Ring the Bell

[Travlr]

The other related question i would throw out there is: Does a bull really contribute 1/2 of the genetics of the calf? What about those one that "really stamp their calves"??? If 3/4 of the calves phenotype comes from the bull, does it make more sense to go with more inexpensive cows?? I am not a geneticist.

Yeah, the bull contributes one set of chromosome and the cow the other set. In fact the bull only contribute half in the female calves because he's contributing an X chromosome. In the case of a male calf the Y chromosome is shorter so the bull is contributing less than half.
But he's also contributing 100% of whatever is on the male chromosome.
The way a trait is expressed depends on how each allele is triggered by a protein.

 

[alacowman1]

why I like a uniformed herd of momas..cause using only one bull. I want him to pretty much cookie cut my crop..I’ve had variations in the past ..hopefully I’ve got my herd in shape now when my son takes it over

 

[Travlr]

why I like a uniformed herd of momas..cause using only one bull. I want him to pretty much cookie cut my crop..I've had variations in the past ..hopefully I've got my herd in shape now when my son takes it over

How old is your boy? Is he making choices, or are you still in the "passing along the wisdom" phase?

 

[mwj]

When you buy cattle you are playing with odds to a certain extent. Better classes of cattle have better odds of being profitable. There are always exceptions but if you want to get or stay profitable you need to keep the odds in your favour

Good quality is very satisfying to own and raise without a doubt. But put your great cattle in the wrong hands and everything changes and they could create a big loss for the buyer.

There is a profit made in all classes of cattle by people with a good eye and the ability to improve and market wisely. A lot of the profit is made by shrewd buying decisions. The bad thing is the seller may have had a loss on the same animal.

 

[Travlr]

Good quality is very satisfying to own and raise without a doubt. But put your great cattle in the wrong hands and everything changes and they could create a big loss for the buyer.

There is a profit made in all classes of cattle by people with a good eye and the ability to improve and market wisely. A lot of the profit is made by shrewd buying decisions. The bad thing is the seller may have had a loss on the same animal.

So you're stuck on all the exceptions to the rules... Sure everything can fail spectacularly in life, but there are people that you probably consider lucky because they have consistently greater success... and the only difference is that they know something you don't. They have an eye for good cattle... and the buyers like what they see and pay more for it.

 

[alacowman1]

How old is your boy? Is he making choices, or are you still in the "passing along the wisdom" phase?

37 …I’m not letting go yet, he helps me all he can..the wisdom part I don’t know.he’s got his own mind..and he likes to reach higher than I care too..but my family were poor growing up..he hasn’t the mind set I have of “sparingly “taking care of what you have..he’ll throw money at problems ..where I made it work by grunt and sweat..

 

[Travlr]

37 …I'm not letting go yet, he helps me all he can..the wisdom part I don't know.he's got his own mind..and he likes to reach higher than I care too..but my family were poor growing up..he hasn't the mind set I have of "sparingly "taking care of what you have..he'll throw money at problems ..where I made it work by grunt and sweat..

I have a SIL that works as hard as I ever did... and he's forty and has never developed a sense for taking care of what he has so he doesn't always have to spend money to fix or replace. Love him to death but I feel for him. Kids are a trip. They are always going to be themselves and in the end we get what we get.

 

[Ebenezer]

"The other related question i would throw out there is: Does a bull really contribute 1/2 of the genetics of the calf? What about those one that "really stamp their calves"??? If 3/4 of the calves phenotype comes from the bull, does it make more sense to go with more inexpensive cows?? I am not a geneticist."

The obvious answer is NO. No two brothers look alike, no two sisters look alike... except for identical twins. You have to see the range of EPDs and type in a set of calves that are sired by the same bull. And the genomics are showing more of that. One son will have bad feet and the other one will be good - same for every EPD. If it were truly 50/50, the quest for better cattle would only take a few generations. Add to the discussion that mycrondrial DNA ONLY comes from the female/dam. That's why the great cow is hard to recreate through sons.

 

[gcreekrch]

You do realize he doesn't own a single cow right?

Not any more.

 

[mwj]

So you're stuck on all the exceptions to the rules... Sure everything can fail spectacularly in life, but there are people that you probably consider lucky because they have consistently greater success... and the only difference is that they know something you don't. They have an eye for good cattle... and the buyers like what they see and pay more for it.

