Bulls

New World Record: G A R Market Maker Valued at $2.1 Million After Historic Sale

Thu, 07 May 2026 19:07:23 GMT

G A R Market Maker set a new world record on May 4, selling to Riverbend Ranch, Idaho Falls, Idaho. The son of B&B Preeminent out of GAR Kansas N762, sold in the Gardiner Angus Ranch Meating Demand Sale.

According to the American Angus Association, with a value of $2.1 million, G A R Market Maker outvalues the past record holder — SAV America — that sold in 2019 for $1.51 million for 80% semen interest, or total value of $1.887 million.

“We want to extend both gratitude and congratulations to Frank VanderSloot and the entire Riverbend Ranch team for making one of the boldest moves in the Angus seedstock business by investing $1.05 million in 49% of GAR Market Maker,” Mark Gardiner says. “Market Maker is a young sire destined to change populations of beef cattle. This, to date, is the culmination of what we can achieve with a commitment to multi-trait discipline over decades.”

Gardiner adds Riverbend Ranch has a powerful footprint in Angus seedstock production, but its Riverbend Meats has created a supply chain of home-raised, high-quality Angus beef as well as sourcing cattle from the family ranching operations in the Western U.S. using Riverbend genetics.

“Riverbend owns the supply through processing and marketing to consumers and understands the consumer signals sent every day that quality and taste are the No. 1 criteria for selecting our product for their families,” he says.

Semen will be available from Market Makers Beef Genetics.

Visit Angus.org for the full sale report.

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What Makes A Bull Worth $ Millions?

Stopping Flies in 2026: 4 Steps to Battling These Economic Pests

Wed, 06 May 2026 14:24:43 GMT

With fly season approaching, now is the time to evaluate and refine your fly management plan for 2026.

“Every year, stable and horn flies cause significant economic losses, but a good fly control program can minimize this impact,” says Cassandra Olds, Kansas State University Extension entomologist. “Although often grouped together, these are very different flies that need different control approaches.”

Dr. Ashby Green, Neogen senior technical services veterinarian, says, “If you are seeing flies, ticks, lice or insect damage to your cattle herd, we know there is an economic impact; however, that impact can become far greater than production or weight gain loss alone. Insect pressure affects grazing patterns of cattle; it affects their comfort and it can lead to health issues. Some of those health issues can be definite, such as anaplasmosis.”

The vectors responsible for spreading anaplasmosis include horse flies, stable flies and ticks. This condition has been reported in most states across the U.S., while the disease has been recognized as endemic throughout the South and several Midwestern and Western states.

Jonathan Cammack, Oklahoma State University assistant professor and state extension specialist, says, “With horn flies, we’re looking at mastitis risk, so that’s going to impact both dairy cattle and also our cow-calf operations. A lot of times, horn flies will feed on the udders of the animals, and they transfer the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria because they land on the manure, then they go back to the animal to feed and bring those bacteria with them.”

Several other conditions are propagated by flies, including pinkeye, which can be spread by face flies and causes inflammation and ulceration of the eyes. Pinkeye-affected calves are, on average, 35 lb. to 40 lb. lighter at weaning compared to healthy calves, according to a University of Kentucky report.

Cammack predicts flies are costing the U.S. cattle industry $6 billion annually in losses.

“That encompasses everything from actual loss in production due to decreased weight gain or decreased milk production, veterinary needs associated with treatment of cattle with exposure to pathogens from some of these insects, and then also the control measures associated with managing those individual fly species,” he explains.

David Boxler, Nebraska Extension livestock entomologist, says if previous control efforts underperformed, consider adjusting your approach.
“The best control method will depend on several factors including efficacy, cost, convenience and your current herd management practices,” he summarizes.

He also reminds producers that horn flies can migrate from neighboring untreated herds, masking the effectiveness of your efforts and increasing fly pressure. For this reason, Boxler recommends a comprehensive, integrated fly control.

Olds shares these tips for stopping flies, or at least reducing their impact:

Step 1: Know What You Have

“The first step in developing a good fly control program is knowing who you have,” Olds explains.

(Kansas State University)

Horn flies feed 20 to 30 times a day and stay associated with their chosen animal 24/7, with females only leaving briefly to lay eggs. Stable flies in contrast only feed once or twice a day, remaining on the host for a short period of time (3 to 5 minutes).

When not feeding, flies are resting in shaded areas such as building sides and vegetation. This short feeding time means producers often underestimate their stable fly burdens. While both flies affect pastured cattle, horn flies are not a problem in confined settings such as dairies and feedlots. This is because horn flies need fresh, undisturbed manure as a breeding site while stable flies can develop in any decaying plant matter such as hay bales, feed bunk spill over and decaying grass.

“Their populations can build rapidly and often exceed the economic injury level defined as 200 flies per animal,” Boxler adds about horn flies. “Once fly numbers surpass this threshold, cattle experience reduced weight gain and milk production due to fly-induced stress and altered grazing behavior.”

Step 2: Reduce Populations

Olds explains with either fly species, using non-insecticidal control methods is essential for slowing insecticide resistance. For horn flies, pasture burning in spring kills any flies overwintering, which can significantly reduce fly populations emerging as weather warms. A healthy dung beetle population will also significantly reduce your fly numbers for free.

“Dung beetles are very susceptible to macrocyclic lactones so avoid using injectable and pour-on avermectins (abamectin, eprinomectin, ivermectin etc.),” Olds says.
Because horn flies die within hours of being removed from cattle, non-chemical walk-through traps can be effective if animals pass through it regularly.

Step 3: Eliminate Breeding Grounds

Round hay bales result in significant wastage, which when mixed into the manure-contaminated mud around bales provides a prime breeding site for stable flies.
Olds explains each round bale can produce 200,000 stable flies.

“Reducing hay waste and spreading/drying areas around finished bales is key to reducing stable fly numbers,” she says. “In feedlots, minimizing feed spillage and waste is critical to remove breeding sites for stable and house flies.”

Parasitoid wasps are available from multiple sellers and should be released around fly breeding sites. These are very effective if released before fly populations emerge and released repeatedly through the fly season.

Be careful using insecticides if using parasitoid wasps as they are very small and sensitive to these chemicals. Keeping vegetation surrounding pen areas short and exposed will remove sheltered resting areas, making life more difficult for the flies.

Step 4: Consider Chemical Control Options

Olds stresses chemical control options should be used as a supplement not the basis of a fly control program.

(Kansas State University)

“For horn flies, insecticidal ear tags are an effective method of control if correct rotation is used,” she adds. “Rotate the chemical class of your tag annually, in year one using pyrethroid-based products, year two use organophosphate-based products and year three use macrocyclic lactone tags. Repeating this three-year cycle will reduce the selection pressure on the fly populations, slowing down the spread of resistance.”

Olds also shares these tips for effective tagging: “Tag both ears and place the tag directly into the ear. For the tag to be effective, it must come into direct contact with the animal’s skin, which is greatly reduced when daisy chained.”

Little of the tag touches the body when attached to another tag.

(Cassandra Olds, Kansas State University)

She also instructs producers not to tag young calves and adds mature bulls with thick necks might not benefit from tagging unless the tag can touch the skin.

“Although the box may label products as effective for four to five months, field trials have shown that tags only remain effective for 90 to 100 days,” Olds says. “If possible, wait until fly populations are noticeable before tagging animals to get control over peak fly activity period. After 90 days, remove the tag to reduce the risk of insecticide resistance developing.”

(Neogen)

To increase coverage, pour-ons of the same chemical class as the ear tag can be used to increase coverage.

“Be aware that a macrocyclic lactone pour-on will impact dung beetle populations,” Olds says. “Make sure animals are dosed accurately according to weight and ensure head to tail coverage. Due to their low contact time with the host and preference for the legs, topical insecticidal treatments are generally not useful against stable flies.”

Spraying the legs can provide some relief, although it should be used sparingly as most sprays are pyrethroid-based, not allowing for effective annual rotation. Baits and premise sprays can be useful in controlling both house and stable flies, look for areas where flies are found resting such as building walls, fence posts and inside sheds and shelters.

Another option is feed through insect growth regulators (IGRs) to control horn fly. Olds says it is important cattle consume the correct amount, which can be difficult under free-choice conditions.

“Under-dosing will result in resistance developing over time, reducing product efficacy,” she says. “Although labeled for stable fly control also, when manure containing the IGR is diluted in the mud and hay, it is no longer effective.”

Often marketed as dung beetle safe, Olds says evaluations of these claims in most species have not been carried out, and their true impact remains unknown.

“Insecticide resistance to IGRs can and does happen; to slow this, rotate annually between Methoprene-based (Group 7A) and diflubenzuron-based products (Group 15),” she adds.

