Angus — The Business Breed


Sign up!

Quick links:

Connect with
our community:

Follow us on twitterJoin us on Twitter



















Bookmark and Share



Rod Geppert
Rod Geppert

Association Perspective

Make a list, and check it twice. Listing your priorities will help you find the best genetics for your herd.

Lower prices in the cattle market aren’t all bad. They also mean opportunities for you to purchase high-quality genetics at a lower cost to the operation. Price is not indicative of quality or an indicator of the best bull or bulls at an offering. The best bull to meet your goals for your operation could be later in the sale, and you can find him if you do your homework.


With the bulk of the bull sales to begin here in Region 6, it’s time to make your shopping list. Maybe a “priority list” would be a better term to use as a guide before sorting through pages of sale books, hours of videos and live evaluations to make better and quicker decisions at a bull sale.


So, what is on your “priority list?”


Calving ease
If breeding heifers is primarily the priority, calving ease direct (CED) or birth weight (BW) expected progeny difference (EPD) numbers are critical. Look at the bull’s actual birth weight along with visual appraisal of the bull. A nice head, long body, smooth shoulder, and structural and reproductive soundness are some of the physical attributes to look for.


Find the bull that meets your requirements on paper and then view him. If you don’t like his look, cross him off the list.


Your main goal here is a live calf. Determine the level of performance you want out of your “heifer” bull and remember the main priority for his service. Obviously, if you are in need of a “cow bull” that services only mature cows, don’t be afraid to use bulls with higher birth weight EPDs and larger actual birth weights.


Carcass merit and values
If your priority is to retain ownership on home-raised calves until slaughter or sell calves at weaning, your priorities are different. Weaned calf value, or $W, is a number to look at if you sell calves right off the cow. The beef value index, $B, is a value that needs to be considered if retained ownership of calves is a priority of the operation.


These numbers will change as the markets change from year to year, so don’t get hung up on a particular $Value number that was once very high when the market was high a couple of years ago. Look at percentile rankings to see where the bulls are ranked.


Milk
If your priority is to retain females in the herd, then a reasonable milk number should be considered that fits your management and herd. If the bull you are looking for is predominantly a “terminal” sire, then a milk EPD is not significant at all.


Visual appraisal
Although almost impossible to measure, but extremely important in my book, is a bull’s overall appearance. Maybe it’s my livestock judging background, but I still think you have to like the look of your cattle at the end of the day. I like to select cattle that are built the best at the ground, are structurally sound, level-designed, long-bodied, deep-bodied, adequate in their muscle, shape and dimension, along with the Angus breed look.


These are just a few of the quick things that may help you during the bull sale season. Making a list of your priorities in bull selection and sticking to it will help you quickly sort through an offering to find the best bull for your program. Safe travels.


comment on this story

Editor’s Note: Rod Geppert is the regional manager for Region 6, which includes the states of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Click here to find the regional manager for your state.



[Click here to go to the top of the page.]