khol said:
Just food for thought! Sorry its long but good!
Just buying a bull or is there more to consider! We all know the gravity of your bull selection today becomes a reality when their first calf crop is taken to market. Most consider pricing bulls based on a projection of years of service hopefully 4-8 years barring injury and the calf performance we might expect them to sire. If you don't keep your own replacement heifers, this makes some sense. If like most, you keep females, the long term effects of this year's buying decisions on ranch profitability may not be quite as obvious until we break it down based on the long term maternal value traits we are purchasing.
Let's assume your operation purchases 4 bulls this coming spring of 2012.•
First calves born in spring of 2013
First daughters calving in spring of 2015 (First granddaughters calve in 2017)
With any luck 2 or more of these bulls are still breeding at age 7 (2018)
Last calves born sired by these bulls in 2019
Last calf crop females have their first calves in 2021 (Their first daughters calve in 2023)
In 2022 a substantial share of the 2-7 year old cows are daughters of the bulls purchased 10 years before.
In the year 2030 there are still a few 11 and 12 year old daughters in your herd sired by the 2012 purchased bull.
In the year 2030 the granddaughters and great granddaughters of the bulls purchased 18 years ago still make up a substantial portion of the ge- netics of your herd.I know, most of us don't like to think about the year 2030. If however your plans are to keep or make the beef business an important part of your families livelihood as far out as 2030, which most of us do, the bulls you purchase this year will stillbe an important piece of the profits you enjoy or the challenges you are still work- ing through nearly 20 years from now. Sire selection is that important, so use allthe tools available to make the best decisions you can every time!So, if you would like to see a snap-shot of your cow herd 10-20 years from now in 2030, you need to only spend some time with the seedstock herd you purchase bulls from. With the exception of a few differences created by environment, what you see is where you are headed! The size, disposition, body condition, udders,feet, calving ease, fertility, longevity, etc of your future cow herd is right there to see. That is why it is so crucial to choose a seedstock source that is headed where you want and need to be.
Very good post.
I am old enough I can remember back when there was mostly Herefords in this country. Every body whined about their milking ability. We bought bulls based on that. And also, "them big, good looking ones," :wink:
Pretty soon everyone was cussing because they couldn't run as many cattle as they used to and it was blamed on poor years, wore out ground, and of course, the government!
Finally some realized that as they increased the milking in their cows, they also increased the size of the heifer calves they were keeping for replacements. And they became "nice, big cows" .
So, yes, what we do today has a large impact on what it is going to happen in the near and distant future.
We are going to AI heifer calves. When I went to find the right bull, I looked at ease of calving and then all the other numbers I wanted average. A bull doesn't have as much impact on calves as the cow, unless he is REALLY a good bull. And we would like to get calves out of their heifers who will grow up to be much like their mothers. No, we will not weaning off the heaviest calves. But we will not have the expense of wintering a larger cow. And the most important thing to me when I looked at a bull, was where he came from. I don't need bulls who are run like they are from a different part of the country. I need a bull who is run like we do and is superior.
