cwa...... I really do not think that anyone should have offended you by their comments on here . It certainly was not my intent anyways, and I re read the threads and some people stated they did not agree with you but that is about it. There is no reason anyone should have to agree with anyone else, and as long as we just say that without personal attacks , that is just fine. Personally, that is what I like about this board. That is how we all broaden our minds as we express our opinions and try to see any topic from some one else's perspective.
In my last post I tried to say to you, that , if you do not like what is happening in the show ring, then select the genetics you want to use and "do your own thing".You are perfectly free to do this... and their a many other breeders who totally agree with you. I think the opportunities right now in the Shorthorn breed are absolutely tremendous. I have never seen a time when so many breeders were looking for some different genetics... either new or old. Quitting seems like a very drastic move to make as a result of a few comments on here that I do not think were meant to offend anyone.
There has always been a " show " component in the Shorthorn breed and there has always been a show component to almost every breed. Some breeds like the Red Angus have not gone as far in this direction, but they are also moving more in this direction.Just yesterday, I spoke with a Red Angus breeder who told me about the tremendous National show the Red Angus had in the US. Shows do serve a purpose, as they allow breeders to compare their breeding stock. Take a look back at issues of the Shorthorn World from the 60s and early 70s. In the 60s virtually every page of advertising listed a herd sire that either came from Louada or were sired by a son of a Louada bull. In the 70s it was the Lancers and later the Ayatollah cattle that predominated, as everyone everyone chased sheer size. This trend took a few years to vaporize, as people found that they some of these cattle were just as bad as some of the small dumpy cattle of previous generations... only for different reasons. I do think there is more sanity in what is happening today that in any other era in my lifetime, even though there are some bloodlines that I do not think will work in my operation.
I think we would be in a much worse place if the Shorthorn breed did not have a very strong show orientation especially in the Juniors. That being said, this does not mean that I agree with some of the cattle that are winning... just like i did not agree with everything that went on in every other decade that I have been involved in this breed. I think that one of the major problems we all have is that we tend to paint all cattle from certain bloodlines as being bad. I have heard many people say ( and read it on here in some posts) that "the Trump cattle are bad". That simply is not the case. Some of these cattle are awesome and could work in any operation. The Ayatollah cattle were dumped on by some, in the same fashion. That simply was not true either. I still maintain that one of the very best females I have ever seen was a direct daughter of Ayatollah. She was a thick , deep sided and easy fleshing as any female I have ever seen.
As for cancelling your subscription in Shorthorn Country, I do not understand what good that does for you. Now you have lost the opportunity to even see if new genetics are being offered. I do not know of any rule that says that you can only advertise cattle that can be shown in this magazine. I think everyone, including the people who only have Shorthorns to show, would be interested in seeing some people advertise who offer a different product. Persoanlly, I try to advertise in Shorthorn Country on a fairly regular basis.... and I go to one show a year. I would not be able to even feed myself from the revenue I get from selling show cattle.
I sell breeding stock and I sell almost all my bulls to commercial producers. I have had to work very hard to develop any markets, and it has certainly not been an easy road. There have been many more hard times than easy times. It would have been easy to just walk away.. either to another breed or to another job. I have had many opportunities to do both of these things. I am not bragging, I am just saying that it is entirely up to you to find your own niche in this business and if you are absolutely convinced that the breed is going in the wrong direction.... you certainly DO NOT HAVE TO FOLLOW. Set out to produce a better product. If you are convinced that some of the cattle from previous decades will work for you, then use these genetics. There is lots of 50 year old semen sitting in tanks if you look for it. As I said in a post last night.... just make sure you study your lessons, and know as much about some of these cattle as you can. There were some that would be excellent today... there were some that we really never have to see again. As shortyisqueen said in her last post, I can still remember when we operated our feedlot and I was buying as many Shorthorn cattle as I could .... and being discounted at the packing plant ... for a 1150 lb animal with an 8 inch ribeye and excessive backfat. This happened more than I care to remember!! None of us need to go back there... but you can if you wnat to, as no one is going to stop you.
So if you don't like where the breed is going, be willing to select the genetics you think will "build a better Shorthorn". If you don't like the advertising in Shorthorn Country , then consider advertising your own herd, or try to convince more people to promote cattle that work in the commercial industry to advertise in it. As I said, I think there are many, many breeders who would be interested in what you are doing. I am sure that Shorthorn Country would be more than pleased to help you design your ad and they certainly would accept it.
I have gone much longer than I ever intended here.. and I apologize for doing this again! I guess my point is it is totally up to each of us to develop our own couse in life, whether that be in our occupation, our cattle, our families, our communities. If you do not like how you see happening, be willing to find the change you think will improve the situation. The easy thing to do is either just quit ... or to continue to just complain about the problem. Unfortunately, all this will do is give you ulcers and undue stress in your life. It is totally your decision which road you take.
