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Post by larso on Sept 15, 2014 14:54:56 GMT -6
Reading some of the comments on this forum you would think the Hereford breed was a 'train wreck'. I'm not saying we don't need to improve certain traits and as any breeder of livestock we will spend a life time doing that, that's why we study pedigrees, travel miles to look at cattle, talk cattle ,eat and sleep cattle, it's our passion. So I'm going to start with what I think the Hereford has over many of the other breeds TEMPERMENT when I can quietly go up to a new born calf and weight it and ear tag it with out putting my life on the line, like it used to be when I was managing a 600 head Angus herd ( spent most of the time under the truck trying to protect myself ) I will take the Hereford any day, that's just one of the reasons I breed Hereford's. May be others might like to say why their choice is Hereford ?
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Post by tartancowgirl on Sept 15, 2014 15:12:44 GMT -6
Temperament is the main reason why we chose Herefords and we haven't been disappointed!
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Post by Carlos (frmaiz) on Sept 15, 2014 17:15:49 GMT -6
My reason for raising and breeding Herefords is a subjective one: I like them very much. But I also do have some practical reasons: temperament, fertility. In our environment only British breeds make sense. The only practical choices here are Hereford or Angus. Problems we have, but that is a fact of life, and as in any breed you work to reduce them.
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Post by fivestarherefords on Sept 15, 2014 17:32:50 GMT -6
Temperament is the number one reason for us. That and the fact that they were productive enough to be the sole source of income for my family from 1910 through the early 2000's. I also enjoy the individuality of each animal with their distinct markings. When I look at Angus I can't tell one from the other unless you can get close enough to read their ear tags.
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Post by btlrupert on Sept 15, 2014 18:26:20 GMT -6
Without question temperament ... From there I appreciate the easy fleshing and longevity of the breed. No breed is perfect and I am one of those who believe there are more differences within breeds than between them... In the South, I have found that Herefords take this fescue pretty well and the heat.. They will beat black hided cattle out on a hot afternoon to start grazing. Big rib caged and moderate gets it done.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2014 20:04:29 GMT -6
Disposition is a huge selling point along with strong maternal traits and ability to adapt to different environments. Have a great example here, these are pictures of my brother's wife who did not grow up on a farm and these cows see maybe once a year when they visit. Show me a herd of black cows that would be this easy going to a complete stranger to them. BTW, she is 6 ft tall so she does tower over them a bit which should be a bit intimidating but they don't mind.
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Post by fivestarherefords on Sept 15, 2014 20:11:03 GMT -6
Here are some more wild Herefords!
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Post by smifarm on Sept 15, 2014 21:00:42 GMT -6
Temperament is the key!!! My dad would always say those other cattle would be looking for something like hay or feed in the winter but those herefords would always be finding themselves some grass to eat. Also agree about the individuality in them each one has their own - I get tired of seeing all those blacks as you drive around and nothing to differentiate them except their ear tag. My neighbors are always amazed how easy they handle compared to others!!
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Post by larso on Sept 16, 2014 2:29:54 GMT -6
I was hoping a few more breeders would post their reasons for having Herefords but thanks to those how did. It is pretty obvious that their temperament is a major reason, it is not just a bye product of the breed it is a feature and in this day when the work force on our farms is getting fewer isn't temperament an economic trait that should be promoted more.
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Post by kph on Sept 16, 2014 6:03:01 GMT -6
I was hoping a few more breeders would post their reasons for having Herefords but thanks to those how did. It is pretty obvious that their temperament is a major reason, it is not just a bye product of the breed it is a feature and in this day when the work force on our farms is getting fewer isn't temperament an economic trait that should be promoted more. Absolutely! Disposition is probably the number one reason I hear from bull buyers that have been breeding to Angus for years and are now looking for Hereford bulls and heifers.
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Post by bltherf on Sept 16, 2014 7:55:04 GMT -6
Herefords are still the best converters of low quality forage and do best under minimal management range conditions Attachments:
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Post by guffeygal on Sept 16, 2014 8:20:17 GMT -6
Disposition is definitely a Hereford advantage that needs to be promoted more. As we sell more Hereford bulls into herds that have been using Black bulls we get lots of people amazed at how easy The Hereford bulls are to handle.Some are older breeders coming back to Hereford bulls and many are of a younger generation who have not experienced this trait before. Another true breed advantage is breed adaptability. Herefords do well from Canada to Florida and from 12,000 feet down to almost sea level.Had a friend in Colorado that said his Herefords were up and going on the -30 degree mornings while some of the other breeds shivered. The late 80's storms in North Dakota and last year in South Dakota proved this again. When we were in Oklahoma we had a South Texas customer who ran mostly Braford cows but clear down against the gulf he ran straight Brahma cows as he said the Brafords would not stand it. But he did run Hereford bulls on the Brahma cows. The bulls got to looking pretty tough but got the cows bred. Another plus is longevity. Sold a bull to a breeder last week who related that one of his customers recently bought a bull from him to replace a bull he had sold him around 10 years ago. Along with these reasons we grew up with Hereford cattle and they are what we like. We tried working with Angus cattle once and realized I (Mike) didn't have the temperament to work with the breed especially the bulls. Things you could do with Hereford calves after 3 days were a daily adventure with Angus.
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Post by Sudsy on Sept 16, 2014 15:17:33 GMT -6
Mike, Like your comment regarding your lack of temperament whilst working with angus, a sentiment I can direcctly relate to. The one drawback as a result of working daily with herefords is the disappointing experience one suffers when helping neighbours, friends etc. work their cattle, which in most cases are angus and are mad. Makes one appreciate the fact of the ease of working with our own cattle daily. Hence, my temperament is the one in question, however only as a result of the angus lack of temperament.
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Post by Glenn on Sept 16, 2014 15:42:20 GMT -6
I am late in answering. For me personally the two biggest draws are 1. They are the hardiest breed. They don't need a babysitter and a feed sack. 1B. Being hardy and still having fertility. A good Hereford can be left alone to make it on what mother nature provides and breed back at a much higher rate than any other breed 2. Docility - important to me but nearly what 1A and 1B are.
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Post by avignon on Sept 17, 2014 22:11:34 GMT -6
I believe that while herefords may have some faults they are simply a better package than any other breed. You can raise them, feed them and handle them using less labour or expending less dollars than any other breed.They produce a high quality product efficiently. Here it is usual for black calves to get a better price at the saleyards but I don't believe they get the weight as cost effctively as the white face. The icing on the cake is the cows weigh so when they are done breeding your return is most likely more than other cull cows.
There are undeniably some improvements we could make to herefords but I doubt any of us would swap them for another breed.
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