Who's Your Daddy Sale

[jaimiediamond]

.... Smoked stay tuned for the out of this real world results!

the average on all the lots was $3890.00

 

[cattlefarmer]

Do have any results was curious what a few bulls brought?

 

[Okotoks]

Here's a few prices given to me over the phone. Hopefully I got them right. Maybe someone will be able to post all the results.
269W  $7200
23W  $7600
68W  $5000
113W $5750
109W $3500
114W $4300
254W $5100
20W  $4000
16X  $5400
43X $3700
22X $4500
95W $5100
86W $5600
25W $4600
105W $4750
250M cow $7000
250M embryos $1650 ea
83N flush $5250

 

[justintime]

I also found it interesting that one of the bulls that sold for over $5000 had a BW of 115 and sold to a large commercial producer. I was also told that the runner up bidder was also a commercial producer. I had plans to attend the sale, but cows messed up my life again. By the time 4 cows had calved yesterday morning and I had got a sick calf treated, the sale would have been over by the time I had driven 5 hours to get to it. This business would be so much easier if you didn't have to look after cows.. haha!

 

[Okotoks]

I also found it interesting that one of the bulls that sold for over $5000 had a BW of 115 and sold to a large commercial producer. I was also told that the runner up bidder was also a commercial producer. I had plans to attend the sale, but cows messed up my life again. By the time 4 cows had calved yesterday morning and I had got a sick calf treated, the sale would have been over by the time I had driven 5 hours to get to it. This business would be so much easier if you didn't have to look after cows.. haha!

The buyer of that 115lb. BW bull has bought dozens of Shorthorn bulls to use in his ShorthornX Simmie program. He runs over 24 bulls, half of then Shorthorns. The calves in the ad below are from this program. One should remember Saskvalley calves on grass, they ride out and tag the calves every day, an example of calving ease. The bulls plain work.

 

[vcsf]

I also found it interesting that one of the bulls that sold for over $5000 had a BW of 115 and sold to a large commercial producer. I was also told that the runner up bidder was also a commercial producer. I had plans to attend the sale, but cows messed up my life again. By the time 4 cows had calved yesterday morning and I had got a sick calf treated, the sale would have been over by the time I had driven 5 hours to get to it. This business would be so much easier if you didn't have to look after cows.. haha!

The buyer of that 115lb. BW bull has bought dozens of Shorthorn bulls to use in his ShorthornX Simmie program. He runs over 24 bulls, half of then Shorthorns. The calves in the ad below are from this program. One should remember Saskvalley calves on grass, they ride out and tag the calves every day, an example of calving ease. The bulls plain work.

Would that buyer happen to be from Blackie, AB?

 

[jaimiediamond]

I think that due to the Canadian Shorthorn Association advertising the traits that make Shorthorns commercially acceptable the commercial breeders stopped took a look and tried a bull.  Due to the success of the bulls they have used they keep coming back,for another Shorthorn bull as the Canadian Shorthorn breeders are very commercially orientated as a whole.  The ads have been running for 9 or 10 years and some of them can be seen on  http://www.canadianshorthorn.com/ads/ads.htm. In Canada our coloured cattle are starting to  sell for a premium as we have combined maternal, calving ease and growth.

 

[justintime]

I think that due to the Canadian Shorthorn Association advertising the traits that make Shorthorns commercially acceptable the commercial breeders stopped took a look and tried a bull.  Due to the success of the bulls they have used they keep coming back,for another Shorthorn bull as the Canadian Shorthorn breeders are very commercially orientated as a whole.  The ads have been running for 9 or 10 years and some of them can be seen on  http://www.canadianshorthorn.com/ads/ads.htm. In Canada our coloured cattle are starting to  sell for a premium as we have combined maternal, calving ease and growth.

I would agree 100% that the national ad campaign over the past decade has been a huge investment, but it is also paying huge dividends. The ads are well designed with excellent Shorthorns that are working in real world conditions and they have really caught the attention of cattlemen. I have supported it since it' inception, and while some breeders felt the money would be better spent in other areas, such as hiring a field man, I totally diagree. This ad campaign has been superb and it has been money very well spent. Check out most of the ads on the link above.

 

[nate53]

What's the story on the bull in the ad, he looks really good!

