The 717 cow is consigned to the Southeast Classic in May, she has a Coleman Midland 430 heifer calf on her side is AI'd back to Coleman Regis and has been palpated safe to the AI date. I hate that she is consigned but this is the first time we had been invited to participate in this sale, so when we went out to pick lots for the sale we wanted to take some really good ones and she is one that we picked, I didn't know at that point that she was a dang pathfinder lol.
This is another bit of information on the pathfinder program and the requirements to make pathfiner.
The program identifies Pathfinder Cows in herds actively involved in AHIR. First, the female must produce her first calf near the herd's average age for first calving. More specifically, the maximum age accepted for first calving of a Pathfinder Cow is the within-herd average for first calving plus 30 days. The within-herd average is determined separately for each herd on AHIR.
As a second criteria, the Pathfinder Cow must maintain a regular calving interval. The maximum calving interval is:
365 Days + ( 30 Days / Number of Calving Intervals )
Next, the Pathfinder Cow must produce at least three calves with an average weaning weight ratio of 105 to qualify for the report. A minimum of 10 herdmates or contemporaries must be evaluated together each year to determine the weight ratio. Additionally, her calves must be sired by registered Angus bulls. To continue to qualify each consecutive year, the cow must produce regularly and wean a calf that helps maintain the average weaning ratio of 105 or above. It is pointed out that once a cow is designated Pathfinder, she is always a Pathfinder, even though she might not qualify for listing each year.
We breed all of our heifers anywhere from 13 (if large enough) to 15 months old so the majority of our heifers will have a calf on their side when they turn two years old. We breed the heifers one month ahead of the cow herd to give them some additional time to recover from having that first calf. We run the first calf heifers with what I call our sophomores or three year olds with their second calf. This way we can give the younger cattle a little TLC, if a heifer or sophomore doesn't breed back they go to town.
The 525 cow is out of one of the old cows (065) we have been flushing and a herd sire that we owned with Sweetwater Plantation in Georgia.
The last flush was a barn burner for sure the A47 cow was flushed to OCC Juneau 807 and we were able to put 18 eggs in the tank. The 065 cow was flushed to Final Answer 0035 and we got 32 eggs so 50 total between two cows. We were over the top. I have pictured both cows on this site at one time or another over the years.
Both the 717 and 525 cows are really nice looking animals I can't really say the same for the 065 cow she would never win any cow beauty contest. The truth is we don't breed for pretty although it is nice to have what we want is a cow that produces a live calf each and every year and weans a nice one that is structually correct.