The Veterinary Entomology website , veterinaryentomology.org/vetpestx, provides a searchable database that can help producers select the right products. Producers can select from type of animal, insect and application method.

“For on-animal use, select the best product to allow an annual rotation between pyrethroid (Group 3A), organophosphate (Group 1B) and macrocyclic lactone (Group 6) groups,” Olds says.

Green also recommends using a multi-pronged approach to insect control. He says fly tags, IGR products, pour-ons, back rubbers and dust bags can help diminish the population.

“Both back rubbers and dust bags can be highly effective if managed correctly,” Green advises. “Keep in mind, when these are put out to withstand the elements, including moisture and rain, it’s key to keep the dust fresh or the oil recharged in your back rubbers. Otherwise, they will diminish in their ability to control flies quickly.”

Cammack stresses the importance of accurate dosing by the individual animal’s weight and following label guidelines.

To best control flies and insects on cattle operations, “the easy and effective way is the best way,” Green summarizes. “It’s up to you and with the help of your veterinarian to help create that combination.”

Stop the Guesswork: Build a Targeted Parasite Plan

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:20:18 GMT

As grass greens up and cattle head back to pasture, many producers are “throwing darts in an open field” when it comes to parasite control, says Tennessee Hereford breeder Ryan Proffitt.

The real-world frustration of deworming programs is knowing if they are working, Proffitt says.

Norbrook Technical Services Veterinarian Megan Bollin explains fecal egg count testing, targeted treatment, concurrent deworming, maintaining refugia and smarter pasture management can turn parasite control guesswork into a targeted plan that protects herd health, preserves dewormer efficacy and ultimately adds pounds to the calf crop.

Both Bollin and Proffitt agree a pragmatic roadmap for modern parasite control is anchored in diagnostics, targeted treatment and strong relationships with veterinarians.

Bollin shares five practical strategies to get the most out of today’s dewormers and preserve them for tomorrow:

1. Sit Down with Your Vet.

She encourages producers to map out a herd‑specific internal and external parasite plan with diagnostics built in.

“Your local vet should be your key partner in designing a program that fits your parasites, climate and management style,” Bollin says.

2. Use the Right Product at the Right Time.

Use the correct class, correct dose and consider concurrent deworming when resistance is a known issue. Your local veterinarian can guide you on proper treatment timing to avoid wasting money.

3. Manage Pastures with Parasites in Mind.

Bollin says pasture management is as important as treatment. Pasture type, quality, topography and drainage should all be considered in your plan, knowing we can’t always do much to change them.

“Only about 10% of the parasite life cycle is in the animal; 90% is on pasture,” she says.

Larvae generally stay below 4” on the grass blade. She says it is important to avoid overgrazing pastures below this height and manage stocking density accordingly.

“When you get a big rain after a drought, the larvae that had been waiting in the manure pats can quickly become infective and significantly increase the risk of infection, especially in young calves,” she says.

4. Prioritize High-Risk Animals.

Calves, stockers, bulls and replacements should be prioritized with the strictest parasite control and monitoring programs.

“Calves, replacement heifers and bulls are typically heavier shedders and more susceptible to the effects of parasites than mature cows,” Bollin explains.

Proffitt notes that many producers historically concentrate on keeping mature cows dewormed while underestimating calves’ role as carriers.

“We don’t need to, and shouldn’t be, treating every animal like we always have,” Bollin adds. “That has gotten us in a pickle with resistance.”

5. Measure and Adjust Treatment.

Bollin says it is important to know where you started. Get a baseline fecal egg count, understand your resistance patterns and monitor the efficacy of your treatment program. So many variables change from year to year: climate, weather conditions, new animals and other stressors. It’s critical to routinely evaluate your deworming program and avoid blindly doing the same thing year after year.

(Proffitt Family)

Diagnostics Are Essential, Not Optional

Fecal egg count reduction tests (FECRTs) are the most practical method we have to determine if dewormers are still working and at what level.

Bollin explains the process includes:

Collecting rectal fecal samples and recording identification.
Treating animals with product or products of choice.
Resampling the same animals by taking rectal fecal samples, 10 to 17 days later, depending on the drug or drugs used.

The lab will count how many eggs per gram are in that fecal sample. There will be a pretreatment and a posttreatment sample. Bollin says the goal should be greater than 95% reduction.

Proffitt argues FECRTs are worth the hassle.

“If we don’t have a game plan on what we’re doing and we’re just rushing,” he says. “What did we win at the end of the day if we don’t know what we’re doing?”

Proffitt says testing tells him which cows he can skip treating, which saves him money.

Bollin explains in many cases mature cows 3 years and older, shedding low levels of eggs, on a good plane of nutrition, with no other stressors or health concerns (including liver flukes), should not need to be dewormed.

“This supports ‘refugia’ — intentionally leaving low-risk animals untreated to slow resistance,” she explains. “Because they’re mature, they’ve got a competent immune system that can actually fight off these parasites by themselves without a dewormer.”

To reduce costs further, Bollin says producers can pool fecal samples from multiple cows into a single submission.

(Deb Gustafson)

Beating Parasite Resistance Starts at the Chute

Bollin says dewormer resistance, long documented in sheep and goats, is being seen more frequently in U.S. cattle herds.

She says overuse, underdosing and treating every animal regardless of need are major drivers in resistance.

“All of these deworming products, when they were originally approved, had very high levels of efficacy. We’re talking 99% and above,” Bollin explains. “As we’ve continually used these products, efficacy has been challenged because resistance has increased.”

If you’re using products that are no longer effective in your herd, you’re spending money on drugs that don’t work, and you’re not getting the production benefits. One way to restore efficacy when resistance is present is to use concurrent deworming.

Why Concurrent Deworming Matters

Bollin says concurrent deworming is using two dewormers from different classes at the same time. She stresses producers need to work with a veterinarian to avoid unknowingly pairing two products from the same class, which doesn’t provide the intended benefit.

She explains the benefits of concurrent deworming are:

· Higher overall efficacy when two partially effective products are combined. “Say you’ve got two products, for example, each with 70% efficacy. By using them together, you can raise your overall efficacy to levels exceeding 90%,” she says.

· Broader spectrum of parasite coverage.

· Models would suggest a slowing of resistance.

· Only sustainable long-term when used in conjunction with a refugia program. This means we don’t treat every animal. We want to keep a few “good” worms around that are still susceptible to the drug.

Bollin gives the example of pairing a benzimidazole, or a “white dewormer,” such as fenbendazole, albendazole or oxfendazole, with a macrocyclic lactone such as ivermectin, moxidectin or eprinomectin.

She emphasizes the industry unfortunately doesn’t have a lot of studies looking at this, but a study published in 2025 highlighted the benefits of concurrent treatment with fenbendazole in situations where resistance to macrocyclic lactones is likely.

Dung Beetles Are Valuable Allies

Dung beetles break up manure pats, exposing eggs and larvae to sunshine and dry conditions. Some dewormers are more compatible with dung beetle health.

“Two of the dewormers that are not harmful are moxidectin and fenbendazole,” Bollin says. “Those are two molecules that are generally safe for dung beetles, and those could be a good option to pair together.”

Facility where researchers collect blood samples and weigh cattle before and after they are transported. Steers have painted numbers on their backs so their activity can be followed on camera.

(Stephanie Hansen)

Application Technique and Dosing Accuracy Matter

Bollin says accurate body weights, not visual estimates, are critical, explaining underdosing is a key driver of resistance.

“One of the biggest contributors to resistance is that we are just not giving them enough active ingredient,” she says. “If you don’t have scales, it is best to treat to the heaviest body weight in the group, so that you make sure that they’re all getting enough.”

She also stresses the importance of storing deworming products correctly.

“Leaving them by the chute in temperature swings can reduce efficacy,” she says.

Proffitt also reminds producers to read labels and understand rain windows with pour-ons and to avoid mud or manure on hides. Bollin notes that injectables can provide more certainty that the animal is getting the full dose, whereas oral drenches can be spit out and pour-ons can run off or be groomed off by penmates.

Both Bollin and Proffitt frame parasite control not as one more chore on an overloaded to-do list but rather as a strategic, data-driven opportunity to protect animal health, slow resistance and convert good management into pounds sold.

Your Next Read:

Determine Parasite Load and Follow With Treatment

Protecting Your AI Investment: 10 Rules for Proper Semen Handling

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:35:56 GMT

Proper semen tank management is critical to the success of any artificial insemination (AI) program. A standard 20-liter liquid nitrogen (LN) tank can hold up to 720 straws, representing a significant financial and genetic investment.

