no better feeder cattle

[kato]

There's a market for just about every kind of steer out there. For instance, right now there are several packers who are looking for only Limo and continental crossed cattle to fill a demand for natural beef that meets a specific high yielding lean carcass quality. There are also markets for well marbled grass fed, and grain fed large and small carcasses. It's a matter of finding the market that fits your specific cattle.

If they were all alike there'd be no such thing as a premium would there?

Speaking of premiums, I would think the premium paid over the past few years for the Angus branded programs have as much to do with the number of Angus cattle in Alberta as anything else. What I'm wondering is if the premium will still be there once there are more of these cattle than the program needs?

Maybe someone who's selling into this market can let us know how it's going. We've never taken part in it, so have no personal experience. Over the past 20 years, our own calves have been more likely to have gone south or to Ontario than to Alberta.

I agree with you cowman about the gain on the Char cross calves. They've been good to us over the years. Now we are crossing a lot of cows to Limo and are getting heifers that feed like steers, and sell like steers too for that matter.

[PureCountry]

How many times do we need to repeat ourselves? Cowman, those Char calves may have gained 10 pounds a bloody day, but if the cost is too high of feeding them to do that, they are no more profitable than any other animal.

Yes I know you know that, and YES I am guilty of using breed analogies in my previous post. But we have to stop doing that and look for type, as Kato said. For Pete's sake people I think we've gotten past the point of 'Bigger is Better'!

Real estate guys yell Location!Location!Location!, we need to yell Quality! Profitability! Sustainability!

[newguy]

I have bought cows bred angus and calves from cows did not make top pens at big presort black sale. I bred cows limo and those black calves made it into top black pens. Heifers included. So what really are those black replacements out there?

[newguy]

way to go newguy !!! Never underestimate the clout of a pen of black limo cross heifers !!!!

[silverback]

How exactly do you keep those Limos in the pen????



lol

[Horse]

As I rember when the char hit this country they did make quite a splash there was a Angus breedre at pine lake that got into the char I cant rember his name[Pool or pole something like that] but I do rewmber his coment that the char are bigger but when the blks were laying around resting the char were still out eating.
Other than the feeders who realy benifets from the 1350/1450# strs. I think a little moderation would benefit the cow man a lot unless you are just trying to out do the neibor and dont realy care for a profit.

[cowman]

Horse: Pope is his name and no Charlais around there now, but those Angus he has are no shrinking violets! They are some of the biggest darned cows in the country and I doubt anything under 1600 lb. in that herd! Really big tall Angus...why it is hard to believe how far he has taken them...and yes they are still all registered purebreds!
One of the local feedlot guys tells me he doesn't care what he feeds...as long as they are black...and at least half Angus! Says he needs that Angus in them to grade AAA.
It is very interesting that today gray cattle sell so well? I think we can all remember the days when you were ashamed to bring a gray to town? Today they sell for a premium!
The top cattle to sell at the calf sales are always big stout calves and I didn't see much discrimination on anything this year...if they fit the pattern? I think these feeder buyers have a very good understanding of what they can make money at and they pay for that type of animal? They buy the others too, but at a discount, because they can't make the same amount of money on them?
The feeder is the cow/calf mans customer. If he says I want this type of steer then that is what you try to produce? If you think, no he is wrong I will produce what I want, then that is fine too? You just get less money...and hey maybe that works for you too?
The packer is the feedlots customer and if he says I want a steer that grades and weighs 1400 lbs. then that is what that feeder will produce...if he wants to make a top profit? He doesn't have to produce what the packer pays top dollar for...and hey that must work too as every animal can't meet the packers specs?
The bottom line is this: The packer can get a top profit on a certain type of animal. The feeder gets the signal and he produces it. The cow/calf industry gets the signal from the feeder and he tries to provide that type of animal? Hopefully the purebred breeder gets the signal from the cow/calf guy and provides the breeding stock necessary?

[cowman]

silverback, there are wacky critters in everybreed I am sure. The worst fence jumping cow ever on this place was a horned hereford years and years ago !!

[cswilson]

THe best feeder calves for most feedlot guys are ones that have a 24 hour stand with a 5 percent shrink-they'll find a way to make them work every time. If as a cow/calf man you don't think you are getting paid enough-retain ownership on your own cattle-there's alot of feedlots will finance the whole deal-feed,cattle etc.

[cowman]

Cswilson: you have stated the obvious! Feedlot buyers aren't idiots and they know what they are doing! They have to...that is their bread and butter?