Wanted: 1800# cow

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Davis Shorthorns

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BCCC said:
Would you settle for a cow that weighed 1600 4 months ago? I am sure she is weighing 1800lbs by now. Hell I will even sell her for SUPER cheap compared the Davis, I am only asking 25k give or take a couple bucks....... Which would be a complete steal for her!! By the time she calves she wont have calved for 2.5 years, and her uddder will be filled with so much fat you will be lucky to get one quater to work ;D ;D

why you lowballin son of a buck!!!  Cant you see that I am just trying to make some money here ;D ;D  Ok fine new price 24,500 FIRM!!!  now remember this is only for my friends here on SP I couldn't do this for just everyone. 
 

simtal

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knabe said:
is there an epd for butter fat in beef cows? :(

we have looked different effects on milk fat with different feeds, mainly co-products, but it doesn't change much really.
 

JoeBnTN

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justintime said:
There have been numerous feedlot trials here in Canada where large framed growthy exotic bred steers and heifers have been weaned at early ages and put into feedlots, on a high starch ration. Reports have been mixed but some of these trials have proven that they calves can be able to grade with excellent IMF values at weights of 1150 to 1250 lbs. Many of these trials have also shown that this weight gain can be as economical as backgrounding smaller framed cattle and then using a shorter finishing period, when all factor such as interest, turnover rates and death losses are considered. Some of these tests have been used in Simmental promotional materials in recent years.

JiT,

Sometime we need to talk about my Master's thesis.  It was part of the old USDA grade system work and we were evaluating frame and type in steers as it related to final product and profitability.  What we found was that it was much easier to take a big one and make him profitable in a feedlot than it was to get a little one to reach a minimally acceptable market weight without getting too fat.  I still remember the steer that ended up as the overall top performer in the test - a Charolais X Angus that was a 7+ frame but ended up slaughtered at 14.5 months with a Ch -, YG 2 carcass.  One of the best hanging carcasses I've ever seen and his total profit and efficiency was remarkable.  There's nothing wrong with the "bigguns" they just need to be managed properly.
 

sjcattleco

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AJ!!!  (clapping) (clapping) (clapping) (clapping) (clapping) (clapping) (clapping) :D :D :D :D :D (lol) (lol) (lol) (lol) (lol)  now thats funny!!!!!


 

GONEWEST

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The only weight that REALLY matter is the weight of the money a cow returns. If you can find  an 1100 lb cow that produces DOLLARS like JIT's then that's nice. But Dollars in your pocket is the only measure that really counts.
 

ELBEE

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Hey Joe,

What do you think would happen if I dumped an old world Char or Simmy bull in with my cows, then terminated all the offspring? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$  maybe?


<cowboy>! Logic?
 

justintime

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I am not saying that I want all my cows to look like the cow I pictured. I am just saying that some big cows are unique and can be very profitable. I have had many big cows that were disasters. I also have had some small framed cows that only produced little muffins of calves that weren't ever going to make any money no matter how they were managed.I have had small framed cows that were thin hided and melted in our winters.I also have had smaller framed cows that raised a calf almost as big as they were by fall.  I am just saying we simply cannot put all big cows in the same basket ... just as we cannot put all smaller framed cows in the same basket.  Thinking back over the years, I think I have been discounted at the auction mart more times for small framed calves that had some maturity, than I ever have for big framed calves.

When we ran our feedlot, I had contracts with 4 local meat shops and supplied them with all their beef. Usually they wanted smaller carcass size , and they did not discount for smaller carcass size. I kept one pen for these cattle, and this pen always made the highest amount of profit, and oftentimes was the ONLY pen that made any profit.These cattle required different management.  I learned a long time ago, that you usually make more money buying feeder cattle than you ever do selling feeder cattle. I made the most money from this pen, mainly because I could buy most of these smaller framed cattle for 20-30 cents per pound less than what were considered to be the grades of feeder calves. If a calf happened to have frozen ears or a spot on it's eye from a dose of pinkeye, I usually could purchase them for 50 or 60 cents  less per pound.( I also learned that most cattle buyers are not the smartest people on the planet) These calves were perfectly healthy, and found the feedbunk just as good as any others. I made money because I had a niche market for these small framed low carcass sized feeders. If I ever had to sell any of these cattle to the big packers... I always took a major bath. The discounts were incredible.

I am becoming more and more convinced that there is no perfect size cow. My neighbour who runs his 400 cows on winter grass ( grass that is not grazed through the summer and kept solely for winter grazing) along with some swath grazing, needs a totally different cow than I do, even though we are only 3 miles apart. Efficient production on one farm may be a different concept than on another farm.

I really believe that it would be very wrong to eliminate all the big genetics from the gene pool of any breed. It is also wrong to eliminate the genetics from any era. Personally, in the past two years I have sold more semen from sires that were born in the 60s and 70s , than I have from current day sires.  I grew up when cattle were small framed and I have experienced the long road to change the frame size of our cattle. I am not sure why, but you can reduce frame size in a very short time. Increasing the average weight and frame of a cow herd takes much longer. Some day, grain prices will again bottom out, and some college guru will declare that we need bigger framed cows... and everyone will chase this fad again. Hopefully, when this happens, I will have some embryos from my big cow, still in the tank. Right now, they are selling at a good pace.

 

ELBEE

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Justintime,

I agree with everything you say, except, I honestly believe it is easier (today 2008) to breed upsize than down. And I know it's more exspensive to breed your own frame down, than to just buy some smaller framed cows.

Lee
 

aj

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I was throwing the big cow deal out there because of Cody's article in the shorthorn. Like he says it is hard to wean 50% of the cows weight if the cow weighs 1800#. I guess with the antedotal evidence provided in this thread, that all commercial cattlepeople should raise 2000# cows and just sell flushes for 50,000$. We could increase the USA's gpn by 100 fold. The USA kicked Canada's ass in the olympics so there.........I'm just kidding ;D.
 

justintime

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aj... in regards to the Olympics. Here are some stats to consider:

Population of USA July/08            301,139,947   
Population of Canada July /08      32,248,600  or  10.7 % the population of USA.

Total Olympic medals USA                110
Total Olympic medals Canada            18    or 16% as many as USA won.

On a percentage of population basis, the USA needed to win 155 medals to have the same percentage of medals as population as Canada won .... or 45 more than they did receive. ... and you have to remember that it is much harder to run and jump with snow shoes on, while carrying a 6 pack.
 

Bawndoh

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justintime said:
aj... in regards to the Olympics. Here are some stats to consider:

Population of USA July/08            301,139,947     
Population of Canada July /08       32,248,600   or   10.7 % the population of USA.

Total Olympic medals USA                110
Total Olympic medals Canada             18    or 16% as many as USA won.

On a percentage of population basis, the USA needed to win 155 medals to have the same percentage of medals as population as Canada won .... or 45 more than they did receive. ... and you have to remember that it is much harder to run and jump with snow shoes on, while carrying a 6 pack.

(clapping) (clapping)
Amen, Amen, Amen.

P.S.  Figure those numbers out after the winter Olympics and then see who got "more". 
 

JoeBnTN

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ELBEE said:
Hey Joe,

What do you think would happen if I dumped an old world Char or Simmy bull in with my cows, then terminated all the offspring? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$  maybe?


<cowboy>! Logic?

Great idea!!  Except.... I'd keep all the sound structured daughters as they'd be some really good cows!!  I especailly like the Charolais cross - we used to have about 25 of those and they made lots of money in the feeder sales.
 

aj

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I heard Mexico doesn't have a team. Everyone one them that can run,jump, or swim is in the U.S.A.....Lord forgive me.... ;D
 
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