Blog Archive January 2013
Jeff Want a quick heuristic for mathematically determining balance of a calf from a picture?
Take the length from the top of the shoulder where the neck starts to just under the tail head.
L = Top of shoulder (at the neck) to anus
Then take the length from that same spot at the top of the shoulder down to the bottom of the front foot.
H = Top of shoulder (at the neck) to bottom of front hoof
Now, divide the first number by the second.
L/H
Virtually all grand champion steers on ShowChampions, both haired and slick, have a L/H ratio of 1.00 +/- .02
There are exceptions of course. The Houston grand last year was longer than normal (1.07 L/H) and the last two National Western grands have been shorter bodied than normal (0.93 and 0.94).
How about depth?
D = Length from chest floor to top of back.
D / H is a surprisingly consistent 0.55 for slick grand champions and 0.60 for haired grands.
It works more than you'd expect. If you combine the two and measure calves by how close they are to those ratios you can even predict high sellers. Go ahead, try it on the prospects that sold on Breedersworld last night.
Troubadour.
Purebred Charolais.
Sired by Messenger.
Purebred Angus.
Sired by Carpe Diem.
Purebred Charolais.
Monopoly x Maine/Hairetta.
Purebred Angus.
Purebred Angus.
NLC Upgrade
I-80
Purebred Hereford
Monopoly x Armagedon
Purebred Angus
Monopoly x War Horse
Purebred Angus
Irish Whiskey x Dr Who
Top individual sale lots of the past week...
- $9,900 - Bred Heifer sired by Heat Wave
- $9,250 - Bull sired by Walks Alone
- $9,000 - Bull sired by Hennessey
- $8,000 - Bull sired by Lut
- $8,000 - Bull sired by Irish Whiskey
- $7,250 - Bull sired by Irish Whiskey
- $7,000 - Bull sired by Irish Whiskey
- $7,000 - Bred Heifer sired by Lee's Outlaw
- $6,750 - Bred Heifer sired by N Bar EXT
- $6,600 - Heifer sired by SULL Sinister
Sire: I-80...
Purebred Angus...
Sire: Believe in Me...
Purebred Angus...
Purebred Hereford...
Eye Candy x Charolais...
Hard Drive x Ali/Meyer...
Charolais...
Purebred Simmental
(sorry about the banner, we couldn't get away from the glar)
Monopoly x Mercedes
Unstoppable x Nage Wide Track
Heat Wave x Lain Donor 57
Clones to Total Solution
Sire: Bojo
360 x Tax
Monopoly x Lain Donor 57
Sire: Eye Candy
Sire: Monopoly
Salty Dog x Fergie
Purebred Angus
Purebred Charolais Sired by Sparrow's Sanchez
Sired by Walks Alone
Sired by Believe in Me
Monopoly x Sooner
Sired by Monopoly Money
Milkman x N117
Sired by 360
Sired by Mercedes Benz
Purebred Hereford
Monopoly x Lain Donor 57
Eye Candy x Fear This...
Purebred Simmental...
Kadabra x Heat Wave's GD
My uneducated eye seemed to think the type and kind of bulls in Denver this year was more diverse than it’s been in recent years. There was a relatively well distributed mix of carrier vs non carrier, sire lines, and type.
The color distribution went back to predominantly solid black a bit more which is a bit surprising. Frankly mam; your husband is the one that buys the steers, not your daughter, so it’s not that big a deal.
Wade got video of right at 50 bulls and we’re going to talk today about the posting process.
I Don’t Have Favorites
I never have. Guys that are a lot smarter than I am aren’t able to figure out which bulls are going to stick so I’ve never thought I’d be able to do it myself. I don't fault the guys that do (unless they're a blatant shill account on a forum, which never actually works), I'm just not smart enough to do it.
The internet always says…
…he wants to see bull pictures of clubby bulls mature and in their working clothes. Wouldn’t seeing them at four months old like they did with Surround Sound be more relevant to your actual product as a club calf breeder is?
Lincoln
We spent Sunday afternoon waiting for our flight by going to watch Lincoln. I’m not saying it’s a bad movie, it’s probably quite good. I just know it’s the first time I’ve ever literally fallen asleep in a theatre.
Mustangs
Are horrible, horrible cars that are not meant for anybody over 5’6” and the lady at Budget who convinced me it was a good deal @ $20/day should be ashamed over herself.
Lowline Guys
The bartender at the Embassy Suites, Juli, says the lowline guys are by far and away the most rambunctious. She even knew what a Lowline is, no doubt after for being chastised by drunk after drunk at the bar for asking what those midget cattle are.
Weather
Yeah, ummmm, I’m going to need you to make Denver cold again. So if you could get it down around 40 for a high next time that would be grrreat. Mmkay?
Top individual sale lots of the past week...