Sandy Johnson, Kansas State University Extension beef specialist, says in a recent Beef Tips article , “Collecting and packaging semen is a routine job performed by highly trained professionals. Once it leaves the collection site, its quality is maintained only through proper handling as it makes its way to the cow.”

A LN tank can be thought of as a large thermos with a vacuum between the inner and outer walls. The vacuum must remain intact to maintain the proper storage temperature. If frost is seen on the outside of the tank, action must be taken immediately as the seal has been lost.

Johnson shares these 10 rules for proper semen handling:

Keep the Tank Off Concrete: Store your LN tank on a wooden pallet or stand. Direct contact with concrete can cause corrosion and lead to a vacuum seal failure.
Inspect for Frost Daily: Regularly check the outside of the tank for frost. If frost appears, the vacuum seal is lost, and the semen must be moved to a functional tank immediately.
Monitor Nitrogen Levels Weekly: Establish a routine for checking LN levels. Never let the tank run dry, as sperm cells are permanently damaged when temperatures rise above -130°C.
Transport Tanks in Open Spaces: Never transport a tank in the passenger compartment of a vehicle. Oxygen displacement happens rapidly; always use the bed of a pickup or a well-ventilated trailer. An ABS Global study found that nitrogen gas can reach unsafe levels in a truck cab in just three minutes.
Maintain a Strict Inventory: Use an inventory system to know exactly where each sire is located. This reduces the time the tank is open and prevents unnecessary exposure to the neck’s temperature gradient.
Use Tweezers, Not Fingers: Always use tweezers to retrieve straws. Fingers can transfer heat to adjacent straws and often require the canister to be raised higher than necessary in the neck.
Follow the “8-Second Rule": Keep all handling below the frost line in the neck of the tank. If you cannot retrieve a straw within 8 seconds, lower the canister back into the liquid nitrogen for at least 10 seconds.
Calibrate Thaw Bath Temperatures: Ensure your thaw bath is between 95°F and 98°F before use. Temperatures outside this range can cause thermal shock to the sperm cells.
Observe the 15-Minute Window: Only thaw as many straws as can be inseminated within 15 minutes. Post-thaw semen quality declines quickly as it reaches room temperature.
Prevent Straw Contact During Thawing: When thawing multiple straws, ensure they do not touch each other in the water. Contact can cause uneven thawing and reduce the total number of viable sperm.

Best Practices for Thawing Semen

Johnson encourages producers to consider these four strategies when thawing semen:

Monitor Temperature: Use a digital thermometer to ensure the thaw bath is between 95-98°F.
Timing: Thaw straws for 30 to 60 seconds.
Efficiency: Only thaw the number of straws that can be inseminated within 15 minutes.
Protection: Load straws into a pre-warmed AI gun and protect them from cold shock or direct sunlight during transport to the cow.

“We often focus on factors that might impact cow fertility when evaluating an AI program,” Johnson summarizes. “Just as important is the male contribution. Review your process to ensure that semen quality does not limit the outcome.”

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Breeding in the Drylot: Strategies for Success in Confinement

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:00:51 GMT

Whether confinement feeding of beef cows is part of a cropping and livestock integrated system, or if cows have been displaced due to drought or fire, there are several key concepts to keep in mind when breeding season occurs in confinement.

When drought or wildfire forces cattle off the range, the breeding season doesn’t stop — it simply changes location. Transitioning cow-calf pairs into confinement is often a move of necessity, but maintaining reproductive efficiency in a drylot requires a specialized blueprint.

Breeding beef cattle in confinement presents a unique set of challenges, but it also offers a significant opportunity for precision management. According to Nebraska Extension Specialist Karla Wilke , success in a confined breeding system hinges on three critical factors:

Providing adequate bunk space to manage social hierarchy
Delivering nutrient-dense rations that meet the high energy demands of lactation
Leveraging the close proximity of working facilities to implement advanced reproductive technologies like artificial insemination

Wilke shares her suggestions regarding breeding season confinement in a recent UNL BeefWatch article and in a webinar focused on confinement feeding cow-calf pairs .

(Karla Wilke)

Housing and Space: Beyond the Feedlot Pen

According to Wilke, bunk or feeding space needs to be about 2 feet for cows and bulls and about 1 foot for calves. This is especially true if a nutrient-dense, limit-fed ration is being used.

“Feedlot pens are not the only place cow-calf pairs can be confined,” she says. “Producers may also be able to use fallow ground, pivot corners or calving pastures. However, a minimum of 500 square feet per pair is recommended.”

When possible, it is also recommended that calves have their own loafing space inaccessible to the cows. Wilke stresses this reduces exposure to pathogen loads, may provide shade or wind protection and during breeding season can shield calves from getting stepped on.

The Lactation Gap: Meeting High Nutritional Demands

Lactation is a huge energy drain on the cow.

“Feeding a diet similar to what the cow received during gestation will not meet her needs, causing her to draw from her energy reserves to feed her calf, and thereby decrease her chances of rebreeding,” Wilke explains. “A lactation diet similar in intake and quality to green grass is needed.”

Read more about why energy, protein, minerals and weekly body condition checks are critical to getting cows and first‑calf heifers rebred on schedule:

From Calving to Conception: Nutrition Strategies to Keep Cows on Track

Wilke adds the calf is beginning to eat forages, so extra feed needs to be provided to ensure the calf is not eating feed that was assumed to be for the cow, thereby causing her to lose body condition.

The Confinement Advantage: Streamlining AI and Synchronization

She says one positive aspect of maintaining cows in confinement is that they may be in close proximity to working facilities, providing an opportunity to employ artificial insemination (AI) or allow producers to tighten the calving window by synchronizing cows while still using natural service.

Read more about synchronization options and the benefits of AI:

Upgrading in One Generation: The ROI of Artificial Insemination

Maximizing Reproductive Success: How to Use Estrus Synchronization to its Full Potential

(Karla Wilke)

Social Dynamics: Managing Bull Age and Hierarchy in Close Quarters

Older bulls tend to dominate the breeding season, and this can be especially true in confinement.

“If possible to divide cows into groups, consider pairing younger bulls together, giving them the appropriate ratio of cows for their age ,” Wilke explains. “When dividing bulls into groups for confinement breeding, strong fences between groups are critical. Giving bulls two or three weeks to acclimate to breeding groups before turning in with cows when possible also helps reduce fighting.”

Drought and fires can take a toll on cattle. While it is always recommended to have a breeding soundness exam on bulls before turnout, it is especially important when bulls have experienced stressful situations that may impact structural soundness and fertility.

Read more about how a bull’s fertility and breeding ability are crucial to a producer’s success:

Wanted: Bulls Ready to Work

Is Your Bull Ready for Turnout? 4 Steps to Ensure Breeding Success

Due to the size of mature bulls, the growth requirement of young bulls and the activity level during the breeding season, bulls also need a high-quality diet. Maintaining bulls in a body condition score (BCS) of 5 or 6 on a 1 to 9 scale helps keep them healthy and productive.

Read more about how body condition scoring is an important tool for producers to use to make sure bulls are in good condition:

Body Condition Scoring Bulls: Now is the Time to Make Sure Bulls Are Ready for Turnout

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Do You Have Adequate Bull Power?

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:40:27 GMT

It is time for bull turnout for herds that calve in January. As we prepare for breeding season, it is critically important to address bull-to-female ratios and answer the question: Do you have an adequate number of bulls on hand to get females bred promptly?

The first goal of breeding season is to get cows bred early in breeding season resulting in more calves born earlier in calving season, shorter breeding or calving seasons, older calves at weaning and ultimately more pay weight at weaning due to calf age.

The typical beef calf gains about 2 lb./day up until weaning; accordingly a calf born one heat cycle (21 days) earlier will wean off about 40 lb. heavier. How do we get this accomplished? By having an adequate number of bulls to get cows serviced.

The following shows a conservative expectation of the number of cows we should expect bulls to cover in a defined (45 to 90 day) breeding season.

12- to 15-month-old bulls = 10 to 12 females
15- to 18-month-old bulls = 12 to 18 females
18- to 24-month-old bulls = 18 to 25 females
2- to 6-year-old bulls = 25 to 35 females

Rule of Thumb: One female per month of age at turnout for yearling bulls after passing a Breeding Soundness Exam (BSE).

For example: If I have 60 heifers to breed and plan to turn out 15-month-old bulls, I will need four bulls.

What is the typical life expectancy of a breeding bull?

Typically up to the age of 6 is “prime of life” for breeding bulls. This isn’t to say that all bulls will break down at this age, but it is more likely to happen after age 6. Often when an older bull goes bad, it isn’t discovered until after breeding season when we are doing pregnancy checks.

