Back To The Future

[Okotoks]

Im looking at High Level's pedigree, it looks as GAFA is a prefix you have used?  Looks like he has some okotoks breeding as well as alot of other well known Canadian breeders. What is High Levels story if you dont mind sharing. Any pics? The Mcleod bull goes back to when I was 2 ! Any pics of him or story you have? Im just curious on this snowy evening. I like looking back on older pedigrees of animals I never heard of.

The GAFA herd was owned by Gussie and Faye Adam, Bashaw. They are also the breeders of Gafa Mochican, sire of the Gus's. They also bred Gafa Captain's Rosebud Dolly the dam of Diamond Captain Mark 27C. They sold their herd a couple of years ago and unfortunately I don't think the buyer is keeping it pedigreed. The Gafa Macbest's Lady 32D cow had a daughter,Gafa Lady 19H, that was a full sister to High Level before 32D left Canada. That heifer,19H,was the dam of Gafa Highlander 23M and he is the grandsire of the Paintearth Rama 53U bull.

 

[trevorgreycattleco]

Thanks okotoks. I looked at the owner instead of breeder on the page. Any semen out there on any of the GAFA bulls?

 

[aandtcattle]

I am just going to add that the carcass characteristics of the pioneer 108 progeny is outstanding as well.  RN Reed brought 3 sons of 108 out to our place for the 2010 bull test and sale.  I too had 9 of my own bulls in the test and the 108 bulls dominated on the ultrasound sheet as they averaged a 100 ratio for REA and a whopping 122 ratio for IMF. Anybody with experience scanning cattle knows how difficult it is to produce extreme IMF cattle that are still average or better for REA and these Pioneer 108 calves did it.  I am glad to see reed getting some props, he has been at this deal all of his adult life and has some shorthorn cattle that have a lot to offer in terms of predictability and real-world profit.

 

[r.n.reed]

Thanks Aaron!I have a great deal of respect for your program as well and am amazed at the quality of your program and what you have achieved in such a short time at this.Here is the story on High Level.On Jan.1st Tom Moore,myself and Del Patty took off for Calgary and froze our butts off for four days looking at cattle.The Last day we were there a chinook came through and it warmed up to 60 degrees.When I got off the plane in Chicago that same day it was  5 degrees.We visited several herds including Gafa and wound up coming home with Eionmor Port O Call named in honor of the breakfast buffet at the Port o Call hotel.When I got home I kept thinking about the Gafa cows as they reminded me of the old pictures of the meadowbrook cattle more than anything I had ever seen up to that time.I called Gussie and asked him to send some pictures of some cows he might sell.In the backgound of one of the pictures was Lady the dam of High Level.When I asked Gussie about her there was silence on his end of the line and he finally said well thats our Lady cow.I wasn't too impressed  with High Level at first and even priced him to cheap to a Steer Planeteer who Luckily refused him.At about 8 mo he took off and turned into a real impressive bull.Even more impressive were his daughters and I have only let one leave the place and have sold a couple flushes.About the time I was starting to realize what I had, HL was struck by lightning with 6 cows.They were way back in the pasture and we drug them up to the yard one by one for the rendering truck to pick up.We did High Level last and the entire herd,cows and calves filed in behind him single file and then stood at the gate until the truck was out of site.Here is a couple HL daughters.

 

[Okotoks]

Those High Levels are awesome! I think they may surpass their grand dam, 32D, and she was one great female.

