Rancher's Christmas Present

Don't look past this bull because he is younger than the rest of the bulls we have offered through the fall.  This January 2012 bull is loaded with the same great genetics, but just a couple of months younger.  He is a polled 3/4 Maine embryo calf out of GVC Suh, and our JAZX Audrey donor cow.  With an 81# birth weight, tons of muscle, and a pedigree loaded with maternal genetics, he will be a versatile bull in any operation.  And just like all the sires we offer, he is TH and PHA Free.  Price is $3,000.

Moves Like Jagger Semen Now Available!

After a quick stay at Champion Genetics, semen is now available on ZNT Moves Like Jagger.  It's not too late to get an order of Jagger semen to finish off your fall breeding season, or get a head start on your orders for spring breeding season.

Semen is $25/unit.
Contact the following to make your order:
Bull Barn Genetics - 800-535-6173

Champion Genetics -  903-567-4044

Zane Mai - 817-233-9357 or zntcattle@gmail.com

Paul Fowler - 903-360-1218 or pfowlerj@yahoo.com

Montego Bay Heifer at Fowler Reproductive Service

While at Fowler Reproductive Service flushing cows this weekend, I got a chance to snap a picture of this big-time Purebred Maine heifer.  She is a fall born ET heifer out Montego Bay, and a 3/4 Maine donor cow sired by Sooner. Even though she isn't even 3 months old yet, she has greatness written all over her.

Move Like Jagger Flyer

Here is the first of the promotion material for ZNT Moves Like Jagger.  He will be going to Champion Genetics next week to get collected.  Let us know if you would like to try some Jagger this fall.

Link to pedigree

Taking Pre-Orders For Moves Like Jagger

Collection will begin later this month on ZNT Moves Like Jagger.  If you are interested in obtaining semen on possibly one of the best Purebred Maine bulls to come out in 2012, here is your chance.

Contact for pre-order:
Zane Mai: 817-233-9357 or zntcattle@gmail.com
Paul Fowler:  903-360-1218 or pfowlerj@yahoo.com 

Pedigree:
Sire:  GVC Suh 01W
Dam:  ZNT Jenna 707T

Info:
Percentage:  7/8 Maine Anjou
Birth Weight:  85#
Defect Status:  PHA and TH Free
Price:  $25 per unit (pre-orders $20 per unit)

Video taken on Nov 1st, 2012:

Fall Semen Order Time

Make sure when you are putting together your semen order for the fall breeding season, that it includes a few straws of Montego Bay.  His calves have proven to be calving ease at birth, and very marketable after weaning.  More information and pictures on Montego Bay is available on his web page.

For Semen Contact:

SEK Genetics - 800-443-6389

Cattle Visions - 866-839-3353

Bull Barn Genetics - 800-535-6173

Executive Sires - 834-962-3993

Great Job Purple Banner Design

Thank you Bethany from Purple Banner Design for putting together this stylish sweatshirt for my daughter.  Another excellent piece of work you put together.  She will be sporting it this weekend at the show.

Thank You!!!!

Rare Opportunity - Price Reduced!!!!

Here is a rare opportunity to own a heifer right out of the heart of our herd.  ZNT Autumn 112Y is dual registered as a 3/4 Maine with the AMAA and a Chimaine with the ACA.  Our daughter has made the decision to concentrate on her athletics this year, and to sell this amazing prospect. Autumn is stacked with genetics on both the sire and dam side of her pedigree.  She is loaded with muscle and structural correctness, yet is TH and PHA free by pedigree.  Sired by a Sooner x Jazz bull and out of the great Audrey cow, no one can you go wrong.  Don't pass this opportunity up.

Contact Zane if you are interested or have any questions.

cell: 817-233-9357
email: zntcattle@gmail.com

Link to video:  http://youtu.be/AoKvtAOy5Sk

Montego Bay Heifer For Sale in Indiana- Updated

I am re-posting this classified ad for a March 3/4 Maine heifer in Indiana sired by Montego Bay.  She is out of a of a Calberta Sly cow.

http://sales.steerplanet.com/category/305/Cattle/listings/162/Montego-Bay-Heifer-for-Sale.html

Thank you to Jason at Steerplanet for putting together a free classified advertisement system for all of us to use and share.

