Posted by Bill Osborne on February 17, 2004 at 23:21:43:
In Reply to: Re: Compulsory Bull Inspections ? posted by Rod Metcalfe on February 16, 2004 at 19:01:46:
just a thought, we hear so many times that the Dexter is a hobbist's animal, this I feel is only because the new generation of farmers have been brain washed into thinking that bigger is better, just look at the size of the modern day tractor, I dread to think of how the younger generation farmers would manage on an old sit up and beg Fordson all day without a cab, cushion seat, sterio and air conditioning.
enough deviation, I was talking to a neighbour of ours a few weeks ago, he breeds Charolais, and very good ones too, he was telling me very proudly that he had just sent three off and they had done very well, he admitted that they had been on abit of barley and cake for the last couple of months, (3lb per head per day), I ask him what sort of money they had made and he proudly said £675 each, now these animals had gone to the same slaughter house as we had sent two Dexter steers the week before, so I proudly told him that our two steers had gone straight from the field and all they had ever had other than grass was silage or hay, I then showed him what our Dexters had made £648 and £635 even though together their killed out weight only just equalled one of his Charolais.
No Dexters are not hobby animals its the owners who are hobbists, Dexters are a very commercial animal if farmed properly.
there is an old saying ''many a good thing comes in a small package'' never was this saying so true as it is when talking about Dexters.