the whole reason for the existence of registered, purebred cattle is to produce seed stock bulls for the commercial industry.
When there is a strong market potential and high dollars within a breed, the chasing of the latest fad and race to breed cattle with the highest figures takes over,"
--the cattle that perform and reproduce without high input costs and that pay the bills when marketed across the scale. Unfortunately there are no measurements for many of these vital components. Consequently, these basics of animal breeding are being ignored by many in the quest to chase fads and figures."
Some of the seed stock being sold for top prices are sending the wrong message to the industry about what is most valuable to the commercial cattleman.
"When a registered breeder has a $100,000 cow that can't raise a bull good enough to sell to a commercial producer, there's something wrong with this picture," This is leading many breeders to wonder where the breed is headed.
The seed stock producer must never lose sight of what needs to be supplied to the commercial cattle breeder.
HYPE SELLS CATTLE—FOR AWHILE
Some of the people who enter the industry, attracted by this popularity, are hobby breeders or investors who get into the action with popular bloodlines, spending high dollars and pushing the "value" of these cattle even higher. This opens the door to promoters rather than breeders, and invites people who know how to promote the latest trend. This gives a false picture to the average seed stock producer and to the stockmen who utilize the breed—and especially to the new breeders just coming into the business
They assume that the highest selling bulls or the females bringing high dollars are the best kind to have. But if that "value" doesn't have a direct benefit to functionality and the commercial cattleman's bottom line, this can lead a breed in the wrong direction.
Any breeder—purebred or commercial—who tries to select cattle by the criteria being promoted today will eventually end up with a herd that has lost ground in some of the most important traits.
Seed stock breeders who use "numbers" genetics and the popular bloodlines that have been promoted more on hype than on their actual do- ability are finding that this is not working for their commercial customers.