High Growth Maine Bulls

Here are two solid choices for the commercial cattlemen. First is an October 2011 born ET 3/4 Maine bull sired by GVC Suh. Solid black, polled, moderate birth weight, and a sure bet to put some pounds in that next calf crop.  Also available is a January 2012 ET flush mate to the first bull.  Same great genetics on the sire side, and same amazing foundation genetics on the dam side, but just 3 months younger.  Package price for the 2 bulls is available.

Oct 2011 3/4 Maine Bull
Sire:  GVC Suh
Dam:  JAZX Audrey 352N
BW:  84#
PHA and TH Free by Parentage
Price $2500

Jan 2012 3/4 Maine Bull
Sire:  GVC Suh
Dam:  JAZX Audrey 352N
BW:  81#
PHA and TH Free by Parentage
Price $2750

Steer Mama' Supreme (New pic and video)

Here is a perfect example of what ZNT Triple X daughters are doing in the herds. This is a Sept 2011 Breathe Easy Heifer out of a ZNT Triple X x The Bachelor first calf heifer. She is very sound, plenty of thickness, and soft made. She is a 1/2 Maine heifer that has steer mama' written all over her. She may be the best deal to come across the internet all summer.  Heifer is located in Rhome, TX.  Price is $2500 for immediate pick-up, or $3000 guaranteed A.I. bred to the bull of buyers choice by Jan 1, 2013.

Anybody interested can call me at 817-233-9357 or email me at zntcattle@gmail.com

1/2 Maine
Sire:  Breath Easy
Dam:  Triple X x The Bachelor
TH and PHA Free by parentage

Link to video:  http://youtu.be/WMcje8hLFzk

See other cattle available from ZNT on our For Sale page.

Mark Dickson is the Winner

Congratulations to Mark Dickson of California for winner the "Guess Her Breed and Age" contest on Steerplanet.  He guessed that it was our JAZX Audrey 352N donor cow, who is sired by CTR Success and turns 9 on Sept 29th.

Guess Her Sire and Age!

Go to the link below to guess the Sire, and the age (in years) of the cow pictured in the post.  First person to post the sire and age correctly gets 5 units of Montego Bay.

http://www.steerplanet.com/bb/the-big-show/guess-her-age-and-breed/

Here is the picture:

Commercial Cattleman's Dream Bull (SOLD)

This is a cattleman's dream bull.  He is a black, polled, 7/8 Maine bull that is sired by GVC Suh, and out of our ZNT Jenna 707T donor cow.  This bull is a maternal sib to ZNT Montego Bay, and a full sib to ZNT Moves Like Jagger.  He is an easy fleshing, stout made, easy moving bull that only had a 78# birth weight.  The bull was born in Oct of 2011, and will be ready for the 2012 fall breeding season.

Contact Zane Mai of ZNT Cattle Co with any questions you may have on this great herd bull, or any other cattle at ZNT Cattle Co.

Zane Mai
email: zntcattle@gmail.com
cell:  817-233-9357  call or text

Link to video:  http://youtu.be/O5qUOqvWFUI

Bulls, Bulls, Bulls!

Fall calving season is either now, or quickly upon us.  That means it is also time to make plans for your next breeding season.  ZNT has a set of bulls that can meet the needs of any commercial or seedstock operation.  All are sired by GVC Suh, and all are either maternal sibs to ZNT Triple X, or ZNT Montego Bay.  Make ZNT your first stop this fall for your next herd sire.

Click here to go to our "For Sale" page for other great cattle available from ZNT Cattle Co.

Newest Video of Moves Like Jagger

If you like this stud in the video, you should see him in person.  He is as massive and correct bull as we have ever raised at ZNT Cattle Co.

More Rain for North Texas

Isn't this a beautiful sight!?! Things have already greened up significantly since the 4 inches we received earlier this week.

Thank You Jason from Steerplanet

I took advantage of my first opportunity to blog for Steerplanet.com.  I feel very honored to be invited by Jason to be a guest blogger, and I look forward to providing my thoughts in regard to the cattle industry, and the lives we live doing the thing we love.

Check it out!  http://www.steerplanet.com/lessons-we-learned-from-the-olympics/

What CMT Should Play

I know most of you have seen these, but for those that haven't, you will really enjoy.  Here is what is really going on in those "Fly Over States."

