Association Perspective

Bull-buying tips.

Bull sale season is here for many of you spring calvers out there! With many taking advantage of the plethora of available cows for sale, it’s always important to remember how many bulls you will actually need.

On average, most yearling bulls should be exposed to 15-20 cows, while mature bulls can usually cover 20-30 head comfortably without overworking them. Don’t make the mistake of overusing bulls and wearing them down from overexposure, lack of supplementation and basic neglect.

With that said, it may be time for you to start looking at sale books and deciding what you need to buy. Sometimes looking at sale books can be overwhelming due to the amount of logos, data, expected progeny differences (EPDs), pedigree information and more. The American Angus Association has developed many programs for our membership and their customers to make life easier for them.

Some of these performance programs help better rank their progeny in their contemporary groups giving birth, weaning and yearling ratios. If you’re looking to raise more calves that have a higher likelihood of grading for the Certified Angus Beef^® (CAB^®) brand, you can use tools like the Targeting the Brand^TM logo. This is a logo used in many sale books to flag animals that have carcass traits more favorable in certain specifications. Only one in four nonparent Angus bulls meets this qualification.

Also, be sure to keep an eye out for animals with genomic testing (Angus GS^SM/HD50K) done. This has parentage verification included, and gives higher accuracies to that animal’s EPDs, especially if that bull has few progeny. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with these tools at your disposal to help attain the bulls that best meet your operation’s needs.

With the variety of resources at your fingertips, don’t forget about a really important tool. You have a field staff working on your behalf day in and day out, so get to know your regional manager and ask questions!

Editor’s note: Regional Manager Will Harsh covers Region 13, including the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Click here to find the regional manager for your state.

Angus Proud

In this Angus Proud series, Editorial Intern Jessica Wesson provides insights into how producers across the country use Angus genetics in their respective environments.

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Angus Proud: Bubba Crosby

Fall-calving Georgia herd uses quality and co-ops to market calves.

Angus Proud: Jim Moore

Arkansas operation retains ownership through feeding and values carcass data.

Angus Proud: Les Shaw

South Dakota operation manages winter with preparation and bull selection.

Angus Proud: Jeremy Stevens

Nebraska operation is self-sufficient for feedstuffs despite sandy soil.