Get prepared, make sure your herd bulls have passed a BSE prior to turnout and take measures to have an ample number of bulls with females to ensure prompt breed-up this season.

Your Next Reads:

As Breeding Begins: 3 Keys to Success

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:51:25 GMT

As pastures green up and calves hit the ground, the real work of the breeding season quietly begins. It’s a short window with long-lasting consequences. From post‑calving cows trying to regain body condition to replacement heifers who must stick the first time to bulls whose soundness and stamina drive the whole program, every decision you make now echoes through future calf crops.

As breeding begins, industry experts share these three keys to help ensure you don’t just turn out cattle — you turn out results:

1. Cows: Manage the Post-Calving BCS Slump

Shelby Roberts, Alltech beef technical support, encourages producers to manage energy, protein and water so cows, especially first‑calf heifers, maintain a body condition score (BCS) of 5 to 6.

She says it is important cows don’t lose more than one score post‑calving. Thin, losing cows come into heat late and breed late.

Read more about why energy, protein, minerals and weekly body condition checks are critical to getting cows and first‑calf heifers rebred on schedule:

From Calving to Conception: Nutrition Strategies to Keep Cows on Track

2. Heifers: Get Replacements Ready to Stick

Dan Tracy, Zoetis beef technical services, says heifer selection drives the herd. He suggests producers select heifers by birth date and quality, then grow them to 65% to 70% of mature weight and BCS 5 to 6 by breeding.

“The most single important thing is their birthday,” he says. “The older heifers are going to set the tone. They’re going to stay in the herd longer. They’re going to calve earlier.”

He says it is important to be hard on heifers — set minimums.

“We’re going to spend a lot of money getting them bred, so we want to get that payback,” he adds. “Use reproductive tract scoring and pelvic measurements 45 to 60 days ahead of breeding to cull the ones that won’t keep up.”

Read more about the importance of heifer development:

Building for the Long Haul: The Hermes Strategy for Premium Bred Heifers

From Selection to Breeding: A Veterinarian’s Guide to Productive Heifers

3. Bull Power: Soundness, Condition and Semen Production Cycles

It is important to manage bulls as seriously as cows. Take the time to evaluate bulls and make sure they are ready to go to work.

Saulo Zoca, University of Tennessee assistant professor and beef cattle reproduction specialist, says a breeding soundness exam (BSE) is like a car insurance policy for a bull. He suggests testing bulls 30 to 60 days before the breeding season to allow time for management decisions.

Read more about how a bull’s fertility and breeding ability is crucial to a producer’s success:

Wanted: Bulls Ready to Work

Along with a BSE, another tool producers should use to make sure bulls are ready to go to work is BCS .

Phillip Lancaster, Kansas State University beef cattle nutritionist, stresses, compared to cows, bulls require more weight change to move between BCS points due to their larger size.

Read more about how environmental and nutritional factors can affect fertility:

Factors That Can Affect Bull Fertility

Synchronization and AI Can Front‑Load Pregnancies

Artificial insemination (AI) and synchronization programs can be a powerful tools when they’re planned, not improvised.

“Synchronization only works if you work the protocol,” says Jennifer Koziol, Texas Tech University associate professor of food animal medicine and surgery. “Put it on a calendar, know who’s doing what on which day, and don’t try to wing it between everything else.”

Oklahoma State University’s Mark Johnson says regardless of when your calving season occurs, manipulating the reproductive process of your cow herd can result in shorter breeding and calving seasons. Accordingly, more calves born earlier in the calving season result in an older, heavier, more uniform calf crop when you wean.

Johnson explains estrus synchronization can be used for natural mating or AI breeding. The labor, not the products, is usually the limiting factor.

“Synchronization protocols permit us to concentrate the labor needed for heat detection to a few days, and in some cases eliminate the need for heat detection when cows can be bred on a timed basis,” he explains.

Read more about synchronization protocols in heifers versus cows and how to find what works best in your operation:

Maximizing Reproductive Success: How to Use Estrus Synchronization to its Full Potential

Trace Minerals: Important for the Whole Herd

A good mineral program can help set a herd up for success. Trace minerals play a critical role in reproduction — supporting fertility, embryo survival and sperm production.

Craig Louder, Axiota Animal Health senior technical consultant, explains, after calving, a cow has roughly 90 days to rebreed in order to stay on a 12‑month calving interval.

“Because that window is so short, we can’t afford delays — mineral deficiencies need to be addressed promptly to support timely conception,” he says. “If we do not have adequate trace minerals. We decrease both the ability to achieve pregnancy and the ability to maintain it. Getting a cow bred has little value if she cannot carry that pregnancy to term and deliver a viable calf.”

Reproduction is one of the first things to suffer when trace mineral status isn’t right. You may not see a sick cow; you just see fewer pregnancies.

“Research has shown that if we don’t have adequate copper, we’re going to be nearly four times more likely to end up with a stillborn calf,” Louder says. “If we don’t have adequate selenium, we can be 31 times more likely to have a stillborn calf.”

As soon as a cow delivers a calf, her trace mineral status drops by 30%. Louder stresses producers have two months to get the trace mineral status built back up.

He says research shows even when on a great organic trace mineral program, feeding a cow 150% of what her requirements are is still going to take close to a month to be able to build it up.

“That’s if your cow is smart enough to go out and read the label and understand that she has to do this and gets all that taken care of,” he adds.

With an injectable, like Multimin 90, producers can bypass a lot of those hurdles an oral supplement takes and rapidly replenish that cow’s trace mineral status.

“It doesn’t replace the oral program,” Louder says. “This is simply a way that we can get it into her at the time we need it for those management practices in a more rapid and efficient manner.”

He suggests producers give a Multimin 90 shot twice per year:

Precalving — 30 days prior to calving is ideal. However, if management doesn’t allow that, supplementation at any point during the third trimester can still provide meaningful benefit.
Prebreeding — 30 days prior to breeding is ideal. If using AI, there is benefit when putting it in at the same time as the CIDR.
“We have reset the follicular waves, and the minerals can be utilized by the follicle that will ovulate the egg that will be fertilized,” he explains.

Don’t forget the bulls.

“Sperm production requires a lot of trace minerals,” Louder says. “It’s a 63‑day process. Most breeding soundness exams are done about two months before turnout. We can hit them with a dose of minerals then, and I recommend giving them another dose at turnout.”

The Countdown to Breeding: A 90-Day Management Timeline

Here’s a suggested timeline as producers prepare for breeding season:

90 days before breeding:
Evaluate cow and heifer BCS. Adjust rations.
Pull previous conception data. Identify problem groups.
60 days before:
Schedule BSEs for bulls.
Finalize heifer development targets and mineral program.
30 days before:
Confirm synchronization protocol and handling dates.
Double‑check facilities, labor and record systems.
Day 0 (AI or bull turnout):
Quick recheck of bull condition and soundness.
Confirm tags and records.

Breeding season will never be completely simple, but it can be far more intentional. The experts agree: protect body condition before you lose it, develop heifers like the high‑dollar investments they are and expect your bulls to work as hard on fertility as you do on everything else. Every pregnant female counts, and success comes from stacking small, disciplined decisions across cows, heifers and bulls.

Your Next Reads:

Is Your Bull Ready for Turnout? 4 Steps to Ensure Breeding Success

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 18:02:32 GMT

What is a bull worth? What is his future calf crop worth?

“Significant investments are being made in bulls, and the prospects for income from current and upcoming calf crops appear favorable,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist.

Nevertheless, Davis advises cattle producers to implement effective management practices for bulls as they transition out of the breeding pasture and prepare for future breeding seasons to safeguard their investment.

Davis recommends four key management strategies to ensure optimal performance and success in subsequent breeding cycles:

1. Manage Body Condition Score (BCS)

Bulls should be at an ideal BCS of 6 at the time of turnout. Because one BCS unit equates to approximately 75 to 100 lb., producers should assess their bulls early and adjust nutrition to support necessary weight gain (often targeting 2.5 lb. of gain per day) to reach that “smooth appearance” before the season begins.

“A bull’s energy status, best measured by BCS, is important for breeding success,” Davis says.

BCS ranges from 1 (extremely thin/emaciated) to 9 (extremely fat/obese); ideal is 6 (smooth appearance) at turnout. For more information on BCS management, look at MU Extension guide G2230 .

2. Evaluate Structural Soundness

A bull must be able to cover large pastures and stay mobile. Producers should assess feet and leg structure, specifically examining claw shape and foot angle on a 1 to 9 scale. An ideal score is 5; bulls scoring between 3 and 7 are generally considered acceptable for breeding and for producing structurally sound offspring.

“Because bulls cover a lot of pasture and cows during breeding season, structural soundness matters,” he says.

