Herd Quitter™ Blog
Happy Thanksgiving
Most Americans will be getting together with family and friends tomorrow to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Perhaps the following Old Testament verses will help prepare us for this special day. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good...
Having Fun
I recently read a blurb about occupations and how we should be having fun. I wonder how that applies to agriculture. How many people do you know who really love what they are doing? How many are engaged? How many just treat it like a job?It got me...
Sissy Bulls… and Fat, Dry Cows
In my recent travels, I have seen several cowherds from the roads and highways. I have also seen several bulls. Some cowherds still have the bulls running with them. Many of the bulls I have seen don’t look much like bulls. They have a steer head and show very little...
The Problem with… Testing Bulls for Feed Efficiency
More and more seedstock producers are using GrowSafe equipment to measure and compare feed efficiency in the bulls they sell. On the surface, this seems like a very simple and accurate way to test and compare animals for feed efficiency. There is one very important...
Eight Pounds of Sugar –
Johan Zietsman, a very astute rancher and consultant from Zimbabwe, said, "Grass-efficient animals will look like eight pounds of sugar in a 5-pound sack." We believe that to be a very accurate analogy. Grass-efficient animals will be moderate in height, with extreme...
Bull to Cow Ratio
Recently, I have had several phone conversations with customers and potential customers about how many cows you should run with a bull during breeding season. As you might expect, there is a difference between what status quo bull producers recommend and what Pharo...
Solar Bulls vs Diesel Bulls –
The status quo beef industry was built on cheap land, cheap fuel, cheap equipment and cheap labor. That era is over – and it ain’t coming back! This notion is strongly reinforced and supported by an article written by grazing guru Jim Gerrish in our Winter 2023...
Wedge-Shaped Cows –
During my presentation in Beaver, Oklahoma, we branched off on a discussion of "wedge-shaped" cows. For many of our subscribers, this is old news. However, most cow-calf producers get a confused look on their face when we mention "wedge-shaped" cows.We returned home...
Cold Weather… Increases Birth Weights –
For as long as I can remember, observant ranchers have noticed calves will have larger birth weights after a long and cold winter. This observation was confirmed by research conducted by the University of Nebraska back in the 1990s. Prolonged low temperatures and...
Q and A –
Question: Why are your bulls able to cover more cows for more years than bulls coming out of other programs? I am also wondering how many cows you recommend putting with a bull. Answer: The fact that our bulls can cover more cows is a result of two things....