June 1999
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| Publication of the DCCI Newsletter is solely the product of Dickinson Cattle Co., Inc. of Barnesville, OH 740 758-5050. The content is at the discretion of DCCI and is not paid for by taxpayer solicited campaign funds, nor did it originate from any state or federal incarceration facilities sponsored by taxpayer funding. No donations are solicited. Subscription is free to friends. This is not a nonprofit organization, so your contributions are purely on a tax evasion status. The DCCI Newsletter is not printed on recycled paper in support of our national renewable timber industry. The DCCI Newsletter is printed so that you may know about DCCI, the products, the business services, employees, and innovative successes. By reading the DCCI Newsletter we want to earn your patronage and continue to be the leader in our small industry. Any part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from DCCI, as long as credit is given. | |||
| Volume ? - Issue 1 | June 1999 |
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BueLingo Popularity
Three percent of the cattle in the USA, are part of a registered breed. From the registered herds come herd sires and genetics developed to improve the other herds. The remaining 97% are considered generic. Most of the profit in the cattle business comes from registered cattle production. Numerous BueLingo appreciators are starting to purchase breeding groups for their registered cattle herd. The registered cattle business has proven to be much better than the generic cattle business. A beautiful herd of BueLingo with their flamboyant belts scattered on green pastures is awesome. Give us a call if you would like to start a nice herd of BueLingo. We have unrelated groups of two, five, or ten females and a young bull that will make a great starter herd. They are a fun breed and very gentle.
 Lets Have Twins - No Thank You
First of all, the cause of twins is one of two things; either the cow produced two separate eggs that became fertilized by the male sperm, or she produced one egg and that egg was split into more than one part. Each part then became an identical twin to the other part. If two eggs were produced and fertilized, then there would be two different individual animals and no identical twinning would be apparent. They could be opposite sex or the same sex. People who raise animals which produce multiple births have some control on the number of eggs that are produced. For instance, when professionally raising goats or sheep, more than one offspring born is preferable. The preference is for twins or triplets. In order to get this to happen, they do what is called a "flush". This is achieved by bringing an animal into a feed lot and giving them tremendously high quality feed in the days previous to their conception. At this point, the physical condition of the female is at an all time high, and instead of producing two eggs, a goat may produce three or four because of the apparent trick to nature that things are really going to be good. In a cattle breeding program most people think that a cow will produce one egg to be fertilized at one breeding interval. However, many cows produce more than one egg, and only at certain times do both eggs become fertilized to create two pregnancies. There are some cows that produce two eggs, and only one fertilizes and the other egg just goes away. If you have a very well thought out mineral program and a lush grass grazing program, you will create the same scenario as a flush for multiple births. This can cause a cow to produce two eggs instead of one. If your cow produces two eggs and they become fertilized, one calf can be a male and the other a female. In this scenario the female calf is sterile 92% of the time. In fact, we have never been aware of any female twin when there was a male/female birth, that was fertile. However, the male will be fertile in almost all cases. For some reason a cow has difficulty producing male and female hormone for the unborn fetus. There is some lack of ability to split that hormone function into the unborn fetuses prior to birth. A female calf born to a male/female twin birth is normally referred to as a "freemartin". Cattle which are given poor nutrition, lacking a good mineral program, and without lush grasses, will have very few and possibly no twinning. A lot of people say that they have never had twins born on their place. Here is why this is difficult to identify: Many pregnancies that start out with twin fetuses, abort prior to term and no calves are ever located. Twins are difficult for a cow, and the mechanics are not in perfect balance. The next thing that might happen is that a cow can abort one twin and retain a fetus on the other. This is very rare, but in one case we know of it happened at our ranch this year. A cow aborted a dead fetus in February, then gave birth to a normal calf in April. That certainly won't happen very often, and unless you are watching your cows very closely you will miss it. In that case, if the male aborted, the female who lived to term will be a freemartin. When twins are born, often one is slightly weaker than the other, and the bigger one always has an unfair advantage. The bigger one tends to get more milk and takes advantage of the extra size it has. If a cow is going to have trouble calving, she will have trouble with twins. It is a complicated system when two babies are all wrapped up into one ball. It is sort of like giving birth to an octopus — the legs and heads are all intertwined to some degree, and often one comes backwards or a head is bent back. There is a high percentage of problem births with twins. In large pastures there may be one, lone, little, staggering calf walking around