Steer Planet - Show Steers and Club Calves Forum

A guy near me has South Devon x Angus which are a good cross. His South Devon's are fairly moderate and using South Devon is a bit like using Euro with out the Euro. The cross also marbles really well with out the external fat.

The herefrod angus mama cow has been the go to cross for years. Nothing beats them in my opinion.  LF

Maybe, if you live where it never rains, and a 450-lb calf is accepatble. Also, you are adding eye cancer, balloon teats, and, uterine prolapses, to a set of good Angus cows.

GB

You are also adding calm quiet cattle that can get by on less feed and still raise a calf and breed back.  Yea they have some issues with prolapses, and bad teats but there is a balance to it all.  In the  quest for performance angus have sacrificed fertility.   Balance for the individual operation is where it is at.  When you feed hay 6 months a year the ability to do with less is of more value than when you are in the corn belt.  Besides at 6500+ feet the ability to PAP becomes an issue with many angus.  

You guys probably have access to better Hereford genetics than we do, here. I am not from the Corn Belt, either. I understand the need for lower-input cattle, too. I'll trade you PAP and snow for Fescue Endophyte fungus.

Interested? I'll make you an even-swap!

 ;)GB

The herefrod angus mama cow has been the go to cross for years. Nothing beats them in my opinion.  LF

why was that the go to cross? because everybody else was? we all know how that goes on today so why not then?  was the original versions really good, then when they got huge many people ,who were not educated enough to make proper breeding decisions started to add the problems?

I like herefords I see today for the most part. they are tryin to improve. black angus are trying to improve in so many areas, I believe they chase their tail alot.


the right parts make the best rides. my favorite thing in breeding cattle is studying the genetics that are out there and try to figure out which ones crossed will make the best freezer beef for me. sure makes the summer days riding the zero turn mower, mowing all those city folks yards go by fast. I may be working for a moron or a complete jackwagon physically. Mentally i am a long ways away walkin through the cows.

Quote from: LostFarmer on November 23, 2010, 08:07:40 AM

The herefrod angus mama cow has been the go to cross for years. Nothing beats them in my opinion.  LF

why was that the go to cross? because everybody else was? we all know how that goes on today so why not then?  was the original versions really good, then when they got huge many people ,who were not educated enough to make proper breeding decisions started to add the problems?

I like herefords I see today for the most part. they are tryin to improve. black angus are trying to improve in so many areas, I believe they chase their tail alot.


the right parts make the best rides. my favorite thing in breeding cattle is studying the genetics that are out there and try to figure out which ones crossed will make the best freezer beef for me. sure makes the summer days riding the zero turn mower, mowing all those city folks yards go by fast. I may be working for a moron or a complete jackwagon physically. Mentally i am a long ways away walkin through the cows.

Herf/angus cross just plain worked in this climate.  The combination was far better than either parent.  These first took off in the late 70's and early 80's  just before the go exotic of taller is better.  I like the British cross mama and then use your crossed up terminal sire.  This is just me but I like to have mothers that are the result of breeding like to like.  Meaning similar type to similar type to set a phenotype.  Doesn't have to be the same breed but similar built animals.  To often in cross breeding we breed the tallest to the shortest hoping to hit in the middle.  You might hit that and then the next generation have a throwback to the little or the big.  If you select what you are after and set the phenotype over time you will get more repeatable result.  Just my opinion and I honestly have no idea if there is data to back this up.