What is Your Favorite Breed of Cattle?

[Warren Allison]

I've heard old timers talk about Charolais being crazy, when was this a common trait in the breed? The ones I've worked with or around weren't so bad, other than not wanting to be touched much.

Seems like when we first got them around here 50 years ago, some would be kinda crazy in the sale barn ring, but a lot of that was due to the idiot workers with the 110v hot shots. So glad they were outlawed in GA. The ones on the Charolais operation Dan works for, are as docile as any other good cow. I am sure over the 40 years or so they have been breeding, they have weeded out any with less than stellar dispositions. My brother showed Char x Herf and Char x Simmental in the last part of the 70's, and my grandfather would turn them in with his cows after the season was over. These were every bit as easy to handle as his Angus were, even after they had been out on the pasture for years. You see a lot of Char blood in bucking bulls. They sure added athletic ability...the high jumps and kicks..to the bucking stock. I saw one a couple of weeks ago, mostly Char, with a little Brahma in it, that his feet at the apex of his 2nnd jump, were level with the top of the chute gate. Sucker did a 270 in the air before he landed. Looked like a Lippizzan stallion.! The kid made the buzzer on it too! and the bull didn't come after him...just trotted over to the return gate like he knew his job was done.

 

[50/50Farms]

Seems like when we first got them around here 50 years ago, some would be kinda crazy in the sale barn ring, but a lot of that was due to the idiot workers with the 110v hot shots. So glad they were outlawed in GA. The ones on the Charolais operation Dan works for, are as docile as any other good cow. I am sure over the 40 years or so they have been breeding, they have weeded out any with less than stellar dispositions. My brother showed Char x Herf and Char x Simmental in the last part of the 70's, and my grandfather would turn them in with his cows after the season was over. These were every bit as easy to handle as his Angus were, even after they had been out on the pasture for years. You see a lot of Char blood in bucking bulls. They sure added athletic ability...the high jumps and kicks..to the bucking stock. I saw one a couple of weeks ago, mostly Char, with a little Brahma in it, that his feet at the apex of his 2nnd jump, were level with the top of the chute gate. Sucker did a 270 in the air before he landed. Looked like a Lippizzan stallion.! The kid made the buzzer on it too! and the bull didn't come after him...just trotted over to the return gate like he knew his job was done.

That's how they're supposed to do nowadays. Craziness and rankness alone is undesirable. Back when I rode bulls, I only ever had one really come after me. I had just come off the bull, and I was so high off of a good ride that I couldn't see straight. I always turned and did the Lane Frost hand wave with the crowd (he was my hero). Back then I weighed about a buck forty on the bootheels, I was wiry in them days before the Army. My brother was working the bucking chutes, and the bull had come out, bucked to the left, spun into my hand, pulled a straight line like a horse, then cut back and I deposited myself in front of the chute I'd come out of. I was hand waving and I began to levitate, having been yanked up by the yoke on my bull vest, and that son of a gun ran right under me with a passion. Turns out, in my stupor, I hadn't seen that the critter had decided we wasn't through, and my brother had been conveniently mulling around a chaw standing up on the inside of the chute. He sat me down, and mute as a tailor's dummy I just walked over to a panel and let myself out with no further fanfare. Bull was corriente crossed with something, he was red with black striping, and no unimpressive display of horn. I am glad my brother used to work out back then.

 

[branxchar&charx]

Agreed this poll leaves much to be desired. Brahma and not even a brahma composite, ie brangus, is on the list. Riiiight.
Most these polls on breed, theres some dam fine composites out there. Heck, beefmasters are even in europe. Theres a facebook page called beefmasters europa, i think.

 

[Brute 23]

Looks like some kind of Yankee, hobby farm, poll.

If it ain't got coreeenteees... it ain't legit.