London 2012

The 2012 London Olympics are upon us.  Our family loves watching the Olympics, and this year is even more special.  As a kid, specifically while watching Carl Lewis and Mary Lou Retton in the 1984 Summer Olympics in L.A., my fire was lit to someday compete in the Olympics.  Though my dream never came true, it brings me even more joy to be a parent and see the same fire being lit in my daughter. 

In honor of this year’s Olympics, its athletes, and all the parents and coaches, here is a little something my wife and I put together.  This is the same philosophy we use as parents with our daughter for not only her sports, but her education, her animals, and her life in general.

 May the spirit of the Olympics run through all of our HEARTS!   

ZNT Summer Showcase - Promo Sire Prospect w/ Video

In our opinion, this is going to be the next great sire to come from ZNT Cattle Co.  If you missed out on being a part of Montego Bay, then you need to take a look at this A.I. sire prospect closely.  Pictures and video were taken of him with a camera phone of him rough clipped.  You must see him in person to truly appreciate how good he is.

7/8 Maine
ZNT Moves Like Jagger 105Y
Sire:  GVC Suh
Dam:  ZNT Jenna 707T (Dam of Montego Bay)
DOB:  Sept 2011
PHA and TH Free by Parentage
Picture on 4/15/12

Picture on 6/26/12

Picture on 6/26/12

Link to video:  http://youtu.be/ornVF3cxNSo

Text From Robert Chambers

"FYI - a Triple X heifer weaned a 764 lb steer - the top performing heifer momma this year. Calf was sired by our Anchor son. I weighed a bunch of calves Fri night."

Triple X offspring doing just what they were bred to do!

Picture From 2012 State Preview Show

Here is a picture of ZNT American Honey 002Y, who was named Reserve Champion Mainetainer at the 2012 Texas State Preview Show.

Sire:  GVC Fortune & Glory
Dam:  CTR Sweet Success 2
Bred by ZNT

Montego Bay a steer sire? Sure looks like it!

Here is a 9 month old Montego Bay x Char. cross steer that was raised by Austin Wade of Burleson, TX.

Perfect Scramble Heifer Prospect

Though just recently weaned, this February 3/4 Maine heifer is ready to go for any kid still looking for a heifer to use their scramble certificates on. Outstanding disposition and a killer look to go along with it. She is sired by Montego Bay, and out of a super powerful Direct Hit x DMCC Mercedes cow. We will be flushing a maternal sister to this heifer next month to Montego Bay.

My 8 year old putting a little time in with the heifer.

Maternal Sib sired by ZNT Triple X

From Wisconsin: Montego Bay Steer

Thank you to Marty Krueger from Wisconsin for sending this pic of an April Montego Bay steer out of a 3/8 Maine first calf heifer.

iCow Part 2 Selling on the Internet

(Disclaimer – This blog is just an account of our entry into the internet world, and our opinions.  These are not the keys to guaranteed success, nor is it meant to take away from how others market their livestock.)

The internet is a great way to sell cattle.  We have now been using the internet to sell cattle for over 10 years.  We are a small operation, and cannot afford a large advertising budget, so the internet only made perfect sense.

Our first step to selling cattle on the internet was to set up a website.  Thank you to my wife, Traci! She took the time to learn how to make our initial website, and all the updated versions and formats over the past decade.  She probably saved us thousands of dollars by doing it on our own, versus paying a firm.  If you can not do it yourself, give Ranch House Design or Encore Visions a call, and they will more than happy to assist you with your web design and advertising needs.  Currently we use the blog format from blogger.com.  Do take the time, or even spend the money to make a nice Header for your website.  This is the first thing that the visitor sees when they visit a website.

The next step we took was getting our link to our website out to the public.  10 years ago the options were limited, but today, there are numerous free and paid websites to list your website.  The first link sites we used were www.showsteers.com and www.texasshowcattle.com.  We have also made it a point to put on website address on everything we publish such as magazine ad’s, business cards, and flyers.   We also have our address on our farm sign we use when displaying cattle at stock shows.  Our focus was to push everyone to our website to find out more about us, what we raise, the services we provide, along with the cattle we have for sale.

Since we push all of our customers to our website, it is critical that we keep it updated.  The key is to have a site that people make a habit of visiting.  But the only reason they will make a habit of visiting any site, is because they want to see new information.  We try to keep our “for sale” page fresh with new cattle and new pictures.  There is nothing worse than visiting a website and finding a page full of cattle that the ranch had for sale 2 years ago.  I myself will not visit the website again.