lost. This may be a problem almost impossible to identify. Every cow that is suppose to have a calf may have one, but then there is one lone calf staggering around with no mother. There is some phenomenon whereby a cow just expects to have one calf. When she has two, it obviously shows that she can't count. Most cows that give birth to twin calves do not equally mother both calves in a perfect way. Often they will have one calf, get up, move to another location, have the second one, and somehow not put the two together as her responsibility. Therefore, there is a calf wandering around the pasture with no mother. If the person in charge is right on top of things, he will figure it out. But if he is not very sharp, that animal may stagger out through the fence or get devoured by a pack of dogs or whatever predators are in the area. At this point, a cow may have had twins and you will never know it. There may be a twin freemartin female that never breeds, is totally sterile all of their life, and the owner never understands why. One clue is, if you find a small calf nursing, there could be a very lonesome twin somewhere else. (Small is 45 lbs. or less.) We have had Longhorn twins up to 61 lbs. each, but normally twins are small. The person that is really on top of their cow herd will spot twins and keep them together. Often if the second twin is driven over to her real mother, the cow will nurse both calves and worry and fret over them at the same time. Very few cows will just immediately accept two calves. This is a situation where the cow may need to be brought to a corral and both calves live together with her for a week or so until she begins to be a real "double mother". Sometimes it works better to just give up and graft one of the calves to a cow that may have lost a calf.
Another problem with twins is that often after the cow has given birth and is raising the calves, she might not breed back. It seems that over 50% of the cows that have twins, do not breed back to calve on time the following year. Something unknown in that system just can't put it together after raising a set of twins to come back and breed again. If there is a suspicion that a female calf is a twin and that it may be a freemartin, after the calf is 60 days old blood can be pulled and sent to the Stormont Laboratory in California, and it is 100% conclusive from blood testing as to whether the female twin will breed or not. This will allow a person to sell a calf at weaning time or for roping and not have to waste a year or so to determine if the animal is in fact a freemartin. The blood test cost about $30. The phone number to call Stormont Lab. for blood kits and additional information is 530/661-3078. Hopefully these tips from our experience of annually having numerous twin calves born, will help you to identify if you have twins and how to deal with them and save as many as possible. Some people think it is kind of fun to have two instead of one, but here at DCCI we prefer one instead of two.
1999 Service Sires
No known genetic defects are tolerated. Every bull represents a good disposition and good milking families. Today we can be very selective. There is no excuse not to be! Many of the 1999 heifers are sired by these bulls and out of daughters of the older bulls. As pedigrees are blended and stacked, quality upon quality, a consistent and wonderful thing happens. Great young cattle are being born in fulfillment of the long range blend program. Here are the 1999 natural service Longhorn sires available at DCCI. Five are available in frozen semen. We are pleased to have this much quality in this quantity. Unfortunately, with the size of our cow herd, one or two great bulls just can't do it all.
Just a Hole in the Ground
Over the years I've worn out, broken and repaired tractor powered post hole diggers. We have snapped off augers, shear bolts and even one near serious accident. The Ohio area is serious limestone strata for fence construction. Once in Ohio it was obvious our old post hole digging program was no good. Joel acquired a Belltec 4500 lb. down pressure hydraulic auger/digger. For the first time he saw post holes go 60" deep by 12" around in minutes. This hydraulic down pressure digger fits on most tractors from 28 to 100 H.P. with remote hydraulics. It mounts easily on category 1,2, and 3 three point lift tractors. Here at DCCI its easy to see the 32 miles of new fence construction. The layer of limestone, shale and sand stone has forced us to learn about post hold diggers. Our fence corners are all cross ties and they are in the rock. Until we learned about the down pressure drills fence construction was a nightmare. Although our first professional digger was borrowed from a friend he will be glad to learn we now have our own "Belltec digger". Not only that, we're so sold, we're now helping get the word out and marketing this serious unit. Did I say it will drill through concrete, rock, dry hard dirt and phone lines. (We won't make that mistake again.) The auger business end is made of 3/4" thick double flighted boring heads, 3/8" flighting and replaceable carbide bullet teeth. Their heavy duty dirt/rock augers have 3/8" flighting, replaceable forged teeth, a cast boring head, and a replaceable fishtail pilot. I love the way these eat right through rock. You will love to own one if you build fence in hard rock country. If you are fed-up with light weight diggers and want to make a change, call DCCI. We will ship your new Belltec Digger with as little as 3 days delivery time. You and your wife will enjoy digging post holes as a family relaxation. There will be holes all over your pasture just for the fun of it. Call for prices and information. This is a one-of-a-kind piece of equipment or DCCI would not be associated with it.
