Perfect Suckler cow??

[som farmer]

Great calves, what was the name of the father?

billy the bull !

 

[M-J-G]

but you cannot blame them, stock bulls in dairy herds, have a hard life. Accidents can, and do happen. Over the years, we have lost a few, usually by injury, especially in cubicles.

however, using decent bulls, increases calf value, and could be a big step towards reducing the number of crap calves, especially from the spring calving, xbred herds.

a calf is a by product of the dairy herd, main income is milk, so its a trade off, between value of calves, and cost of bull. AI is different, there are some good bulls available, again semen is often bought on price, yet the cost between the two, is not great, and easily pays for itself.

You'll be amongst the few dairy farners who will pay for top drawer AI bulls , most I know will balk once the price gets into the teens per straw.

 

[Farmer Keith]

I always thought the Angus job came about to save the Angus as a breed.as they were going out of fashion?

Yes well it’s a promotion and a bonus scheme so it’s drawn a lot of folks in
Aberdeen Angus is a breed folks recognise if you asked Jo bloggs in the street a breed of cattle he would probably answer that

Whoever’s been in charge of AA marketing have been exceptionally clever, they’ve made a brand out of a breed, that’s where the extra value comes from and it’s almost guaranteed that they’ll never go out of fashion. Like @livestock 1 says our consumers recognise the breed now and associate it with quality.

 

[Farmer Keith]

That can be said for most beef bull breeds that go to dairy farms, a lot of them are not good examples.
Most just don't want to pay enough to get a better bull.
Most of the times I've sold a bull to a dairy farmer they like the dearest one but buy the cheapest one.

Of course there’s always a trade off with calf quality/gestation length/calving ease.

If the calf quality’s there but it’s dead on the calving box floor it’s worth little to anyone.

 

[muleman]

Whoever’s been in charge of AA marketing have been exceptionally clever, they’ve made a brand out of a breed, that’s where the extra value comes from and it’s almost guaranteed that they’ll never go out of fashion. Like @livestock 1 says our consumers recognise the breed now and associate it with quality.

That will be me!

 

[M-J-G]

Of course there’s always a trade off with calf quality/gestation length/calving ease.

If the calf quality’s there but it’s dead on the calving box floor it’s worth little to anyone.

Plenty of bulls will produce easily born calves that will be of good quality, but sourcing that requires homework into the breeding and the will to pay for it, most I have dealt with aren't prepared to do that and just go for poor bulls for poor prices.

 

[som farmer]

You'll be amongst the few dairy farners who will pay for top drawer AI bulls , most I know will balk once the price gets into the teens per straw.

we use a meadow quality approved bull.

and our stock bulls are not bargain basement ones, but certainly not top draw.

we autumn block calve the dairy, and rear all the calves.

we also buy in a bunch of calves, in the spring. Bought on average price.

there is a vast difference between the two. And we will buy ultra cheap calves, if they look 'ok' when they come into the ring, and we recall herd no's, so know what some farms calves, turn out like.

it would be fair to say, some of those cheapies, turn out ok, and some definitely don't ! Price range last spring, £1 to £172, the £1 one was a BB bull calf, and came very right.

 

[livestock 1]

Whoever’s been in charge of AA marketing have been exceptionally clever, they’ve made a brand out of a breed, that’s where the extra value comes from and it’s almost guaranteed that they’ll never go out of fashion. Like @livestock 1 says our consumers recognise the breed now and associate it with quality.

I think you’ve got a bit carried away there I didn’t go that far

 

[livestock 1]

Yes well it’s a promotion and a bonus scheme so it’s drawn a lot of folks in
Aberdeen Angus is a breed folks recognise if you asked Jo bloggs in the street a breed of cattle he would probably answer that

@Farmer Keith
This is the real version of events

 

[Farmer Keith]

@Farmer Keith
This is the real version of events

It’s only a bonus scheme as they’re returning more for the beef from the consumer. Very nicely lifting beef away from being solely a commodity.

 

[livestock 1]

It’s only a bonus scheme as they’re returning more for the beef from the consumer. Very nicely lifting beef away from being solely a commodity.

Aberdeen Angus Steakhouse they used to be everywhere quite a few abroad on holiday destinations too. They marketed it well think they would get folks to recognise the breed in a lot of ways too

 

[Farmer Keith]

Plenty of bulls will produce easily born calves that will be of good quality, but sourcing that requires homework into the breeding and the will to pay for it, most I have dealt with aren't prepared to do that and just go for poor bulls for poor prices.

Was at a tegasc research unit in Ireland a few years back and they were monitoring all sorts. surprisingly few bulls had low birth weights and good growth rates but they were out there. I liked ribble black brook here, averaged 277 days, spat them out and grew into very decent cattle but he was £12 a straw at the end. Some don’t even use pure bulls mind, not uncommon to see a beef cross calve left entire for the job.

 

[Gulli]

Was at a tegasc research unit in Ireland a few years back and they were monitoring all sorts. surprisingly few bulls had low birth weights and good growth rates but they were out there. I liked ribble black brook here, averaged 277 days, spat them out and grew into very decent cattle but he was £12 a straw at the end. Some don’t even use pure bulls mind, not uncommon to see a beef cross calve left entire for the job.

There are some but mostly growth rates correlate to high mature weights and high birth weights.
There's more to easy calving than low birth weight, and heavier calves ( to a point ) grow faster especially when left on their dams

 

[harperfarmer]

Great calves, what was the name of the father?

The bull was Montgomery George. Cracking bull but terrible temperament so he had to go. Fortunately it didn't come through in his calves.

 

[Qman]

Aberdeen Angus Steakhouse they used to be everywhere quite a few abroad on holiday destinations too. They marketed it well think they would get folks to recognise the breed in a lot of ways too

They were either Angus Steakhouses or Aberdeen Steakhouses. It was all a big clever con, the steaks were from Argentina and weren't very nice as I remember.

 

[JP1]

Whoever’s been in charge of AA marketing have been exceptionally clever, they’ve made a brand out of a breed, that’s where the extra value comes from and it’s almost guaranteed that they’ll never go out of fashion. Like @livestock 1 says our consumers recognise the breed now and associate it with quality.

The Late Ron McHattie I would imagine

Very very clever and probably another reason why tighter controls of food labelling should be considered ; big difference between Angus sired and Angus ...............