Who is buying cows?

[cowman]

Ha Ha Ha...me knitting in my rocking chair...uh, I don't think so!LOL
Elizabeth, I'm not really into doing much for "rare breeds". They are probably rare for a reason...like they are not much good for anything? Sorry I'm just a conventional type...not into rare and exotic things! Just a dumb peasant.
One of the guys I hired for the summer is going to stay in the barn, it has a room with fridge, micro wave, stove sink washroom, sat. tv, phone etc.! Hey I never believed winter calving should be brutal! Also the boy has his trailer and ski boat in there.
As far as coffee row goes...there is one in every town I frequent and I try to hit them all! I usually limit myself to one half hour or else the phone is ringing wondering where the hell I am...and of course don't go if work is pressing! But I do enjoy throwing the bull with the best of them and occasionally have picked up some useful information? I tell my son it is research and public relations...he isn't a social butterfly like the old man! LOL

[cowman]

Living quarters in the barn, holy cow, you don't see that in the average operation !! Don't let the county know or they will tax you on it as a second residence !!!
I honestly am beginning to think that you don't take farming seriously cowman if you have time to fritter away sitting in the coffee shop !!! I can't remember when I had time to coffee shop 'hop', my trips to town are usually to pick up something at the feed store, vet clinic or once in awhile I even restock the pantry and frig....but sit and visit in the coffee shop ????? NEVER !!!!

Now, the hairdresser is another matter, it is an essential service as far as I am concerned LOL !!!!! Plus, I am willing to bet you NEVER hear the stuff in the coffee shop that you would at the hair dresser !!!

[redhen]

Cowman! I am deeply wounded! Who's got some Wonder Dust to stop the bleeding??!!

Jacob sheep and Highland cattle are heritage breeds, the foundation for commodity breeds!! They are the Analusians and Lipizzaners of today's Arabians, Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses!!!

Many heritage breeds are "rare" because they have fallen out of favour, not because they aren't "good". They may not gain as quickly as genetically tweaked commodity breeds, but the balance to that is that they are resistant to many diseases and conditions, cost far less to feed because they do well on marginal land, are easy birthing, and give their breeders lots of time to spend in coffee or hairdressing shops! (Not that you need MORE time for that!!!)

Here's some food for thought to go with that double double coffee: If we don't keep the broad genetic base of heritage breeds going, what will you do when (not if) Foot and Mouth wipes out entire feedlot or ranch populations in the same way that Avian flu impacted BC's poultry industry?

BTW, I love your concept of living quarters in a barn!!! I would never have to vacuum again!!!! ROFL

[coppertop]

I don't know if the following is signifcant or not but I am interested in hearing if any of you have information on it.

I know a fellow who has some belted galloway cattle, and he says that when he purchased them at an auction market they had metal tags in their ears with the owners name on them.

First I have heard of this, although years ago we did have metal tags when cows were tested for brucellosis.

[cswilson]

A bit off topic but we had some Buff Orpington chickens a bit back-they just ran around the yard-roosted in the barn in winter and pecked amongst the cows-the kids had also bought some white layers at the same time-they hardly made the summer but those old Buffs lived tobe 6 or 7 years old. The kids would find nests full of eggs in the mangers. If factory pork and poultry production everbecomes impossible the heritage breeds will be what we need to turn to. Our experience was the same with hogs-my son would buy a couple sows every spring-farrow them-then sell the piglets in the fall and butcher the sows for our deerr sausage. The last ones he bought were high performance pigs from a hutterite colony-I'm sure they worked fine in a confinement barn but they were hard done by raising their pigs in a farm enviroment. I think it would be fun to keep a breeding group of a rare breed of animal going-there are worse hobbies to have.

[coppertop]

something like buying show cattle and putting them out with regular cattle !

I would doubt that any 'factory' raised animal would have an immune system capable of dealing with everyday germs etc.

[cowman]

Well emerald we were in the purebred business, calved in Jan/Feb and the old bull buyers weren't keen on bulls with no ears! I never built the barn, but did add the room and fixed it up over the years.
Won't go into how smart or dumb winter calving was, because I'll get ate for breakfast...but at the time you needed age and size to sell bulls? Different times than now for sure!
Also every bull had to be halter broke and ringed! No farmer wanted a bull he couldn't rope in the field and lead out of the pasture.