Enough about websites, now it’s time to sell the cattle!  First step is to get good pictures and videos of the cattle.  People do not want to see words, they want pictures to get them to justify paying $4/gal for diesel to look at the cattle in person.  We like to stay transparent to our customers, so we include prices when we put cattle for sale on our website, or in classified ads.  I do not believe in the philosophy of withholding information to get the people to call for the information.  Let the potential customer make the decision if they are interested in an animal with all the information. 

Lastly, we have tried to differentiate ourselves from the rest.  We were one of the first to set a “load and go” price on our cattle in a private treaty sale, we substituted an open house for a sale, and we were one of the front-runners of bloggers in the cattle industry.  Just because all your neighbors are having internet sales, doesn’t mean you have to.  Do it because it is right for you. Even better, do something new and different that will get people’s attention.

We wish everyone the best of luck!  Happy Marketing!

Custom Cattle Services

We have just updated our Custom Cattle Services page on our website.  Take a look and see what ZNT has to offer you.  Need some help getting your consignments to the next sale ready, or need a few heifers and cows bred??  Give us a call or email.  817-233-9357 or zntcattle@gmail.com

iCOW – Part 1 Cattle and the Internet

(Disclaimer – This blog is just an account of our entry into the internet world, and our opinions.  These are not the keys to guaranteed success, nor is it meant to take away from how others market their livestock.)

I am writing a two part blog to explain our opinion of the use if the internet to market our cattle and our name.  The world is moving quickly to an electronic world, but many do not know how to use it, when to use it, or what to use it for.  I do not want to take away at all on how others in the cattle industry are using technology, but more to highlight our philosophy at ZNT Cattle Co and how we use it, and also tips/pet peeves in using.

Blogs/Websites

As you can tell by reading our blog, we 100% believe in the value of websites for cattle operations.  Though our website is a blog based website that we setup using Blogger.com, it is still a website.  It is an internet world, and if you want to reach customers, you must have a website, and you must make your link available in as many places as possible: i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Steeplanet, Cattle.com, Showsteers.com, etc.  Just as important as having a website is to keep it current.  This is why we use the blog format.  It is very easy to use and to update.  I can even make changes from my iPhone, or any smart phone for that matter.  Our website is a mix of cattle for sale and useful information that anyone can use as a resource.  You can decide exactly what you what to display about your operation.

Here is an excellent blog by RHD on blogs: http://www.ranchhousedesigns.blogspot.com/2012/05/blog-saturation.html

Email/Eblasts

Email was the first taste that most of us got to the upcoming internet age.  Email is still one of my favorite uses of the internet.  I can give updates to multiple parties, send information, pictures, videos, and documents that can be viewed immediately.  I love the way it allows each party to send and receive messages at their own convenience, rather than the phone-tag games we played for so many years.  That being said, I have more pet peeves in how people use the internet than any other form of electronic communication.  First off, I check almost all my emails with my iPhone, therefore any of these dozens of eblasts that I receive daily that have some fancy Photoshop ad as the body of the email, I CAN NOT READ!  If you want the fancy ad in your email, also include in text: who is having the sale, what they are selling, when it is, and where it is.  Even better is if most of this information is located in the Subject because I never get past the subject line on 95% of these mass emails.  I am actually turned off by eblasts these days, and would rather have an individual just spend the time to put together an email and send it out to group of people, who they know might have an interest in what they are selling, or have a personal relationship with the seller.  And lastly, my biggest pet peeve of all is mass FWD’s.  This is why Facebook and Twitter exist, so unless you think I will specifically like the email, save it for your Facebook.

Facebook

Facebook has been a form of social media that we have all been trying to figure out how to use effectively.  Since the use is not a science yet, here is how I use it.  Number one use of Facebook for me is to make myself more personable and approachable.  Yes, I have cattle for sale, and I do advertise these cattle on my Facebook, but more I want my potential customers to know that I am just the same as they are.  I like sports, I love my family, I do things that are not cattle related, etc.  Pages vs. Individual Profiles – I am still on the fence about separating these two out.  Part of it is that I do not want to maintain two separate Facebook accounts, but more, as I stated above, I want people to know me, and that I am the face of ZNT.  ZNT is not just an entity that sells cattle, it is a family that puts a lot of time and thought into the operation they run, and it is our family that provides the customer service after a calf is purchased from us.

