Bovine Nirvana - Bourdon

Dennis Voss wrote:

We in the west have been brutilized by the "academics" DF. Fish and Game Academics, BLM Academics.EPA Academics, Beef Today Academics, Forest Service Academics, and on and on. We are fired up and we won't take it anymore, we are roping rabbits and spurring ribs, we are serious contenders for presenting valid information and concerns. Dennis Voss, Riding For My Own Brand, But Ready To Help Jack On A Moments Notice

You could move to MO, build a bigger ranch and not have to deal with them. Bootheel might be able to help you find land.

On a serious note, I do feel sympathy for the ranchers who have to deal with all these groups.

df wrote:

OAK LANE FARM wrote:

I visited with a cattleman from very near Clay Center and he talked about the across breed work and comparisons that had been done there. When he unraveled the research the groups as few as 20 cows per breed per year to come up with that stuff. Who says they represent the average of the breeds- they represent the average of the very small population that exists at Clay Center. Instead of pride in the nearby institution he has contempt and embarassment. Rick Bourdon was a Red Angus rancher before he became an acedemic. He or his family owned Rapid Canyon Ranch which was in Wyoming. Herds like Buffalo Creek and Leachman would of had a significant amount of RCN breeding 20 years ago.

I am sure that could be true. The publication I often quote has the following;
Red Poll 974 births
Hereford 1060
Angus 1566
Limousin 1081
Braunvieh 1001
Pinzgauer 641
Gelbvieh 998
simmental 983
Charolais 1045
MARC I 761
MARC II 1055
MARC III 571

All of these breeds had over 350 2-yr-old females evaluated and over 1,000 (normally more than 1500) females of all ages evaluated.

It is possible that sometimes the folks pissed of at the acedemics are just as full of "it" as the acedemics. If you have read the study Dennis how have they bred or determined that their populations are represent the breed? I never really had a problem with the study as it was quoted in some sensible/responsible work.

They select a group of bulls from the most heavily used in each breed as well as some less proven bulls. It is a cross-section of accuracies of the bulls. I don't know their target for number of calves/sire.

df wrote:

They select a group of bulls from the most heavily used in each breed as well as some less proven bulls. It is a cross-section of accuracies of the bulls. I don't know their target for number of calves/sire.

df, isn`t it time for big sire summary of all breeds? do you see a contest underway between Angus and Simmental to see who "gets it"?