Come breeding season, producers are out to find the proper bull to meet their needs – calving size, weight gain, price, etc.
There are many options to consider when selecting a sire, whether you plan to utilize natural cover, or artificially inseminate. Whichever method you intend to implement, doing your research and planning in advance will make your next breeding season a seamless experience.
“Sire selection can be as simple or as complicated as you like,” said Eldon Cole, Livestock Specialist for MU Extension. “I tell folks that the more objective data you have on your cow herd, the easier it is to find a bull that can help make herd improvement.”
Recording data for your herd is becoming more and more important in today’s market for producer accountability and farm profitability, and will transfer over to aiding your choice of sire. Producers can utilize record keeping software like Excel or Cattlemax to enter and save data for future breeding seasons.
“Objective data is something measurable like birth, weaning and yearling weights, actual carcass data and perhaps a rising concern for some is cow temperament or docility,” said Cole.
Some of the primary data producers should be tracking is: inventory, animal ID, market weights, pasture usage, sire information and revenue.
“Unfortunately, many herds do not have the objective facts needed on their cow herd,” Cole said. “I suggest you go back a few generations and see what the last several bulls you’ve bought have as strengths and weaknesses. If you’ve kept track of the registration numbers you can pull up their expected progeny differences (EPD). If you save heifer replacements, you can see what those bulls have brought genetically to your females.”
He also noted that “reproductive traits are generally lowly heritable, so bull selection would be a slow way to make improvement.”
However, with advanced planning and forethought, you can utilize sire selection to take your herd in any direction you wish. “Consider the longer-term direction you wish to move your cow herd to. Perhaps you have plans to change your marketing program. That needs to be considered with the bull you select,” advised Cole.
Price is yet another point to be considered when selecting your bull. While you don’t want to go way out of your budget, you also don’t want to spend too much time shopping the ‘bargain section’ if you have lofty performance goals for your herd.
“Decide on a price range you want to stay within. There are lots of average cattle produced and if you’re going to be better than average you must buy bulls that have above average EPDs for your cow herd,” said Cole. Since AI has become such a popular breeding method, producers have access to just about any reproductive traits they want.
“We now have the opportunity to breed to really good animals, there is no excuse for subpar breeding,” said Dr. Clint Rusk, the department head of animal science at Oklahoma State University.
“Finally, get serious about the appearance of the bull and the owner’s personality,” advised Eldon. “I like to start evaluating the bull from the ground up. In other words, look closely at hooves, legs and his mobility. He needs to have a certain amount of eye appeal as you’ll have to look at him on a regular basis. But make sure he’s good on paper for your herd before ever making a bid.”
To sum it all up, keep good records to refer to, keep your long-term herd goals in mind, set a budget and pick a bull that looks good to you. Your herd and your farm profitability are sure to benefit!
