Just a question for you guys........

[MN Farm Girl]

I was just wondering about the cattle out of Stevensson Basin. I've heard guys talkin' about them and one was really braggin' them up. I've read your guys' articles about bulls and EPD's. I was just wondering what you guys think about those kind of cattle.

 

[Canadian_Cowgirl]

ive, never heard of them! haha






Katy

 

[Anonymous]

I was just wondering about the cattle out of Stevensson Basin. I've heard guys talkin' about them and one was really braggin' them up. I've read your guys' articles about bulls and EPD's. I was just wondering what you guys think about those kind of cattle.

Good cattle I guess.... I never was interested in them as I would rather do business with the smaller producer who has a hands on knowledge of the cattle- instead of just papers and numbers......

 

[MN Farm Girl]

That's true Oldtimer. A lot of guys just look at the name and the papers saying that they are out of a highpriced bull. Other's buy bulls buy the EPD's. To me you can't just look at the papers, the way the bull looks is pretty much everything. What I mean is that the bull doesn't have to be pretty, but he has to be good. The bull we got is an ugly critter. But you guys have seen the pictures I have posted of some of the heifers out of him. You can't just look at papers, this one bull had crap for EPD's but the calves were excellent.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

That's true Oldtimer. A lot of guys just look at the name and the papers saying that they are out of a highpriced bull. Other's buy bulls buy the EPD's. To me you can't just look at the papers, the way the bull looks is pretty much everything. What I mean is that the bull doesn't have to be pretty, but he has to be good. The bull we got is an ugly critter. But you guys have seen the pictures I have posted of some of the heifers out of him. You can't just look at papers, this one bull had crap for EPD's but the calves were excellent.

MN farm Girl - What I am understanding from your post here is - Your bull is ugly. (Phenotype). Ugly is okay! "Good" is okay! EPD's are crap. (Bad) Calves are excellent. (Does that mean they "LOOK" good, (Phenotype) or they have excellent EPD's? (If the bull's EPD's are crap (bad) then it HAS to follow that the COW'S EPD's must be phenominal (Good)! That is - IF your determination that the calves are excellent ( does that mean excellent LOOKS - or - excellent EPD's - or - Both?)

You say, . . ."The way the bull looks is pretty much everything." No, - - that is not exactly right! The way the bull looks AND PERFORMS is pretty much everything, and he must have EPD's which dictate how he will PEFORM compared with other bulls in his contemporary group (breed) AND how he nicks with the cows to which he is bred. Phenotype, Genotype and Pedigree will pretty well indicate what your calves will look like and how they will PERFORM. If you don't consider the ENTIRE package in your breeding protocols - you will not be able to reasonably predict what your calf crops will LOOK like, or PERFORM like - no matter how ugly or "good" they may "look".

PHENOTYPE = Looks
GENOTYPE (EPD's) = Performance of the traits you are considering by combining BOTH the EPD's of the BULL and the COW! BOTH! - - - - OF THEM!

DOC HARRIS

 

[MN Farm Girl]

Thanks for the info. Didn't know some of that. Now I know quite a bit more. Our bull isn't papered, but from where we got him he was in the 1% at this particlaur ranch. But anyway, Thanks a billion.!!!

 

[Northern Rancher]

I was friends with the late Wayne Stevenson he was probably the most upfront purebred guy I'd met. A good guy who really knew his cattle-I haven't been there for years so not sure how things are now. His death certainly set things back for a year or two. What I liked was he sure had time to answer questions from somebody from 50 miles past no where Saskatchewan.