To the youth!  If you choose to friend your favorite breeders on Facebook, do not post DRAMA on your Facebook page.  It comes across as immature, and irresponsible.  These are the people that you want to sell you their best calves, and they have to trust that they are selling to a young person that will represent their animal the best.  Your maturity both on the internet and in person will most likely get you a better animal for a better price.  Again, you are selling yourself, just like the breeder is selling themselves and their cattle.

Twitter

So far Twitter has not been an effective tool for our cattle operation.  It is just too random, and too impersonal.  I do like to send out tweets containing links to my recent informative blogs.  If anything, it does give an opportunity to reach out to potential readers that I may never be contacted in the more traditional ways.  Randomness can sometimes be good.  I do check my Twitter, so please do not post stupid stuff.  If you are going to send a tweet, make sure it is worth my time to read.  Thank you.

Cattle Forums

All I have to say is Steerplanet.com.  Jason has a very well-run site that is full of great information, and a great way to meet other people in the cattle business, especially the show cattle business.  Use the classifieds!  It is free to list, and they are loaded with great cattle from all over the United States.  The traffic that Steerplanet receives daily makes the advertising cost very affordable.  The best dollars we have spent on advertising came from a banner on Steerplanet.  Cattle forums are a great way to get your name out to a very specific market with like interests.  Post, and post often, but only if you have good information or good things to say.  Every post you make is an advertisement of yourself and a representation of you as a person.  Being political correct is not you being fake; it is you being empathetic to other people’s feelings, thoughts, and choices.  And always; use proper English and spelling when you post.  I myself, have to make a pointed effort to double and triple check my spelling in my posts.  Such simple mistakes can take away from the whole point you were trying to make in the post.

Cattle Websites

Two of my favorite cattle websites are Cattle.com and Showsteers.com.  They have lots of great links and information on them, and are sites that provide great returns for your advertising dollars. 

Text Messaging

I am all for text messaging.  Just like many of you out there, I am a busy person, and do not always have time to have a long conversation to answer a 2 second question.  If you send a text, make sure you identify yourself in the message, and be specific.  Again, text is meant to save time, so don't be offended if the person you are texting does not engage in a long texting session.

Reserve Mainetainer at Texas Maine/Chi Preview Show

ZNT American Honey 002Y was named Reserve Champion Mainetainer at the Texas Maine/Chi Preview Show this weekend. Great job to Natalie Mai for showing this September born GVC Fortune & Glory x CTR Sweet Success 2 heifer. We are very excited about the new home this heifer will be going to.

Fall Born Steers Still Available

We still have a nice set of Oct and Nov born steer prospects available.  All priced between $1500-2000 and available for viewing at ZNT Cattle until May 7th.  Come get them before they are gone.  Volume discounts available if an individual, club or FFA would like a group of them.

Texas State Maine and Chi Preview Show

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the Texas State Maine and Chi Preview Show at the Ft. Worth Stock Show grounds this weekend.  Several cattle will be exhibited out of ZNT genetics, including Montego Bay and Triple X.  We will have our semen tank there if anyone would like to pick up some Montego Bay or Triple X semen for spring breeding season.

See y'all soon!

ZNT Sires Produce Winners

It was a great day for ZNT Sires at the 2012 Wise County Youth Fair. ZNT Triple X sired the Champion AOB in the breeding heifer show, and ZNT Montego Bay sired the 1st and 2nd place lightweight prospect steers.

Calving ease sires can produce winners!

ZNT Montego Bay Registered with ACA

We have completed the paper work and ZNT Montego Bay 901W is now not only a registered purebred Maine, but also a registered Chimaine with the American Chianina Association.  His registration number is P359968.

Good Luck to Will Babler

Thank you to Will Babler for purchasing ZNT Rihanna 103Y.  She is a super fancy Montego Bay heifer our of our CTR Sweet Success 2 donor cow.  She can compete in both the Mainetainer and Chi divisions.

Montego Bay Steer Prospect

Here is the first of several steer prospects out of Montego Bay that we will have for sale this spring.  He was born 60 pounds out of a first calf heifer.

Montego Bay Now Offered By Executive Sires

Executive Sires is the newest distributor to carry Montego Bay semen.  Thank you for picking up the hot new calving ease Maine Anjou sire.  Call them today to make your orders!

SEMEN ORDER LINE - 434.962.3993!

