Take the Bull by the Horns

Bull sale season will soon be in full swing, meaning now is the time to determine the bull selection criteria and budget for purchasing your next herd sires.

Considering that a bull’s contribution to the genetic makeup of a beef herd in a single breeding season is more than a cow may contribute in her lifetime–a bull may sire 25 or more calves per year while the average cow produces fewer than 10 calves–selecting genetically superior bulls is the quickest way to improve herd genetics. But how do you determine which bull is right for your operation?

Match Your Breeding Program to Your Operational Goals

The first step in identifying which bull or bulls are right for your farm is to clearly establish both the long- and short-term goals of your operation. These goals, along with the management practices and infrastructure that fit those goals, will determine the breeding programs and genetics required to achieve them.

There are a variety of breeding programs available, and effective sire selection requires an understanding of the characteristics of your own operation and the genetics available for purchase. Intentionally aligning a bull’s genetics to your operation’s goals will contribute to enhanced revenue and reduced costs.

As an example, let’s look at three scenarios with different operational goals and what breeding program might be suitable for each:

• George retains ownership of all his calves (steers and heifers) through slaughter. Because he doesn’t retain replacement heifers, a terminal crossbreeding system is probably best suited to meet his goals. Both two-breed and three-breed terminal crossbreeding result in 100 percent of offspring heterosis, leading to calves with higher growth performance.
• For producers like Susan, who are selling their entire calf crop at weaning, increasing weaning weights is a primary focus. Choosing a crossbreeding program with high calving ease and the added benefit of hybrid vigour would likely be ideal for her operation.
• Jeff retains replacement females for his breeding herd. To support his goal, he could focus on crossbreeding to develop F1 crosses that should result in higher reproductive efficiency and longevity. Alternatively, he could focus on outcrossing (breeding to non-relatives or distant relatives) within a single breed. This system can be used to maintain performance levels and restore lost performance due to inbreeding depression.

Focus on Traits That Matter to Your Operation

Many EPDs exist, from calving ease and weaning weight, to ribeye area and marbling, to cow weight and stayability. The EPDs you focus on will be dependent on your operational goals.

With the variety of EPDs available, it can become overwhelming to determine the contribution of a potential herd sire to improving the traits of interest. By focusing on economically relevant traits (ERTs) you can narrow your selection focus to the EPDs that matter most for your breeding goals.

Economically relevant traits are those that are directly associated with a source of revenue or a cost.  Not all EPDs represent ERTs – instead they use a related (or indicator) trait to estimate the ERT. For more information and examples of ERT versus Indicator traits, read the BCRC blog post Using Economically Relevant Traits.

Let’s revisit the farm scenarios from earlier:

• Since George retains ownership of all of his calves through to slaughter and does not retain replacement females, emphasis should be placed on sires with favourable carcass trait EPDs such as postweaning gain, carcass weight, marbling, fat depth and rib-eye area.
• With Susan’s goal of improving weaning weights to maximize profits when selling the calf crop at weaning, more emphasis should be placed on traits such as weaning weight and calving ease.
• Since Jeff is retaining replacement heifers for his breeding herd, traits such as direct and maternal calving ease or stayability should be a top priority for bull selection.

In addition to individual EPDs, many genetic evaluations offer selection indices which combine several traits into one overall economic value for the animal. These are calculated by placing an economic weighting on individual EPDs to create a multi-trait selection model for different types of broad production systems (generally maternal or terminal). Differences in two animal indices is the expected average value differences of their calves.

Know Your Bull Budget Prior to the Bull Sale

The purchase of a bull is an investment in the long-term profitability of your operation. With prices ranging from $2,000 to over $20,000 per head, it is important to ensure that your investment is adding value in the right places while still working within your budget. Different bull traits will have different impacts on your bottom line. Saving money on a low-priced bull may cost you in the long run if it moves you further away from your operational goals.  

The BCRC’s Bull Valuation Calculator is designed to provide an estimate of how much a bull is worth using individual on-farm numbers. The bull value obtained in the calculator is only an estimate and may not reflect the true breakeven price. However, this interactive tool can be used as a general guideline and demonstrates how changing different variables can affect the cost or value of a herd sire. 

Setting Your Herd Up for Success

Purchasing the best bull for your operation’s needs starts with good record-keeping to identify your operation’s strengths and weaknesses. Regularly collect and analyze data to track your herd’s performance. This will help you to make informed breeding decisions and track the progress of your herd over time.

Selection of a bull is one of the most important decisions you, the cow-calf operator, will make this year, and it is vital to your operation’s success. As breeding season approaches, this is a great opportunity to evaluate the goals of your operation and create a plan to accomplish them. 

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