Additional information can be found in the Red Angus Association’s foot and leg scoring guide .

3. Conduct a Breeding Soundness Exam (BSE)

Schedule a BSE with a veterinarian 30 to 60 days before the breeding season. This exam evaluates the reproductive tract and sperm quality to ensure the bull is fertile. This is also the critical window to administer vaccinations, dewormers and test non-virgin bulls for trichomoniasis to prevent herd-wide health issues.

4. Optimize Bull-to-Cow Ratios and Monitoring

Match the number of cows to the bull’s age and experience. A young bull can typically handle one cow for every month of his age, while a mature bull should follow a 1-to-25 ratio. Once turned out, producers must monitor bulls to ensure they are actively breeding, maintaining their physical condition, and remaining free of injuries.

For multisire pastures, Davis suggests selecting bulls that are similar in age and ensuring they are accustomed to each other before introducing them to the breeding pasture to minimize fighting and injuries. It’s also important to monitor the bulls during breeding season to confirm they are actively breeding, maintaining good condition and remaining injury-free. If there are signs of poor breeding success, such as cows returning to heat repeatedly, rapid weight or condition loss in the bull, or injuries, be prepared to replace the bull promptly.

Applying these strategies to your bull management protocol can protect your investment, promote breeding success and support a productive and profitable operation.

Your Next Read: Fat Matters: How Back Fat Impacts Bull Fertility

Beyond the Pass/Fail: K-State Veterinarians Decode Bull Fertility

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:02:01 GMT

Bull fertility is directly tied to herd productivity.

Bob Larson, Kansas State University veterinarian, says reproductive efficiency drives the income side of cow-calf operations.

Larson and fellow K-State veterinarian Brad White recently discussed a University of Tennessee case study on the “ Bovine Science with BCI ” podcast focused on breeding soundness exams.

“They evaluated nearly 1,400 bull breeding soundness exams conducted between 2008 and 2018,” Larson explains. “They came up with several factors and split them into intrinsic and extrinsic categories.”

Intrinsic factors include age, breed and history. Extrinsic challenges relate to season, nutrition and temperature.

From the exams, about 25% of the bulls failed. Not because of one single issue, but a combination of factors.

The Puberty Gap: Age Matters

Age plays a role on both ends of the spectrum. Older bulls have a higher failure risk, but so do yearling bulls. An important note is that yearling bulls may fail due to immaturity, not permanent infertility.

“If we test bulls around 11 months of age, there’s a fair number that will fail. But within six to eight weeks, they are maturing,” Larson says. “Age does make a difference around the yearling stage.”

Seasonal Slumps: How Heat and Forage Quality Impact Semen Counts

Seasonal challenges bring different impacts to your herd. In the cold months of winter and the heat of summer months, bull semen counts are at their lowest. The harsh elements combined with nutritional challenges influence fertility.

“Winter and summer were associated with a lower chance of passing the BSE than in the spring and fall,” Larson says. “Sometimes it’s not just the temperature, it’s the forage that’s available and quality of diet that’s available during the colder parts of the year.”

Read more about how environment and nutrition impact bull fertility:

Factors That Can Affect Bull Fertility

Context is Key: Evaluating the Whole Picture

Not all factors are equal, and neither are all failures. BSE’s are a snapshot of time. It is important to understand BSE failures versus deferred bulls.

A bull is deferred when issues are likely temporary and reversible with time or treatment, such as immaturity, sickness or an injury that can heal. In most cases, deferred bulls will improve and pass when retested.

Bulls that failed previously are six times more likely to fail again. But there can be more factors contributing to the failure of a BSE. Age at testing, time of year and environmental conditions can all have an impact.

Larson encourages producers to look at their herd circumstances and think critically about the BSE results.

“Breeding soundness exams provide valuable insight, but they should not be viewed in isolation. You’ve got to look at the context, including year, quarter of the year, age of the bull and what defects we’re seeing,” Larson says.

Your Next Reads:

A Life Built on Genetics, People and Purpose

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:40:55 GMT

When you ask Lorna Marshall how she built a 30-year career at the center of the beef genetics world, she doesn’t start with titles, company names or big industry deals. She starts with people.

“The thing I’m most proud of,” she says, “are easily the relationships I’ve built — with bull owners, sales reps, team members and industry leaders.”

That simple emphasis on relationships and culture is the thread that runs through Marshall’s journey from a Kansas 4-H member to one of the most influential voices in beef genetics and sire acquisition.

(Provided by Lorna Marshall)

From Junior Leader to Industry Connector

Marshall grew up on a small cattle farm near Valley Center, Kan., where she recalls early experiences in 4‑H and the American Junior Simmental Association helped shape her future.

She describes her participation in junior programs as educational-based — opportunities that developed her curiosity and drive. It also placed her in the orbit of key Kansas industry leaders like Bob Dickinson, Ansel Armstrong and Michael Dikeman. Their work in performance-based beef cattle selection lit a spark in Marshall. Add to that her love of livestock judging and competition, and Marshall quickly found herself on a path that blended science, performance data and people.

She attended Colby Community College where she served as student body president and competed on the livestock judging team. The 1989 Kansas Community College Student of the Year, Marshall transferred to K-State where she was a Block & Bridle officer and a member of the 1990 reserve national champion livestock judging team.

Marshall says judging not only sharpened her eye for cattle, but it also expanded her network, something she credits as “what got me to where I am in my career.”

“An animal breeding professor at Kansas State, Dr. Linda Martin, was someone that I not only loved her class but also really admired her teaching style, how she built relationships with and motivated students,” Marshall says. “I followed in her footsteps when I chose to complete a master’s degree in animal breeding and genetics at Colorado State University.”

Marshall studied under Jim Brinks, whom she calls “very science-based, but very applied — always focused on what’s most important for the producer.”

While at CSU, an internship with ABS Global gave her a front-row seat to the artificial insemination (AI) industry. She started as a GTS evaluator, learning AI from the inside at a time when the beef industry’s use of reproductive technology and performance data was accelerating.

(Provided by Lorna Marshall)

Her Path in Genetics

After a brief stint at a breed association, ABS called her back — and that’s where one pivotal moment quietly shaped her career.

In 1995, ABS leadership turned to Marshall and asked her to oversee sire acquisition. She credits the opportunity to her network in the seedstock industry. Her role in sire acquisition gave her the opportunity to use her knowledge of genetics combined with her natural talent as a connector.

Over the next 16 years at ABS, she built deep relationships across multiple breeds, breed associations and regions. She also began traveling internationally, learning where U.S. beef genetics fit within the global beef supply chain.

She moved to Genex in 2011, shifting her focus more toward marketing, key accounts and large herds. There, she dug deeper into the sales process and started working more in the beef-on-dairy space, where large entities were experimenting with new supply chain models and genetic strategies.

About four and a half years later, Select Sires called and offered her the role she currently serves in: vice president of beef programs.

At Select, she has a chance to integrate everything she’s learned: training, people management and development, acquisition, marketing and product management.

“It was really the opportunity for me to put together everything I had learned in my career,” she summarizes.

(Provided by Lorna Marshall)

A Career Grounded in Cattle and Family

Marshall’s credibility in genetics isn’t just academic or corporate. It’s rooted in a lifetime of raising cattle with her husband, Troy.

The two met at CSU, married and have been together 34 years.

“I think Troy is one of the greatest visionaries in the beef industry; he always is challenging the status quo, and he makes me think bigger and more forward-facing, which I feel has served me extremely well in my career,” she says.

Early on, the couple bought cows together — even before they got married — and eventually built Marshall Cattle Co., a registered Angus and Simmental operation in eastern Colorado. For 20 years, they hosted an annual bull sale and raised their three children in the cow-calf and seedstock world.

“During that time, we’ve had over 20 interns live with us,” Marshall says. “It’s been rewarding to see them succeed. I think every single one of them would tell you that no meal at our dinner table was complete without discussing some current beef industry topic.”

As Marshall advanced through AI companies, most of which are based in dairy country, she negotiated remote work long before it was common. When their first son was born in 1996, she secured a remote office so she could live in beef country and stay close to the cattle and her family.

That dual life — corporate AI leader and hands-on seedstock producer — sharpened her perspective.

“You are better at bull selection if you are a producer,” she says. “You understand all of the problems firsthand. Sometimes the problems aren’t fully described by EPDs on a piece of paper.”

Living and working in the harsh eastern Colorado environment also gave her a practical perspective of how genetics perform in the real world — not just on paper or in theory.

In 2020, the couple chose more family time and dispersed their seedstock herd.

“Our kids decided to go to college in Oklahoma and Texas, and it kind of got to the point where I love cows, but I love my family more,” she says. “That’s really what made us transition to less cows… and more family time.”

