I swore I wouldn't but

**Ross** · #1 02/11/08, 12:16 AM

OK so i picked up a nice little steer this summer, I traded a van for him. I like beef and a steer is not permanent....... not like a cow. So a friend has a nice little red Holstein heifer he's selling me. (did I mention it's kind of a forgone conclusion?) and I plan to get her bred Hereford (how did that happen?). After 16 years of sheep only (and a few steers) and a solemn promise to myself to stay away from cattle (we had a small cow calf farm before the sheep........ only 70 cows) it looks like I might actually let a bovine procreate under my care. We still have 100 plus ewes BTW. Am I nutz?

Cat · #2 02/11/08, 12:39 AM

Maybe but IMO being nutz eating bovine is a far cry better than being nutz eating woolies!

**Ross** · #3 02/11/08, 12:48 AM

True but selling wooly is decidedly more profitable.

sammyd · #4 02/11/08, 04:44 AM

Do you grow the sheep for wool meat or milk?

**Ross** · #5 02/11/08, 07:26 AM

Meat primarily but we do process some of our own wool. Tried milking but the industry was a bit zany when we were trying to sell milk wholesale.

DaleK · #6 02/11/08, 10:03 PM

Now Ross why would you want to take a perfectly good R&W and breed her Hereford? That's kind of like taking your best ewe and breeding her to a guinea pig. Breed her R&W again, the border's open and heifer prices are up particularly for R&Ws so if you get a bull calf, you've still got good eating and if you get a heifer, raise her up to 800lbs and you can get a couple of Herefords for her.

**Ross** · #7 02/12/08, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Now Ross why would you want to take a perfectly good R&W and breed her Hereford?

Because I know people with Hereford bulls, I'm not set up for AI and there's just no way I'm having any bull (certainly not Holstein) on the farm.