whiteface & 15444

[cowman]

Maybe it is where I live or something, but I'm just trying real hard to remember if I've even seen a hereford bull out with a commercial herd around here in the last few years. I think some guy had a hereford in with some heifers about twenty miles away last year.
Around here they are virtually extinct...mostly angus and Char now with still a few Simmentals.
There are still a few purebred herefords herds around...I wonder who they sell their bulls to?
Occasionally you will see some straight bred hereford cattle come through the salesbarns. Quite often they are pretty fair quality, but they always seem to just get hammered on price? I assume this means they don't perform for the feedlot, or why would they discount them so heavy?

[whiteface]

Inahurry, I do think a little info sheet is handy and your other ideas are really great too! Sandbox for kids???!!! Genius!!! Thanks for the invite, I was thinking more along the lines that I would be stealing your ideas rather than giving advice! And those ideas are sure working for me! I don't do brochures any more since we got on the Internet. Accesible anywhere, updates in heartbeat, no one can "lose" the brochure. Only disadvantage is seriously not everyone is at that speed and some of our still very good customers are the old-fashioned "non computer" type and are worth as much to me as any internet junky. Brochures of some kind are handy for those, as open houses, personal visits etc. Black Angus and Paints, cool! I've always said black cows and spotted horses were the way to go and if I did it over again, that's where I'd be. I got saddled with "whitefaces" by accident when I was 9 and stupid and stubborn and just stayed with them. Well, not quite, I've got some pretty darn good polled herefords, that's why I stayed with it. Your paints interest me quite a bit, when I get a new horse or two they will likely be paints or appys (prefer a paint). Really loud, black overo mare or two, very althletic but gentle. Put your website on the forum, no one will bite you here I promise or email me dynamiteacres@sprint.ca if you don't feel like posting your site here. I look forward to seeing your horses. I'll be in SW Sask for a bunch of sales in Oct. I don't think at the time of your open house though, sorry, I might have to stop in at a later date, we'll stay in touch.

Cowman, I'm so glad you asked what the deal is with most Herefords. You bet they get discounted for finishing to fast with no muscle, growth or marbleing...the old kind sure does! Takes a loooong time to get cattlemen's confidence back but little by little, I've been doing not too badly. I've changed the minds of some pretty die hard Simmental and Charolais breeders now I'm going to Sask to change inahurrys mind (LOL!!!) That should be a challenge, haven't got a "black" breeder to go back yet! Seriously, I know where you're comeing from and I think that is one of my biggest reasons for staying in this breed is that I managed to get an extra degree of muscle and growth while keeping birth weight down, fertility and foraging ability in check. And there is absolutly no cows in my herd that need skateboards holding up their udders (I get complimented on udder quality very frequently) or any prolapse whatsoever, which has been a real hereford problem over the years. Feet are good, eyes are good and I know you must go to Innisfail auction on occasion cowman, the cowboys do actually know what they're looking at most of the time. I've been paid very well comparitively for my cattle. Breds, culls, calves, frequently my cattle are pretty high up there even compared to the buckskins and baldies. A little over $90 cwt for 5 weights a week or so ago, I was pretty happy with that. Our bulls just about always go into purebred herds because I'll only keep the very top of the crop and want a little money for them at that. I just don't have and don't plan to have the numbers to deal in volume and groups of commercial bulls. More work than I need but I am obsessed with quality and have sold very good bulls into commercial herds. A now very dear friend was one of those about 6 years back when he walked into a sale and outbid all the purebred guys to take home the bull to put on his white cows, he still has him! That keeps me motivated to keep doing this, those are the best rewards! Thanks for asking!

[15444]

Cowman:

I believe that the idea that 'Herefords don't perform in a feedlot environment' is a tool that has been created and passed on through the ages by backgrounders to get cheap cattle. A close neighbour and fellow purebred Hereford breeder switched to breeding Salers into the Hereford cowbase about 8 years ago and then switched back to Herefords about 3 years ago and is in the process now of ridding himself of all the Saler X females (The bulls went a long time ago). He switched to Salers because at the time he was marketing his weaned calves in October. Shortly after he switched to Salers, he began marketing his youngstock as yearlings. When he marketed his yearlings, he noticed that the Saler-looking steers (solid coloured) and the Hereford-looking steers (Whitefaced), sold basically the same. The only time he ever saw any price gouging was when he sold his Hereford youngstock as weaned calves.

I know that Hereford cattle do not put on weight as easily as the exotics during the period between weaning and yearling. And because backgrounders are looking for cattle that put on weight quickly so that they can get them back on the market quickly, they look more at exotics and (because the market is hot for them right now) Angus.

But because the packers are now paying based on the carcass grade of the animal and are less concerned with carcass weight, Herefords and other British cattle make sense for feedlots who want to capture some of the carcass premiums.

As more and more people begin to retain their cattle and sell them as yearlings or slaughter animals, I think Herefords will slowly become more popular, particularily in the cow/calf sector.

Anyways, thats just my two cents.

[15444]

Alicia:

I haven't sent my new web address to the CHA to update the one that is on the 'Links' portion of their site. Didn't want to until the thing is more complete.

[cswilson]

There's are thousands of HerefordX cattle up in NW Sask. and over towards Lloyd.-hard to beat a black baldie cow if your into british cattle or a Sim/Hfd if you go the exotic route-in my mind it was the ruination of the breed when they tried to compete growth wise with the exotics-really hard to find lighter BW Hereford bulls right now. Straightbred Hereford calves can be a tough sale but Hereford yearlings are another story-just be at ringside in Meadow Lake when the Diamond J steers roll through there a potload at a time-there won't be many cattle sell higher anywhere. As for me I'll take a black baldie cow every time-if the right cattle were used to make her.

[whiteface]

Hi wilson! Glad to have you back! Where the hell have you been?

[cswilson]

I just got back from ai'ing 500 heifers in SE Sask.-had a good time great crew to work with-nice cattle too. My 13 year old went and helped so it was good-my wife and three girls minded the fort while we were gone.

[ALICIA]

InaHurry- I bought a sorrel overo mare last year. breeding is NorfleetXFullPocket(thor). Im planing to increace to two or three more mare. Every year a breeder by the name of Thunder bird Ranch (Manitoba) brings a load of reg. Quarter Horses and Paint weanlings down and sell at our local sale barn. You ever heard of them.
How many paints do you own and do you offer any for sale, want are the blood lines

[cswilson]

You know why people ride paints?
They can't afford a quarter horse and they're too proud to ride a holstein.
Just kidding I got a few of them myself.

[ALICIA]

cs wilson- that is just want I want is a Quarter horse that got mixed up and had a overo paint. I found the one I like but I don't know much about the shipping costs of horses, she is in the Paint Journal (Aug)
My mare I still haven't sat on her, know time with this wet weather, but I have got as far as stepping up in the sturrip and laying across her back. Can bail off better, once you sit down their is only one way off, if she doesn't like the idea. And I don't much care for that way off. Sence I've got older, as I'm flying throw the air I keep thinking this is going to hurt.