Which one "Rang the bell?"

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Well. I don't like the first one at all. She would have to have been cheap for me to bid.

I really like the second one. Which would lead to me bidding. And many others I can only assume.

The pair makes the most sense to me for making the most money. But at the same time, will she breed back in a timely manner??

Like all other sales, depends who was there on what day of the week as to who would've brought the most. In this area, I could certainly see the 2nd one "making the most"
A lot folks want the calf born on their place for various reasons. I see it time and time again AROUND HERE. Breds bringing more than pairs. And it's never made a lot of sense to me. A calf on the ground already is worth a lot more to me than a bred heifer that may or may not calve successfully
what dont you like about the first one?
 
Since we seem to be having some fun with this idea, let's say these three walk into the ring (registered dispersal auction not sale barn but still). Which one would you guess would go on to make me the most money? These pics are from more than a decade ago. Two are bred heifers, and 67S tag is just fresh with her first calf. Excuse the crappy photography:

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So are you saying you have the information about which makes more money over several years? This could be interesting, but I wish the animals were more diverse.
 
So are you saying you have the information about which makes more money over several years? This could be interesting, but I wish the animals were more diverse.
I guess that's what I'm saying. I think the fact that you want a broader assortment of crayons to choose from points to one of your assumptions in your original post that doesnt hold true large portions of cattle owners. Many of us arent at the salebarn playing make our own Crayola box. I've only been at it with beef cattle for about 15 years but I've made purposeful attempts to try different "types" within a pretty narrow vein of possibilities and I dont really have any interest in trying other options to make an extra buck.
 
I guess that's what I'm saying. I think the fact that you want a broader assortment of crayons to choose from points to one of your assumptions in your original post that doesnt hold true large portions of cattle owners. Many of us arent at the salebarn playing make our own Crayola box. I've only been at it with beef cattle for about 15 years but I've made purposeful attempts to try different "types" within a pretty narrow vein of possibilities and I dont really have any interest in trying other options to make an extra buck.
Well, it either holds true or it doesn't. I'd sure like to evaluate that from everyone's experience.

In any case, I'm interested in your own test.

I think @MurraysMutts has a valid take on the first heifer. She's neither deep, nor long. But the right bull could do wonders. I wish the second picture was better.
 
Like others I really like the second one and like the the first one the least but the first one is built just like the cow on my post in the bell ringer thread that was 900 lbs and calf weighed 570 lbs 45 days post weaning so just because we like the second one doesn't make her the most profitable.
 
It's hard to say on a registered deal because the EPDs mean so much. I'd say 16 would bring the most but I'd buy 67s (just the cow)
 
OK, here's the rest of the story.

The first heifer, 30A, I bought based on her pedigree. This was early in my desire to find the right genetics that would make for long-lasting fertile, maternal cows to form a base of a herd I could grow over time to do well on a grass-only system with long hard winters, etc. Her pedigree had lots of well-respected genetics in the grassfed low input world and so I decided to take a flyer on her even though I didnt love how she looked. She raised three very ordinary calves, got behind on the third calf and was one of the latest to calve and then came up open the next year. She got bigger and thicker each year and didnt put much into her calves. Relative to her peers, she was in the lower 25% of weaning weights on all three. Her only saving grace is that she made really good burger herself after 3 calves. Here she is as a 4 year old:

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For everyone that liked the phenotype on 16, you picked the easy winner of this contest. I already talked about her a bit when I started a thread about using your own bulls as I just bought back the second of two bulls of hers that I have sold to local dealers. She has had 9 calves, always been in the first quarter of cows to freshen, and is bred again without losing any real time even though we succesfully flushed her with her original breeder this summer. She has had 5 daughters and all are in production here except one that met an untimely death. 2 bulls sold for about double what I would net off them as feeders or finishing them myselves and two nice steers that I finished. She lost a quarter a couple years ago, I'm guessing some mastitis, but it hasnt hurt her calves a bit. She is very correct on her feet and legs, great disposition, and I'm glad to have her genetic thumbprint all throughout the herd. Early on in trying to determine what phenotype works best here, I would have not had her type as my first choice but over time I have found these deep-bodied cows with good capacity to be essential to long-lasting fertility here. A couple pics:

Here's one Tahoe will understand. This is typical calving conditions here and this is her as a 5 year old. The 104 cow was her first calf and the 200 calf is her third:

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Last year:

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Finally, the cow with the calf in the picture, 67S. Based off phenotype, she would have been my guess for which would make me the most money over time. That said, I spent my first 18 years in love with dairy cows and I've had to adjust my bovine spectacles over the last 15 to what makes a truly productive and ideal beef cow. She is also still here and has had a calf every year and has been in the first half of my cows to freshen every year. However, she's always struggled to maintain enough condition and its not because she is raising huge calves. It stood out to me this year when I decided to put her with the more terminal bull because I realized I've not once retained a calf of hers. Just not enough growth to them. I've only had scales for 2 years but she has always weaned a calf that I would guess is in the bottom third of her peers. That said, 10 live calves is sure enough a moneymaker. Someone said on the other thread that sometimes the ones that make you the most stand out the least. In her case, she has always stood out to me phenotypically, but her calves never stand out. A few pics.

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I really like that 16. And it is hard to be mad at a 12+ year old fertile Myrtle.
There's no such thing as a perfect cow, but i'd sure take a herd full of 16. Thankfully, she also seems to stamp a type and her daughters are doing well too. Looking forward to picking from the flush next year and also using her son.
 
There's no such thing as a perfect cow, but i'd sure take a herd full of 16. Thankfully, she also seems to stamp a type and her daughters are doing well too. Looking forward to picking from the flush next year and also using her son.
That's what I'm talking about! I think I'm going to do something similar with one of these two bulls. Yellow dam is over 10, black on is 14+. I'm good with a crayon box, but imagine they're both black. 😆
 

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That's what I'm talking about! I think I'm going to do something similar with one of these two bulls. Yellow dam is over 10, black on is 14+. I'm good with a crayon box, but imagine they're both black. 😆
I like both options but I like the looks of the black one best and I dont think its because I'm colorblind. Good, thick, masculine calves both of them. How old in those pics?
 
I like both options but I like the looks of the black one best and I dont think its because I'm colorblind. Good, thick, masculine calves both of them. How old in those pics?
3 +/- months pictured. Black is 75% sim/angus. Yellow is limflex / simangus w rhe white gene somewhere. Black one is the smarter play I'd say. Yellow is longer, but higher in the flank. So I dunno. Gonna watch em.
 
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