Those yellow calves!

[Muttley]

I am still a true blue Angus fan, but must agree the price for Char X calves is pretty good. I sell a number of them each year. When it comes right down to it I will have to admit I get a few dollars more on average for the Char X calves.
But I agree with the statement that the mothers still eat more and cost me more than my Angus. Most Char X cows at my place are 200 to 400 lbs. bigger than my Angus and I tend to find if a calf is going to have problems it will be those one as they are usually bigger even though they are mainly Angus sired!!!!

[cowman]

We have moved to a later calving date and I still question whether that was the smart thing to do? Now without a doubt it is nicer in the winter but I really doubt it is more profitable or less work in the big picture.
Pre BSE I always figured any calf being sold in the fall had to be bringing home around $780. If not they stayed home and were fed out to sell in the spring or go to grass. Some years you never made a lot after expenses, some years you made a killing! Don't think I ever lost money...maybe in the drought year?
Not real scientific but I have a pretty good feel for what goes in my pocket and what comes out!
In my opinion the best return for my time and labor was those big calves in the fall...with a big emphasis on TIME and LABOR, because I had time in Jan., Feb, March...not so much in April and May.
I kind of figured it this way with winter calving: You might feed a bit more but you didn't have to put the feed into a calf the following winter? And you didn't have to deal with sick calves, or extra work, or cleaning out corrals the next spring?
Now I do not intend to go back to winter calving...too old and too lazy to go there, but it was profitable! At one time the buyers would pay a premium for those big calves which hasn't really happened the last few years?
I have always liked to do things as cheaply as possible...while keeping production as high as possible! Which can be quite a balancing act?
Without a doubt crossbreeding is the cheapest bang for your buck you'll ever get! Not just in the crossbred calf but also in the crossbred cow...maybe even more in the crossbred cow?