ZNT Triple X is Deceased

Due to injuries suffered in a trailering accident, Triple X had to be put down. This comes at a time when his females were just starting to make their mark as cows, and his offspring were continuing to turn heads in the show ring.

A very limited amount of semen is in storage, therefore, the price has been increased to $50. Semen is still available through SEK Genetics and Bull Barn Genetics. Make you order now before the price goes up more.

GVC Suh ET Calves

Thank you Paul Fowler for sending us these pictures of the latest GVC Suh calves out of our Jenna and Audrey donor cows.

Thank You Dennis Garwood

I would like to thank Dennis Garwood or Green Valley Cattle for selling us a semen package of GVC Suh semen 2 years ago.  We used the Suh semen on a couple of flushes, and the calves have exceeded our expectations.  Both the bull and heifer calves are loaded with muscle, soundness, softness, and overall marketability.

Since our Suh bull calves will not be old enough to be used for breeding season this spring, make sure to check out Dennis' Big Picture Genetics bull sale in Atikinson, NE on March 3rd.  Our powerhouse Suh bulls will be ready for breeding this fall, and a select set of show heifer prospects out of our Jenna and Audrey donor cows will be available all through the spring.

Fall Bred Heifers For Sale by 4J Family Cattle (SOLD)

4J Family Cattle is offering an outstanding set of 14 fall bred heifers for sale.  Several have been A.I. bred to Special Delivery, ZNT Triple X, and ZNT Montego Bay, and the remainder were exposed and bred to Montego Bay from 11/15/11 to 1/6/12.  All heifers have been ultrasounded for pregnancy confirmation, and are ready for immediate delivery.  Call or text Zane for any questions you may have at 817-233-9357, or email at zntcattle@gmail.com

Link to Bred Heifer Advertisement- click here

Ft Worth Maine Anjou Shows and Events

I know everyone can look up these dates, but I thought I would put together a quick summary for any of those out there wanting to check out one of the many events involving the Maine Anjou cattle at the Ft Worth Stock Show.

Saturday, January 22nd:

9:00 am Texas Jr. Maine Anjou Association Meeting

9:00 am Silent Auction begins for the Texas Maine Anjou Association

Sunday, January 23rd:

8:00 am Junior Maine Anjou Show

Wednesday, January 26th:

Maine Anjou open show cattle begin moving in

Saturday, January 29th:

10:00 am Texas Maine Anjou Association Board Meeting - French Room

4:00 pm Maine Anjou Social Gathering

Sunday, January, 30th:

9:00 am Maine Anjou Open Show (Mainetainers, High Percentage, then Fullbloods)

12:00 pm Bidding Closes on TMAA Silent Auction

3:00 pm Maine Anjou open show cattle released

Conscious Effort

Genetic defects are not a new subject, and there have been hundreds of commentaries out there discussing it. Now it's my turn to talk.

Since our cattle operation is concentrated mainly around Maine Anjou and Chianina genetics, we have great exposure to the risks of the genetic defects PHA and TH within our herd. ZNT Cattle has made a conscious effort to not have carrier cows in our herd, and to not breed to carrier bulls. That being said, we are not immune to the fact that these defects are out there, and some cattle may be mis-represented, either by mistake or on purpose, as to be free of defects. Thank goodness for testing!

There is a bigger issue to this than just having 1 or 2 show heifers that need to be tested to see if they are carriers or not. Just because some of these carrier cattle go on to be shown, and enter into registered herds where they can be tested and bred accordingly, doesn't mean this is where all the carrier cattle go. Hundreds, or even thousands of these "reject" cattle are making it into the commercial herds every year, either through the sale barn, or maybe through a neighbor selling to a neighbor. The typical commercial man does not have the time to keep track of every genetic defect out there, nor do they have the money to test their entire herd for every defect that comes along. And they should NOT have to!

It is the moral responsibility of seedstock producer and multiplier herd to reduce, or even better, eliminate genetic defects from their breed. I understand that it may not be financially feasible to just eliminate these cattle from their herd, but they do have the choice to make a conscious effort to reduce the amount of carrier cattle their herd produces.

