The best cattle

[grassfarmer]

Coppertop,
"you will not go wrong with black cattle regardless of what breed mix they may have." rather a sweeping statement is it not? Seems a lot of people agree though and there are plenty poor black hided cattle in the country as a result.

[wd40]

wow roly - fact is that if you take their hide of their all the same color. You'll find more outlyers within a breed than across the breeds.
Angus wouldn't be where it is if it wern't for Chinnia (spelt wrong)
Hereford would be where their at if it wern't for the Main Anjou.

I bought a group of bred heifers some years ago. Rancher did a gate run on the pen and I wound up with 2 perfect RWF - feather necked moms, from a heard that had been closed for 30 yrs.

[coppertop]

grassfarmer, there are good and inferior cattle in every breed, even I suspect Luing has the odd one that is less than perfect.

[grassfarmer]

Coppertop,I'm not disputing that or claiming every red cow is a winner - you are the one saying that you can't go wrong with black cattle - whatever breed or mix they are. Absolute nonsense!

[coppertop]

ah yes grassfarmer another lesson from you on just how inept I am about the cattle business. And here I have only been toiling away with cattle for 30 years in good old Alberta.
I would certainly suggest to anyone getting in the cattle business in this day and age to talk to successful cattle producers in the area where they are locating and get some good advice on what breeds work well and sell well in that area, vs listening to any of us for that matter. Although I do think there are a lot of folks on this site that have been in the business for many years and have experience with various breeds.

Black cattle sell well, good ones of course, and I would certainly give roly credit for knowing good from inferior cattle grassfarmer. Telling him he could not go wrong with blacks was based on the asumption that he knew cattle, which I am sure is the case.

[kato]

Roly, my advice is to spend some time at the local auction mart. See for yourself what sells hottest, and then chat around the neighbourhood and find how those guys are getting those top prices.

There are even differences between auction marts in what sells best. We sell our Char X Limo calves at one mart mainly because we know there are buyers there who do a lot of business with feeders who like those. Some marts get buyers who like cattle that suit different feeding styles, and they will pay more for British style calves.

Get to know the market, but don't buy into a breed you don't like just because it's in style. Styles change a lot faster than you can make your cow herd change, so you have to look to the longer picture.

Keep us posted.

[smcgrath76]

Can't recall exactly where you are located, but if you are around Yorkton, you can get away with more milk than if you are a little further south. Probably middle of the road for milking breeds, and even higher for breeds with less milk. If you are looking at a low input (longer grazing season - later calving) type system, you should probably drop that back a bit.
The auction market advice is good. In eastern SK, the auction scene is somewhat concentrated and often discounts are made on reasons that don't really matter. If you are thinking about feeding calves or selling through a plant, you may want to look into Natural Valley. They are paying on a yield vs marbling grid with significant premiums for cattle that do both. You might want to consider high marbling cowherd and a terminal type (yield sire).
I have refrained from giving specific EPD ranges for specific breeds in the event that I may ultimately offend any or all of you on this board.

[blackjack]

...roly ...as a feeder i want a calf that as length ,depth in the body and good hair coat... as a cow=calf man i want those traits in my calves and the genetics of the cow that is known for its longevity... a great looking 8 year old herd of cows with bad feet or bad bags will not bring you any more money than those old girls that keeps producing into her teens...

[cowman]

If you want black cattle stick with the Angus. Good market acceptance and practical. Also a large number to choose from. Not too many surprizes with an Angus.

[coppertop]

EPD's are but one tool to use in selecting cattle within a breed. If they don't have the confirmation, good udders, good feet etc. EPD's don'e mean a thing.