MANAGEMENT
Buying Power: Bull Selection to Improve Your Bottom Line Beef Cattle Research Council
If it hasn’t happened already, soon your mailboxes and inboxes will be filling up with catalogues for this year’s bull sales. How can you identify which bull is going to work best for your operation? Purchasing the best bull for your operation’s needs starts with good record keeping to identify your operation’s strength and weaknesses. From there you can work to narrow down your search based on your breeding system, genetic goals and budget. The following tips can help guide you in the process of purchasing your next herd sire. It’s not one size fits all when it comes to bull buying. Breeding programs will be determined by operational goals and the management practices that fit those goals. A farm that auctions their calves at weaning may choose a crossbreeding program with high performance, while a farm that direct markets their beef may prefer the uniformity of a single breed. There are many different types
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of bulls available, and effective sire selection requires an understanding of the available genetics as well as your own operation. Aiming for complementarity of the bull’s genetics to your current cow herd and fit with your operational goals will contribute to increased revenue and reduced costs. Each breed of cattle has distinct traits that allow them to excel in different geographical or managerial environments. Depending on the goals of the operation, a sire can be chosen that has the potential to make positive changes for your operation in the areas you’ve identified for improvement. Consider both the short-term gain and the long-term investment. Bull selection is one of the most important decisions for cow-calf producers, with implications for short- and long-term profitability of the operation. The choice of bull can be immediately seen in the subsequent calf crop. If the operation retains heifers and/or bulls, the
Charolais Connection • February 2021
genetics in the selected bull will be passed down to subsequent generations. Introducing new genetics is a permanent change to the herd, compared to nature of supplements or management practices. As such, bull selection can be seen as a long-term investment into the operation. Research in the area of beef cattle genetics has been growing significantly. There are opportunities to improve profitability through sire selection. However, with a multitude of traits, breed differences, operational goals, and management practices, bull selection is a complex decision. To assist with making bull selection decisions, consistent record keeping will help identify areas of strength and weakness in the herd and guide you towards the type of genetic change you want to see. Over time your records will help monitor whether your changes have made the desired impacts. Once operational goals and breeding programs have been determined, a producer can
