Normally, our bull runs year-round with the cows, but over the years, our calving season has moved farther and farther into the winter.  Ideally, the calves should be born late in the spring when the grass is flushing.  A winter calving requires a cow to deplete more of her reserves, and bad weather can cause the calf to become ill. In the Snowmeggedon of 2020, we had to rescue several calves who were hypothermic, and one of the calves lost the tips of her ears to frostbite.

 

So this year Yoshi will be running with the sheep for a few months.   I’m sure he’s already bred back several of our winter calving cows, but we’ll get most of the herd pushed back to late spring. I'll separate him earlier next year, so that by 2024, we'll have all the calves born in April and May.

 

Yoshi is by far the best bull of the three we've owned.  He is is incredibly docile, making him a pleasure to work with.  He is so passive that I was able to walk him away from the cows and across two fields without incident.  While the other two bulls we've had were calm, I wouldn't describe them as docile.  Yoshi is an Akaushi Bull, one of the major Japanese breeds collectively known as Wagyu.  Akaushi are more heat tolerant than black Wagyu, and they reportedly finish at a younger age.  Yoshi originated at HeartBrand Ranch which is down in Harwood, Tx (about an hour south).  They have been pioneers in the Akaushi business since 2006, providing Texas with this amazing bloodline.  We bought Yoshi from a fellow in Dimebox two years ago and could not be happier with him. Our first Akaushi cross steers will debut in spring of 2023!