12Feb-23

What to look for when buying a bull?

Fertility is the single most important economic trait for cattle ranchers. A bull must be fertile, have high semen quality, and high libido or drive. Bulls must have a proper hormonal balance and cover their herd. Jan Bonsma was a famous cattle scientist who traveled the world during the last century. He could look at cattle and judge their fertility. Mr. Bonsma noticed visual traits that predicted fertility. His methods work for all cattle breeds. Fertility is a highly...

Posted By JamiCategory: Ranch LifeTags: Angus bulls, Bonsma Bulls, Buying a bull - Factors to Consider, How to buy a good bull, How to pick a good bull, How to select a bull, Jan Bonsma, Selecting a herd bull, Tips for buying a bull, What makes a good bull, What to look for when buying a bullComments: Comments Off

29Apr-20

Our Texas Cattle Ranch

This is a photo of Big Valley one of our fields at the ranch in Brownwood Texas! These are some of the tall pecan trees on the banks of the Pecan Bayou Bayou River at the Ranch. Angus cows have to hold their body condition in dry weather in Texas. As a result, we expect them to calve in less than a 365 day interval and raise calves on a grass forage diet, with hay supplementation in the winter months.

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2Aug-19

Our Cattle Pens

We built cattle pens based on Temple Grandin's S-curve design last year. It is amazing how easily the cattle move through the chute and how quickly we can treat the cattle with their semi-annual vaccinations. There are several components of the design that can be incorporated, even as modifications to an existing pen system. The key feature that we think works well in our pens is the S-curve rounding pen, which flows into a S-curve lead-up chute. We added a...

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