Farm: Selecting bulls vital to cow herd success

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January 30, 2009

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Fri Jan 30, 2009, 10:22 AM CST

From Farm Talk Newspaper

news@joplinglobe.com

There’s not a beef producer in the country who hasn’t hoped on sale day that his calves top the market.

It takes a lot of pieces to complete the puzzle. Things such as good cows, good management, good grass and a good vaccination and weaning program.

There is one piece of the puzzle, however, that is absolutely essential — the right bull.

When it comes to bull power, Tom Troxel, University of Arkansas animal science professor, said producers need to look at a variety of questions.

“When it comes to sire selection we all have our own opinions,” he told producers at the recent Oklahoma State University Beef Cattle Conference held in Dewey, Okla.

The thing to remember, according to him, is that a cow impacts half the genetics of one calf per year.

“A bull on the other hand impacts half the genetics of 25 to 30 calves per year,” he explained. “Therefore, bull genetic management is 25 to 30 times more important than cow genetic management.”

So, how should a producer go about selecting the right bull?

“You can talk about a number of things when looking at the right breed of bull,” he said. “But, the time has come to look for the right type of bull, not the right breed of bull.”

As producers look at selecting bulls they can look at a number of considerations, including muscling, frame, milk, calving ease, etc.

“Instead of looking for certain qualities of a bull you need to look for balance,” Troxel explained. “Look at maternal traits plus growth traits. Never select a bull on one trait.”

For producers, there are a number of things to help them decide what type of bull to use.

“You can listen to your neighbor, look at magazine ads, visit the local sale barn and look at bulls and sire summaries,” he explained. But before doing that, Troxel told producers they needed to first look at themselves, their environment and their business.

After determining what type of bull would work best for the operation it is important to know how many bulls are needed.

According to Troxel, the number of bulls needed depends on things such as length of breeding season, age of the bull, size of the herd, size of the pasture and topography.

“Generally speaking, it takes one mature bull to every 25 to 30 cows,” he explained.

If using a young bull, Troxel told producers to breed him to the same amount of cows as his age is in months.

“If you are using an 18-month-old bull put him with 18 cows,” he said.

When purchasing new bulls Troxel offered the following tips:

* Buy from reputable breeders only

* Purchase virgin bulls

* Look at customer service

The last piece of bull selection advice Troxel offered was the importance of obtaining a breeding soundness evaluation.

“Twenty percent of the beef bulls evaluated for breeding soundness in the United States are either questionable or unsatisfactory potential breeders,” he explained.

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