Tested Herd Sires For Sale
Herd Sire Predictability
At the end of each breeding season (mid Fall) several of the older sires will be offered for sale. Without moving out the mature sires there would be no way to start test breeding the younger generation. It's not that these bulls are finished but they, in fact, are just starting to be predictable.
Predictability is a tough one with Longhorns. It takes at least 100 calves to identify breeding patterns. The sooner 100 calves can be evaluated the more predictable the bull's use can be. We buy very few bulls. That's not a choice. It's near impossible to get data from most producers. Very few people weigh and measure in order to make a completely serious sire selection. We appreciate the folks who buy our good bulls. Last year, Buck Adams purchased Not Gunna, Dave Steffee acquired Not So, Charlie Bolton acquired Virtual Reality, Blue Valley Ranch purchased Moon River, Charles Wheeler purchased Circular, Russell Fairchild and John Stockton purchased Texsen, Dr. George Adam purchased Shadow Maze and Diamond 6 D Ranch purchased Dakota Marshall. When bulls are strategically used at DCCI, humungous data is collected making it much easier to predict their consistent sire qualities. In October the following sires will be available after they complete the season: Ain't Gunna, Night Line, Paparazzi, Westward Ho, Fultz Field and Trophy. They can be purchased with a down payment now and possession in the Fall. A good group of select yearling bulls are ready for service. Although they aren't proven with large calf crops, they do have excellent credentials. DCCI has a great quality selection. Give us a call.
Business Trade Projecting
Tricks of the Trade
Most people start in the registered cattle business buying economical cattle. It does take a bit of courage to start into something new and buy the highest quality possible. Just because an animal sells for high dollars at public auction does not necessarily mean that it is a great animal. It may just mean that there are two people bidding for that animal that share exactly the same misinformation. Often animals that sell for high prices in an auction are more valuable, but the price is not absolutely conclusive proof of quality. When buying cattle, it is always nice to purchase a cow that is three or four years old; old enough to determine what they are going to look like, yet young enough to have a lot of calves. Breeders who want to raise excellent cattle like to retain a good cow that is in those prime years. Most cattle for public sale obviously do not meet their seller's expectations or they would not be sold. What kind of cattle are buyable that are profitable?
