So far, calving has been going pretty good. The weather has been quite agreeable and our death loss is lower than it has been in a long time. With about 75% of the calf crop on the ground so far, I have to say this has been a very good year.
I believe, besides the weather, there are two main things that I can attribute that to....genetics and nutrition. Now which one of these do I feel most important? Well, that varies on different days. What I can say with quite a bit of certainty is that good nutrition can "cover a multitude of sins" as my Dad would say...."Fat", he says, "makes everything look good." Not sure if he includes women in that statement, but....
At any rate, good nutrition can make a so-so cow look better. It can make her breed faster and it can make her calf stronger. If you feed a cow everything she will possibly hold, you could still have problems, but not the same kind you'll have if you don't feed her. But on the other hand, if we have good genetics, the kind of genetics I'm working on (in my humble opinion, of course) building up in my herd, then we shouldn't HAVE to feed a cow all she'll hold. My cows and calves should become more efficient with less feed, thus making them more profitable for me and for those I inevitably sell them to.
Since we have closed our cow herd for so many years, the only way to make changes in our genetics is from good culling practices and the purchase of good, efficient bulls. We buy only purebred virgin yearling Angus bulls from purebred seedstock producers. There are several ways that bulls can be purchased, through private treaty, where the buyer usually goes to the establishment of the producer; or at an auction, where many ranchers go to bid on the bulls they want to add to their herd. I generally go to auctions, although I have bought a few bulls private treaty.
Before I head to a bull sale, I have received a listing of the bulls from the ranch whose sale I am attending. In this "bull book", there will be information about each bull, his dam and sire's names, his birth weight and a list of his EPD's or expected progeny differences. This gives me a pretty good idea what this bull will pass on to his offspring, based on what the generations that preceeded him have done. I go through that book with a fine tooth comb and mark every bull I think would make a good addition to our herd. Then when I go to the bull sale, I go look through the pens of bulls to see if they meet the "eye appeal" test. Some bulls will have great numbers on paper, but when I look at them in person, they just don't look like something I'd like to have in my herd. So I put a big "X" on that page and move on.
The auction is a lot of "bull" too. And not just the bovine type....there is quite a bit of marketing (I use that term kind of loosely there) that goes into that also. Personally, I'd rather they skipped a lot of the bullshit.....and I'm not talking manure here.....but that seems to be the way it's done. There is almost always a lunch beforehand and cocktails afterward.....I'm using the term cocktails kind of loosely too. (Generally, beer and a whiskey and soda pop poured by someone with about as much poop on their boots as the rest of us have). It's a good time to get to visit with other ranchers, bankers, insurance salesmen and the like. Kind of a "cowboy happy hour" if you will.
I'd have to say that I really do look forward to going to the bull sales every spring. It's good to get away from the place, especially this time of year when I don't get that opportunity very often. And it's always nice to visit with neighbors and friends that I don't get to see very often. But I also have the chance to look at some good cattle, which is truly a joy for me. It's not unlike how many people go to a museum to admire the art, I guess. Just a little different form that I have come to appreciate.
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