 

[Warren Allison]

That's how they're supposed to do nowadays. Craziness and rankness alone is undesirable. Back when I rode bulls, I only ever had one really come after me. I had just come off the bull, and I was so high off of a good ride that I couldn't see straight. I always turned and did the Lane Frost hand wave with the crowd (he was my hero). Back then I weighed about a buck forty on the bootheels, I was wiry in them days before the Army. My brother was working the bucking chutes, and the bull had come out, bucked to the left, spun into my hand, pulled a straight line like a horse, then cut back and I deposited myself in front of the chute I'd come out of. I was hand waving and I began to levitate, having been yanked up by the yoke on my bull vest, and that son of a gun ran right under me with a passion. Turns out, in my stupor, I hadn't seen that the critter had decided we wasn't through, and my brother had been conveniently mulling around a chaw standing up on the inside of the chute. He sat me down, and mute as a tailor's dummy I just walked over to a panel and let myself out with no further fanfare. Bull was corriente crossed with something, he was red with black striping, and no unimpressive display of horn. I am glad my brother used to work out back then.

Instead of breeding LH x Br, to get those "Plumers", some breed to Corriente rather than LH, to get a smaller bull for high school rodeo.

 

[Warren Allison]

Agreed this poll leaves much to be desired. Brahma and not even a brahma composite, ie brangus, is on the list. Riiiight.
Most these polls on breed, theres some dam fine composites out there. Heck, beefmasters are even in europe. Theres a facebook page called beefmasters europa, i think.

It was a poll that asked people what their favorite breed were . It may have been that they only polled people in the Pacific NW, or New England, or Minnesota or something. Maybe Canada. That would account for no Br or BRx on there, but the LH more votes than Charolais? That doesn't sound like a Yankee or Canadian poll. Maybe it was a man-on-the -street poll, instead of a beef producers poll.

 

[Ky hills]

It was a poll that asked people what their favorite breed were . It may have been that they only polled people in the Pacific NW, or New England, or Minnesota or something. Maybe Canada. That would account for no Br or BRx on there, but the LH more votes than Charolais? That doesn't sound like a Yankee or Canadian poll. Maybe it was a man-on-the -street poll, instead of a beef producers poll.

Yeah it would be interesting to know the story behind the poll, like the location and even context.
The context to me is important as in favorite how? Is it favorite as in which breed works best for you, or is favorite as in if you could have any kind what would it be? Those lines can get blurred pretty easy
My guess is that it was atleast some of the people polled had some knowledge of cattle. because most people probably only know of Angus, longhorn, now some are starting to hear about Wagyu.
I dont believe they polled anybody from the southeast, I believe that if they had Brahman and Brahman crosses along with Charolais would have been a popular answer.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I will try to find that email and see if I can link it.

 

[Silver]

I do have to say I have a soft spot for Blond d'Aquitaine cattle. We ran pure and commercial for years and you can still see it he remnants of it in the herd. When we put Blonde bulls on our Simmental cows the results were amazing.

 

[Travlr]

I do have to say I have a soft spot for Blond d'Aquitaine cattle. We ran pure and commercial for years and you can still see it he remnants of it in the herd. When we put Blonde bulls on our Simmental cows the results were amazing.

Gotta ask... if you liked them so much, why go another direction?

 

[Silver]

Gotta ask... if you liked them so much, why go another direction?

Because the customer is always right. Feeders were scared of them. There was never enough of them around for the feeders to get a good understanding of them. Very few of them understood that while the blondes took a little longer to finish that extra expense was more than made up for in dressing percentage, lean meat yield etc. I did have a buyer or two that told me how profitable they were but unless there is a broader market you just gotta face the facts. If ranching wasn't 100 percent of my income I'd likely still be running some Blondes.

 

[crossbreed]

Because the customer is always right. Feeders were scared of them. There was never enough of them around for the feeders to get a good understanding of them. Very few of them understood that while the blondes took a little longer to finish that extra expense was more than made up for in dressing percentage, lean meat yield etc. I did have a buyer or two that told me how profitable they were but unless there is a broader market you just gotta face the facts. If ranching wasn't 100 percent of my income I'd likely still be running some Blondes.

