retaining the right to flush a heifer calf

[kanshow]

What we've run into on bulls is that the previous owner reserves some semen rights.  In our case that  has meant the breeder gets the bull during the off season & they collect him at their expense & they get to keep whatever they collect. 

 

[harley]

I can't say I know of anyone that has intentionally done it, but retaining a flush could be a source of excitement for some buyers.  I have talked to some "beginners" that have more money to spend than sense, that came home from a big name breeders sale, happier than a peach orchard hog, because they bought a heifer that Big Name Cattle Co had retained a flush in.  After seeing some of these heifers, I was pretty sure that the BNCC would never make good on that right, but I think the new owners thought they were now in partnership with BNCC, and that made them pretty important, not to mention the owner of one of the best heifers in the world. 
In my opinion you have to look at your purchase as a business deal.  Is the breeder someone you want to go into business with?  Do they have the kind of reputation you want your name associated with?  If you think it's something that would work for you, then I don't see a problem with it.  In all reality, I'd be hitching my wagon to their star, not the other way around.  If I buy a heifer and she does good in the show ring, good for me.  I'm no one, and I don't see any one beating down my door to buy calves from her.  But, if I buy a heifer and she does good in the show ring and BNCC flushes her and gets some of those offspring out there for all to see, then some one might just find me and want to buy a calf or flush from me. Seems like it could be a potential pay off for only a little inconvenience to me. 

disclaimer:  BNCC is fictional, names have been changed to protect the inocent  <cowboy>

 

[justintime]

I am getting into this discussion late, but I think Malinda has done a great job of explaining how the seller retaining an interest can actually be a great benefit to the buyer.  I have kept the right to flush a female on a few select heifers I am selling. I have always stated that this flush will be done at the buyers convenience, which means that if the buyer don't want me to flush this female, I will not demand that she be flushed. I have had occasion to flush a female that broke service in mid summer and the owner decided that I could flush her in the fall.He then flushed her once after I had flushed her and then rebred her to calve early the next spring. He told me that he would have hated to have shipped this cow, for being open, as she had developed into a very good producer. Occasionally, Mother Nature decided that a pregnancy should be terminated. In this particular example, I got 8 grade 1 embryos from the flush I did, and the owner got 11 in the second flush he did for himself. he sold a package of 3 embryos for $700 each so he got $2100 of revenue from a cow that would not have generated any income and still had 8 embryos left.

I only retain the right to flush on what I consider to be my very best heifers in any given year. By retaining this option, I feel that I can offer heifers for sale that I would normally have to retain in my herd, if I did not have the option of doing this. As Malinda said, this can be a huge benefit to the seller. It is not just a benefit to the buyer.  In my case, if the buyer wishes to share in a flush, I usually agree to it, and I also assist in marketing the embryos if the buyer decides they do not want to implant them. In 2004, I retained the right to flush a heifer, that I had considered to be the best heifer I had produced up to that time. That was the only way, I would have ever offered her for sale, as she was worth a lot to stay here and become a donor. She was Reserve National Champion as a heifer calf and I sold her for $8000 that fall. I have not used my option to flush on this female yet, but I will be doing so in the spring of 09.

In regards to losing time on a female that is flushed, that should not be an issue. I have flushed several cows and had them rebred to calve in the same month the following year. ET is not for everyone, and I find that some people do not want to have anything to do with it. That is perfectly fine. I have seen some people get themselves in financial trouble, from getting into an ET program and not knowing when to stop. Gathering the embryos is the easy part. Marketing the embryos is the hard part, especially now. It seems to me that far too many people are flushing cows that should never be flushed. If they are flushing a female to add her genetics to their own herd, that is usually a good way to do it. If they are flushing a female, thinking that they are going to make soem easy money, I would suggest they better rethink this, and know for certain that the potential donor is a very unique individual. I have seen embryos sell for as little as $50 each in production sales this fall. That does no one any good!

As I mentioned, I have maintained the right to flush on a few females. I have never forced anyone to allow me to do a flush, but it allows me to recapture these genetics if the opportunity arises. It has allowed me, to offer for sale some replacement females that I normally would keep. It has allowed me, on a few occasions to develop ET partnerships that have benefited both parties. I have just completed a embryo sale to Australia, that included embryos from a female that I retained the right to flush in. After this flush we decided to partner on some additional flushes. The original buyer has more than paid for this female from embryo sales alone, and I have been able to add her genetics to my herd as well. It has been a win/win situation of everyone.