 

[justintime]

I just got off the phone with a commerical producer who has just moved to Canada from Britain, in the past couple years. He has just purchased a herd of black cows . He said he was taking an AI course and today when they were eating lunch he was browsing through a Canadian Cattleman's magazine  and he saw one of the Canadian Shorthorn ads. He found my website via Google tonight and he phoned to find out some info on what he could expect to get by using a Shorthorn bull on his black cows. He asked if we had any bulls available on the farm and I told him that we were having a bull sale April 16th. It turns out he lives about 65-70 miles from our sale site. He is coming down early next week to look at the bulls in our sale. He  is looking for 2 or 3 good bulls, so if he likes what he sees, we will benefit yet again from this breed association ad campaign. He said he knows virtually nothing about the Shorthorn breed but in spending an hour looking at Shorthorn websites, he was liking what he is  seeing.  I have always believed that advertising is a great marketing tool and I am becoming an even bigger believer!

 

[aj]

I've got my birth weight average down to 86#'s and you want me to start raising 110#r's again? Jesus Christ!

 

[justintime]

I've got my birth weight average down to 86#'s and you want me to start raising 110#r's again? Jesus Christ!

aj... we are pretty close to the same bw average then. I have not calculated mine out but suspect it is in that range. Lots of 75- 80 lb calves this year. Only 1 calf over 100 lbs so far and it was 105 lbs. I was at a Polled hereford sale today, but didn't stay to hear the average. From what I saw there were lots and lots of commercial buyers at $4500 +. One bull I remember had a BW of 105 lbs and sold to a commercial producer at $5400. I am not condoning this, just saying we have some producers that arent as BW conscience as they are down your way. At the same time, I think most everyone is trying to promote trouble free calving and calving ease is just as important here as BW is.

 

[aj]

JIT I think in general your cattle are very moderate bwt deals. But the 115# deals scare the hell out me. Thats why I'm scared to death to buy a Shorthorn bull from somebody else. It just seems like there is always that 115# bwt floating around in the pedigrees. And it WILL surface again down the line. There has to be a line drawn somewhere. But everybody thinks that "well my cows can have that big of calves" or "he's to great to not use" or "lets try him" or whatever. I know a cow can have a 115# calf. I know a car can run 90 miles an hour. You shouldn't push stuff this hard every day...is my point. I had one 118# calf this year. Unnassisted. If he would have hit in the snow I doubt he would have made it. I think people need to realize that when these big bwt's get in the pedigree they bounce around there for generations and they will show up as a throw back. Guys down here don't like to pull calves. They expect to pull a couple out of 100 head of cows(usually backwards).jmo

 

[justintime]

JIT I think in general your cattle are very moderate bwt deals. But the 115# deals scare the hell out me. Thats why I'm scared to death to buy a Shorthorn bull from somebody else. It just seems like there is always that 115# bwt floating around in the pedigrees. And it WILL surface again down the line. There has to be a line drawn somewhere. But everybody thinks that "well my cows can have that big of calves" or "he's to great to not use" or "lets try him" or whatever. I know a cow can have a 115# calf. I know a car can run 90 miles an hour. You shouldn't push stuff this hard every day...is my point. I had one 118# calf this year. Unnassisted. If he would have hit in the snow I doubt he would have made it. I think people need to realize that when these big bwt's get in the pedigree they bounce around there for generations and they will show up as a throw back. Guys down here don't like to pull calves. They expect to pull a couple out of 100 head of cows(usually backwards).jmo

