NATE:
Not many cattle get slaughtered NOW at a year old, but in he 80's and early 90's they did. That's back when all the cattle were too big and all that. Steers should be able to go to the feedlot RIGHT AFTER WEANING. And be slaughtered at 13 mos., 1200 - 1300 lbs. Not to some wheat / rye grass pasture in OK to live 6 mos. And then killed at 20 mos. But that's what happens today. Of course those big cattle won't work for most areas of the country where cattle are raised today. But in reducing frame size to the 4 frame bull in that Loving sale catalog, you have reduced growth to an unacceptable point. And it may not be as simple to YOU as more pounds = more dollars, but there has never, ever, not once been a quality grid negotiated that will pay for 25 -30 extra pounds of carcass weight, and have a black hide. PLUS with the price of corn and the use of alternative feeds in feedlots, the high quality carcass is becoming less and less common. All the carcass genetics on the planet won't surpass days on corn as the main ingredient to a British cross quality carcass. So to anyone that sells POUNDS of product, it IS about pounds produced PER production unit. Someone on another thread listed some kind of low line data where you could stock twice as many of those on an acre so even though they were small, they produced more pounds per acre. That is of course flawed logic because there are fixed costs per production unit that aren't related to size. For example a bull isn't going to cover 80 cows just because they are half as big as a normal animal, etc. As far as EPD's go, in any breed many question the accuracy of the EPD's. They are only as good as the data that they are made up of. NO ONE with their head out of the sand believes that their is enough accurate reporting of data to make the EPD's accurate. Then each breed has some bias in their model. Like the some of bloodlines for high carcass numbers in Angus cattle. There are lots of these rich guy high dollar Angus farms near me that go for these carcass numbers. Sorriest cattle you've ever seen. Ridgeback, slab sided, hard doing, hocks hit together when they walk. They might get a high YIELDING carcass, but thats it. And the Simmental with the bias built in to the EPD's with how high growth effects milk numbers. There was a recent two page article int he register from the association explaining how it would all work out..........when the cow was about 15 and IF you used the right bulls that had data to compare. So forgive me if I don't put too much faith in $EN.
As far as docility goes, I helped a buddy work ten shorthorn weanlings yesterday. They had been weaned and hand fed for for about a month. Very calm, it seemed. When we got them into a tight space it was like a rodeo. Many Angus are very calm. Just like anything else we talk about, it comes down to the individual situation, what you have to work with and what you expect to get out of it. Some expect an ideal pristine breed. I expect money.
RN:
Thursday I sold my worst bull calf at the sale barn. He was 1/2 Simmental (double half blood), born mid September, solid black, horned, bull with club calf hair. He weighed 515 lbs. He brought 1.71 a pound, $880.65. That's in GA where we get docked heavy for transportation costs. If that is what my worst 5 month old calf brings at the sale barn, I sure wish they would push back some more. All it would take for this calf to finish at 1200 in 13 mos is to take him straight to the feed lot and skip the wheat pasture miiddle man. I don't remember what the load of 8 0r 9 weight black Simmentals brought in SD last week, but I'll find out and post it here for you. When you can drag one of those little short, fat red ones to the sale barn at 5 months old and get $900 for him, then maybe you can discuss performance.
As to FULL OF BS:
If feed cost .14 a pound and your pre weaning calf is an AVERAGE feed converter, every dollar you spend feeding him makes you $3.50. If your calf can gain his full potential on a cheaper feed source then that would be great.
Not many cattle get slaughtered NOW at a year old, but in he 80's and early 90's they did. That's back when all the cattle were too big and all that. Steers should be able to go to the feedlot RIGHT AFTER WEANING. And be slaughtered at 13 mos., 1200 - 1300 lbs. Not to some wheat / rye grass pasture in OK to live 6 mos. And then killed at 20 mos. But that's what happens today. Of course those big cattle won't work for most areas of the country where cattle are raised today. But in reducing frame size to the 4 frame bull in that Loving sale catalog, you have reduced growth to an unacceptable point. And it may not be as simple to YOU as more pounds = more dollars, but there has never, ever, not once been a quality grid negotiated that will pay for 25 -30 extra pounds of carcass weight, and have a black hide. PLUS with the price of corn and the use of alternative feeds in feedlots, the high quality carcass is becoming less and less common. All the carcass genetics on the planet won't surpass days on corn as the main ingredient to a British cross quality carcass. So to anyone that sells POUNDS of product, it IS about pounds produced PER production unit. Someone on another thread listed some kind of low line data where you could stock twice as many of those on an acre so even though they were small, they produced more pounds per acre. That is of course flawed logic because there are fixed costs per production unit that aren't related to size. For example a bull isn't going to cover 80 cows just because they are half as big as a normal animal, etc. As far as EPD's go, in any breed many question the accuracy of the EPD's. They are only as good as the data that they are made up of. NO ONE with their head out of the sand believes that their is enough accurate reporting of data to make the EPD's accurate. Then each breed has some bias in their model. Like the some of bloodlines for high carcass numbers in Angus cattle. There are lots of these rich guy high dollar Angus farms near me that go for these carcass numbers. Sorriest cattle you've ever seen. Ridgeback, slab sided, hard doing, hocks hit together when they walk. They might get a high YIELDING carcass, but thats it. And the Simmental with the bias built in to the EPD's with how high growth effects milk numbers. There was a recent two page article int he register from the association explaining how it would all work out..........when the cow was about 15 and IF you used the right bulls that had data to compare. So forgive me if I don't put too much faith in $EN.
As far as docility goes, I helped a buddy work ten shorthorn weanlings yesterday. They had been weaned and hand fed for for about a month. Very calm, it seemed. When we got them into a tight space it was like a rodeo. Many Angus are very calm. Just like anything else we talk about, it comes down to the individual situation, what you have to work with and what you expect to get out of it. Some expect an ideal pristine breed. I expect money.
RN:
Thursday I sold my worst bull calf at the sale barn. He was 1/2 Simmental (double half blood), born mid September, solid black, horned, bull with club calf hair. He weighed 515 lbs. He brought 1.71 a pound, $880.65. That's in GA where we get docked heavy for transportation costs. If that is what my worst 5 month old calf brings at the sale barn, I sure wish they would push back some more. All it would take for this calf to finish at 1200 in 13 mos is to take him straight to the feed lot and skip the wheat pasture miiddle man. I don't remember what the load of 8 0r 9 weight black Simmentals brought in SD last week, but I'll find out and post it here for you. When you can drag one of those little short, fat red ones to the sale barn at 5 months old and get $900 for him, then maybe you can discuss performance.
As to FULL OF BS:
If feed cost .14 a pound and your pre weaning calf is an AVERAGE feed converter, every dollar you spend feeding him makes you $3.50. If your calf can gain his full potential on a cheaper feed source then that would be great.
These might be impressive statements but they do not gaurantee in all scenarios that I would of made the maximum profit.Every cattleman has to be continuosly evaluating their operation and making changes to survive and looking at the big picture.I can hardly believe myself that those feedlots would be hesitant on buying those simi steers.They are evidently punching#s that make them hesitant to jump in though.Like you have said before the buck decides.Are you sure you don't want to get in on the Shorthorn thing while its still on the ground floor 
