I would suggest that this is a case of supply and demand, and it is no different than at any time in history. There will always be genetics that will work and won't work in different environments. You have to know what will work in your environment and select those genetics. It is no different in the Shorthorn breed than it is in any other breed. If you don't like some of the genetics offered, simply let those who do like them purchase them. I don't see anything different with this, than in any other breed. Over the years I have raised many breeds of cattle, and there have been cattle in every breed that I did not think were suited to my place. Some of these genetics you don't like have been very successful in many programs. If they were not working somewhere, it would not take long for people to figure this out and not bid on them. It has been this way for ever.
Several years ago, we took 50 bulls to a range bull sale in Sturgis, SD.About 1/2 the bulls were our own and the rest were owned by some well known breeders from these parts.There were Black and Red Angus, Shorthorn, Hereford, Charolais and Simmental bulls in our consignment. There were about 1000 bulls in the sale and there was many ranchers from Montana, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and Oregon there. It was a great lesson in what works in their specific environments. These ranchers selected their bulls almost in opposite order than they would be selected in many other areas of the country. I had about 50 Horned Hereford cows at the time and one ranch in Wyoming purchased 12 Horned Hereford bulls from me. After the sale, I was visiting with this rancher and he said that they flew their plane over the heifer pasture 3 times a week during calving, and flew over the cow calving pastures once a week. He said that if it looked like there were too many deaths, they would then ride the pastures to get a better idea of what was happening. I also mentioned to him that I would stop in and see how the bulls were doing when I was on my way to Denver. He told me I was more than welcome to do this, and that this could take awhile,as the bulls could be scattered over 200 sq miles of winter pasture. Obviously, this cattleman would need different cattle than someone living on 40 acres in central Illinois.
I have always felt that we were very fortunate to have a wide variety of genetics available. Many other breeds have a much more limited gene pool. Having these breeding options are a plus NOT a minus for a breed. Select what works for you, and allow others to do the same. That is a good part of what makes this business great. We all can have own own opportunity to " build a better beast".
