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Originally Posted by shyykatt
Yes, hes a Holstien; and he became a steer last fall I guess, and he is 2 1/2 years old. He isnt friendly b/c they raised him to be 'food', and the guy doesnt milk or breed cattle anymore, this steer is the last of about 9 cattle he has left, they too will probably be sold for meat when they are big enough. I just thought he was kinda cool looking- the guy said if he was staying in the business he would likely have kept him a bull.
I figured when you said he was a steer, that he was going for beef... Unless he has some quality milkers, your right, they will all be sold at auction for beef... If you want to see some cool looking cattle, I could show you photos of some my friend raises... But, I don't have them on my computer... I'll see if I can find similar ones on line, and post them... :wink:
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Jackrabbit
Well, he would have made some decent money, selling him to a dairy for a sire. Holstein cattle dont exactly have the high quality beef as Angus, or Hereford.
Jackrabbit, unfortunately, a lot of commercial Dairy's are using AI (artificial insemination), to breed their Holstein dairy cows... If a farm does use a bull, they can easily buy a commercial grade bull for $1,000.00... That was the going price, when I worked the farm... There are a lot of bulls out there that can be bought. So, unless this bull was high quality, registered purebred, there wouldn't be the demand for him, you might think... It' just the nature of the business...
A bred heifer back then sold for on average $2,500.00... A good experienced milker could easily go for more money...
One thing you have to remember is that an average dairy cow is in use for 4 to 6 years, and to be a dairy cow she obviously has to produce a calf... Now imagine the number of cows on just one farm, and multiply the number of calves that are produced by those cows in their milking lives... You talking 4 to 6 calves per cow. If you have a herd of say 400 milking cows, then consider the number of calves produced... The numbers are high if all the calves survived... Your looking at 1600 to 2400 calves produced by just that one herd, in either a 4 yr., or 6 yr. period... Now imagine the thousands of Dairy farms out there, and all the cattle that are being produced... :shock:
This is why first of all only the heifer calves are kept by dairy's as replacement stock, and all the bull calves go to auction. Either to become veal right away (newborns are called "bob veal"), or be raised as veal calves, or go on to be raised as steer for meat slaughter... If a farm uses a bull, and has a purebred herd, using registered purebred genetics they could easily raise their own replacement bull... There just isn't the demand for bulls, and for a dairy cattle dealer the money is with the heifers, and cows...
That is why some farmers don't spend the time, or money on medications when newborn calves get ill... Sometimes they just let them die, because they are considered a by-product of the industry, and if it's not a quality calf, that they won't make any money on, they will let them die (sometimes by starvation as well)... I think it is cruel, and inhumane, and shouldn't be allowed by law. But, you have to remember the old business motto, of supply, and demand. If you have more cattle, then is needed, the value, and price drops...
One thing to remember as well, even though Angus, and Hereford are raised, and used for human meat comsumption. You also have the pet industry that also uses beef... I'm sure much of the excess cattle that are not quality animals for human consumption, go to the pet industry... Your cat, and dog, could be eating the last Holstein to go to slaughter... But, if a Holstien is beef quality it will go into the human consumption market as well... Look in your local grocery store, Angus, is being sold as a specialty beef product. The marketing being used now all says how special Angus beef is, and if you look at the price, it is expensive... Your average beef in your grocery store, could have come from any breed of cattle... Think about what beef is used for hamburgers, or your favorite fast food burger place... As long as it is quality enough for human consumption, there it will end up.
If you think things are bad in the cattle industry, don't even get me started on what happens to a lot of unwanted horses in this country... If they are not fortunate enough to find a home to live out their lives. Then they too are being sold at auction, and shipped off to slaughter houses as well... :x :sad:
If a domestic animal can be used as meat, it lives it's life in a delicate balance of survival at the hand of mankind...