Today, the couple resides near Prague, Okla., and has a small commercial cow herd.

(Provided by Lorna Marshall)

What Makes a Leader: Culture, Fit and Development

Across ABS, Genex and Select Sires, Marshall has managed teams, mentored young professionals and helped shape corporate strategy.

“Lorna is a great leader because she cares about others,” says Ryan Bodenhausen, Select Sires associate vice president of beef product development and marketing. “She is the first to give credit and praise to teammates before herself.”

Marshall says her leadership philosophy is simple and people-focused:

1. Culture comes first

“I’ve experienced culture — both good and bad,” she says. “It’s probably one of the most important things to me. We work really hard on culture.”

For Marshall, culture isn’t a slogan. It’s the day-to-day environment her team works in, and she takes responsibility for making it a place where people want to stay and grow.
Bodenhausen says Marshall is very thoughtful and genuine, often sending gifts or handwritten letters as a sign of appreciation or to be uplifting in a time of need.

2. Hire the person, train the job

Marshall is convinced she can train someone to do the job, but she cannot train core character. She looks for:

The right character and values
Strong work ethic
A teachable attitude
A fit with the team’s culture

3. Invest in people more than product

One of the most fulfilling parts of her role now is coaching and help develop young people. Lauren Kimble, Select Sires manager of ProfitSource supply chains, is one of the young professionals Marshall has mentored.

“In our company leadership trainings, we are always asked to think of someone in our organization who embodies a given example, whether it be communication, listening, change management, or so forth,” Kimble says. “Every single time, the first person that pops into my head is Lorna.”

She adds, “I think it’s rare to encounter someone who has both technical and subject matter expertise and also just ‘gets’ people on a deeper level. Lorna has taught me much in both areas and genuinely takes interest in developing people.”

Marshall credits her career and passion for mentoring to her mentors Calvin Drake, who insisted she be treated as an equal as the only woman on her K-State livestock judging team, Dave Spears, Dave Nichols, Larry Corah, Jim Brinks and especially Willie Altenberg, who hired her at ABS and later brought her to Genex and whom she eventually recruited to Select Sires.

From Altenberg, she learned how to accept challenging feedback and turn it into growth.

“He was the first person to really give me performance reviews and coached me. I learned how to take constructive feedback which fueled my development. Willie’s developed lots of leaders in our industry; I’m very proud to be one of the many,” she says.

Today, she sees that investment as something she’s obligated to pay forward.

Rethinking Sire Acquisition: Diversity Over Ego

In sire acquisition, it’s tempting to believe success comes from having a “gifted eye” and anointing the next great bull. Marshall has a more grounded view.

“One of the biggest things I’ve learned is the power of diversity,” she says. “I don’t have to love every bull personally. It may not be a bull I would personally use, but if it serves a market, we need it.”

At Select Sires, that philosophy has shaped an acquisition strategy built around:

Understanding different markets
Matching specific genetics to specific needs
Offering the best bull for each market, not just one ideal type

Her favorite stories aren’t about famous sires as much as they are about the people behind them. She loves telling the story of Mytty In Focus at ABS — a bull that became a No. 1 registration sire for three up-and-coming Montana breeders.

“It changed their lives,” she says. “That’s just really cool to see — when we can change somebody’s life by helping to market their life’s work.”

Growth of Beef-on-Dairy

“One of the things I have been unable to change in my tenure is the amount or the adoption of artificial insemination in the beef cattle world,” Marshall says.

While use of AI in beef herds has remained stable, Marshall has been at the center of the beef-on-dairy shift. She has worked through the industry’s major structural change: beef moving from a side business in AI to a revenue driver.

She says historically, beef was 5% to 10% of an AI company’s income. Today, with beef-on-dairy, she estimates beef is 30% to 40% of revenue at many AI companies. She’s been in roles that touched both seedstock and beef-on-dairy supply chains, giving her a panoramic view of how genetics, packers and retailers are aligning.

Read More about Marshall’s philosophy about beef-on-dairy:

How Beef and Dairy Genetics Are Smarter and More Profitable

As the national beef cow herd is at a 75-year low, Marshall suggests AI and the use of sexed semen can help producers create the genetics that can excel either as a cow or as a feeder.

“I think we need to be focused on maternal traits to rebuild the cow herd,” Marshall says. “We can use sexed semen to create those females with specific genetics for maternal function. And then I think we can maximize quality pounds that we’re sending to the packer by, again, utilizing sexed semen and really elite terminal genetics.”

Looking Ahead: Data, Access and Opportunity

Despite the progress in AI, genomics and supply chains, Marshall’s biggest concern is who will control genetic information in the future. She sees two paths:

A “dairy model” with an open, multi-breed database where data are shared and improvement is accelerated.
A “swine model” dominated by a few large entities with private databases, limiting access and flexibility for independent and young producers.

She worries that without broader initiatives for more shared datasets and open genetic evaluations, our industry will look different with increased consolidation and less access to the necessary genetic information to remain competitive.

At the same time, she’s genuinely excited about sensor technologies, wearables and artificial intelligence-driven data collection that can unlock new traits — calf livability, vigor, red meat yield predictions and other objective phenotypes — without adding labor.

“I think we’re going to be able to solve problems we’ve been working on for 20 years in two years,” she predicts.

Marshall’s story isn’t just about genetics, AI companies or even technology. It’s about a woman who quietly built a career by staying rooted in cows, family and people, and who thinks that the real legacy in the beef business is measured in relationships, opportunity and the next generation coming up behind you.

Marshall’s 3 Strategies For Seedstock Success

Her advice to seedstock producers is consistent and grounded in being yourself and serving your customers.

Don’t copy someone else’s program. She sees too many new breeders trying to be a clone of who they admire. “Create your own path,” she explains. “One of the biggest problems I see in the seedstock industry is that new entrants come in and try to emulate a program they admire without a clear vision of what will differentiate their program.”
Breed cattle you believe in and that you like. The business is too hard to be passionate about something you don’t love.
Listen to your customers. The top programs, in her view, are the ones that: Take great care of customers and treat customer feedback as a primary guide to what works and what doesn’t.

She encourages a practical, relationship-driven philosophy rather than a “chase the hottest EPD profile” mindset.

“The seedstock producers that are the most successful are the ones that take really good care of their customers and listen to their customers,” she says. “So many times, I think in the seedstock world, we think we know more than our customer knows, and it needs to be the other way around.”

Bulls Remain the Weak Link in Trichomoniasis Control

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:19:01 GMT

A breeding season can appear routine until the pregnancy check tells a different story. Conception rates fall short of expectations, cows return to heat off schedule and open females begin to stack up. What looks like a management issue is often something far more specific and far more costly.

Across the U.S. beef industry, bovine trichomoniasis continues to drive significant reproductive loss. Economic modeling published in the Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics shows even modest reductions in disease prevalence can produce meaningful gains, with losses largely tied to fewer calves born and extended calving intervals. In affected herds, pregnancy rates commonly fall by 20% to 40%, and the financial impact compounds quickly over time.

At the center of it all is a consistent and often underestimated risk: the bull.

The Biology That Drives the Problem

Trichomoniasis, caused by the protozoan Tritrichomonas foetus, is a venereal disease transmitted during natural breeding. While both sexes are involved in transmission, the disease behaves very differently in cows versus bulls.

Most cows clear infection within two to four months. However, that clearance comes after early embryonic loss, often delaying conception by 30 to 90 days and stretching the calving season.

“The cow can mount a short-term immune response and clear the infection. She can eventually rebreed and carry a calf to term, but she’s going to lose that initial pregnancy that she had,” said Jennifer Koziol, associate professor of food animal medicine and surgery at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Texas Tech University on a recent episode of DocTalk .

Bulls, by contrast, create the long-term problem.

“The bull is a silent carrier because he doesn’t have any symptoms. He’s just going to spread it from female to female during breeding,” Koziol says.

A recent review published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences explains why. The organism colonizes the preputial crypts, where immune clearance is limited. As bulls age, these crypts deepen, increasing the likelihood of persistent infection. Once infected, bulls typically remain carriers for life.

This biological mismatch is what makes control so difficult. The cow eventually clears the infection, but only after reproductive loss. The bull never clears it and continues to transmit it.

Recognize the Pattern in the Herd

Trichomoniasis rarely presents as a single obvious sign. Instead, it emerges as a pattern of reproductive inefficiency that can be easy to misinterpret early on.

“We see low pregnancy rates ... cows returning to estrus at intervals they shouldn’t, we can see abortions, ” Koziol says, discussing the big indicators that something is wrong in the herd.

