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Post by okie on Oct 19, 2019 15:44:40 GMT -6
As far as fed up cattle, look into epigenetics. Basic overview: If you and I were to buy cows from the same source, same genetics but I feed grain all winter and you don't the daughters from my herd would be geneticly hardwired to require grain to get through the winter while yours would be fine on just hay.
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Post by cowrancher75 on Oct 19, 2019 19:36:41 GMT -6
heifers @ the yard .. culling may be high.. and might take a while to weed through them. plus.. lots of farms commingling.. Ohio land :: one place.. proven grass gainers.. proven mothers.. size.. ? you guys see CICRLE A's new "wangus" bulls.. they talk them up pretty good.. and say they are making an extra 300 / hd by getting a 80% prime grade. They'll go prime alright but the discount for yield grade 4 and over will destroy that prime premium on most grids.can you explain some more? i'm new to feedlot cattle... trying to learn as much as possible.can you explain some more? i'm new to feedlot cattle... trying to learn as much as possible.can you explain some more? i'm new to feedlot cattle... trying to learn as much as possible.can you explain some more? i'm new to feedlot cattle... trying to learn as much as possible.
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Post by okie on Oct 19, 2019 22:02:05 GMT -6
Cattle that are marketed on a grid have two major benchmarks that they're judged on. Quality grade(marbling) and yield(percentage of useable meat) Grid marketing pays premiums for better scores for either of those areas and discounts for poor scores. Everyone tends to focus on the quality grade because that's been pushed so hard but the discounts for yield can wipe it out completely. Most primes are a yield three or four as the traits are antagonistic. There's not usually a discount for a yield 3 but there almost always is for a four or five and it's usually more than what the premium for prime is. The industry standard calf is three quarters English, one quarter continental and half angus because they tend to fall somewhere around a choice YG2-3 and that gives small premiums without discounts.
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Post by randy on Oct 20, 2019 5:54:59 GMT -6
Now Okie you know that, nobody worries about the pesky yield grade. Hardly ever hear that mentioned. Till they get discounted for yield grade 4 carcass.
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Post by dave on Oct 20, 2019 7:18:51 GMT -6
The people I bought my bulls from for years have been retaining ownership through the feedlot and keeping real good records for decades. They have a calf that is a yield grade 4 and its mother gets pulled out of the herd and gets a trip to town.
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Post by Allenw on Oct 21, 2019 6:44:13 GMT -6
As far as fed up cattle, look into epigenetics. Basic overview: If you and I were to buy cows from the same source, same genetics but I feed grain all winter and you don't the daughters from my herd would be geneticly hardwired to require grain to get through the winter while yours would be fine on just hay. The problem is the fed up cattle can have maintenance needs above what the average animal requires. I"m not disagreeing with your statement just feel that eliminating grain isn't going to solve the above average maintenance demands of a fed up bred animal in the next generation.
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Post by 11111 on Nov 3, 2019 11:03:36 GMT -6
We do feed our bulls prior to sale but they’re on a wean ration (not a grower)... we don’t get them fat, we grow them.
An operation told us a few years ago, when we were trying to sell bulls that they’d never buy from us because they weren’t “top of the line” bulls. They’re a feedlot with a cow/calf operation. No AI so they need a lot of bulls.
Low and behold, last year they purchased 2 from us. I’m not sure what prompted them to but the guys stopped by the shop late summer and said these were the best bulls they’ve ever used. He kept asking my husband “how were you feeding them, what were you doing differently?” Then went on to state that every bull they bought (thousands and thousands of dollars) was either injured or melted when put to work.
My husband thinks that bulls get fed too hard to hide those imperfections and we aren’t going to have the heaviest bull come sale time but he’s gonna look as good coming off pasture, as he did when he went in.
Two days ago my husband said he got a call from another buyer from this sale and asked if we had any 2 year olds just like the one he bought at sale cuz he’s so impressed. Those are the things we love hearing!
We cull PB cattle hard. Just because they’re papered, doesn’t mean they won’t get a ticket to the fat pen. I wish every operation did that.
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Post by okie on Nov 3, 2019 15:28:00 GMT -6
We cull PB cattle hard. Just because they’re papered, doesn’t mean they won’t get a ticket to the fat pen. I wish every operation did that. They should, but they don't. One of the worst epidemics I've seen is the $B. It's great in concept but way to many people are leaving bulls intact due to a $B EPD that aren't sound enough to pass it on to more than a few calves. I AI'd a set of heifers for some people here a while back that had three cleanup bulls that they were in love with for their $B. I ran 92% and I'm glad I did because that's all they got. All three bulls were so crippled they never bred a single heifer! They were greasy fat and had these tiny little back feet that they couldn't put that much weight on to get up and ride.
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Post by cowrancher75 on Nov 11, 2019 6:02:30 GMT -6
We do feed our bulls prior to sale but they’re on a wean ration (not a grower)... we don’t get them fat, we grow them. An operation told us a few years ago, when we were trying to sell bulls that they’d never buy from us because they weren’t “top of the line” bulls. They’re a feedlot with a cow/calf operation. No AI so they need a lot of bulls. Low and behold, last year they purchased 2 from us. I’m not sure what prompted them to but the guys stopped by the shop late summer and said these were the best bulls they’ve ever used. He kept asking my husband “how were you feeding them, what were you doing differently?” Then went on to state that every bull they bought (thousands and thousands of dollars) was either injured or melted when put to work. My husband thinks that bulls get fed too hard to hide those imperfections and we aren’t going to have the heaviest bull come sale time but he’s gonna look as good coming off pasture, as he did when he went in. Two days ago my husband said he got a call from another buyer from this sale and asked if we had any 2 year olds just like the one he bought at sale cuz he’s so impressed. Those are the things we love hearing! We cull PB cattle hard. Just because they’re papered, doesn’t mean they won’t get a ticket to the fat pen. I wish every operation did that.
sounds like you're doing a great job.
I believe how you feed an animal is how they develop.
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