Your thoughts on the results of the National Red Angus show in Denver

[BTDT]

I guess I give the cattleman more credit than some..... cattleman can see bad feet, bad udders, and structural problems.
But they can't see unethical breeders that make up pedigrees year after year after year and get caught year after year after year and NOTHING GETS DONE.  THAT should be priority ONE.
Two - Stop trying to be black. We were seperated back in the 50's and for a reason. The reds have focused on maternal issues, growth, and longevity. Lets just say the blacks haven't.
Three - The three generation defect rule is not practical. If there is a carrier ANYWHERE in the pedigree it needs to be DNA'd for carrier status. As it has been proven, defects can be carried many generations before they get expressed.
Four - Although they claim to be a "non show breed", they cater to the big show herds by making the National show in Denver. You can show a bull or heifer at Denver and be a "national champion"???? How about multiple shows, beating multiple animals under multiple judges to crown the national champion animal.
Five - Combine the two worlds of show and practicallity by making the show a combination of EPD's, defect carrier status, and physical appearance. Make it 40%, 20%, 40%.  Yes, each judge would place more priority on growth versus milk, but right now, a judge may place more emphisis on big guts versus big teats.  The judge would have a score card.

 

[RyanChandler]

Im all in favor of the score card approach.. Blows my mind there is a clear cut winner in a judging contest but judgin the show itself is subjective ???

 

[BTDT]

Good point XBar.    I guess my issues made all the fleas jump from the dog. 

 

[Red Cow Relocators]

I guess I give the cattleman more credit than some..... cattleman can see bad feet, bad udders, and structural problems.
But they can't see unethical breeders that make up pedigrees year after year after year and get caught year after year after year and NOTHING GETS DONE.  THAT should be priority ONE.
Two - Stop trying to be black. We were seperated back in the 50's and for a reason. The reds have focused on maternal issues, growth, and longevity. Lets just say the blacks haven't.
Three - The three generation defect rule is not practical. If there is a carrier ANYWHERE in the pedigree it needs to be DNA'd for carrier status. As it has been proven, defects can be carried many generations before they get expressed.
Four - Although they claim to be a "non show breed", they cater to the big show herds by making the National show in Denver. You can show a bull or heifer at Denver and be a "national champion"???? How about multiple shows, beating multiple animals under multiple judges to crown the national champion animal.
Five - Combine the two worlds of show and practicallity by making the show a combination of EPD's, defect carrier status, and physical appearance. Make it 40%, 20%, 40%.   Yes, each judge would place more priority on growth versus milk, but right now, a judge may place more emphisis on big guts versus big teats.  The judge would have a score card.

I'm pretty much in agreement with most of what you have stated above. Combining the two factions in the R A breed that are seemingly worlds apart may be a monumental challenge. There has been a definate "line in the sand" between the "show" people and the "performance" people for as many years as I have been around the breed, 30+ years. Objectively, there may not be as much difference in the two "types" of cattle as some of the people would like to believe. RCR

 

[TPX]

I guess I give the cattleman more credit than some..... cattleman can see bad feet, bad udders, and structural problems.
But they can't see unethical breeders that make up pedigrees year after year after year and get caught year after year after year and NOTHING GETS DONE.  THAT should be priority ONE.
Two - Stop trying to be black. We were seperated back in the 50's and for a reason. The reds have focused on maternal issues, growth, and longevity. Lets just say the blacks haven't.
Three - The three generation defect rule is not practical. If there is a carrier ANYWHERE in the pedigree it needs to be DNA'd for carrier status. As it has been proven, defects can be carried many generations before they get expressed.
Four - Although they claim to be a "non show breed", they cater to the big show herds by making the National show in Denver. You can show a bull or heifer at Denver and be a "national champion"???? How about multiple shows, beating multiple animals under multiple judges to crown the national champion animal.
Five - Combine the two worlds of show and practicallity by making the show a combination of EPD's, defect carrier status, and physical appearance. Make it 40%, 20%, 40%.   Yes, each judge would place more priority on growth versus milk, but right now, a judge may place more emphisis on big guts versus big teats.  The judge would have a score card.

Does the RAAA have a show bull and female of the year?  The CAA up here has a system where each province can have 2 gold shows and you get points based on where your animals place in there class, at the end of the year the points are added up and you get you show bull and female of the year.  The score card idea sounds good on paper but I would think that it would drag the show on forever and you would still have judges standing there staring at a piece of paper.  Watching the junior show in Denver was like watching paint dry.  The judge spent more time staring at a paper then looking at the animals and he liked to talk alot about EPD's.  The major shows in Canada the judges don't have epd's in front of them, all the get is the birth date and the animal in front of them.  We also seem to get more actual cattleman to judge shows and you don't need to be some graduate of a judging program or a university prof to sort the cattle.