These clinical signs reflect disruption during early gestation. Most losses occur within the first 60 days of pregnancy, often before confirmation, which is why the problem may go unnoticed until later in the season.

The full impact often becomes clear at pregnancy check.

“We go out and do pregnancy checks, and we’re only getting 50% to 60% conception rates. That’s a pretty terrible day when you’re just saying open, open, open,” Koziol says.

In heavily affected herds, calf crops can drop into the 50% to 70% range, well below the 85% to 95% typically expected in well-managed operations. At that point, the biological effects have already translated into economic loss.

“This is not an individual animal problem — it’s a herd-level problem. Once we find a positive, we have to start thinking about the entire bull battery and the whole herd,” Koziol says.

Epidemiologic studies, including one published in Theriogenology, show herd structure and management decisions drive disease persistence. The use of older bulls, multi-sire breeding systems and the introduction of untested animals all increase risk. Even a single infected bull can maintain transmission within a herd, particularly when multiple bulls are breeding simultaneously.

How Trich Continues to Spread

Despite long-standing awareness, trichomoniasis persists because of how easily it moves between herds and how difficult it can be to detect with absolute certainty.

“A lot of times the way a herd gets infected is if a neighbor bull breeds cows, then your bull breeds behind him and becomes positive. That’s why testing before and after the breeding season is so important,” Koziol says.

Fence-line contact, shared grazing and commingling all create opportunities for exposure. Diagnostic research, including recent work on evolving testing approaches, highlights another challenge: no single test guarantees detection. While PCR has improved sensitivity compared to traditional culture, false negatives can still occur due to sampling technique, organism load or intermittent shedding.

For that reason, Koziol suggests repeated testing should be used to improve confidence in bull status, specifically at the start and end of the breeding season. Even virgin bulls should be screened.

“We don’t trust a virgin-status bull,” Koziol warns. “When we buy a bull, we want to test him and know that he’s negative.”

No Treatment, Only Prevention

A defining limitation of trichomoniasis control is the absence of an effective treatment for bulls. Prevention depends on verification, not assumption. Bulls must be tested prior to introduction, regardless of perceived risk.

Once a bull tests positive, removal from the breeding population is the only effective option. There is no reliable method to eliminate infection.

Vaccination plays a supportive role, primarily in cows, where it can reduce the severity and duration of infection. While experimental vaccine trials in bulls have been performed, they have not yet produced a practical solution for eliminating the carrier state. As a result, vaccination should be viewed as an adjunct, not a replacement for testing and culling.

The Economics of Getting it Wrong

For producers weighing the cost of testing, the comparison is straightforward.

“The test costs about $45 to $60 depending on the state. That’s pretty economical compared to losing multiple $2,000 cows,” Koziol says.

Economic analyses reinforce this at scale. Losses are driven not only by fewer calves, but also by extended calving seasons, reduced uniformity and increased replacement pressure. Even relatively small drops in pregnancy rate can have a measurable impact on profitability, particularly in larger herds.

Where Control Succeeds or Fails

Operations that successfully control trichomoniasis tend to follow a consistent set of practices:

Test all bulls before and after each breeding season
Remove positive bulls immediately
Minimize commingling and fence-line exposure
Verify the status of all incoming breeding animals

When these steps are applied consistently, trichomoniasis becomes a manageable risk. When they are skipped, even once, the disease can establish and persist.

Trichomoniasis is not a new disease, and it is not a mysterious one. Its persistence is tied to a single, well-defined weakness in herd management.

Bulls remain the weak link because they are both the reservoir and the vector, carrying infection silently and indefinitely. The visible losses show up in the cow herd, but the source remains easy to overlook. Control depends on consistent use of the tools already available.

Trichomoniasis erodes reproductive performance quietly, one breeding at a time. In most cases, the problem begins — and continues — with the bull.

Cow-Calf Checklist: Is Your Cow Herd Ready for Pasture Turnout and Breeding?

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:40:19 GMT

Each month, cow-calf producers are faced with management tasks related to seasonal and production goals. Kansas State University Extension cow-calf specialist Jason Warner summarizes the top 10 management practices producers should check off their to-do lists in April.

1. Evaluate cow BCS for spring-calving females going into breeding.

• Ensure thin (BCS ≤ 4) females are on an increasing plane of nutrition.
• BCS 5 or higher females should be maintaining weight and condition.

2. If you will synchronize females for breeding this spring, schedule your protocols well in advance and mark key dates on your calendar.

• Inventory your artificial insemination (AI) supplies and order products in advance.
• Check your tanks for current semen inventory and nitrogen levels.

3. If you have a fall herd, schedule pregnancy checks and make culling decisions.

• How were pregnancy rates relative to last year?
• Do we need to rethink our fall/winter nutrition program for fall calvers?

4. Plan your mineral supplementation for this coming spring and summer.

• Make an effort to measure intake regularly and adjust it as needed.
• If using fly control products , start them at recommended times for your area.

5. Consider magnesium levels in mineral supplements, particularly for cows grazing lush, rapidly growing forages.

• Wheat, rye, triticale, oats, bromegrass and other cool-season forages.
• Risk of grass tetany is greatest for lactating cows and older cows.

6. Evaluate herd bulls for BCS, adjust as needed prior to breeding.

• Bulls need to be in a BCS ≥ 5.0 prior to the next season of use.
• Schedule breeding soundness examinations with your veterinarian well in advance of breeding.

7. Review your calf health protocols before spring turnout.

• Schedule calf working activities, mark dates on calendars.
• Reflect if changes from last year are needed.

8. Take inventory of any feed/forage that will be left over from winter.

• Cover piles or close bags if silage is left over and won’t be fed until fall.
• Clean up any soiled bedding or unused/wasted feed in pens and calving lots to reduce the breeding and development of stable flies as the weather warms up.

9. Take a balanced, multifaceted approach to fly and insect control.

• Use more than one method of fly control at the same time.
• Follow label directions and use proper dosage levels.

10. Wrap up any last-minute pasture management projects before spring turnout.

• Conduct burns , work to control trees and brush.
• Ensure sufficient water is available when cattle are turned out.

Balancing the Scale: Matching Genetics to Your Forage Resources

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 16:22:03 GMT

Advancements in genetics, management and nutrition have allowed the U.S. beef industry to sustain — and even increase at times — total beef production with a progressively smaller cow herd (Figure 1). Put simply, each breeding cow now produces offspring that generate more beef each year.

Figure 1: U.S. calf crop numbers continue to drop. The downward trend continues from 1977 to 2025.

(UNL)

The downward trend continues from 1977 to 2025. This trend has been driven largely by increased days on feed but is supported by greater genetic potential for growth. Expectedly, hot carcass weights have continuously risen by roughly four pounds per year (approximately seven pounds of live weight annually) (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Steer carcass weights continue to trend upward, from 1977 to 2024.

(UNL)

In many production systems, daughters of bulls purchased to transmit growth and carcass traits are retained as replacements (Figure 3). When matings are designed primarily to maximize feeder calf or feedlot performance, the resulting replacement females may inadvertently reduce efficiency and profitability at the cow-calf level.

Figure 3: Weaning weights, yearling weights and cow size (maternal weights) trended upward in the Angus breed from 1972 to 2024.

(UNL)

Assessing Bulls Within the Management Scheme

For beef producers who market calves at weaning, bull selection typically emphasizes growth traits such as weaning weight (WW) and yearling weight (YW), with consideration given to milk production in daughters. To illustrate how these traits interact with herd objectives, consider the following bulls, commercial cow herd (Table 1), and resulting progeny (Table 2):

Table 1. Example bulls’ and cow herd’s weaning weights, yearling weights, maternal milk and maternal weights:

Animal(s)	WW¹	YW²	MM³	MW⁴
Bull A	70	130	33	107
Bull B	35	62	21	41
Cow herd	50	80	25	55

¹Weaning weight ²Yearling weight ³Maternal milk ⁴Mature weight

Table 2. Planned mating EPDs are calculated as the average of sire and dam EPDs:

Animal(s)	WW	YW	MM	MW
Progeny A	60	105	29	81
Progeny B	42.5	71	23	48

Based strictly on EPDs, progeny from Bull A are clearly superior for growth, milk and mature weight. For a producer who sells all calves as feeders and/or yearlings, Bull A would likely be the preferred option. However, this decision becomes less straightforward when replacement females are retained.

Impacts of Mature Weight and Milking Potential on Feed Costs

Profitability can be expressed as:
Revenue – Expenses = Profit (or Loss)

When replacement females are retained, genetics influence not only revenue through calf performance but also expenses, particularly feed costs. Bull A is expected to sire daughters that are both larger at maturity and higher milking. Both traits increase nutrient requirements, primarily by increasing dry matter intake.

