Andy Rest
Association Perspective
To be successful, be prepared.
As I write this article in mid-November, the fall bull-selling season in my area of Montana and Wyoming is just beginning. As we begin a new season, there are several tips I believe any buyer should use to purchase a bull that will add value to his or her breeding program.
It may seem fairly simple, but study the sale book in advance. To make your time at the sale more efficient, find those bulls that have the combination of pedigree, performance and expected progeny differences (EPDs) you want before you go.
Get to the sale as early as possible. Get in the pen with a bull you’ve selected. Look for muscle shape and scrotal size, and analyze him for overall structural soundness. Push him around and “crowd” his space a bit to get a feel for any potential disposition problems. Come up with a ranking of the bulls you are interested in, and go into the sale with a game plan.
Visit with the owner. Talk to him about his areas of emphasis (calving ease, maternal traits, carcass traits, etc.). Make sure you are clear on any volume discounts or delivery arrangements. If the sale is hosted on the ranch, go look at the cow herd and/or see the dams of some of the bulls you are interested in buying.
Know the breed average for each EPD or $Value trait (www.angus.org/Nce/BreedAverageEPDs.aspx). Many bull sale books actually list these averages. If they are not listed in a sale book, go online to the Angus website or get a copy of the American Angus Association Fall Sire Summary. Study what the breed average is for a particular trait you are interested in, and make sure the bull you are trying to buy is above the breed average for that trait.
Remember, most yearling bulls have fairly low accuracies for most EPDs. (To learn more about accuracies and associated change values, visit www.angus.org/Nce/Accuracy.aspx.) These values give a good idea of an animal’s genetic potential, but there is still a chance of some dynamic changes. More and more sale bulls have been DNA-tested and have higher accuracies that are in the range of 0.25-0.35, depending on the trait. Be sure to ask your bull supplier if he has DNA-tested his sale bulls.
Keep in mind that Angus EPDs are not comparable to other breeds because values are typically computed separately for each breed. Across-breed EPDs have been calculated and a table can be found, again in the Angus Sire Summary or online (www.angus.org/Nce/AcrossBreedEpdAdjFactors.aspx).
Like most things in life, you get what you pay for. A high-quality Angus bull is not an expense, it’s an investment. I would encourage you to buy the very best bull that you can afford. If you keep daughters, a bull’s influence will be felt in your program for years to come.
I live on a budget, and I truly understanding not everyone can afford to buy a $7,000 bull. However, the quickest way to make genetic improvement is with a quality bull. With today’s calf prices, a genetically superior bull truly can pay for himself over his productive lifetime.
I recently visited with a commercial cattleman who told me he bought six bulls three years ago at an average price of $6,000. He said he figured each bull sired 20 calves per year for a total of 60 calves and had a salvage value per bull of $1,600. The increased performance of those calves, he said, resulted in a profit of $11,000 per bull.
A sure-fire way to increase the uniformity of your calf crop is to use a large number of half-brothers.
Each year at the video sales I attend, the uniformity of the calves selling plays a large part in the buyer’s willingness to pay a premium price.
Buying bulls for your operation is a huge undertaking and investment. Take the time to study your genetic options and your potential bull supplier. Making the right choice with each one will have positive benefits for your operation for years to come.
Editor's Note: Regional Manager Andy Rest covers Region 10, including the states of Alaska, Montana & Wyoming. Click here to find the regional manager for your state.
[Click here to go to the top of the page.]