trevorgreycattleco said:
Whats the deal on the HC Tracer bull that is a service sire on a lot or two in the Summit sale? What is he?
When Bob Miller ( Millvale Shorthorns, Fordville, ND) called me looking for a calving ease bull, Tracer was the first bull I thought of. Tracer is sired by Shadybrook Optimum 75F and he was born with a BW of 88 lbs unassisted from a first calf heifer. His dam was sired by WF Player, who was a former herd sire by Woodland Coach.
Optimum was bred here, and sold in dam to Shadybrook. She is still in the Shadybrook herd and is the oldest cow in their herd now and is still producing( HC Misty Juanita 30D by Highfield Irish Mist). Optimum has been one of the most consistent calving ease sires we have used, and he is also homozygous polled. His calves are very moderate with great muscle expression. Tracer has this trait along with Optimum's rich red colour. Optimum was the high selling bull at the Quebec Bull Test Station and was ranked #1 over all breeds by the evaluation committee for structural soundness. He sold to Semex International and he has been marketed around the world for many years. He is one of the best kept secrets in the breed as Semex have never promoted him in North America and as a result most of his semen has been sold in South America, Eastern Europe and in Quebec. ( Many dairy cows in Quebec are bred to easy calving beef sires, and Optimum excelled here)
I have used Optimum on my heifers for many years, and I have never touched a calf from him. Another thing I like about Optimum is that his calves have all been marketable as breeding stock. Ev ery bull calf by him, from a two yr old dam, has been sold as a breeding bull.We have enough confidence in Optimum that we have flushed some of our best donors to him.
Optimum is sired by HC Cherokee 125C, who was a bull I should never have let go. I used him on my heifers and sold him to Bi-Lo-Ji Ranches, Saco, Montana where he proved to be a calving ease sire. Cherokee was sired by GR Rodeo 4000 who was a very easy calving son of Rodeo Drive.
I do not think Bob Miller fully believed that Tracer would be as easy calving as I thought he would be. After his first calf crop, Tracer was turned out with all their heifers. He said he was the first bull he has used in many many years , that is a true calvbing ease sire.