The Importance of Marketing Quality Breeding Stock

By Don Brener – Apple River, IL
from The BueLingo World – Oct-Dec 1994

Dear BueLingo Breeders:

I wish to address a problem that happens to all breeders from rabbits to sheep, horses, cows, etc.

We are an exciting new breed and the demand outstrips the availability of good quality animals. It is natural for breeders to want to keep their top bulls and heifers to improve their own herds and the BueLingo breed. What is wrong is that they are then inclined to sell their culls to the new people coming into the Society

After talking with Dr. Vernon and others and hearing talks by Russ Danielson and Darol Dickinson I realize that this is detrimental to our goals. At the Colorado Springs show and sale last summer, the Monson’s and others, rightfully sold their top heifers. Also, it seems like it is hard to find BueLingo steers for 4-H projects or the show ring. Too many breeders are keeping every bull calf to use or market as breeding bulls.

This year we sold 35 well marked belted steers. We kept 9 bulls. (Those with the best blood-lines-frame scores-rate of gain per day and 205 day weights.) In our heifer lot we have some nice looking red and black belted calves but when their statistics came out of the computer they were in the bottom quarter of the herd. We could sell them for breeding, but won’t.

At the very first meeting of the BueLingo Cattle Society, over six years ago, we said we wanted a 4-5-6 Frame size ranging from 1025 to 1325 pounds, with a nice belt. We don’t want to start competing with those large breeds which are taking a hit at the feed lots. We have to learn to sell the culls to buyers other than breeders. We can show feed lot buyers that our cattle can convert feed well and have higher than normal yields and grades. We take our poorer steers and heifers up to 400-500 pounds, then sell them at a sale barn without any registration papers.

This year we kept 20 heifers. Some are solid colored but carry 50% BueLingo blood. Others are completely belted. We will Al these to some of the top bulls in the country. Each year we use 8-12 different bulls so that buyers can get other blood lines into their herds and we will have various lines to use to mold our herd into one that fits the criteria of the goals of the society.

Remember just because it has a belt doesn’t mean it’s a winner.

Don Brener, Director
Buelingo Cattle Society   Apple River, IL

Editor’s Note: On the subject of Frame size and what is most acceptable, read the article titled “Where are we Going on Size?” By Pat Goggins, elsewhere in this issue. It is exciting to note that the BueLingo breed goals for frame size match with Mr. Goggins’ discussion describing the “middle of the road” herd that is functional, fertile and very productive. Maureen