New definition for Clubby bred

[CAB]

Clubby bred cattle are named for the "Clubbing" you'll take at the sale barn on the steers & heifers that you can't get sold for projects to "4Hers". They can't even get bids on those calves here in SW Iowa. If you're breeding "Clubby", you have to get some sold for some ch-ching or you are not going to have a good sale at the barn. How are other parts of the country treating these calves at the sale barn? Just an observation from the sales that I have attended here lately.

 

[Clubby24]

In Indiana here there's no difference.

 

[chambero]

Nobody gripes about ours that get sold straight to feedlots.

 

[Telos]

At the sale barn... No bids if they cannot maneuver with some ease. There are too many small footed, round telephone pole legged and straight winning shows. Judges merely select the lucky few that are borderline and not overcooked.

It is a numbers game and you can sometimes have more disappointments then success. Some matings should not even be attempted.

Judge requirements... At least three credit hours of Structural Engineering.

Learn and acquire a new aesthetics that is not always holding the pretty card with a bunch of high qaulity hair.

Good designed beef cattle = Form + function (Bauhaus mission statement; When designing a form there should be concerns of how it fits with the function at hand).

 

[ZNT]

Nobody gripes about ours that get sold straight to feedlots.

That is because you have an excellent base herd of mama' cows that are out of solid angus, simi, and some maine genetics.

Clubby bulls on clubby cows is where so many things are going wrong in this industry.

 

[CAB]

Nobody gripes about ours that get sold straight to feedlots.

That is because you have an excellent base herd of mama' cows that are out of solid angus, simi, and some maine genetics.

Clubby bulls on clubby cows is where so many things are going wrong in this industry.

I agree Zane. Some of these PPL breeding their cows to Heat Wave derivative bulls and say they are looking for clubby mammas have a train wreck coming down the pipe. I've been there and have absolutely no use for those cows. Sure there are the few out liers, but the costs are too high to take that gamble. I'm serious I've been at sales where they cannot get a bid on those calves and if I were feeding cattle and had an order buyer buying for me I would tell them that I did not want any of this type of cattle on the loads. They just will not grow with the commercial bred calves.

 

[aj]

Calves are weighing up 1,100-1,200 dollars at the sale barn. I think its getting kinda hard for the regular ole 4-h kid to finance a calf anymore.

 

[Gargan]

Calves are weighing up 1,100-1,200 dollars at the sale barn. I think its getting kinda hard for the regular ole 4-h kid to finance a calf anymore.

Very true. I had a call from a guy looking for a calf for a 4-h project for a kid that had his original calf die. Said the kid could pay $800 for a replacement. I had sold all my extra calves 2 months earlier through the sale barn for $1025 average. Sad but it is what it is for the kids misfortune.

 

[DLD]

Cattle bring what they bring at the sale barns for a reason.  Some of the "clubby bred" ones we get through the sale barn I work at sell towards the top of the market, the ones that are unsound or small framed don't.

Lot's of order buyers cringe at the thought of "clubbies",  but truth be told most of them can't pick out the better ones - meaning they can't tell you which ones of the better ones are clubby bred, but if they're good cattle they don't care anyway.  If they're too straight, or too small they don't deserve to sell well because they simply aren't profitable. 

But there are other things that club calf producers tend to bring on themselves - too fat is usually the number one thing.  Stocker buyers like calves green, because they start gaining quickly - you take one that's been on creep since he(she) was 30 days old, weaned and fed hard for another 60 days and turn them out on grass, which direction are they gonna go?  Fill is another big culprit - we as show cattle people love to see those calves full, stocker buyers like 'em gaunt - see the line about fat.  Clipped cattle are usually the kiss of death, just because they don't fit with the rest of the load.  Same reason all that color that's "in" in the show ring takes a hit in the sale ring.  Singles and small groups hardly ever top the market, but I realize that's something a lot of us can't help.  Combine two or three of these factors, and you're really in trouble.

All that said, we sold a 950# Heat Wave x MA/Angus steer this week for $1.55... Guess I'm not complaining about that.

 

[Limiman12]

CAB, what sale barn did you go to?    At red Oak if it has any white on it except for a white face you get robbed.    I had bought some later calving cowsthis summer for cheap,  Ended up having Hereford marked calves.....    Dad sold his calves the same day.  His tail end calves weighing 425 brought 2.09....  My heifers weighing 400 brought 1.62.    Over $160 per calf difference!    Made a huge difference on that set of cows profit margin!    That. Is why it would be tough for me to justify using shorthorn bulls, or some of the trendy chromed up bulls......  I will say that the skunk tailed cow that always has a skunk tailed calf always weans a big one, and we learned to keep him for the freezer......  Steak tastes just the same!

