Just A Thought

[Anonymous]

I believe that bulls should be bought from someone that raises cattle similarly to you and in a relatively common area to you. Buying bulls in Ohio to come to Montana is just absurd in my opinion. I used to AI alot when I was younger(ten years aago or so) and the heifer calves I kept off of some of the assorted AI sires just could not compete(longevity-wise) with the heifer calves that came from the cleanup bulls that were native to my area. It took me five or so years to figure this out and have finally weeded them cows out.

I guess what I am trying to say is when it comes time to AI use a bull that wasnt raised a 1000 miles away or by someone that doesn't run cattle fairly similar to yourself.

I agree- definitely someone that runs cattle the way you do...And personally I prefer some of the smaller outfits where they know their cows and they are not just a number in a mass of hundreds or thousands of others... I truly believe some of these smaller breeders that have been at it for years- and especially those that didn't chase the fad "AI bull of the month" - have cattle and genetics as good or better than the big time ones with the shiny full page glossy pictures and ads in the Angus Journal and huge promotional budgets....

 

[Cedarcreek]

Every rancher has some less-than-desirable cows that need to go to town. When we preg check in the fall, any bred cows that I don't want to keep in my own herd, I also don't want anyone else to have them in their herd. We put a "P" on their hip and don't give them any of the shots we give our keeping herd, and we don't give them any pour-on. I take these cows to a weigh-up sale, and I hope they go to slaughter. If for some reason someone buys them to keep to raise a calf, my conscience is clear and they buy the animal at their own risk.

What is disgusting is when someone takes these cull cows with bad bags, bad dispostions, or other less-than-desirable characteristics and sells them as a premium product through an advertised bred cow sale. I am not talking about cows just culled for age. There is a market for these older cows that have stood the test of time. They will have good calves again in the spring, but they do need extra feed and care over the winter. But any reject sour old cow should be sold by the pound and not by the head. :wink: End of rant.

We do the same, any cow that has to be messed with gets a green tag and goes to town as a slaughter cow. Some get culled on disposition because with just the wife and 9 and 11 year old daughters helping most of the time we can't afford to have any snuffy ones around.