which breed

[south kentucky cattleman]

I have about 16 cross bred cattle but im thinking of starting to raise pure breeds ...just wondering what your opinions are(without opening a can of worms ) on the best beef cattle breed. IM not looking for short term monetary gains but am looking for a breed that in a few yrs with the right breeding will bring in some money a few of the breeds im looking at are Angus ,Chiangus,Limouisin,Simmental,Polled Hereford. thanks for any opinion

 

[Brandonm2]

I think ANY of the breeds you listed CAN make you money IF you are good at breeding cattle, use marketable genetics, AND are really really good at marketing. Contrary to popular belief, the cows do not sell themselves.

 

[Moocow11]

well i would stay away from simmintal. i would go with Limis, angus, or hereford. what will you be doing with the cattle.

 

[TheBullLady]

I'll vote for Simmentals. Great all around breed, good characterists, come in red AND black, do well in feed lots, and are generally docile and easy to handle. Plus there are quite a few good Simmental breeders in your area that can help you get started.

 

[Moocow11]

well i need to get new simmintals in the herd becaus eour sr nutts

 

[msscamp]

Contrary to popular belief, the cows do not sell themselves.

Darn it Brandon, now I'm going to have to overhaul my whole approach to this business! :roll: :lol: :lol:

 

[Caustic Burno]

You are getting in a game that take's money to play and years to get a good reputation. Purebred calves are not going to grow off like crossbred so you will take a hit at the salebarn.
You will haul most of your calfs to the salebarn being registered doesn't make them seedstock.

 

[novatech]

I think ANY of the breeds you listed CAN make you money IF you are good at breeding cattle, use marketable genetics, AND are really really good at marketing. Contrary to popular belief, the cows do not sell themselves.

You are getting in a game that take's money to play and years to get a good reputation. Purebred calves are not going to grow off like crossbred so you will take a hit at the salebarn.
You will haul most of your calfs to the salebarn being registered doesn't make them seedstock.

Ditto On Caustic and Brandon2

 

[Ryder]

You go with what the market wants in your part of the world.
I don't mean to be rude, but if you have to ask which breed, you are probably not ready for the registered cattle business.

 

[OK Jeanne]

If you want to sell seedstock of your best animals that you
can produce, and sell the remainder as direct-market beef,
you should purchase your foundation stock that has the GeneStar tenderness genes. JMO

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

You go with what the market wants in your part of the world.
I don't mean to be rude, but if you have to ask which breed, you are probably not ready for the registered cattle business.

I totally agree. Of course, I would recommend Simmental for all the reasons each and every breed acclaims to be the best at. But, in order to be in the PB business, you have to know the breed, live the breed, promote the breed, love the breed, blah blah. It takes total dedication to make any more money with purebred cows than commercial cows. And, as stated above, not all calves are SEEDSTOCK. They will be just plain old feedlot cattle. I am a very recognized seedstock producer, but 90% of my bull calves are steered. A good bull makes a GREAT STEER!

Having said all that, if you still want to breed purebred cattle, you can start breeding your existing cows with a purebred Simmental bull, and all your offspring will be registerable 1/2 bloods. So you can build up slowly to a purebred operation, learning as you go.

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

Great advice from the above folks...

...get to know your market, if they don't like a particular breed and are going to ding you in your feedlot steer considerably while you build up it is something to consider...

...we get dinged hard from the buyers who think Beefmasters have "too much ear" or "too much skin" which we take our punches and keep on rolling and balance it out with our females and bulls

...if you have the chance, hang out with the buyers at your local sales barns and ask some questions of the sale barn managers, etc.

 

[vs_cattle]

I would have to go with Charolais on this one
when you start off on the buisness side of beef with Charolais you open the market to different areas you got the commercial ranchers who need a terminal cross for there cattle and you got the animals that can produce those smokies kids want for the show ring you also have the buckskin ones that should do a great job in the feedlots so you got some markets there to work but its still up in the air which breed your going to choose good luck and if you need more info on Charolais PM any time

 

[Beefy]

out of the choices that you actually asked about i would go with either polled hereford or simmental.

 

[CowCop]

I'll vote for Simmentals. Great all around breed, good characterists, come in red AND black, do well in feed lots, and are generally docile and easy to handle. Plus there are quite a few good Simmental breeders in your area that can help you get started.

Add to it---longevity in the herd, cross well with ALL British Breeds, have great eye appeal, the traditional ones have great grass genetics, they are easy to handle AND.... Paris Kentucky was the place of the FIRST embryo transplants in the nation--on Simmentals of course--and there are still many good breeders in that area. Lucky you.

Jeanne said: Having said all that, if you still want to breed purebred cattle, you can start breeding your existing cows with a purebred Simmental bull, and all your offspring will be registerable 1/2 bloods. So you can build up slowly to a purebred operation, learning as you go.

That is the most financially efficient way to do it.

And.... always buy a raffle ticket for a free calf at all cattle events you go to.

WHEN you win, You can always trade or sell the calf ( if it isn't Simmental ) for the breed you really want.

Davis Beefmasters gave some excellant practical advice as well.

When it comes to Simmental, you really can't go wrong. They are a very flexible breed.

 

[Caustic Burno]

You can go wrong with any breed in the purebreed business, you can loose lots of frog skins quick trying to play this game being years away from any return on capital invested.
Purebreed cattle cost more upfront, you will have lower returns on your calf's due to lower growth rates. The national average for profit is 100 dollars a head in a well run operation. There are two types in the purebreed business the real breeders and those playing with money backing the operation from other sources. I only know of one small operation that operates at a profit, he has a niche market. The commercial cattleman is not going to be running to your door for bulls he is going to return to his source that has supplied a proven product for years. Your are not going to sell show heifers with out putting a lot of money and producing winning cattle.


The biggest mistake I see people getting into the purebreed business make is thinking they are going to lead the Cattle Industry with their cattle.

The Commercial Cattleman drives the industry thats the itch you have to scratch to be successful.

 

[KNERSIE]

The Commercial Cattleman drives the industry thats the itch you have to scratch to be successful.

Caustic has got it 100% right, you need to produce cattle that will work for the commercial guy in his environment under his management style. Not everyone will be a good manager so be sure that your cattle have the doability to cope with the possible hardships it might have to endure. In real world terms it often means sacrificing a little on the performance traits.

Just another piece of advice, research your breed well, go as far back in history as possible, try and understand the strengths of your breed and its breed characteristics, and also its weaknesses. Too many new breeders try and make their breed what it was never intended to be, you need to make the wheel better, not reinvent the wheel.