We would recommend the purchase of older proven cows. Lets say a cow that is fourteen to sixteen years old and has a record of producing some very, very fine cattle, yet perhaps requires a little more care than a younger animal. Perhaps a cow that needs to have some shelter in the winter. As a result of needed special care, a large breeder would reduce the price on the older cattle and make them more economical. Buy from people who know measurements and weights. If you are preparing to buy an animal from someone who doesn't know what they weigh, what their horns measure, how old they are, or if they are bred, then you don't have enough information to make an intelligent decision. A seller who is legitimate should know all of these answers, or where to look them up. There is a difference between people who are referred to as "traders" or as "breeders." A person who strives to breed very good cattle may not buy and sell as many cattle as they breed. Often a trader will buy low and sell at a mark up with no regard for family lineage or a breeding program. There is a lot of difference in buying from breeders who have a long term goal of raising some very great animals, rather than a trader that is just in the business for a fairly fast buck. People who artificially inseminate are obviously taking the extra time and trouble trying to raise really good cattle. If you are considering purchases and the people do not use artificial insemination, it could be a clue that there is a lack of dedication to go the extra mile needed to raise really quality cattle. Herd health is always an important question. What kind of shots have the cattle had? Every female should have a Brucellosis shot at a certain age. There are numerous diseases prevalent in the cattle industry. Most of these diseases can be dealt with by pre-weaning and post-weaning injections of a proper vaccine. Before purchasing, learn about the herd health program used by the person selling the cattle. A famous Thoroughbred producer once told me that pedigrees live far longer than the animals. This is certainly true. In purchasing cattle, always go for the great pedigrees. The cow can pass away, the bull can pass away, and yet the pedigree lasts for dozens and dozens of years, continuing on and on. Always purchase cattle with known quality pedigrees. There is a reason unknown pedigrees are unknown. One way to acquire high quality cattle (that will be a good breeding animal) at a lower price is to identify cows with a broken horn tip, a crooked horn, a bob tail or some sort of cosmetic defect that is not passed on to the calves. Many people like a herd that is absolutely symmetrical in horns and correct in every way. Often people will sell an animal that has a cosmetic type blemish at a much reduced price, and that allows a new producer to have a higher quality animal at a lower purchase price. The cow herd can be considered like a factory where a product is produced. This is a way to keep the production cost down and value of the product up. Years ago I purchased a cow in the Louisiana Purchase Sale. This cow was from a bloodline that I liked but she had one horn broken off. It was a time when a cow like this would have sold for $8000 - $10,000. I purchased her for under $3000. If you measured her horn from the middle of her head out to the one good horn tip and double that measurement, it was well over 60", even while she was still a young cow. However, the owner did not want any animal on his place that did not have a good symmetrical set of horns. This cow now is up in her teens. We have a great herd sire out of her and two wonderful daughters. This was a case where the factory cost was low and the production quality was very high. This cow's blood will always be represented in our herd as top of the line. Young cattle are sometimes very difficult to evaluate. It is perhaps a little bit chancy, but often people will buy weanling heifer calves that develop into very beautiful specimen animals. Hardly anyone will price a weanling calf for $5000 - $10,000. But with good knowledge, information, and data it is not horribly difficult to identify weanling heifers that have all the credentials to grow up to be absolutely great. This is a trick of the trade whereby a person might buy a weanling heifer for $1000 - $1500 that later on could be worth three to five times that much. This just takes careful evaluation and some courage. I would say for most people to avoid show cattle that have been highly fattened for a long period of time. It is almost like trying to judge a bathing suit contest with a beautiful lady wearing a barrel and suspenders. When a young show animal gets too fat, for too long, the true conformation of that animal just becomes impossible to evaluate. Many times people buy a very fat animal, take them home, put them in a pasture situation, and years later cannot believe that this is the same animal. The fat goes away, and the cow tries to make a living in pasture condition, often failing. Many show cattle have been fattened for so long that there can be kidney and ovarian damage as a result. It may also damage certain other internal organs. Over fattening may even affect the milk development system which may cause show cattle to produce inadequate quantities of milk, and they may not raise very good calves. This is not always the case. In a situation where there has been a tremendous amount of feed given to young cattle at a very rapid pace, I would advise most people not to buy that type of cattle. Buy where you can question the owner. If the owner of an animal is not able to give you answers to any specific thing you would want to know about that animal, perhaps you don't want to buy it. If you can't look the owner in the eye, or at least ask them questions by telephone, there may be some mysterious problem and you don't want to own that animal. Anyone that is in the market to sell cattle should certainly have time to talk to a potential buyer and discuss the history and merits of the animal for sale. These are just some thoughts I would consider "tricks of the trade". It is not difficult to buy outstanding cattle in the Texas Longhorn industry, provided the buyer takes a little special genetic planning time, and puts a breeding and buying plan together before writing checks.
From Tree Bark to Lean Beef
The Ohio River Valley has been famous for great cattle grazing and lush grasses, but the ranchers are also plagued by scrub brush, briars, thorn bushes and low growing, aggressive browse. The over forty inch rainfall makes a good environment for low quality unpalatable browse.