Good reading and thanks all for good opinions. Makes me rethink my strategy. Kept some steers through winter that will go 800+\- so will see how we fare 1st of month

 

[BFE]

Neighbor bought 4-5 Char bulls back in the old days. They never stopped running when they hit the ground. Major jailbreak. A couple swam the creek or river and ended up miles away. They couldn't be caught. I think he ended up with 2 left by the time it was all over. The others had to be shot.

 

[tex452]

Seems like when we first got them around here 50 years ago, some would be kinda crazy in the sale barn ring, but a lot of that was due to the idiot workers with the 110v hot shots. So glad they were outlawed in GA. The ones on the Charolais operation Dan works for, are as docile as any other good cow. I am sure over the 40 years or so they have been breeding, they have weeded out any with less than stellar dispositions. My brother showed Char x Herf and Char x Simmental in the last part of the 70's, and my grandfather would turn them in with his cows after the season was over. These were every bit as easy to handle as his Angus were, even after they had been out on the pasture for years. You see a lot of Char blood in bucking bulls. They sure added athletic ability...the high jumps and kicks..to the bucking stock. I saw one a couple of weeks ago, mostly Char, with a little Brahma in it, that his feet at the apex of his 2nnd jump, were level with the top of the chute gate. Sucker did a 270 in the air before he landed. Looked like a Lippizzan stallion.! The kid made the buzzer on it too! and the bull didn't come after him...just trotted over to the return gate like he knew his job was done.

Sounds like "Air Time", that bulls head would be down and it's but almost straight up, totally off the ground.

 

[Son of Butch]

Holstein? Are they asking dairies?

Cattleman Board serves both beef and dairy producers
8.8% Holsteins seems low. The number of beef producer voters probably disproportionately out numbered dairy voters
because the average size of dairy herds today is far larger than the average size of beef herds.
Finished Holsteins contribute over 14% of USA beef supply and Holstein cows are 22% of the nations cow herd.

 

[Travlr]

Neighbor bought 4-5 Char bulls back in the old days. They never stopped running when they hit the ground. Major jailbreak. A couple swam the creek or river and ended up miles away. They couldn't be caught. I think he ended up with 2 left by the time it was all over. The others had to be shot.

My dad bought a couple of yearling Char bulls and the same thing happened. The highway patrol had them surrounded with their cars on the freeway and they jumped the hood of one cruiser and kept going. One trooper was caught behind the knees and drug across the asphalt on his knees. They were eventually caught and returned to us, but highway patrol aren't experienced so they really don't know what they're doing.

Two things I've learned in unloading new animals. ALWAYS unload into a tight corral and let the new ones acclimate for several days before turning them out. And when you do turn them out, always have some already acclimated animals present that the new ones have nosed through the corral fence so they can join the herd.

 

[Ky hills]

Two things I've learned in unloading new animals. ALWAYS unload into a tight corral and let the new ones acclimate for several days before turning them out. And when you do turn them out, always have some already acclimated animals present that the new ones have nosed through the corral fence so they can join the herd.

That is very good advice. We do very similar, but if I don't have something similar size to put with new cattle, I keep them up longer to give them more time to learn and acclimate.

 

[Son of Butch]

highway patrol aren't experienced (with cattle) so they really don't know what they're doing.

Ain't that the truth and when you get inexperienced people trying to help they tend to make things worse.
Combine inexperience with guns and too often they want to shoot the animal as dangerous when they're just dealing with
a frightened animal that just needs a little time and enough space not to feel pressured.

 

[Brute 23]

Chars are some no staying home sogs. They are worse than deer in the ditches around here.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

The POLL was an email I received - it's a newsletter from:
Cattlemen's Beef Board <[email protected]>
I tried to reopen the poll but I can't.