Bull Selection: The Options are Endless
Focusing on the long-term needs of your herd will make the bull-buying process much simpler.
by Briley Richard, American Angus Association
It’s bull sale season. When it comes to selecting a herd bull, the decisions seem endless, and you can’t just pick any bull. Your decision will affect your herd’s profitability for years to come.
During Cattlemen’s College at the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention, the University of Tennessee’s Troy Rowan and Charles Martinez discussed the challenges producers face when selecting a herd bull considering the multiple factors at hand — value, long-term effect, traits to focus on and more. It seems daunting, especially when profitability is on the line.
“The bull purchase is probably one of the most important decisions a herd makes. We’re assigning some form of value to this bull, and we’re investing in him based on what we think his genetic potential is,” Rowan said. “What all these tools come down to is mitigating the risk that comes with a high-impact decision that’s going to have a large footprint on your herd.”
News & Notes
Stay current with news from across the country, including upcoming Angus events.
This month’s “News & Notes” includes scholarships available to commercial buyers of registered Angus bulls, a “save the date” for the 2023 Angus Convention, details on cows and bulls qualifying as Pathfinders® in 2023, reactions by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) to Brazil’s delay in reporting a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and challenges to the Beef Checkoff, a new platform to honor environmental stewards, details on the World Angus Technical Meeting and requirements to be a voting delegate to the annual meeting.
‘Separating Years’ Lay Ahead, Blach Says
On The Angus Conversation: Breeders need to prepare as cow herd numbers dwindle, prices go up.
It was a train wreck. That’s the only way to put the beef market of four decades ago, Randy Blach, CEO of CattleFax, shares in a recent episode of The Angus Conversation, an Angus Journal podcast hosted by Miranda Reiman and American Angus Association CEO Mark McCully.
“We lost 12% of all people in agriculture in the decade of the ’80s. Cattle prices fell out of bed,” he says. “We lost, I want to say basically 400,000 beef cattle producers in the late ’70s through the mid-’90s. We lost 16 million cattle out of our inventories, I believe 7 or 8 million beef cows. So, it was anything but fun.”
February 22, 2023 | Vol. 15 : No. 2-B
Farm Stress in One Generation Can Reach Into the Future
Weather, market fluctuations are unique stressors for farmers.
Steve Watkins knows that farm stress isn’t just a current problem, but one that also “reaches into the future” of farm families.
Association Perspective
Lessons learned while building a brand.
I love telling the story of the Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand. I’ve shared it hundreds of times and truly believe it’s one of the greatest success stories in all of agriculture. The history and the accomplishment of CAB has a David vs. Goliath feel. A producer-owned, not-for-profit, little branded beef program that changed an industry. While a feel-good story to tell, the brand’s history identifies several leadership lessons.
Effects of Possible Recession on Agriculture, Grocery Prices
Prices to decrease for meats and fruits, but increase for other food categories.
Chances are good that you have felt the pinch at the grocery store and bemoaned the price of some of your standard weekly staples. Economists at the University of Georgia say to brace yourselves for more of the same in the upcoming months.
