequacies in the muscling or at least in the muscle definition.

 

[shutskytj]

How did Reload look in the bull show? Any other good bulls there?


Reload looked real good in the show he was champion but I think a little halter judging going on, I thought Satr Bright Future had more performance than reload and should have beaten him and also the Reserve Grand Bull should have been Grand SR CG Hard Rock he was a picture perfect bull only problem had a 6.5 birth EPD. The spring calf division winner by reload was totally cool alot of thickness with alot of cleaniness. Maybe when he gets older maybe end up too big but time will tell

 

[aplusmnt]

Did not get out there but our town represented. Our local FFA kids just won National Livestock Judging Champs.

 

[Aubracusa]

My general impression of the 2006 stock show was that attendance was down somewhat, although the parking lots were full during the "peak" activities during the Angus and Hereford shows. I think attendance at the Angus pen bull show was down a little, but they had a good crowd on hand.

The breed that made the biggest marketing inroads at Denver this year was Hereford. They had a tremendous presence there, and even hosted several evening socials that had a lot of people show up. It was good to see all those white-faced cattle in the yards again, and I think the quality of the Hereford cattle that I saw was good.

The "yards" are no longer the private-treaty market for buyers and sellers, and I think over the last 20 years there's been an erosion in bull sales there since most seedstock producers who exhibit there like to exhibit their cattle -- instead of sell -- and promote their production sales back home.

I think there is a tremendous opportunity for a breed to redevelop a "private-treaty" market at Denver and try to attract large numbers of commercial producers again.

If there is a single significant change I've seen there over the years, it's the erosion of interest from commercial cattle producers.

Part of that is economic reality. Colorado has never been a great place to market seedstock. And, Colorado has seen significant declines in commercial cow-calf ranches over the last two decades. Nearby Wyoming and New Mexico have experienced the same thing.

The stock show has always been a reflection of the times, too. In the "herd sire" alley, for instance, the majority of the cattle displayed there the last few years are "club calf" related.

I can remember as a kid seeing all the great bulls of the Hereford breed displayed there. It was a chance for us to evaluate some of the top sires in the breed, and determine which bulls we would AI to. It's really changed since that time.

Best,

Aubracusa
http://www.aubracusa.com

 

[Schnurrbart]

My general impression of the 2006 stock show was that attendance was down somewhat, although the parking lots were full during the "peak" activities during the Angus and Hereford shows. I think attendance at the Angus pen bull show was down a little, but they had a good crowd on hand.

The breed that made the biggest marketing inroads at Denver this year was Hereford. They had a tremendous presence there, and even hosted several evening socials that had a lot of people show up. It was good to see all those white-faced cattle in the yards again, and I think the quality of the Hereford cattle that I saw was good.

The "yards" are no longer the private-treaty market for buyers and sellers, and I think over the last 20 years there's been an erosion in bull sales there since most seedstock producers who exhibit there like to exhibit their cattle -- instead of sell -- and promote their production sales back home.

I think there is a tremendous opportunity for a breed to redevelop a "private-treaty" market at Denver and try to attract large numbers of commercial producers again.

If there is a single significant change I've seen there over the years, it's the erosion of interest from commercial cattle producers.

Part of that is economic reality. Colorado has never been a great place to market seedstock. And, Colorado has seen significant declines in commercial cow-calf ranches over the last two decades. Nearby Wyoming and New Mexico have experienced the same thing.

The stock show has always been a reflection of the times, too. In the "herd sire" alley, for instance, the majority of the cattle displayed there the last few years are "club calf" related.

I can remember as a kid seeing all the great bulls of the Hereford breed displayed there. It was a chance for us to evaluate some of the top sires in the breed, and determine which bulls we would AI to. It's really changed since that time.

Best,

Aubracusa
http://www.aubracusa.com

The Tarentaise Association is planning to do just that very thing. We have had to re-group and re-locate our home office but we are going to head in the direction of promoting our cattle for the commercial operation and not so much for showing and selling seedstock. We feel that we have a very good animal for crossbreeding and need to promote that. I think we will have displays in the yards next year.

I thought the crowd was down on Friday but Sunday it was packed. The hotels were full. Lots of kids this year. Judging teams, etc packed them in. That was good to see.