- $100,000 - Bull sired by Silveiras Style 9303
- $100,000 - Bull sired by S A V Brilliance 8077
- $39,000 - Bull sired by GAR-EGL Protégé
- $32,500 - Pregnancy sired by EXAR Classen 1422B
- $30,000 - Bull sired by SOO Line Motive 9016
- $25,000 - Heifer sired by EXAR Upshot 0562B
- $25,000 - Heifer sired by Connealy Consensus 7229
- $25,000 - Flush sired by Champion Hill Edition 2029
- $24,000 - Heifer sired by Connealy Consensus 7229
- $23,000 - Heifer sired by EXAR Upshot 0562B
Don't forget about Halterbreak.com for a quick search of the latest blogs posts about everything going on in Denver.
...was interviewed by three newspapers for a prank I pulled on John Kerry during the 2004 presidential election? No? Well, considering the news that prevented me from being the slightest bit productive yesterday afternoon, there will never be a better time.
During the 2004 presidential election John Kerry made a statement that there were a lot for foreign leaders that supported his presidency. The problem is he didn't want to tell anybody who those foreign leaders were. He was pulling the old “I have a girlfriend in another county, you guys wouldn’t know her” that we…ahem…..I mean all you guys pulled in middle school. From here on out known as the Te'o.
A few months earlier there was a hubbub about Ebay blocking auctions of girls that sold a service where they’d pretend to be a girlfriend for a few months. So, I put this up on Ebay…
Have you ever been caught in a lie while running for President of the United States? If you want to make a current president jealous, look better in front of your political buddies who have real foreign relations experience, or if you are just a liar who got called out on your bogus campaign lies, this is the auction for you!!! I’ll pretend that I am the leader of a foreign nation that supports your candidacy for President of the United States until the elections in November.As the imaginary leader of a foreign nation who supports your candidacy, I’ll play along with you with whatever you want me to say. If you want to tell some pesky Republican who calls you out at a campaign stop that I support you, I’ll back you up. If you want me to claim that Bush has ruined the reputation of the United States, I’m up to it. Just like you, I’m willing to say anything it takes to get you elected, I won’t mean a bit of it, and I'll change my stand on the situation when it is politically convenient.Shipping/Handing charge for this item is $15.00, we only ship to Massachusetts. Payment must be received within 3 days of auction close. We accept Paypal (Mastercard, Visa, E-Checks), Money Orders, Certified Checks, or fraudulent donations from Moveon.org in US Funds and Cash. As soon as I receive your payment I’ll mail off the press release to CNN, Fox, ABC, NBC, and CBS stating the fact that we have a relationship going back to the start of the Bush presidency. I am the ultimate online fake leader of a foreign nation!!!!*****THIS DOES NOT MEAN I AM YOUR REAL SUPPORTER!!!!!This is only pretend!!!!!***** When our time is up, right before the election, I’ll send out another press release stating that this was all fake. Hey, I’m out for a buck, I’m not insane. But who are we kidding, if flip flopping on the issues makes a person less trustworthy, you would have dropped out of the race already.This is a private auction your user id will not be shown on here!!!!
I was interviewed by the Boston Globe (she asked me of I was employed by Bush's campaign), the New York Daily News did something on it (the article is gone but referenced here and here), the Washington Post did a brief story on it, and there was some other site that had called for an interview by another publication that I don't even remember now but the listing was removed before the interview could happen.
http://www.cattle.com/denver/
We've started populating it with data but obviously just started.
I won't have any front page posts other than pictures from today through Monday.
I just want to remind everyone that we're going to do everything we can got get all of the bulls video taped on Friday. There will be two crews from Ideal Video shooting, one cameraman and an assistant in each.
I (Jeff) won't actually be there until Saturday morning this year. All that really means is it will be my brother and his fiance getting drinks and running errands for Wade and Joellen so they can focus on the bulls.
If you need to get in touch with the people that are actually in Denver, text or call me at 210.380.7459 and I'll forward you a contact.
Do I have to pay to get in?
It depends. If you try to get to the yards via the front gate/arena, you will have to pay admission. If you park behind the yards you can just walk right in.
When will the bulls be on display?
Friday and Saturday are the best days. The bulls typically start coming out to their display stalls about 10-11 AM and will be up off and on through 4PM.
The owners are now required to display their bulls on Sunday (they can lose their spot the next year if they don’t) and just about every bull will be on display for a portion of the time that day. The bulls will be up but they typically aren’t fit all the way on Sunday.
They can’t stand for five hours?
You stand for four hours in the same position and then start running your mouth. No, stop, don’t walk two feet over there. I mean stand right there, on a slope, for four straight hours with no break at all.
Can I see them move?
If you catch it just right you’ll be able to see them walk to the stalls but that’s about it. The national western isn’t really setup to watch bulls walking, the ground is typically either pavement, rock hard dirt, or icy.
I'd compare it to a light version of the vet's office where our most fluid moving bull looks like Bambi trying to ice skate the first time. You can't get an accurate analysis of how an animal moves on sloppy pavement.
Do the owners sell semen on site in Denver?