 

[CAB]

CAB, what sale barn did you go to?    At red Oak if it has any white on it except for a white face you get robbed.    I had bought some later calving cowsthis summer for cheap,  Ended up having Hereford marked calves.....    Dad sold his calves the same day.  His tail end calves weighing 425 brought 2.09....  My heifers weighing 400 brought 1.62.    Over $160 per calf difference!    Made a huge difference on that set of cows profit margin!    That. Is why it would be tough for me to justify using shorthorn bulls, or some of the trendy chromed up bulls......  I will say that the skunk tailed cow that always has a skunk tailed calf always weans a big one, and we learned to keep him for the freezer......  Steak tastes just the same!

I've been to Massena & Denison this last week. Same problem at both sales.
I had one late little heifer calf born 7/17, weaned Dec. 2nd weighed 385lbs. She sold single. Drake clean up bull on a OCC Legend cow brought $236 per hundred. Those little 4 weight calves are hotter than smoke right now.

 

[knabe]

Those little 4 weight calves are hotter than smoke right now.

true that.  most people don't seem to have experience taking a profit when they can as they want to take something all the way through, including me.  it's tough.

 

[DLD]

Those little 4 weight calves are hotter than smoke right now.

true that.  most people don't seem to have experience taking a profit when they can as they want to take something all the way through, including me.  it's tough.

I'm guilty too.  I always think if somebody else figures they can make a profit buying them now and selling them later that surely I ought to make more by keeping them 'til later too...  But there's sure a point where we need to take that somebody else's money and let them take the risk for awhile.

 

[SJcattle]

CAB, what sale barn did you go to?    At red Oak if it has any white on it except for a white face you get robbed.    I had bought some later calving cowsthis summer for cheap,  Ended up having Hereford marked calves.....    Dad sold his calves the same day.  His tail end calves weighing 425 brought 2.09....  My heifers weighing 400 brought 1.62.    Over $160 per calf difference!    Made a huge difference on that set of cows profit margin!    That. Is why it would be tough for me to justify using shorthorn bulls, or some of the trendy chromed up bulls......  I will say that the skunk tailed cow that always has a skunk tailed calf always weans a big one, and we learned to keep him for the freezer......  Steak tastes just the same!

That's so strange, over the past several years I have noticed the feedlots wanting the chromed up ones and go nuts over the roan cattle, be it a red roan or a blue roan. My dad is a commercial producer and has specifically selected genetics that give him a higher chance of the roan coloring. It's so strange how different each area is different as far as what the feedlots want and what is hot at the sales.

 

[Tyler]

CAB, what sale barn did you go to?    At red Oak if it has any white on it except for a white face you get robbed.    I had bought some later calving cowsthis summer for cheap,  Ended up having Hereford marked calves.....    Dad sold his calves the same day.  His tail end calves weighing 425 brought 2.09....  My heifers weighing 400 brought 1.62.    Over $160 per calf difference!    Made a huge difference on that set of cows profit margin!    That. Is why it would be tough for me to justify using shorthorn bulls, or some of the trendy chromed up bulls......  I will say that the skunk tailed cow that always has a skunk tailed calf always weans a big one, and we learned to keep him for the freezer......  Steak tastes just the same!

That's so strange, over the past several years I have noticed the feedlots wanting the chromed up ones and go nuts over the roan cattle, be it a red roan or a blue roan. My dad is a commercial producer and has specifically selected genetics that give him a higher chance of the roan coloring. It's so strange how different each area is different as far as what the feedlots want and what is hot at the sales.

I've noticed here in South Dakota the roan colored or hereford marked calves usually $10/cwt below the average.  Top of the market is always solid black or solid red marked calves.  I've even noticed the smoke colored ones losing popularity with buyers.  The big club calf producers in the area bring in their calves that didn't sell and they get along fine if they are sound and big enough framed, they won't top the market but are usually in the upper half

 

[Gmc cattle]

What color are all the calves on the rail? I think this is where market price needs to be determined.

 

[Tyler]

What color are all the calves on the rail? I think this is where market price needs to be determined.

Agreed, but we are talking about sale barn prices.  If you are an order buyer that is buying five weight calves to put in your customer's feedlot you buy what they want.

 

[Gmc cattle]

Your right! I guess I was commenting the fact that people are so caught up in black cattle only concept.

 

[Limiman12]

Your right! I guess I was commenting the fact that people are so caught up in black cattle only concept.

Yes, but the MARKET for feeder calves, is set at the sale barn.  And even though there is evidence that.  Charolais and Limousin cattle feed with better feed efficiency, angus out markets science.  Until that changes, smart business people produce a product that the market pays top dollar for.

 

[BTDT]

I have seen "clubby" sell for way less at many salebarns.  You will probably never get clubby breeders to admit it because they really believe what they are producing is commercially viable.  In the same breath they will admit to "knocking 99 in the head to get the one great one". 
I do not take issue with the clubby industry, it is what it is.  Capitalism will determine the value of what you are producing.  I am willing to venture to guess that AVERAGE price per head received for a calf crop is about the same in a commercial herd vs a clubby herd, unless your in the top 1% of the clubby industry.