Purchasing a bull for a beef cattle operation is a very important decision.  And it can be a daunting task for someone new to the cattle business.  Selecting a bull is even more important for the smaller operation that has one or two bulls.  The rule of thumb is that you need one bull for every 25 cows in a typical operation.  The goal is to insure that every cow is bred within a 60 day breeding period so that every cow produces a calf each year on a 12 month cycle. The other very important goal is to produce quality calves that can be sold and used for replacement heifers.

The best place to purchase a bull is at a bull sale when you have the opportunity to select from many bulls and interact with other beef cattle producers.  Some producers attend many sales to find the genetics and the price that they prefer.  All the purebred breeders that hold sales will also publish a sale catalog months prior to the sake to allow potential purchasers to decide which bull fits their needs.  It is a good idea to get on the mailing list of several seed stock producers.  Then you will have the opportunity to learn the lingo.

One of the lingo items that you will see in a bull sale catalog will be EPDs or Expected Progeny Difference.  This system of evaluating progeny was developed by a group of cattle breeders in conjunction with their breed associations.  Their basic goal was to develop a system that buyers could use to evaluate the differences in genetics and eliminate the impact of the environment on how those genetics were expressed.

EPD’s predict the level and direction of various genetic traits such as birth weight, yearling weight, etc.  In addition, with more measurements the EPD calculations could come up with an accuracy calculation that provided buyers with an idea of how sure the EPD calculations would come true.  This is abbreviated as ACC.

To learn more about EPDS, go to UNDERSTANDING EPDS.

One of the newer EPDs is Docility.  This may be one of the most important traits for a smaller operation since all the cattle are typically in closer contact with people, cars, dogs, etc that cattle see on a large ranch.  A flighty cow will have a flighty calf and loss weight just being nervous.  To learn more about the Docility EPD click on the following link:

http://www.angus.org/sireeval/DocilityResearchRpt.html

After you have purchased your bull, insure that they can perform.  The last thing you want in a bull in one that cannot breed due to sickness or other issues.  All bulls purchased from a seed stock supplier will be fertility checked but make sure each of your bulls is fertility checked annually prior to the breeding season.  It is also important to keep them well fed and have all their vaccinations up to date.