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Post by timbernt on Nov 15, 2021 7:18:23 GMT -6
We seem to be starting into an era of expensive grains. We have seen spikes before, but this time government policies look like cost of grain production will remain high. If there was ever a time the efficiency of true Hereford cattle should matter, it is now. I am not talking about the red composites seen in the Hereford World. The breed benefits from 300 years of breeding for efficiency, why are the large packers and corporate yards able to destroy that history?
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Post by Glenn on Nov 16, 2021 10:53:16 GMT -6
Because they have all the power. Too bad such a large percentage of Herefords today are basically as you said “red hybrids” and won’t express the efficiency of the traditional Hereford.
I know most of my responses lately seem pretty negative and cynical but I just can’t cover my eyes to the inevitable. Our breed is sliding daily to irrelevance if we aren’t actually already there.
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Post by rosefield on Nov 27, 2021 8:49:10 GMT -6
We did some research 2 or 3 years ago that was about carcass quality. What we discovered is that almost 25% of the beef that is consumed in the US is from dairy beef. With the dairy beef, it the research said that a higher percentage of dairy beef went choice and prime than did the beef breeds, (this was surprising).
It went on to say that the only reason that Angus was producing a better carcass is because they were being fed to a heavier weight.
The highlight of the research was that two other breeds could produce quality carcasses. The two breeds were Hereford and Fleckvieh.
With the being so much push for beef on dairy today, I'm sure that there are Hereford bulls that have just as good if not better calving ease that the black breed.
Why not come up with a program for using Hereford genetics for beef on dairy. For those of you with "True" Hereford genetics, we would do all we can to help in promoting such a program. There could be many benefits to doing such a program.
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Post by soherf on Dec 7, 2021 10:22:09 GMT -6
I recently acquired GE-EPDs on several of my cattle. The shorter you go in frame score the more efficient the cattle become. Several of my bulls are in the top 1% for feed efficiency. Herefords have a genetic treasure chest from which to pull ultra efficient cattle in a single generation but will breeders use them?
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Post by timbernt on Dec 7, 2021 17:28:34 GMT -6
I have yet to talk to a cattle feeder who is looking to buy small frame cattle. That should tell you that your genetically enhanced EPDs are nothing but the product of the overactive imagination of a college educated moron.
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Post by strojanherefords on Dec 10, 2021 13:54:15 GMT -6
We did some research 2 or 3 years ago that was about carcass quality. What we discovered is that almost 25% of the beef that is consumed in the US is from dairy beef. With the dairy beef, it the research said that a higher percentage of dairy beef went choice and prime than did the beef breeds, (this was surprising).
It went on to say that the only reason that Angus was producing a better carcass is because they were being fed to a heavier weight.
The highlight of the research was that two other breeds could produce quality carcasses. The two breeds were Hereford and Fleckvieh.
With the being so much push for beef on dairy today, I'm sure that there are Hereford bulls that have just as good if not better calving ease that the black breed.
Why not come up with a program for using Hereford genetics for beef on dairy. For those of you with "True" Hereford genetics, we would do all we can to help in promoting such a program. There could be many benefits to doing such a program.
I like the idea of having a branded beef program for raising authentic Hereford beef but the focus should be on helping the dues paying Hereford breeder. The average Hereford breeder registers fewer than twenty calves per year and those of us who are a bit larger have small groups of registerable Hereford calves that we need a better market for. I want to set up a branded beef local distribution program for surplus registered Hereford calves and open heifers. The Irish have a program were they will rebate the registration fee if heifers are marketed into their branded beef program. |
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Post by soherf on Dec 28, 2021 22:32:09 GMT -6
I have yet to talk to a cattle feeder who is looking to buy small frame cattle. That should tell you that your genetically enhanced EPDs are nothing but the product of the overactive imagination of a college educated moron. Catus feeders did make a large grass fed project using smaller framed cattle. Here's a link: pharocattle.com/2018/08/game-changer/ |
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Post by timbernt on Dec 29, 2021 21:10:02 GMT -6
3 1/2 years later, what is the status of the Pharo/Cactus project? Every week I watch a backgrounder who is a Cactus supplier buy 1 to 3 pot loads of feeders. They do not buy the dinks.
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Post by strojanherefords on Jan 2, 2022 14:54:25 GMT -6
We seem to be starting into an era of expensive grains. We have seen spikes before, but this time government policies look like cost of grain production will remain high. If there was ever a time the efficiency of true Hereford cattle should matter, it is now. I am not talking about the red composites seen in the Hereford World. The breed benefits from 300 years of breeding for efficiency, why are the large packers and corporate yards able to destroy that history? It wasn't the packers or the corporate yards who destroyed the breed. There is far more money in selling status symbols than in selling seedstock. When somebody drops $100,000 on a heifer, they are not worried about paying the bills. |
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Post by allenw on Jan 3, 2022 8:30:56 GMT -6
Hereford efficiency has went out the window along with a number of other breed traits. It's the same story for most breeds of cattle, later maturing cattle that can put on muscle longer before finishing are what the feeders want.
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