Dun,
If you could figure out how to get fourteen other industries involved in that particular business practice so that you would have to share your profits with eggheads and strangers that contribute bare minimum to your business, you could teach that particular concept at colleges and universities around the world for big bucks.
I know quite a few people, including myself, that go blind and get real happy when certain animals blossom on feed without considering the fact that it makes them really less desirable to your profit potential. No matter how good they look on feed. In hindsight, those are the ones that get culled at some point anyway. I've been applying the logic, but i'm wasting money doing it a year or two later when they start falling apart. Your RFI test is simple and cost effective. Thanks for the slap on the back of the head.
Nova,
Personally I have seen no proof that cattle that do well on grass may not do well on feed. I have found the opposite to be true.
I agree. Cattle that are efficient on grass will be extra efficient on feed. The reverse is the problem. That's why I'm interested in the ideas of what makes a good "grass fed phenotype". The people out there researching "grass fed phenotypes" are tagging some breeds as more efficient,(Murray Grey, Devons, Galloways,..) but it still gets down to the particular animal within that breed, and what other qualities fit your operation and profit plan. Your phenotype definition is alot like what "they" reccomend (with a few added attributes), and grass efficiency is not owned by any one breed. But animals within certain breeds tend to be more typical than atypical so selecting from a particular breed could give you a leg up in achieving that goal.
BARNSCOOP,
When I first started considering all of this grass fed, I talked to anyone that would talk to me about their cattle and why they had that breed. I literally talked to more than fifty breeders big and small, on the phone, visiting farms, and e-mailing. Devon, Galloway Murray Grey, Angus, and even Pinzgauer and more. What I realized first off was what I already knew.
I like cattle and them what messes with'em. (I could go on and on) like I had'nt already))
I ended up going with a Murray Grey bull that I am crossing now and will add some purebreds too. The MGs just seemed to fit better with what I want to do. And the one that I wanted from the Midland Test, nobody else did. I'll let you know in a year or so if I really saved any money.
I think I would be very efficient on grass too cause I don't have any problem piling on the backfat with feed.