If you are able to read and speak plainly please show me where I said that mouthful of nonsense. As usual you want to set back and snipe because someone dared to question your vast experience. You show disdain for CAB and black cattle but now you like the pretty ones because they make more profit. Please answer how you can LOOK and tell what the profit is.

 

[Travlr]

If you are able to read and speak plainly please show me where I said that mouthful of nonsense. As usual you want to set back and snipe because someone dared to question your vast experience. You show disdain for CAB and black cattle but now you like the pretty ones because they make more profit. Please answer how you can LOOK and tell what the profit is.

You've kind of set yourself up as someone that doesn't understand much. And you started the sniping so why not get over it and we can have an adult conversation. I guess then the question will be if you are willing to learn or just defend your doubts.

And you continue to misunderstand what I think about CAB... but if I tried to enlighten you it would just hijack the thread.

So I'll ask you again. Do you recognize that some cattle are better than others? Do you also understand that buyers can recognize those differences?

 

[MACVSOG]

happy days: fonzie to ritchie, "you had to have hit someone for them to fear you". probably hot the actual quote.

analogy. you may not currently raise cattle, but you have to have raised cattle to know of what you speak.

just personal on previous thought, value vs price.
bought a bred heifer red angus, $450 at auction. maybe other buyers thought she was too young. had a good black (angus/brangus) calf.

next birth, black angus, sold early 400+ because of dry conditions, conditions, $1500 before current high prices.

next birth: heifer now 10 month. keeping her because i know her background/heritage. looks like mama too.

next birth due in two 1 1/2 months. looking forward to it.
probably of no interest to anyone, just responding to several thoughts that were brought forward. i enjoy thoughts of everyone.

 

[alacowman1]

Apparently peoples knowledge of cattle, leave out with the stock trailer…

 

[Dave]

Last week I was sitting between two guys who have both retained ownership on thousands head which they bought at the sale They were both saying and agreeing that they made more money on the pens full of mutts than they ever did on the pens of number ones which they paid more money for. I will absolutely guarantee these two men know what #1's look like and cost. They also know what #2 and #3 who are healthy look like and they know how much to pay for them.

 

[Travlr]

Last week I was sitting between two guys who have both retained ownership on thousands head which they bought at the sale They were both saying and agreeing that they made more money on the pens full of mutts than they ever did on the pens of number ones which they paid more money for. I will absolutely guarantee these two men know what #1's look like and cost. They also know what #2 and #3 who are healthy look like and they know how much to pay for them.

I'd like to talk to them. No harm in learning...

 

[Dave]

Oh, and don't go into a bar in Alaska and ring the bell unless you have the money to cover the cost of buying the house a round.

 

[Silver]

Last week I was sitting between two guys who have both retained ownership on thousands head which they bought at the sale They were both saying and agreeing that they made more money on the pens full of mutts than they ever did on the pens of number ones which they paid more money for. I will absolutely guarantee these two men know what #1's look like and cost. They also know what #2 and #3 who are healthy look like and they know how much to pay for them.

I have no doubt a guy with a good eye can steal some mutts and make a good dollar on them. But I bet those guys didn’t fill up an entire feedlot with them.
You can bet your bottom dollar the producer didn’t make a killing selling those calves. Anywhere in any market there are people that can make a buck on other peoples oversights and failures. Buying stag calves is another example. There are many more of course.

 

[artesianspringsfarm]

Up here I know of very few, if any, herds of really nice trouble-free females that were bred up from salebarn cattle. In this region, by and large, thats just not how your average nice female is gonna be sold. There's far more private treaty for females than there are a good pen at an auction. The reason for that is that you just cant guarantee enough of an audience for good girls to bring back to the barn up here. Most of your buyers are order takers. They are buying cutters, dairy culls, bulls, feeders, but very few are trying to make a good group of cows. Up here, if you want to get started with cows worth holding, I'd get to know some others that are raising the kind you want.

 

[4hfarms]

Thought this thread was going to be about $5 calves.

But still interesting...

 

[Travlr]

I have no doubt a guy with a good eye can steal some mutts and make a good dollar on them. But I bet those guys didn't fill up an entire feedlot with them.
You can bet your bottom dollar the producer didn't make a killing selling those calves. Anywhere in any market there are people that can make a buck on other peoples oversights and failures. Buying stag calves is another example. There are many more of course.

It's also one thing to buy cows to go to slaughter, another to buy one and dones, and another thing to raise replacement heifers from 10 year old cows culled for age.