I just really appreciate the ads the Oschners run. I don't know their
cattle, but always thought I would from reading their ads.
We had an intersting cow buying experience when we were in W.
Montana. We needed some cows and found some registered cows
to buy from some brothers that cut their herd down every three
years because of a shortage of pasture. The cows we bought were
good ones. So we called and wanted to know the next time they
sold, as we were interested in more. The brothers came to our
place and looked at the job the cows were doing and we got to be
friends. We bought the next cows that were for sale 3 years later,
and those were just good cows. No problem. Interesting that the
next year they called and had some younger cows for sale.
Some coming twos and coming threes. That was strange, because
they had never offered that age group for sale before.
We drove up and took a look. These young cattle didn't eyeball
like the others we had bought so we quizzed them a bit. We found
out the sire of the group of heifers. I asked them if they kept them
what they would breed them to. They didn't hesitate. They said
"Shearbrook Shoshone." Anyone that knows anything about Angus
cattle knows Shearbrook Shoshone was the number one bull for
milk at that time.
Well, put 2 and 2 together. These heifers were sired by
Fairfield High Guy. A bull with no milk. They bred the milk right out
of their cattle with one bad cross.
We didn't buy the cows.
As far as we are concerned, maternal means built like a mother cow;
acts like a mother cow; milks like a mother cow and breeds back on
time and be able to do it with minimium/no problems. I think to be classified as maternal, the cow has to be balanced in all maternal traits.
I think we really have to watch the milk in the Angus breed
anymore. It is getting to be TOO MUCH. We try to get a milk EPD
around 15, and no higher that 20. Too much milk causes too many
other problems.
I think Mikes comment about butterfat is very interesting.
In our literature in our mineral business, you should see the difference
in requirements between Avergage milking cows and SUPERIOR
milking cows. It 's an eye opener for sure.