redangus,
The data that Donnell would have referred to on Major League is a structured carcass test that we are doing with a third party commercial operation in Northeast Texas. All of the females used were crossbred and of similar breed makeup. We randomly mated these to Major League and three other proven "heifer bulls" (Make My Day, Vacation and Schuler No Equal). These calves will be harvested this spring for the remaining carcass data so we can see what Major League will do there. So far...out of 102 calves.....the 60 Major League's have ratioed 98 for birth wt (2% lighter than the average of all calves) and 102 for weaning wt (2% heavier than average). What does all of this mean? Basically, at R.A. Brown Ranch, we now feel very comfortable using him on heifers but his growth and carcass merit are yet to be determined. This kind of data with it's random matings.....carries more weight to us personally because it removes some of the bias out of what you get with "planned matings" in a registered herd.
Cheyenne is also a bull that we feel comfortable with on heifers. The calves don't have as much "muscle expression" as the Cherokee Canyons but they do have a little more style.
As you may know, Cheyenne and Major League are 3/4 brothers....both being Cherokee Canyons out of Robin Hood daughters.
Hope this helps.