NRCS Resource Conservationist, James Forshey of Belmont and Monroe Counties, recently inspected the complete removal of bark from numerous species. He reports, "The appearance of the thickets was very striking because the bark was chewed off from ground level to six and seven feet up the trees. If the bark is removed that deep, the plant dies. It is not going to be a brushy pasture, it will go back to grass." The brush bark consumption was created by a young herd of Texas Longhorn females introduced to a new pasture. For this breed, they have been well known for hundreds of years as "cactus eaters" in the Southwest. In Ohio they are consuming bark from scrub brush, Locust, Autumn Olive, Sumac and Multiflora Rose. Although Texas Longhorns may not grow as rapidly as some breeds, their economical "browse utilization" is obviously a profit consideration. The Doherty Ranch of southeastern Kansas, documented a carrying capacity of four Longhorn cows where their other breeds only could maintain three head on the same amount of land. This was found due to Longhorns utilizing more browse which the other breeds considered unpalatable. DCCI maintains one of the largest Longhorn herds in North America with a gross herd number of just under1400. Darol Dickinson, General Manager of DCCI, says, "We have found a renewed interest in Longhorn herd sires has developed as the browse utilization economics is considered. Many ranchers in foreign countries are purchasing semen from us because their grazing areas are much worse." As researchers project long term reductions in world grain available for livestock consumption, the breeds of cattle flexible in high browse utilization will obviously become more popular. The Longhorn breed once referred to as "the scavengers of the desert," may soon become known as "the scavengers of the brush country".
The Classic Longhorn Chute
We continuously get calls asking, "What is the right kind of chute to purchase for Longhorns?" We always tell them, "a Powder River Longhorn chute." Well, now we do something more than just talk about it. We have a franchise with Powder River and can ship a new chute anywhere in the United States, at a price less than recommended list, with no delivery fee, FOB, your corral. If you plan on purchasing the very finest in Longhorn handling equipment, give us a call. We can give prompt delivery to your place. People who are humanely concerned about handling their cattle will feel very secure with this chute. If you live near our ranch in Ohio, you are welcome to work your cattle in our Powder River chute. You will like it so well you will want one of your own. Give us a call. 740.758.5050
Raise Your Own
Both the DCCI price sheet and video presentations show numerous, beautiful, young Longhorns that are available for purchase. The young ones are easy to haul and quick to adapt to a new home. People with one or two pretty heifers can purchase Texas Longhorn frozen semen and raise quality stock in years to come. These young calves come in every color of the rainbow; black, speckled, brindle, gold, grullo, chocolate, dun and every color of red you could imagine. Some are pintos, some are roans and some are solids. The whole spectrum of Texas Longhorn color is often the prettiest herd plan. Some very fancy young heifers are now available for fall delivery. The Summer 1999 video will be available July 1st. This will show numerous beautiful cattle and prices. Send $4.00 for postage and the Sale Video is free. Give us a call and start today to raise your own Texas Longhorn herd.
Valuable Proven Producers
DCCI will sell 30 tried and proven good ole' senior cows this fall. Their mature horns make them absolutely beautiful as a group. Many of these cows will have several more calves. Prices have been reduced for a quick sale. Photos and/or videos are available on this group of cows. All of these are producing now or they would not still remain in the herd. Give us a call, and make your choices of these fancy ole' senior cows now for fall delivery.
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n previous DCCI newsletters we have discussed our second breed which is BueLingo.
wins born in the human population are fairly normal and can be very exciting for the family involved.
bout October 1st a number of very high quality herd sires will be available for purchase from DCCI. These are bulls that have been bred three or four years, and numerous sons and daughters have been retained in the DCCI breeding herd. Each year we use eighteen to twenty herd sires plus frozen semen from a number of sires. As some really wonderful young bulls come on the scene, it is important to sell the older bulls in order to give the young ones a shot. If you have a need for a serious, adult herd sire that has a pasture full of beautiful calves to evaluate, give us a call.
atural service herd sires and AI will be used at DCCI this season. These bulls have been evaluated with voluminous statistical data and proved to be the "lead dawgs" without a doubt. They have been hand selected, eye balled, weighed and measured.
onghorn cattle producers won't be in the business very long before they will need to brand, doctor or castrate. 