aj... I agree with you 110%. You definitely have to draw a line somewheres, and in my case, I drew the line at 110 lbs, which is many other places would be about 5-10 lbs less because of our climate.I am not saying that is the magic line, and I will certainly move it when I see evidence that I need to do so. I am not saying these guys who are buying these 115 lb BW bulls are correct in what they are doing, I am just saying there are some people here who are not that concerned about it. I have one bull customer who constantly tells me I am wrong because I band anything over 110 lbs. He says he likes bulls with 125 lb BWs because he is convinced he gets many more pounds of calf at weaning to sell, and he doesn't mind helping some at birth. His cows are big roomy Char X cows and most of them probably can have a bigger calf. Personally, I think he is nuts, but he can chose to buy whatever he wants. I tell him over and over, that he is going to have to buy the big BW bulls some place else. I am like the guys down in yoru country, in that I don't like to pull calves. I have only pulled two calves that was not a malpresentation in the last two years.One was not a hard birth but for some reason the cow quit trying to calve it so I hooked on and pulled it out by hand.  This year, I have had two backwards calves and an upside down backwards calf that needed assistance, or at least I gave assistance to get the little backwards  guys out faster. I just came in from weighing a bull calf born late last night. I expected he may be a twin, because he was small at birth. He weighs in at 75 lbs and he is a Touchdown out of a Leroy 3 year old. When I checked this morning, he had sucked his mom, and he was running around the pen.That's they way I like to find them!
I will also say that this BW issue has been developed over several decades of breeding decisions. I suspect that it will take a bit of time to where we can be very confident that these big surprise calves are totally a thing of the past. ome times there are other things that cause these to happen. I had to take the cow with the upside down backwards calf to the vet, and when I was leaving a neighbor pulled in with his 7th C- section. He uses Red Angus bulls and his cows arSimmental and Charolias cross . He said he was scared as he was not even half done calving and besides the  7 trips to the vet, he had pulled some big calves. ( BTW, I sent him our bull sale catalog as I suspect he wilkl be looking for a new bull))Here in Canada I am hearing more and more Angus breeders talking about big BWs, so I am thinking this is a universal problem and all breeds are struggling with it. .. some more than others.

 

[linnettejane]

I've got my birth weight average down to 86#'s and you want me to start raising 110#r's again? Jesus Christ!

no aj, nobody was telling you what to do with your herd...you just keep doin' what your doin'...it obviously works for you!

anyway,  does the american shorthorn assoc. put out ad campains like the one above????  if not, why not???  really, the only thing i have noticed is a "booth" set up at a  few shows...

 

[aj]

Linnette. Its all about money. I was a board of director of the Kansas Shorthorn Assn for 6 years. There was a cost sharing deal with the national assc. at one time. They would put up like half the money. One confusing thing now is whether to use print media or internet or whatever. I think 10% a year should be set aside for marketing in budgets. I think the black hided myth needs to be busted somehow. I think you almost need a seperate campaign to do this. Who has the intersest to do this? The Herfords,Shorthorns, Red Angus? Most of the other breeds decided they would jump on the counterfit black band wagon and they are riding the deal without merit. To me that is were the black hided myth will be broken. If we could find a pen of black purebred Simmental in a feedlot test that graded 30% choice that is when it will hit the fan.

 

[aj]

Now my wife Billie is on the board. So maybe the gals can get something done. ;D

 

[jaimiediamond]

What's the story on the bull in the ad, he looks really good!

I am not sure I should be divulging this information as it might look like a self serving infomercial but it is Diamond Prophecy 21P on pasture last year as 6 year old. 

There are so many excellent bulls from many breeders used in these ads that really show what the Canadian Shorthorns can do for a commercial operation, as well as of course the females and even the commercial outcomes of using a Shorthorn.

 

[justintime]

I thought that was Prophecy but I wasn't 100% sure.

 

[Okotoks]

JIT I think in general your cattle are very moderate bwt deals. But the 115# deals scare the hell out me. Thats why I'm scared to death to buy a Shorthorn bull from somebody else. It just seems like there is always that 115# bwt floating around in the pedigrees. And it WILL surface again down the line. There has to be a line drawn somewhere. But everybody thinks that "well my cows can have that big of calves" or "he's to great to not use" or "lets try him" or whatever. I know a cow can have a 115# calf. I know a car can run 90 miles an hour. You shouldn't push stuff this hard every day...is my point. I had one 118# calf this year. Unnassisted. If he would have hit in the snow I doubt he would have made it. I think people need to realize that when these big bwt's get in the pedigree they bounce around there for generations and they will show up as a throw back. Guys down here don't like to pull calves. They expect to pull a couple out of 100 head of cows(usually backwards).jmo

I think the BW a commercial cattlemen might demand depends on what breeds his cow herd is made up from. Some of those commercial herds with a strong Simmental or Charolais base seem a lot less concerned about the BW.
I heard the Hamilton Angus bull sale averaged $5500 on 114 bulls! Also that the lighter the birth weights at this sale the higher the prices. Evidently the light birth weight bulls still had a lot of performance.