Bought a young heifer

[Dave from MN]

Well, in advance of getting my Red Angus cows here in the next week or two, I bought myself a young pure bred Black Simmental heifer. She's a last summer calf top bloodlines. Bought her from a relative, $450, he'll give her all her shots and I can pick her up in about a month, (she needs to be weened). I was gonna wait, but this way she stays in the relation and she can hang with my steers till she can go out with them cows next spring. Does it pay to register her ot not?

 

[hayray]

If she is registerable then I would go ahead and do the paper work. Having a registered herd along with the commercial cattle works real well. A lof of those registered Simmetal calves go for real good money as club calves. I don't have any registered cattle but I know people that do and that gives you alot more options for marketing, just never had the chance myself, kinda expensive to start buying registered stock in any quantity. I do use registered bulls.

 

[Walt Davies]

The market for registered cattle has dropped way off a lot less people just raise them to show and the real money now is in cross breeds.
I have a registered Limousin herd but haven't been registering mine unless the buyer wants it.
Walt

 

[M Nut]

I'm sure she'll make a nice addition to your quickly growing herd of cattle.

 

[Dave H (MI)]

Hi Ray! Is it just me or are the equimpment auctions a little slow startin up this year? Still need a sickle mower!

 

[Jerry/MT]

If you are going to breed her to Simmental bulls than I"d register her as the registered off spring may have more value. Even if you think you"ll only use her in a crossbreeding program, she may turn out to be a superior cow and the small investment in registration could pay big dividends.
I have some cross bred Red Angus-Simmental cows in my herd and they"re solid cows with good udders and longevity. I bought them as 13 and 14 year old bred cows and a few are pert near broken mouthed so they won"t be here after this years weaning. But they calve unassisted and all within a month. i"m holding back their daughters.

Your $"s, your choice.

 

[hayray]

I think these high commodity prices are delaying a few peoples thoughts on retirement. Sheridan has been having a aucton every 3 or 4 weeks which you are right, is pretty slow. I keep my eyes open for a sickle mower in good shape in case I run into a sale flyer that you haven't come across yet. By the way, that IH mower conditioner at that sale down in Monroe County earlier this winter went for $950. I don't think this year there will be too many close out deals on equipment.

 

[El Toro]

I would register her too. Hal

 

[Spook]

I saw couple of 4 row and 6 row planters out this last year, and I saw ground near me that I know for certain hasn't been in production for 20+ years, put into corn. This one field, it had small trees growing in it, maybe 6 - 8 ft high. I couldn't believe that they brought in some big tractors, plowed and disked everything down, and planted corn. Right in front of my house, 400 acres was planted in beans. I heard it might go to corn this year, been in beans or wheat for years.

 

[rrlund]

If you're just gonna run a commercial herd,I wouldn't bother. If you plan to sell breeding stock then go ahead. Papers don't mean a thing when you're selling beef...not a thing.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I haven't heard anyone mention AI yet but you can really get good, proven bloodlines that way. The research and registration is a lot easier on line these days too. Since you're just starting out; you might hold off on the actual registration until you see how good a cow she's going to be.

 

[Clint Youse MO]

Register her actualy the guy that raised her has to and then transfer the papers to you if you wait the price goes up the older she gets and it is a lot easier to register her now than going back and proving it years later.