Suggestions and advice on commerical herd needed!

[Wyoming Wind]

We run about 550 commercial cows, the majority of which are straight angus, a few that still have some of the old simmental blood that we ran here about 20 years ago, and a the rest are hereford cross (baldies now). I've been getting into a discussion with a relative who raises purebred angus, fantastic cattle, and we usually get a few bulls from him every year. In my picking of bulls my goal has been to first and foremost get low Pap scored bulls (we run starting at 7700 feet and just go up from there), and from there just what has overall good EPD's across the board. Nothing too extreme in any one trait. And of course, what we can afford! I have been trying too to pick different bloodlines when I can since we don't know what bull breeds which cow. My purebred angus breeder/relative thinks you should find a bloodline that works with your cows and stick with it. I can see where he comes from but a commerical herd and purebred herd are two different things. What does everyone think? Perhaps there are things I haven't even thought of, I'm not saying that I'm right by any means :? and we just want to keep raising a great set of calves to sell and great heifer replacements to throw back into our herd of mamma's! And where we don't buy cows very often our only way to improve is thru introducing new blood (bulls). Hmmm...any suggestions? I hope I am making sense! :wink:

 

[WVGenetics]

Wyoming Wind, it seems to me you are making perfect sense and I would think you are not the only commercial rancher facing this same issue. IMO, commercial ranchers can't afford to be inbreeding while more seedstock producers should be. Just my thinking for what it's worth, which isn't much. I would suggest crossbreeding. It's the easiest way to avoid inbreeding provided you use another breed that hasn't been diluted by Angus. Certainly, there are a lot of useful cattle out there but not all of them are Angus!

 

[Hay Feeder]

Wyoming Wind
Ingalls at Powder River have the bulls that you are asking about. After that you may have to travel accross the state to Goshen County where there are many breeders that have great herds. They all have been at it for a very long time.

 

[Haytrucker]

Goshen County, and the surrounding area sure raises some good bulls; but the altitude would be a factor,,,