JoeBnTN
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2008
- Messages
- 258
I think AJ and JiT are both right! There is a tremendous amount of data on cow efficiency that shows, under the environmental and forage conditions of the high plains, that the 1250-1400 lb., 5 frame cow that AJ describes will show the greatest return per animal unit. BUT, that formula applies to the conditions of that region and are not universal. As JiT describes his cattle - he's taking into account the environmental (and after this winter - he's had some environment!), management and nutritional conditions of his region. The key difference is the type and size cow that will perform most efficiently in each location is somewhat different. As AJ implied - it's the optimums that we should all strive for - but all optimums are not the same.
A few years ago when I was traveling a little more and helping with some herd selections, I was judging a major state fair and after I finished one of the breed shows a gentlemen asked me if I would give him some advice. His parents had died and left him with about 100 acres of the best pasture land in the area and he wanted to keep cattle on the farm for his son to show. His limitations were that he had only himself and a 9 year old son to do the work and he had a full time job "in town". He asked what breed I recommended for him to use. I told him the breed really didn't matter, but what he wanted was to find 25-30 really big cows to put on the pasture. Why? Since his labor and time was very limited and his feed resource was abundant, he needed to find the "factory" that would fit that scenario best. I hooked him up with a friend in the sales management business and he ended up with Simmys. A few years later I ran into them at a show and he told me he had a herd of about 35 cows and he was weaning calves at 650-700 lbs. with no creep. Everything worked great for him.
Not 10 miles from this farm was one of the original intensive grazing herds in the Southeast. They ran nearly 100 Angus cows on less than 200 acres. The cows were less than 1300 lbs. mature and weaned 500-550 lb. calves but their per acre production of beef was incredible. So while their forage and nutrition was the same as the Simmy breeder, their ability to manage both cattle and forage was considerably greater. At the end of the day, both had very acceptable returns in pound of beef per acre, but did it with very different types of cattle.
My point is that one size will never fit all - there are just too many other variables that impact production efficiency to make one cow work for everyone. While I understand AJ's frustration with the "tall, gutless" 2000 lb. Shorthorn cows we've seen in the Shorthorn breed, they were there for a reason - economic pressure made these cattle valuable. And while I tend to gravitate personally toward cows like JiT's - my old show ring habits and biases sometimes kick in and I wonder if his cattle are really "pretty" enough to compete in the show ring. Like JiT I try to raise what I believe in and the young bull we've been promoting recently fits what works for me - moderate framed (6.2), low birth weight - 70 lbs., great weaning performance - 666 lbs., and a large spread between birth and weaning, and super athletic and sound. Will he win a big show - not likely, he's too much of an optimum and not enough of a maximum. Will he work for everyone - probably not, but when put on the right cows, I think he'll add value to the Shorthorn breed, but more importantly he'll add value to the beef business.
We should all do our best to develop cattle that meet our own economic needs and that perform in the widest range of environments But to expect one size or type to fit all is just not realistic - even if the poultry and swine industries are doing their best to prove that wrong!!
A few years ago when I was traveling a little more and helping with some herd selections, I was judging a major state fair and after I finished one of the breed shows a gentlemen asked me if I would give him some advice. His parents had died and left him with about 100 acres of the best pasture land in the area and he wanted to keep cattle on the farm for his son to show. His limitations were that he had only himself and a 9 year old son to do the work and he had a full time job "in town". He asked what breed I recommended for him to use. I told him the breed really didn't matter, but what he wanted was to find 25-30 really big cows to put on the pasture. Why? Since his labor and time was very limited and his feed resource was abundant, he needed to find the "factory" that would fit that scenario best. I hooked him up with a friend in the sales management business and he ended up with Simmys. A few years later I ran into them at a show and he told me he had a herd of about 35 cows and he was weaning calves at 650-700 lbs. with no creep. Everything worked great for him.
Not 10 miles from this farm was one of the original intensive grazing herds in the Southeast. They ran nearly 100 Angus cows on less than 200 acres. The cows were less than 1300 lbs. mature and weaned 500-550 lb. calves but their per acre production of beef was incredible. So while their forage and nutrition was the same as the Simmy breeder, their ability to manage both cattle and forage was considerably greater. At the end of the day, both had very acceptable returns in pound of beef per acre, but did it with very different types of cattle.
My point is that one size will never fit all - there are just too many other variables that impact production efficiency to make one cow work for everyone. While I understand AJ's frustration with the "tall, gutless" 2000 lb. Shorthorn cows we've seen in the Shorthorn breed, they were there for a reason - economic pressure made these cattle valuable. And while I tend to gravitate personally toward cows like JiT's - my old show ring habits and biases sometimes kick in and I wonder if his cattle are really "pretty" enough to compete in the show ring. Like JiT I try to raise what I believe in and the young bull we've been promoting recently fits what works for me - moderate framed (6.2), low birth weight - 70 lbs., great weaning performance - 666 lbs., and a large spread between birth and weaning, and super athletic and sound. Will he win a big show - not likely, he's too much of an optimum and not enough of a maximum. Will he work for everyone - probably not, but when put on the right cows, I think he'll add value to the Shorthorn breed, but more importantly he'll add value to the beef business.
We should all do our best to develop cattle that meet our own economic needs and that perform in the widest range of environments But to expect one size or type to fit all is just not realistic - even if the poultry and swine industries are doing their best to prove that wrong!!