Growing up, my granddaddy never did raise a heifer, We sold them at weaning and bought another cow when we needed one. Never fed a steer out to butcher, either., His idea was take them to the sale at weaning, then take the money, stop by Wynn Dixie on the way home and buy what steaks you wanted. I still feel that way too. Only ones I ever butchered were the 3 or 4 in 60 years that broke a leg and I had to shoot them. And, if you count in with it, the lost revenue from growing a heifer to 2 yr old, then weaning her calf 6 mos later, plus the cost to feed, vet, worm, vacc etc., I could take the total of all that money and buy you a much better cow....at a cow sale.... than you will ever raise, and have a few dollars left over. And, you will have a calf to sell in 7 to15 mos instead of 2 and 1/2 years. Less than that if I buy you a pair. But, like
@Brute 23 said, you might have to spend a hell of a lot of time...and drive the wheels off a new truck, in order to find them. Or maybe not...might find what you are looking for at the first sale you go to 20 miles down the road. Ya never know.
But, I understand those who want to develop their own "lines", even in a crossed-up commercial herd. They do it out of pride, though, it can't ever be the most economical. IMO.
@Ky hills has been working real hard at building his program, and the results he has posted has shown he is being successful at it. Then there are those who retain and raise heifers to
sell for replacement heifers. Like the dude Clay and I met in July, that has the 30 reg black Simm cows and the 30 reg Chi-Angus cows, that AI's with sexed semen to produce those black Simm/Chi-angus heifers. But, when one of his original 30 Ch-Ang or Simm cows is close to aging out, he breeds her to sexed semen from a same breed bull, and raises her replacement. Every one of the 60 cows that is not one of the originals, are a daughter of one. He is adamant about no more new blood, which is crazy, because I know on the Simm side at least, he could get as good or better from someone like
@Jeanne - Simme Valley or
@simme.
If you wanted to buy your replacements, but didn't have time to travel the country, spend night after night, searching the internet, driving thousands of miles pulling trailers to go to auctions, etc, you can hire someone that does what I do, to do this for you. In the last year and a half, I bought a client 150 Braford and f1 BR x Hereford, which he sold, and I had buy him another 150. Bought another client 80 1st and 2nd calf Brahmas, then bought him 50 more open heifers. He is breeding 50 of these Brahmas, to a homo for black and polled Black Hereford, using sexed semen.,, and he just asked me to find him 20-30 registered Red Brangus. He is planning on producing what I call "A$$-backwards super baldies"!! I subbed this out to Clay, though, Just had eye surgery and I can't take the sun just yet. Maybe by this weekend I can . I sent Clay to look ay 2 sets in south GA Monday, and tonight he is headed to the Ocala area to look at some more I found.
) and put a pencil to it for their operation.
