Justifying the cost of a bull?

[aj]

I think there are more bulls out there than there are buyers. There are scattered purebred herd out there that started out being 4-h herds or whatever. So you don't have to drive to far to find a purebred herd. Seems like to me with the U.S. Premium and cab and even red angus certified deal the Angus cattle are hot. The Angus have all kinds of data on economically important traits. These bulls bring some money. Alot of commercial cattle people don't care how square he is over his rump. They don't care that his grandaddy cost 15,000$. They don't care that he is freaky fronted or really hairy. They don't care if his full sister was an all american or won Louisville. They don't care if he is big assed and is cool. They want a bull with a bwt under 90#'s that has had some pedigree stacking done for economically important traits. Convience traits are also important. I once heard a guy say"if you don't sell bulls and only sell purebred heifers why are you in business?" For instance if every shorthorn was taken off the face of the earth would any commercial producer even notice?

 

[Dusty]

For instance if every shorthorn was taken off the face of the earth would any commercial producer even notice?

No.  They wouldn't notice.
 
The vast majority of the shorthorns raised now are for novelty purposes.

 

[turning grass into beef]

The vast majority of the shorthorns raised now are for novelty purposes.

I have heard that before from people in the U.S.A.  If in fact that is the case, then that is a shame, because shorthorn cattle have a lot to offer the beef industry.
Here in Canada shorthorns are not raised for show ( in by far the majority of purebred herds).  They are raised for beef.

 

[aj]

In the Jan issue of the shorthorn country Cody wrote (page 42)....The Shorthorn breed is at acrossroads and needs to decide who we are as a breed. Shorthorn is a British breed, a maternal breed. Focus on staying maternal. Continues to work on lowering bwt's. Work on improving fleshing ability and udder quality. With progress in these areas the possibilities. unquote. Dog gone it 110# bwt calves will not work.

 

[kanshow]

I sat at the local barn yesterday afternoon waiting on our cattle to sell & got to see some roan colored cattle sell.  They sorted to sell as singles and knocked a good 20 cents off on price.  Granted they weren't market topping quality to begin with but others of the same quality were only hurt a little on price.   

 

[aj]

I agree kanshow. They want solid colored cattle. Solid reds seem to do okay. Right or wrong feedlot buyers don't like the color. In the shorthorn feedlot test last year in Montezuma Ks my pen of wilder color shorthorns was reserve champ for rate of gain. It was around 4.1 but the color pattern is important.

 

[ELBEE]

My conspiracy theory: Cattle buyers knock 10-20 dollars off colored calves, so they can make up for all the money they loose on blacks and reds.  Why? Because they can! But I am seeing that price-gap trending towards a close.

Doc, I've got bulls standing around doing nothing, proven with references. $15 per cow bred, you truck, pay at calving.

 

[justintime]

The color thing is weird in that it seems to be rather regional. We ran purebred herds of Shorthorn and Charolais for several years as well as a commercial herd which produced Shorthorn cross calves. For several years our white and tan calves brought a premium. About 7 or 8 years ago, this changed and we were getting a premium for the roans and the Shorthorn cross calves. A buyer told me that they like the roan colored calves because they are proof of British bloodlines. Last fall, we were near the top of the market on our roan calves( both red roan and blue roan). What really makes me scratch my head is that usually these calves are bought and shipped to a midwest US feedlot, where these cattle would have been discounted if they had been sold there.

When we were running our feedlot, I had a dealer's licence and worked as an order buyer for several years. I sat with the major buyers and got to know some of them very well. I would say that they certainly know how to make money, but they are also a very biased group of people and I really don't think some of them are the brightest minds in the industry.

 

[ELBEE]

I would say that they certainly know how to make money, but they are also a very biased group of people and I really don't think some of them are the brightest minds in the industry.
[/quote]

Ya think? Oh, but they know fine cigars! If they were theologians they'd be dogmatic!

 

[kanshow]

Elbee.. this was at a sale barn near you.      The buyers yesterday were pretty harsh on anything that was  small framed, Hereford, roan, or dark gray(didn't even have to be rat-tail).  I am always amazed at the number of big (700+ ) cattle that come thru with horns & testicles.    Sellers were rewarded for good quality, well tended, uniform cattle. 

 

[Spring Creek Farms]

When my father and i went to pick out our first herd sire, i will admit we didnt have a price range, but i knew i couldnt get the most expensive one. When sortting the bulls i kept thinking to myself, "Which bull will work best on my cows." I think thats what is important. We ended up getting a Sonny/Augusta Pride 886 bull that was smaller framed but what i want to breed into my callte.

 

[ratmama2]

I bought my bull as a weanling, registered Hereford, and paid $2150 for him. I had AI'd or leased a bull up until then. He is now siring his 3rd calf crop. When I looked for a bull I wanted something that would put thickness and length into my calves and to help upgrade my cows. He has done that and more. His temperment has been a joy and he has also passed that into his calves, they will walk up to you for a scratch or a finger sniff at about 1 week of age. They have also been a joy to work with because they are so tame. There are many different things to consider besides price when looking for a bull, such as what do you want to improve on within your herd. Not just price. Luckily he was within my budget. I would have gone higher on his price if I had to.