Nobody wants cattle with too much “attitude,” but it takes focused genetics and handling to improve docility in a herd. “We’ve always tried to be careful about selecting bulls for disposition,” says Roger Jones, of Tri-Tower Farm, near Shenandoah, Iowa. “It’s very important to us to have a cowherd that we can handle, without a lot of wild calves in it. You know, the cattle do better in the feedlot when they aren’t wild.” Since he operates both enterprises, Jones knows how those issues carry from the field to the feedlot.
Today, Debbie Lyons-Blythe, who regularly updates her blog “Life on a Kansas Cattle Ranch,” gives us a snapshot of what Sunday looked like at their place.
Earlier this week Mark told you a herd bull is a big investment, and getting more so all the time. That’s why we asked Mark for his top tips for bull buying.
Earlier this week Mark told you a herd bull is a big investment, and getting more so all the time. Since you’ll be putting so many of your proverbial eggs into that one expensive basket, you want to make sure he’s the right guy for the job. But with so many numbers and figures to sort […]
Many people have a distinct strategy for purchasing a new pickup. They want certain features, they’re willing to pay more for this, but not that. They figure value and how much it’ll be worth for resale X-number years down the road. But when those same ranchers go to buy a bull, it’s hard to follow such a plan. Action at the auction can lead to price “opportunities” and buying less than they really wanted. Jim McGrann, emeritus ranch management economist at Texas A&M, says bull-buying should be more like a vehicle purchase and less like shopping the bargain bin on an after-Christmas sale.
When we kicked off our first-ever live Facebook chat, we didn’t know what to expect. But the hour flew by and we were impressed with the variety and depth of the questions our friends asked.
Some “recent” history: I was digging back through some information we researched out of the Iowa Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity (TCSCF) database the other day.
This is an era where you can customize virtually anything imaginable, from license plates and jewelry to M&Ms and burgers. As the beef industry moves forward, will customized breeding plans become more common?
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