Last night this dude came to roping practice, and introduced hinself as the manager of a Santa Gertrudis operation , that I know has been running at least 55 years. Whoever has it now, is the 4th owner since 1968. Anyhow, he told me they have been breeding half the herd to a registered Braford bull. And they bought 10 registered Braford cows, and 4 red & white f1 Br x Herf ( they don't want any tiger striped, chocolate or black ones), and breeding them to theor registered Gert bulls. Hereford x Gert has been a popular cross here the past couple of years. I asked him why they just didn't get BeefMasters, as they are basically the same thing they were creating. He told me there were too many variables in Beef Master. No consistency in type or size, or color. They may have near as much ear and leather as a full Brahma, to almost no ear and leather, and about every color cattle come in.
I went over there today, and this cross looks like a red WF Gert, or maybe a solid red Braford with just a white face. He said they get a lot of calls on their heifers from people looking for the Herf X Gert heifers. They have a client that buys these heifers and breeds them to Angus 1st time, then homo polled and black Simms for the 2nd and subsequent calves...terminal crosses.... and they are having black polled calves , that some have a white patch on their foreheads, but most are solid. He called the man and I am riding up there with him Wednesday to check those out.
He said their steers sold as well as the pb Gerts do, and since they don't register their Gert heifers any more...just bull calves that might make a good herd bull.... these cross bred heifers sell as well, if not better than the pb Gert heifers do. I asked if he saw any difference in the Gert x Braf vs the Braf x Gert. He said on average, the Gert x Herf calves weaned a little heavier than the Braf x Gerts did, but kind of depended on the individual cow.
I went over there today, and this cross looks like a red WF Gert, or maybe a solid red Braford with just a white face. He said they get a lot of calls on their heifers from people looking for the Herf X Gert heifers. They have a client that buys these heifers and breeds them to Angus 1st time, then homo polled and black Simms for the 2nd and subsequent calves...terminal crosses.... and they are having black polled calves , that some have a white patch on their foreheads, but most are solid. He called the man and I am riding up there with him Wednesday to check those out.
He said their steers sold as well as the pb Gerts do, and since they don't register their Gert heifers any more...just bull calves that might make a good herd bull.... these cross bred heifers sell as well, if not better than the pb Gert heifers do. I asked if he saw any difference in the Gert x Braf vs the Braf x Gert. He said on average, the Gert x Herf calves weaned a little heavier than the Braf x Gerts did, but kind of depended on the individual cow.
