Since 9000 BC, cows have been domesticated and due to something called selective breeding, there are cows that thrive in a variety of different environments, including various climates and conditions. Some cows are bred especially for the meat they can offer and called beef cattle, while others are bred specifically for their milk, which is dairy cows.
If you have been considering starting up your own cattle business or need to choose cattle for your children to raise for 4-H or other projects, you may have asked yourself this question: Commercial or Registered Heifers: What’s the Best Option for Me?
When it comes to beef cattle, there are many different product options for you to choose from when starting your own cattle business. This not only offers a great amount of flexibility for you in your decision, but on the flip side it can make it difficult for someone who is just starting out in trying to understand what they should be doing, what costs they should expect, and other important issues. There are many things to consider before you decide between purchasing commercial heifers or registered ones. This article will explore several aspects that you need to consider before you make your first cattle purchase.
What is a Registered Heifer?
A registered heifer is a purebred cow, similar to a dog that is registered with papers because it is a purebred dog. Purebred cattle are raised to produce a breeding stock that will be used by other purebred producers as well as commercial cattle farmers. They are taken care of on a very intensive level and records are kept on things like their birth weight, the weight they were when they were weaned, yearling weights, calving difficulties, their rate of reproduction, and many other traits. Many pure breed producers belong to what is referred to as a breed association which also keeps records on each cow in that specific breed and produces information about the performance of each cow within each breed in general as well as each specific animal. Owners of purebred cows also utilize many of the latest technologies, including artificial insemination, carcass ultrasounds, and even DNA testing to a much higher degree than other cattle producers. They also keep detailed records of whom they sell each animal to and when they sold the animal.
These cows tend to have more access to supplemental feed within their purebred farm operations because of their role as breeders, or the cattle owners are attempting to maximize their genetic potential as much as they can. Also, the bottom end of purebred calves is culled and either sold as steers or as market heifers while the rest of them are kept as replacements for their herd or even sold to other breeders for breeding stock. The bulls are sold to both purebred and commercial cattle owners so that they can produce better-quality herds.
What is a Commercial Heifer?
A commercial heifer is basically a cow that has been crossbred and its purpose is to produce calves that will be raised for beef production. In other words, it’s like owning a dog that is not registered as a purebred but instead is a mutt. Some commercial cattle producers have cows of the same breed but most of them are not purebred cows.
Commercial cattle are not taken care of in the same intensive manner as registered heifers. Commercial cattle owners may keep some amount of records that include certain traits, such as how much they each weighed at birth and how much they weighed when they are weaned, but do not generally record many of the other trades that purebred cattle owners take the time to record. Artificial insemination is used in some herds, at least on first-calf heifers, but the bulls in this type of cattle herd are mostly used for breeding more commercial cattle.
Commercial cows are culled on reproduction just like purebred heifers because having a calf is basically how the farmer pays to feed that particular cow. Commercial heifers are given less supplemental feed than purebred heifers and are mainly raised on grass with some supplemental feeding during the winter months in colder climates when it snows. Commercial heifer calves can be sold as breeding stock to other commercial cow owners or as market heifers while the bull calves are normally steered and then sold either when they are weaned or after they are finished being raised and sold as beef.
The descriptions of commercial heifers and purebred heifers above are only general ones as there are many different breeds within each group. These cattle can be raised to become adjusted in various ways to meet the current market demands and both are great choices for anyone wanting to get into the cattle business. Each of these types of cows offers flexibility and plenty of different choices for producers as well as customers when searching out a certain type of product.
These are general descriptions, but within even these two groups there are many different variations. Depending on location and available pasture/feed, markets, the farmer’s strength and weaknesses, and other factors, these cattle can be adjusted to meet the demands of the current markets. While this can be a challenge when beginning a cattle operation and trying to determine how to proceed, it does provide flexibility and choices for both the producer and for customers who are looking for a specific type of product.
Whether you are searching for black Angus cattle or a Belted Galloway, you need to be sure that the cow or cattle you come from a reliable source like Harrer’s Lost Lake Ranch. This is very important so that you do not waste your money on cattle that have diseases or cows that simply do not measure up to your standards and expectations, and you receive the type of cattle you want for your operation.