 

[trevorgreycattleco]

Thanks again r n. You ever run out of room I may be able to help you "relocate some breeding stock"

 

[r.n.reed]

Trevorgrey,I'm all about relocating breeding stock!No High Levels though.I noticed in my last post that I neglected to say that it was 1999 when we made that trip.Our first stop was Okotoks and that was probably one of my most memorable evenings and Shorthorn conversations ever.His cowherd and 6g bull who turned out to be a close relative of Lady were most impressive.The topics of conversation were a lot different at the various herds we visited than what you typically hear in a Shorthorn conversation down here in the states.Show winnings,sale prices and grade 1 embryo quantities were never brought up and if an individual animal came up in the discussion it was only in the context of what it had contributed to the herd.Very refreshing to me.
  As a sidenote to the High Level story.After HL's demise I used a son of him out of an 80c daughter from my Princess family.I also kept the 3 orphan heifer calves from the cows killed in the lightning strike.2 1/2 yrs after HL got it this bull those 3 survivors and one other cow were killed by lightning in a pasture with over 60 head in it.

 

[r.n.reed]

I told Okotoks I would put up some pages from the catolog of the first Polled Shorthorn sale held in 1902.If you can get a copy of Sanders Red White and Roan and Black ,the chapter on the Development of the Polled Shorthorn really makes this catalog come alive.The Nellie Gwynn's were the original Polled sports.Tippecanoe 44th was instrumental in developing the Marshall line and Golden Gauntlet was the sire of Golden Hero the first big name bull in the breed.I may have to put these in a couple posts.

 

[r.n.reed]

Sorry I'll try again

 

[Okotoks]

I will have to reread that chapter in Red White and Roan! They turned down $1500 for Golden Gauntle tand when I ran that through the inflation calculator it came to $36,702 in 2009 dollars!
This is interesting.
The American Cow is in the one pedigree. She was exported from England to the US and then later returned to England. She was famous for Renwick's Rose of Sharons on both sides of the Atlantic.
Thanks for posting it!

 

[trevorgreycattleco]

I like the pic of the second bull.
Interesting to read the comments on how the breeder described his bulls.
Quotes such as "remarkably short legged, thick and wide."
"Massive red bull of true SCOTCH character"  HMMM
I would have liked to been at that table back when with you and okotoks  <beer>

 

[Okotoks]

So are there still a few herds that descend from those original polled animals of the early 1900's?

 

[r.n.reed]

I am sure that there are a few slender threads here and there,mainly through the polled dual lines.The highest concentration would be the Haumont herd as everything traces 100 % to cattle imported in that era or before.Their Rosabells are tail female descendants of the Renick Rose of Sharons

 

[r.n.reed]

Here is a 108 son that I feel has something for the future.He's pictured at 7 1/2 mo and is a frame score 5.5.He is in the top 25% of the breed for bw.and calving ease and top 15% for maternal calving ease.He is positive 19 for weaning and 28 yrlg.wght.He has 2 Pacer Performance Dams in his pedigree and the dam of another.That cow had a 341 day calving interval with her first 8 calves.As A&T said earlier the 108's are showing a propensity to marble at an early age without sacrificing in the yield category.This calf is extremely linebred and you wont find another pedigree like his outside of cattle bred in my herd.

 

[Okotoks]

He pretty much puts it all together. Could you give his name so we can look at his pedigree?

 

[r.n.reed]

Wolf Ridge Pioneer L4620X,X4166469

 

[kfacres]

Wolf Ridge Pioneer L4620X,X4166469

okotocs will like that one

 

[garybob]

Those High Levels are awesome! I think they may surpass their grand dam, 32D, and she was one great female.

I had only 5 purebred Shorthorn cows, and I I had just purchased some commercial cows to crossbreed with my first Shorthorn bull ( Oaklawn Dreamworks). My banker laughed at me when I asked him for 600 dollars to add to the original note, so I could come up with the money to buy High Level. He laughed  me out of his office, for wanting to pay $1000 for a weaned calf.
I still have the VHS tape that RN Reed sent me, as well as a copy of Wolf Ridge High Level's  pedigree. In a roundabout way, the Shorthorn breed benefitted from the profound lack of acceptance by an Oklahoma Wheat/Stocker Rancher turned Arkansas Banker.

GB

 

[garybob]

Hope Y'uns are having a good day.


GB

 

[trevorgreycattleco]

Now GB, dont you wish you had a time machine?