A Grey Area

When I mentioned you’re ahead of me on the cattle deal, it was more conceptually than the actual cattle. But even on the cattle level, the young cows I posted recently have had but one calf and are a long way from competing with the 10 calf cow, but that is as old as I have out of the 34G individual, and I tried to pick a few that represent the group well.

What I enjoyed of your pictures, aside from the scenery, is the transparency of what is...

Although many may argue the cross is so simplistic and elementary that even a commercial guy like me can grasp the concept, all the while spending a life time breeding seed stock that will contradict the same simple concept

Norcal;
It may seem a gray area in beef production, but the truth probably lays in plant breeding. If you use an inbreed maternal line as your Angus cows with a high percentage of characteristics that are functional, form will follow function. You can then crossbreed on these females to get a predictable end product that maximizes heterosis thus giving you more from less. The key is using predictable seedstock for the maternal factory and breeding the percentage of what you need in the beginning to replace your female needs. It is like all processes in the beginning it seems imposable, but if you stay the course and keep moving forward you will reap the rewards in the end. The key is to infuse as few junk gene pools as possible, in ten years you will find an immense reward.
Bob H

MS,
At the salebarns in your area of Va, what kind of deduction/premium do see when you sell white or smokey calves as compared to blacks?

MV in the vicinty of having never owned a white or smokey calf.

I don't have the best numbers here with me now, but there's no premium over black calves in NC and Va. Smokies bring good prices, pretty close to blacks., and the pounds difference you usually get more than makes up for the difference. Purebred Charolais feeder calves get some price discrimination thats enough you'll notice.

I have some actual numbers, but I do t have them here with me. I'll try to get them for you.

In the Northwest Smokeys and Blacks are the same price. The difference comes when you buy them and feed them, the smokeys out perform and have less 3s and 4s. If the producer watched the grading ability of the White bulls the will grade almost equal. Another interesting fact is you have allot bigger time period to harvest as they don't perish into 4's in 3 weeks.
These are my personal observations. Bob H

there`s more than one way to make a grey...
Unwanted is not prejudiced; he happily lends his service to white as well as black


this heifer below is so happy to be ccarrying an Unwanted Baby; but not nearly so much as I sleeping among tanged wires...



what the hell is this?


the sequel to Rosemary`s Baby?

a black bull so prepotent he makes white black along the lines of Lent`s Herefords?

or a concoction of Dr. Voss working in his laboratory late one night ?

Well, what is it Mike.

Definitely number three...a Dr. Voss concoction implanted into a receptive Char momma...I get a kick out of him standing in marked contrast to mom in color, and to the pure white boys his age in size...smaller, but faster, and full of life, like he could get up on the butte and live through some cold days to tell about it...his dam was described to me as one of the best outside the HBR Shoshones...A full sister looks just like him; another full sis is on a sorry sort of momma, and will deserve some patience...forward with the research that determines how far we go with development...
Kinda funny how when you don`t try to slicko rustle things; that good things can just show up unexpectly on your doorstep...just the opposite of Darwinism...

You nailed me good! I'll be damned! DV