Your Favorite Sires

[Xempt]

So after watching the NLC Simmental Sale today, I have come up with a few Simmental sires that I am pretty much in love with what they are throwing. TNT Tanker and TNT Knock Out are definitely my top two as of right now. It has inspired me to really look into the different breeds I am interested in and what sires I want to use. I am a year or two away from actually doing some AI but would want to start doing hardcore research now.

So let me know, who are your favorite sires in the Hereford, Charolois, Angus, Senepol, and Simmental breeds.

 

[kenny thomas]

In Simmental it would be 600U but its getting harder to find.

 

[limftw]

Don't have too much room to talk as of yet but the calves we have out of Sydgen Trust are really nice.

 

[Till-Hill]

Mo Better on angus cows. And best Simmental to date Shear Force

 

[glacierridge]

Just have commercial cattle here...
But.
I must say we've been impressed with some dusted off units of Simmental sires Caufitime and Irish Black Knight.
These calves are giving modern bulls calves a run for their money from our ladies. Both seem to have calves that want to grow and grow with a good temperament too.

 

[Lucky_P]

Trkiple C Singletary (Shear Force son) is working well here - steers & daughters both. Have two on the ground out of heifers by his full sib Bettis, who's a better calving ease sire - and I'll say the CE is real - they get here tiny, but grow. Breeding all ANxSH heifers to him this fall.

Waukaru Coppertop 464(Shorthorn) steers and heifers, out of 3/4+ Angus cows are standouts across the board.

Angus, none of the AI sires we've used over the last 7 years have bested the walking cleanup sire(AAA 15138281) .

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Shear Force is always a good one! We have several females in production that are either direct daughters or granddaughters, and they outperform everything else each weaning.
I really like Bettis calves, and pacesetter is another great son.
Kenny, I have 10 straws of 600U, and have not used them because I want to make sure I have the perfect cow. I only paid $33/straw, so I got lucky. Now it just sits in my tank!

 

[HughesFamilyCattle]

I really like Welsh's Dew It Right. Everyone one of those have been spot on for me. I think I might be liking JF American Pride and KNH Added Value (my are yearlings but are really correct and fast growing....) For modern/recent bulls. Off course 600 U and Meyers 734

 

[vclavin]

Don't have too much room to talk as of yet but the calves we have out of Sydgen Trust are really nice.

Our Trust calves look good as well.
Blessings
Valerie

 

[vclavin]

Trkiple C Singletary (Shear Force son) is working well here - steers & daughters both. Have two on the ground out of heifers by his full sib Bettis, who's a better calving ease sire - and I'll say the CE is real - they get here tiny, but grow. Breeding all ANxSH heifers to him this fall.

Waukaru Coppertop 464(Shorthorn) steers and heifers, out of 3/4+ Angus cows are standouts across the board.

Angus, none of the AI sires we've used over the last 7 years have bested the walking cleanup sire(AAA 15138281) .

He's a potential carrier of a defective gene CA - Contractural Arachnodactyly. I wonder if he's being tested for it?
Blessings
Valerie

 

[BC]

I know Santa Gertrudis was not on your list of breeds, but my favorite bull is a Gert bull - Briggs 023/91

 

[kenny thomas]

Shear Force is always a good one! We have several females in production that are either direct daughters or granddaughters, and they outperform everything else each weaning.
I really like Bettis calves, and pacesetter is another great son.
Kenny, I have 10 straws of 600U, and have not used them because I want to make sure I have the perfect cow. I only paid $33/straw, so I got lucky. Now it just sits in my tank!

I have the opportunity to buy an 9 month old embryo bull calf out of 600U and a super nice cow. He is big for his age, over 875, which is why I like the 600U calves. $2250 so I guess I had better buy him.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Shear Force is always a good one! We have several females in production that are either direct daughters or granddaughters, and they outperform everything else each weaning.
I really like Bettis calves, and pacesetter is another great son.
Kenny, I have 10 straws of 600U, and have not used them because I want to make sure I have the perfect cow. I only paid $33/straw, so I got lucky. Now it just sits in my tank!

I have the opportunity to buy an 9 month old embryo bull calf out of 600U and a super nice cow. He is big for his age, over 875, which is why I like the 600U calves. $2250 so I guess I had better buy him.

If he looks good, get him! All of his daughters should be awesome! I like to look for a cow with 600U close up in the pedigree, they milk like no other and make fantastic recips! The problem is no one has semen any longer so finding direct daughters or daughters just a few generations back can be a challenge!

 

[insurman]

My herd bull..

a 75/25 Simbrah, solid black, polled... top5% BW and top 30% WW and YW and his calves are proving it. Thrilled to death on how he is doing. Posted a pic here 18 months ago and got all kinds of comments but we are thrilled.

 

[Lucky_P]

Val,
No, we're not testing the bull.
Strictly commercial here, selling weaned calves and the occasional open or old cow. Have been in expansion mode for 15 years; until the last year or two majority of heifers have been retained. But, as he's now relegated to cleanup status on the mature cowherd, not many calves hitting the ground are sired by him - but the ones he does get are nice.

