I have fed out black hided cattle and other colored cattle and it doesn't make one bit of difference what I prefer. It makes all the difference in the world what the packers want and I will tell you without a doubt that at this point in time (actually the last 5-10 years every packer buyer that we have driving around this part of the country want BLACK. I have sold to plants in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The plants in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin supply to top end resturants on the east coast and they will not buy for any price if they are not black. Pretty much the same with one plant in Dodge City , Kansas only west coast. The other plants will buy other colored cattle but they will pay a premium for all black , most times. I know other areas may be different but that is what happens right here so when I look to buy feeders I look for black.
A good day to run black cattle
- Thread starter Soapweed
- Start date
Northern Rancher
Well-known member
I guess I'm too busy ranching in the here and now to care about the colour of their noses. If you sell on a carcass grid they could be purple hided if they are Y1's and 2's with Choice marbling. The changes to the Cargill grid up here is going to force some people to put a sort on the black cattle or else heaven forbid crossbreed. AAA Y3's are discount cattle now not $.07/lb premiums.
You know. "old" Soapweed might just know what he is talking about. All you got to do is look at all the pictures of those calves he and his crew produces and you will notice how those calves GROW! They exhibit lots of potential for the feeder and recently he posted pictures of heifers that he was keeping for mommas. So what he has going there should not downplayed too much. I'm sorry, but pink noses, chocolates, rat tails, and linebacks are NOT in demand. Why produce a product that the feeder doesn't want? Of all the cattle pictured on this sight, Soapweed's are the only ones that I would be interested in putting in my feedlot....why?...because of the breeding. Simple as that. Keep showing us those good Sandhills cattle, Soapweed.....it is like a breath of fresh air! :wink:
Northern Rancher said:
Fads come an fads go. That's why I'm not chasing colour. By the time I got things switched around, it would be what I used to have that was in fashion.
It has been a bit a mystery to me as to why blacks are outselling other colours, although you have to give the breed alot of credit for great marketing. If I was feeding, I would be looking for good exotics. Might be a touch more expensive to feed, but the lean meat yield is 7 or 8 percent better than British breeds so you make your feed money back and then some. Especially considering the price discount these days for exotic feeders. I know the same guy has bought our steer calves at auction the last number of years and he just laughs at the simplicity of this deal.
Big Muddy rancher
Well-known member
Silver said:
So Silver if there is a "Price discount for exotics" Why are you raising them?
passin thru
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Northern Rancher said:
Soapweed
Well-known member
passin thru said:
But it's quite proper to tromp on the sacred cows of the Liberals. :roll: :wink:
What I love about America is that free speech is alive and well.
passin thru
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You really surprised me soap
Northern Rancher
Well-known member
Your surprised and I'm confused lol.
Soapweed
Well-known member
passin thru said:
But it's quite proper to tromp on the sacred cows of the Liberals. :roll: :wink:
What I love about America is that free speech is alive and well.
passin thru said:
Northern Rancher said:
SACRED COW: Figuratively, anything that is beyond criticism: "That housing project is a real sacred cow: the city council won't hear of abandoning it." In India, followers of Hinduism consider cows sacred and do not eat them because they believe the animals contain the souls of dead persons.
I will try to explain. First off I made some unkind (but true) remarks about the Hereford breed. Evidently, passin' thru runs Herefords. He is "surprised" that I would feel the need to diss Herefords to sing the praises of Angus. I apologize for coming across this way, because Angus also have plenty of faults (just not as many). :roll: :wink: Quite possibly my remarks were not in "good taste."
To some ranchers Herefords are "sacred cows" (beyond reproach). To others, Angus are the same. To those of us who try to be objective, nothing mortal is quite held in that high of esteem.
Passin' thru and I both enjoy dissing the Liberals. As Conservatives, though it is maybe not in "good taste" to do so, by the same token it "tastes so good" when we do. For Liberals, their ideals are their "sacred cows. So is it okay to diss Liberals but not to diss problems in certain breeds of cattle? Personally I have strong thoughts on both subjects.
Once again, one of the many things I love about America is that free speech is alive and well.
Disclaimer: Peach Blossom is not sure that I explained anything, but in my defense, I tried. :wink:
Big Muddy rancher
Well-known member
Silver said:
What constitutes a "FAD"? If it was one or two years that exotics were discounted would that be a fad? what about ten years?
Like soapweed said we have freedom of speech but we also have freedom to run what we like. It seems strange how many that run other then "Black" can dis a black cow but somebody running blacks can say a thing about others. :???:
Big Muddy rancher
Well-known member
Silver said:
What constitutes a "FAD"? If it was one or two years that exotics were discounted would that be a fad? what about ten years?
Like soapweed said we have freedom of speech but we also have freedom to run what we like. It seems strange how many that run other then "Black" can dis a black cow but somebody running blacks can say a thing about others. :???:
If the market turned around and exotics fetched a premium and we stayed with our blacks would that make us more right? :?
per
Well-known member
Life would be pretty boring if we all thought the same way and even worse if we couldn't express our differences. As far a color goes, I like that really dark red almost black color. As far a cows go, I am only interested in profit, don't care what others think about the color or shape or size of my cows.
Northern Rancher
Well-known member
I found the whole Liberal/sacred cow thing to be very obfuscating lol. Like every other thread on ranchers.net this one has started to wander beyond the fact that Hereford and Baldie cows can graze on a sunny day in the snow without suffering terminal damage to their bosoms. I long for the day when cattle are judged not on the colour of their noses, the hue of their hides but on their strength of structure and performance lol.
Northern Rancher
Well-known member
Man I've been waiting to use obfuscating for years lol. Is unabashed verbosity a bad thing-English is a language we might as well use it-don't get me started on the hyperbole I'm seeing in all the bull sale catalogues lol.
Big Muddy rancher
Well-known member
Hey Northern now that your THEE Agricultural pundit for the Meadow Lake Times remember us lowly forkers of hay and pitchers of manure have to be able yo understand what your saying.
:?
:?
the_jersey_lilly_2000
Well-known member
Well...by golly.....the ears on my cows are sacred then 
We don't have a problem with any of ours havin sunburned udders. Have heard of folks that did. When I was a kid.
I've often wondered if it was the sun, or if it was more cold and wind burn/chap??? Cuz we just don't have hardly any snow in Texas. Even in parts where it does snow...it's not usually alot, and not that often.
But...I can see where the sun reflectin off the snow up in ya'lls country could cause that.
LOL one more reason to be thankful I"m where I"m at, no snow....no sunburned udders, and no froze off ears....cuz...I like them ears
We don't have a problem with any of ours havin sunburned udders. Have heard of folks that did. When I was a kid.
I've often wondered if it was the sun, or if it was more cold and wind burn/chap??? Cuz we just don't have hardly any snow in Texas. Even in parts where it does snow...it's not usually alot, and not that often.
But...I can see where the sun reflectin off the snow up in ya'lls country could cause that.
LOL one more reason to be thankful I"m where I"m at, no snow....no sunburned udders, and no froze off ears....cuz...I like them ears