Not typically, no. The bulls are almost all spring borns and just now getting to the point that they’re ready to produce. They’ve been fed to look good this weekend and they’ll be drawn back down to produce more semen shortly.
Most of the owners have lists that you can put yourself on to be contacted once they start collecting.
What’s “The Yards” and “The Hill”?
The yards is where the bulls are on display and where you can see all of the cattle in the sales. The hill, called that because it’s on a hill, is where the shows are held.
What are those zip ties?
They differentiate between hill cattle and yard cattle.
Is it hard to get a seat at the sales?
Not if you get there an hour in advance.
Top individual sale lots of the past week...
- $32,000 - Heifer sired by MAGS Xyloid
- $30,500 - Steer sired by Milk Man
- $20,000 - Bred Cow sired by Heat Seeker
- $19,500 - Bred Cow sired by Doctor Who
- $19,500 - Bred Heifer sired by Tiger Woods
- $18,500 - Heifer sired by DHVO Duece 132R
- $17,000 - Heifer sired by BK Top Secret
- $15,500 - Bred Heifer sired by DHVO Duece 132R
- $15,500 - Steer sired by Jakes Proud Jazz
- $15,000 - Heifer sired by MAGS Whitcomb
...at least the Denver we pay attention to here.
I'll be posting Denver stuff now through next weekend.
WE WILL ATTEMPT TO DO ALMOST ALL OF THE BULL FILMING ON FRIDAY. We'll have two crews (camera and helper) dedicated almost solely to focusing on bulls that day to get everything while it's still fresh and the crowds are relatively reasonable.
Here's the Trausch video you've all seen but is still pretty cool...
A week late putting it here but this was pretty nice...
Top individual sale lots of the past week...
- $180 - Semen sired by Monopoly
- $175 - Semen sired by Monopoly
- $55 - Semen sired by Monopoly 4
- $55 - Semen sired by Monopoly 4
- $45 - Semen sired by I-80
- $45 - Semen sired by Bojo
- $45 - Semen sired by Bojo
- $45 - Semen sired by Bojo
- $45 - Semen sired by I-80
- $41 - Semen sired by Bojo
While it's now what's going on with this thread, if somebody wants to help their web design clients, a thread like this would be a great way to make sure all of your clients get their site visited...
http://www.steerplanet.com/bb/the-big-show/warning-about-posting-facebook-pictures-of-your-cattle!/
"It's one of the sites on there, not going to say which, you need to go visit each of them to check..."
Based on the sales we could find posted online with any of the main online auction services…
| Percentile | 2011 | 2012 | Increase |
| 98th | $10,500 | $10,656 | 1.5% |
| 95th | $8,000 | $8,000 | 0.0% |
| 90th | $5,750 | $5,950 | 3.5% |
| 80th | $3,750 | $4,000 | 6.7% |
| 70th | $3,000 | $3,250 | 8.3% |
| 60th | $2,500 | $2,675 | 7.0% |
| 50th | $2,000 | $2,000 | 12.5% |
| 40th | $1,800 | $1,900 | 5.6% |
| 30th | $1,500 | $1,600 | 6.7% |
| 20th | $1,300 | $1,401 | 7.8% |
| 10th | $1,100 | $1,200 | 9.1% |
| Other Stats | |||
| Count | 2,466 | 1,888 | 30.6% |
| Average | $3,039 | $3,168 | 4.2% |
| Median | $2,000 | $2,250 | 12.5% |
The overall average was up 4.2%. The top ten percent of steers, the ones everyone pays attention to, held steady. The growth in prices tended to be in everything else which increased by about 7%.
The median, which in my opinion is a lot more accurate indicator of what show steers cost, bumped from $2,000 to $2,500.
Sale coming up this weekend...
* SALE FEATURE *
LOT 1 - DR Ms Golden Girl (AKA. Goldy) - PB SM ASA# 2235360
Sire: Goldmine | Dam: Black Joker
AI: Big Softy 4/18 | PE: Big Softy 4/23-7/3
LOT 2 - WMCC Cashmere - PB SM
Sire: Imprint | Dam: Goldy Donor (Goldmine)
AI: Big Softy 4/24 | PE: Big Softy 5/11-7/22
The only thing really worth noting for most is that mobile visitors tripled yet again. If you don't know what your site looks like on a phone or tablet, get off your rear and find out.
Visits – Up 42.93%
Unique Visitors – Up 32.32%
Pageviews – Up 16.85%
Top Referer - Steerplanet.com – Up 5.47%
Facebook Referals – Up 13.30%
Twitter Referals (t.co) – Up 5,408%
Mobile Visitors – Up 194.68%
Non-Mobile Visitors – Up 21.93%
Organic Search Visits – Up 47.92% (passed the million mark)
Percentage of Organic Visits Not Sending Keyword – Up 8.69%
“Clubby” Keywords in our Top 50 Referring Keywords - Only “walks alone bull” and “monopoly bull” show up. Steerplanet has taken over for most of those terms in the SERPs.
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