A commercial producer can do everything right in terms of practices to help make them profitable, including controlling costs, but if they are doing it with a herd with the wrong genetics, they will never get ahead. Therefore, a producer must put together a herd sire “job description” on what genetic profile they need to mesh with their unique environment, management, feed resources and market.
They then need to identify the seedstock producers who breed the type of herd sires that meet these unique needs and sort the bulls objectively prior to the sale. Once at the sale, producers must evaluate the cattle for soundness and conformation and have a budget to buy the bulls they need.
Job description
Every operation is different, whether they are separated by being in different regions of the country or just a few strands of barbed wire. That means their production potential must be custom fit to each operation, which is best done with objective genetic predictions on the traits they are available for.
Overshoot the mark on production potential, and the calves will not express their genetic potential for payweight due to environmental constraints, while the producer’s cows will get too big and high maintenance, which will result in subpar reproduction and unacceptable longevity. Undershoot the mark on production potential, and a producer will not gross enough revenue to make it work. Typically, we have been more concerned about the latter, but the former is becoming more common: cattle having more genetic potential than their operation will support.
It’s also important to know how the bull will be used in your system. Will they be used to strictly breed heifers or perhaps only cows? Are you a one-bull operation where a bull has to do everything, including producing replacement heifers? Do you buy replacements instead of raising them? Do you sell replacement heifers? Will you be crossbreeding or taking advantage of heterosis and breeding complementarity through the use of hybrids or composites? Will you be using a terminal sire? The answers to these questions will point you in the direction of some very different potential herd sires.
Selecting suppliers
It is then important to select the seedstock operations that are producing the type of cattle that will fit the job description for your potential herd sires. Here, the reputation of an operation means a lot. A good seedstock operation knows that the key to keeping a commercial producer as a long-term customer is selling them the right bull and not necessarily the most expensive bull.
For a commercial customer to make an intelligent decision, they must rely on the integrity of the seedstock operation’s data and know that the seedstock supplier has correctly represented their bulls for what they are. A long-term program with a consistent target of what they are trying to produce will always yield more predictable results. It is also desirable if the bulls have been developed in an environment that is compatible with them making the transition to the buyer’s ranch.
Genetics designed for high fertility, rotationally grazed pastures in the summer and corn silage and distillers grains in the winter are likely to disappoint when taken to a desert environment, and vice versa. What the seedstock operation’s delivery policy is and what guarantees they offer are other considerations. There are not right and wrong answers here, but they are factors to build into a budget.
For good reason, people are often driven to the larger sales. They have a large selection and good price discovery on what their bulls are worth. However, if you are a small operation, don’t forget about your neighbor who is selling bulls. They often have some very good quality cattle that are adapted to your region at a price you can live with, perhaps better than from the larger operation. What you sometimes give up with smaller operations is the power of comparison that comes from large contemporary groups.
Do your homework
It is important to do your chores ahead of a sale so that when you get there, you can concentrate on thorough visual appraisal of a finite number of bulls. When you set your job descriptions for the bulls you need for your herd, it should result in an optimum range of performance for most traits to fit your circumstances. Cattle that don’t fit within these optimums should be eliminated before you ever get to a bull suppliers’ place.
Avoid the temptation of going back and checking out bulls outside your comfort range on objective traits. EPDs are not a race and should not be looked on like the show ring. They are a tool to custom fit cattle to a situation, so the most extreme is not the best one for most producers.
At the sale
Having narrowed down your list, you will have a chance to check the soundness and conformation of the bulls to be sure they are the type you want. You can also get a good read on a bull’s disposition and other intangibles that add or take away value from a potential herd sire.
When people buy feeder cattle, they like to buy good-looking ones, so the better conformation bulls have value. However, whether order buyers are repeat customers of your feeder cattle will depend on the cattle’s health and their ability to perform in the yard and on the rail. Lastly, make sure they are sound. You can buy all the genetics in the world, but if they aren’t sound enough to deliver those genetics in the breeding pasture and in the longevity of the cow herd, it is all for naught.
The last item is having a budget. Follow the video sales and sale reports in Western Livestock Journal to know what the market is, but always remember, the costliest bull you will ever buy is one that is of inferior quality. — Dr. Bob Hough, WLJ correspondent