Simple Genetic Lesson: Same applies to TH
PHA Free Bull x PHA Free Cow =
100% PHA Free Calves (Normal calf with no recessive genetic defect gene)

PHA Carrier Bull x PHA Free Cow =
50% PHA Carrier Calves (Normal calf but has recessive genetic defect gene)
50% PHA Free Calves (Normal calf with no recessive genetic defect gene)

PHA Free Bull x PHA Carrier Cow =
50% PHA Carrier Calves (Normal calf but has recessive genetic defect gene)
50% PHA Free Calves (Normal calf with no recessive genetic defect gene)

PHA Carrier Bull x PHA Carrier Cow =
25% Dead Calf and possible dead cow (lethal combo of 2 recessive genetic defect genes)
50% PHA Carrier Calves (Normal calf but has recessive genetic defect gene)
25% PHA Free Calves (Normal calf with no recessive genetic defect gene)

Stock Show Time

Not only is January the start of a new calendar year, but it is also the kick off to another exciting year in the cattle industry. What better way to start off the year than the National Western Stock Show. Denver becomes the Mecca of the cattle industry for the first 3 weeks of the new year. What happens at Denver sets the pace for the entire rest of the year. New sires are introduced, upcoming bull sales are promoted, and every livestock manufacturer and advertising group is throwing their hat in the ring to get a piece of the pie. Growing up just 4 hrs from Denver, made the NWSS the highlight of every winter for me, and I do miss going, but it is no longer practical for me to make it every year now that I live in Texas.

BUT! Now that I am in Texas, I get to attend and participate in the Ft.Worth Stock Show every year starting the 3rd week of January, and lasting 3 weeks. It may not be Denver, but it sets the pace for the subsequent majors throughout the spring here in Texas. It is truly a sight to see. For those that don’t buy the whole “Everything is Bigger in Texas” have to attend just one Jr. Heifer Show or Steer Show to see that some things just are BIGGER here! Ft. Worth is somewhat the Showcase of the South, bringing together many of the top breeders in the South, and throughout the country for that matter.

I hope everyone involved in the cattle industry gets a chance to attend one of these great events, if not this year, at least once in their life. We will be at Ft. Worth, so feel free to stop by and say “hello.” We will be posting on our website and Facebook where we are stalled.

Happy Stock Showing!

Montego Bay Steer Prospect

October Montego Bay x CTR Sweet Success steer prospect. Many more steer and heifer prospects arriving through the spring.

Quote about ZNT Triple X

Thank you to Chambero on Steerplanet for giving this report on the functionality of ZNT Triple X as, not only a proven easy calving sire, but also as a bull that will produce females great maternal abilities.

"Good luck on the calves.  For what its worth, the babies out of some of the Triple X heifers we calved out this fall are starting to work theirselves to the top of that group of our calves.  They look like they are going to make good mommas." - Chambero

Latest Montego Bay Offspring Pics

Here are a few fall born heifers that were all sired by Montego Bay.  The first two were born unassisted out of first calf heifers, and the third is an embryo calf out of our CTR Sweet Success 2 (Success x Traveler 6807) donor cow.  Montego Bay is not only a tested and proven easy calving sire, but as you can see from the pictures, he is stamping them the tons of muscle and hair, and loaded with style and soundness.  Contact SEK, Cattle Vision, or Bull Barn Genetics to place your semen order for this spring.

2012 Ft Worth Stock Show

You can find us, and 4J Family Cattle in Barn 3 at the Ft. Worth Stock Show.  We are located right beside Sullivan Supply Co.

Top Cattle Videos By ZNT

Thank you to everyone that has taken time to watch my videos. Here are the top 3 videos produced by ZNT.

#1 - Cattle Torching (5,394 views)

#2 - Heat Detection Video (2,640 views)

#3 - A.I. Gun Preparation (2,416 views )

It is getting to be time for use to put out another video. What would you like to see us do next? You can comment on this blog, or post your suggestion to my Facebook page.

Two Weeks 'Til Ft. Worth

In two weeks we will be set up at the Ft. Worth Stock Show with 4J Family Cattle for the National Maine Anjou Show.  Make sure to stop by our stall to say hello, and check out this great set of High Percentage, Fullblood, Mainetainer, and even a Chimaine that we will have on display.

We will be updating on Facebook and Twitter where you can find us in the barns.

See you in Cowtown!

Spring Offering Preview

Here is the first of our summer and fall born embryo calves that we will be getting ready to sell this spring.  This heifer is a July born, dual registered Mainetainer and Chimaine out of GVC Fortune and Glory and our CTR Sweet Success 2 donor cow.  You can catch this heifer in our show string at Ft. Worth.