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<blockquote data-quote="KMacGinley" data-source="post: 472146" data-attributes="member: 3175"><p>The question I have is this:</p><p></p><p> What exactly are we improving?</p><p></p><p> Most properly managed cattle today have plenty of performance. </p><p></p><p> Actually, my belief is that there is too much performance which people in drought stricken areas with short winter feed are going to learn to their extreme detriment.</p><p></p><p> Higher performance leads to higher input costs, kinda like the grain farmers gloating over high corn prices till they figure out what the increases in land, anhydrous, P and K, seed and chemicals has cost them. </p><p></p><p> I forget the exact percentage difference on choice grades, but cattle in the 60s and 70s blew todays cattle out of the water on quality grade. </p><p></p><p></p><p> When I was on the judging team at Purdue, Doc Hunsley told us about the pendulum, swinging back and forth. Cattle breeders chasing single trait selection in one direction and then going back the other way when they realized their mistake. </p><p></p><p> Many of the so called cattle breeders of today are doing nothing but chasing extremes or single traits. For cripes sake take a look at the sale catalogs coming out, there are some very poorly structured, downright ugly cattle being sold for big bucks. </p><p></p><p> In the early eighties, late seventies, there were some really good cattle being bred, that to me seemed just right. We bought a Justa Banner son from Islers, that was a great bull, I would like to have him today. We ai'd his daughters to vindicator and boy they were something. </p><p></p><p> What I am trying to do, is to produce a five-six frame animal that is thick, good milking, but not too much, good uddered with low birth weight and is Tender. I do not particulary find the super high weaning weight cattle impressive, because I know from my own herd that those cows eat a lot more than the average cow with a six weight calf does. </p><p></p><p> I also think that the guys that think that 4 weight cattle at weaning is the wave of the future are kidding themselves. ie, the Colorado Kool aid drinkers. I want cattle that are efficient and give me the option to go after the grassfed market or the conventional market. </p><p></p><p> I am not convinced that the "Good" cattle today are actually better than what we had 25 years ago, all things considered.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="KMacGinley, post: 472146, member: 3175"] The question I have is this: What exactly are we improving? Most properly managed cattle today have plenty of performance. Actually, my belief is that there is too much performance which people in drought stricken areas with short winter feed are going to learn to their extreme detriment. Higher performance leads to higher input costs, kinda like the grain farmers gloating over high corn prices till they figure out what the increases in land, anhydrous, P and K, seed and chemicals has cost them. I forget the exact percentage difference on choice grades, but cattle in the 60s and 70s blew todays cattle out of the water on quality grade. When I was on the judging team at Purdue, Doc Hunsley told us about the pendulum, swinging back and forth. Cattle breeders chasing single trait selection in one direction and then going back the other way when they realized their mistake. Many of the so called cattle breeders of today are doing nothing but chasing extremes or single traits. For cripes sake take a look at the sale catalogs coming out, there are some very poorly structured, downright ugly cattle being sold for big bucks. In the early eighties, late seventies, there were some really good cattle being bred, that to me seemed just right. We bought a Justa Banner son from Islers, that was a great bull, I would like to have him today. We ai'd his daughters to vindicator and boy they were something. What I am trying to do, is to produce a five-six frame animal that is thick, good milking, but not too much, good uddered with low birth weight and is Tender. I do not particulary find the super high weaning weight cattle impressive, because I know from my own herd that those cows eat a lot more than the average cow with a six weight calf does. I also think that the guys that think that 4 weight cattle at weaning is the wave of the future are kidding themselves. ie, the Colorado Kool aid drinkers. I want cattle that are efficient and give me the option to go after the grassfed market or the conventional market. I am not convinced that the "Good" cattle today are actually better than what we had 25 years ago, all things considered. [/QUOTE]
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