If we were a purebred operation selling seedstock, then yes, I'd test him. No CA calves here in the 7 years he's been working, and it's pretty unlikely that the old cows are carriers;
Was kind of surprised when the 'potential carrier' designation showed up; thought we'd dodged the recently-identified defects altogether, but haven't had time or inclination to trace back to see what ancestor, however far back, was a confirmed carrier.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

Was kind of surprised when the 'potential carrier' designation showed up; thought we'd dodged the recently-identified defects altogether, but haven't had time or inclination to trace back to see what ancestor, however far back, was a confirmed carrier.

Most beef producers who have an insight into how the genetic "soup" functions in their business is almost always apprehensive about what bull or cow may have a "hidden" defect that could ultimately affect their herd. They are not looking reality in the face if they do not feel a little fearful about every seedstock animal that they consider purchasing. But nobody can know in advance of purchasing an animal whether or not he/she will perform to the expectations one wishes. Therefore, we can do the best we can, going on previous knowledge acquired from every source available and plan our matings the best ways that we can.

Bearing the above in mind, by studying the pedigree and EPD's of AAA 15138281 (Woodall 537 of 303 188 - refer to "Lucky_P above) - you may discover that this follows the breeding protocols of - 1)- avoiding extremes in ALL traits and characteristics, 2)- keeping a sensible, working BALANCE with a herd bull and the cows to which he is to be mated, 3)- understanding enough about Dominant and Recessive Genetics in a Commercial setting to be able to utilize a single individual Carrier in a matiing (NOT in a Registered herd) so as to capitalize on many excellent traits and characteristics to your own herd's future benefit in spite of the Carrier gene(s) present, and 4)- being comfortable in following a necessary protocol of BALANCED Multiple Trait Selection Decisions in developing and improving your breeding herd genetics. This bull exemplifies balanced breeding by not going to extemes one way or the other in BW (+.6), WW (+40), YW (+81), SC (+69), MILK (very important!) (+24), Marb (+35), RE (+31). These are the critical EPD's for most commercial breeders to consider - not to minimize the significance of the other EPD's in mating decisions. Please understand that I am NOT inferring that this bull is a Carrier of ANY defective gene!

It is impossible to achieve absolute perfection in seeking optimal predictions of EPD's, but the effort to maintain a BALANCE in those selection decisions is imperative for success in "Mating Decisions". That is why knowing the traits and characteristics of every cow in your herd is necessary! Seeking ""High Accuracies" is very helpful when buying bulls. That is why Automobile manufacturers inform you how many miles per gallon of gas you may drive in their new "Whatever" Super car! They can't guarantee that kind of milage, but the 'testing' that has been done leans in that direction. It just depends upon how you "manage" your heavy lead foot on the gas pedal! The same thing follows with managing your cow herd. Not too little! Not too much!

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: Don't Be Barnblind! THINK about your cow herd traits and characteristics - and BALANCE your bull buying traits to your cows!

DOC HARRIS

 

[cow pollinater]

LT Rio Bravo really made me nod my head to the Charolais. I've given up on them since but I still have four daughters that get to stay as long as they want.
Domino 3027 has really knocked the ball out of the park for quite a few of my customers... enough so that I have some in my personal inventory. My Hereford bulls are all out of mhmonument3147 and I'm really happy with all of those calves so I guess he needs to be on my list even though I haven't used him directly.
Angus, I'm still kicking myself for giving my last five units of Connection to a customer. :bang: It seems like my best angus cattle all go back to Fame somewhere in their pedigree so I'm always happy to see him in there when I pick bulls. In Focus went back to Fame so there are still alot of them out there.

 

[Bigfoot]

It is hard to find rio bravo semen. I wanted to AI my kids cows to him, and hope for heifer calves.

 

[Lucky_P]

DOC,
We've been very pleased with the 537 bull - as you pointed out, he's just an average Angus bull with balanced epd profile, working well in a commercial herd setting - his calves have had as much or more 'grow' than several AI sires with WW epds 20-30# higher. Biggest 'plus' has been his docile disposition, which has carried through to his daughters. Not an udder fixer, but not a destroyer; daughters have showed more frame than their SimAngus dams.
Hadn't looked at the pedigree in a while - thought I was 'home free' with regard to CA when 878 tested clean, but on closer exam, it looks like he's also got PIKN several generations back on the sire side. No CA-affected calves out of a handful of sire-daughter matings, but certainly not enough of those here to be statistically significant.

cp,
Used a cane of Connection on high-percentage Angus heifers; calves just did not impress me... kept 2 daughters, one each out of a Wave and 6I6 daughter. several other heifers just didn't make the cut, and their steer counterparts weren't much to write home about. However, most were out of first-calf NBPT D806 daughters, which probably accounts for the poor performance...

 

[SPH]

For Hereford bulls right now we are very impressed with the Revolution 4R calves we have got. They are definately the stand out calves in the pasture and our top Revolution heifer this year our Hereford fieldman was trying to talk us into consigning her to our state beef expo despite that he's told us before to hold onto our Revolution heifers because they make such great cows. Picture of her below. We have seen some really good Revolution calves the past few years on other sales and they usually sell pretty well, haven't heard any breeder around here that uses him say they were disappointed and the comerical breeder down the road from us even picked him to AI to some black cows. About Time is a bull we don't use but a lot of Hereford breeders do and see a lot of his calves do well on sales and in the show ring too and sounds like getting semen on him is getting tougher to buy these days.