Different Viewpoint

[cowman]

Rpkaiser: I wasn't knocking them. Just wanted to try to understand them, because I haven't really seen very many around. There is a guy out on highway 21 near Delburne who has some Galloways. They look like fairly decent cattle from the road. Thanks for enlightening me.
A red baldy cow always worked pretty good for me. Charlais and red Sim bulls gave me a big stout calf in the fall. I have never had to really be "tough" on my cattle as I live in a fairly lush area(usually? We won't mention 2002!). I like selling at the auction mart. I always figure it's better to have twenty bidders than one or two and the auction system is competitive and tells you whether you are doing things right or wrong. But then I'm raising a commodity not a niche market product and I can definitely see where you would need a different marketing stratedgy! I remember once a guy brought in a bunch of Belgium Blue calves and he got a really poor price even though those calves really packed on the meat! I suspect somebody made a ton of money on those calves? But you know how it is...if you are raising a commodity it all has to be the same.

[PureCountry]

I agree with you guys about doing what works for your own operation. This can work for you, and that can work for me, and something will work for anyone. However, I still can't believe the amount of poor quality cattle - due mainly to poor management - that are bred every year, calved every year, and flooding the market year after year. Roy Rutledge gave a terrific interview in the Cattlemans' Corner of GrainNews a while back, in which he stated how many producers were coming into his auction complaining about calf prices. He then pointed out that these were mostly the same guys who were bringing in horned calves, frozen-eared calves, or steers with more testicles than is widely accepted by buyers. If anything good comes out of this year or more of BSE scandal, I hope it weeds out some of these producers. I hate to see anyone go belly-up, and that is not my hope. I just wish our industry could get a real good flushing. It's been a long time coming, but it may not come yet.
P.S. - cowman, the Galloway breeder at Delburne is Russel Horvey, and that's where I bought my bulls. He's a beef specialist at Stettler, and between him, Ken Campbell(Delburne), and rpkaiser, you'd probably reach the coast of beloved Scotland before you found better Galloways.

[cowman]

I suspect the guys were complaining about calf prices on dehorned/castrated/ whole eared calves too? I know I sure am and I pretty well sold at the top of the market! The money just isn't there to make a profit.
There is no real excuse for sending in bulls or half bulls or horned cattle. However some people figure the discount is not as big a problem as the hassle. Short eared calves, in my opinion, are basically a feedlot scam to rip off the farmer. Never let these thieves have any short eared cattle you may have! Feed them out at home and either eat them or sell them as yearlings. You will be amazed that they eat just as well as the calf with full ears and they lose all that 10 cent discount when they become yearlings!