Need opinions: you have 1000 acres in Tx, and can stock 5 pure and 5 cross breeds of cattle. which ones/ why?

Question

looking for people's insight into what types of purebred and cross cattle and why. any input would be appreciated.

Answer 1

We run Angus crosses in west Texas. We've never run purebreds. We run Black baldies. They do REALLY well at the sale, especially if you take a group that look exactly alike and sell them as a set at about 400 lbs.

Purebred cattle are best not sold at auction. They are best sold at private treaty. Therefore, more trouble to sell. They probably bring more, but with more work on the marketing side.

Black crossbred cattle are simply very popular in Texas markets right now.

Expensive registered purebreds just make me nervous. I wouldn't want that much investment tied up in one head.

Just one old rancher's opinion.

Answer 2

Without going into a long rant on the subject, more food can be produced by growing plant crops than raising animal crops. And the quality of the food is that which is better for the body. Enough said, I won't go on.

Answer 3

I believe there are similarities with domesticated animals (dogs & cats), that cross breeds are sturdier, less prone to disease. For Texas, you do need to consider breeds that tolerate heat, such as Brahman. The Longhorn and Brahman are great cross-breeds. Pure-bred are the Angus, dark (or black) bovine, praised in high-end supermarkets, Central Market and Whole Foods. But Angus may not be heat tolerant. Recently, Tuli - an import from Australia - has become all the rage. Do some research on the land you've got and the typical annual rainfall, to determine which breed would graze better on your land.

Answer 4

If you really want an opinion trying to keep 5 pure bred herds of cattle and five cross breeds on your acreage would foolish.  Maintaining two pure bred herds and a cross breed between them would be a much better plan.  If you take a look at the most successful ranches in your state you will find they specialize in one type of cattle, either pure bred herds for selling breeding stock or a cross bred herd for feeding cattle.  If I had a thousand acres in Texas to stock in cattle I would start a breeding herd of Brangus cattle.  But your stock  should be something that is a personal choice.