In general, larger cows consume more feed than smaller cows. While outliers exist, management decisions are typically based on averages, and average cow weight still stands as an effective tool for intake estimation. Average cow body weight can be estimated effectively using past cull cow scale tickets; accuracy improves with multiple years of records.

Milk production is also energetically costly (Figure 4). Higher-milking cows require more energy not only during lactation but throughout the production cycle, as milk potential is positively associated with overall maintenance energy requirements. Thus, increased milk and increased mature size exert additive pressure on feed demand. Both maintenance and lactation are at higher priority for nutrient partitioning than rebreeding.

Figure 4: Cows that produce more milk, also require more energy.

(UNL Beef Watch)

More energy is required not only during lactation, but throughout the production cycle. Genetic potential for milk or growth will only be expressed when overall management can support the increase in nutrient demands. Without supplementation, in more limited environments, expected gains in calf weaning weight may be reduced, as environmental constraints limit nutrient intake and restrict milk production despite increased grazing pressure.

Whether these added costs are justified depends on whether additional calf revenue offsets higher feed expenses. A 2019 meta-analysis by Lalman et al. reported that each additional pound of cow mature weight resulted in only 0.06 lb. of additional calf weaning weight. Accordingly, a 1,400-lb. cow would be expected to wean approximately 6 lb. more calf weight than a 1,300-lb cow. At a favorable calf price of $4.50 per lb., this equates to $27 of additional revenue.

Using National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) equations, maintaining 100 lb. of additional mature cow weight requires roughly 600 lb of high-quality grass hay or equivalent grazed forage annually. At $90 per ton forage (excluding waste and feeding costs), this places the breakeven forage cost near the value of the added calf weight.

In Nebraska — where grazed forage is among the most expensive in the nation — 600 lb. of forage (approximately 0.75 animal unit months) would cost an estimated $32 to $47 based on regional lease rates reported in UNL’s Annual Land Value Report. This exceeds the value of the additional calf weight, even before accounting for increased intake associated with greater milk production.

Conclusion

Even amid strong calf markets, increased feed costs associated with larger, higher-milking cows often outweigh the marginal gains in calf value. While the short-term benefits of bull selection are readily apparent when feeders are sold, the long-term consequences of retaining replacement females may not be fully realized until those females reach mature size— often five years after birth.

Therefore, when replacement retention is a key component of the production system, selecting bulls with moderate mature weight and milk EPDs may better support long-term cow-calf efficiency and profitability by reducing unnecessary feed costs and maintaining the level of performance the operation’s resources can realistically support.

— Josie Crouch and Brock Ortner University of Nebraska extension educators co-authored this article for UNL BeefWatch

Accurately Comparing Bulls: 2026 Adjustment Factors Released

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 11:08:46 GMT

A tool that has been in beef producer’s toolboxes since the 1970s has been expected progeny differences (EPDs). EPDs are a tool producers can utilize when comparing bulls within each breed for example birth weight, weaning weight or yearling weight. EPDs across different breeds and database cannot be directly compared because of differences in the genetic base.

Since 1993, the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC), a part of the USDA Agricultural Research Service, has produced a table of factors to adjust the EPDs of cattle so that the merit of individuals can be compared across breeds. The table allows producers to compare EPDs from multiple breeds can be compared by adding/subtracting the appropriate adjustment factors to the EPDs resulting from the most recent genetic evaluations for each of 18 breeds.

“The AB-EPDs are most useful to commercial producers purchasing bulls of more than one breed to use in crossbreeding programs,” says Larry Kuehn, USMARC. “For example, in terminal crossbreeding systems, AB-EPDs can identify bulls in different breeds with high growth potential or favorable carcass characteristics.”

Each year USMARC releases updated tables . The factors are derived by estimating breed differences from the USMARC germplasm evaluation program and adjusting these differences for the EPDs of the sires that were sampled in the system. Traits for which factors are estimated are birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight, maternal weaning weight (milk), marbling score, ribeye area, backfat depth (fat), and carcass weight.

Kuehn says the yearling weight EPD adjustment factors are derived using a BIF-adjusted postweaning gain and weaning weight as separate traits which is consistent with most national cattle evaluations. Thus, these factors directly relate to EPDs from national cattle evaluations.

The adjustment factors in Table 1 were updated using EPDs from the most recent national cattle evaluations conducted by each of the 18 breed associations (current as of January 2026).

As an example, suppose a Red Angus bull has a carcass weight EPD of + 20.0 lb., and a Hereford bull has a carcass weight EPD of + 72.0 lb. The across-breed adjustment factors for carcass weight EPD (see Table 1) are -3.8 lb. for Red Angus and -68.2 lb. for Hereford. The AB-EPD is 20.0 lb. – 3.8 lb. = 16.2 lb. for the Red Angus bull and 72.0 lb. – 68.2 = 3.8 lb. for the Hereford bull. The expected carcass weight difference of offspring when both are mated to cows of another breed would be 16.2 lb. – 3.8 lb. = 12.4 lb.

Kuehn reminds producers it is important to note that the table factors (Table 1) do not represent a direct comparison among the different breeds because of base differences between the breeds.

“They should only be used to compare the EPDs (AB-EPDs) of animals in different breeds,” he says.

To reduce confusion, means on a EPD scale are presented in Table 2. The EPD scale, which is one half of the genetic effect, is used because they are the expected differences from using these animals as a sire. These means are also called ‘breed of sire means” meaning the effects expected from using average animals from each breed as a sire.

Study Reveals How Bull Buyers Use Key Genetic Information

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:28:26 GMT

A first-of-its-kind study using eye-tracking technology has revealed when commercial producers shop for bulls, they overwhelmingly focus on an animal’s physical appearance and basic production traits and often overlook economic selection indexes designed to improve their buying accuracy.

The multistate research project, led by University of Tennessee agricultural economist Charley Martinez examined how the layout of expected progeny difference (EPD) profiles affects buyers’ ability to accurately predict bull prices and assess quality.

“Our results show that how you present genetic information matters,” Martinez says. “Producers who used more detailed tools, like EPD rankings and genomically enhanced EPDs, were more likely to make accurate pricing decisions. But many buyers aren’t even looking at those indexes in the first place.”

Testing Layouts, Tracking Eyes

The study involved 208 producers from Tennessee, Alabama, West Virginia and Iowa. Participants were asked to view videos of 18 actual sale bulls — six each of Angus, Simmental and Hereford — along with corresponding EPD profiles. They then predicted each bull’s selling price.

To measure attention, an infrared eye-tracking bar was calibrated for each participant. Heat maps later revealed exactly where on the screen participants focused.

Researchers tested four different EPD profile layouts: a traditional format with percentile ranks, the same layout without percentile ranks, an inverted format placing economic indexes first and an inverted format without percentile ranks.

Across all treatments, average pricing accuracy ranged from 21% to 26%, with the inverted layout including percentile ranks producing the most accurate results.

Iowa Stands Out, While Risk-Takers Miss the Mark

The data revealed several notable patterns:

Iowa producers consistently outperformed participants from the other three states, being 23.8% more likely to predict prices accurately.
Users of genomically enhanced EPDs and EPD rankings were significantly more accurate, with a combined likelihood of being correct nearly 35% higher than those who did not use these tools.
Risk-tolerant participants tended to be wrong more often, while those willing to delay gratification — suggesting a long-term investment mindset — scored higher on accuracy.
Trust mattered, as producers who placed greater importance on trusting a breeder were more accurate in their price predictions.

Phenotype Dominates Decision-Making

Despite the push from geneticists to use economic indexes as efficient decision-making tools, the study found they are rarely consulted. Eye-tracking from this research showed that:

97% of participants fixated on the bull’s phenotype.
Production EPDs like calving ease, birth weight and weaning weight were the most viewed genetic measures.
Economic indexes ranked lowest, with index percentile ranks viewed by just 11% of participants on average.

“When producers do look at indexes, it’s more often the raw number than the percentile ranking,” Martinez says. “That suggests we need more education on what those rankings mean and why they matter.”

Quality Differentiation and Pricing Patterns

The research also examined whether producers could correctly differentiate between high-, average- and low-quality bulls, and adjust their willingness to pay accordingly. While some buyers consistently overestimated or underestimated prices, many could still distinguish relative quality levels. Producers using more advanced genetic tools were better at making those distinctions.

“Our goal is that buyers allocate the most dollars toward the highest-quality animals and less toward average or low-quality bulls,” Martinez explained. “If they can identify quality but can’t nail the price, that’s still a valuable skill. It shows they understand relative worth.”

Implications for Breeders and Sales

The findings have clear takeaways for seedstock breeders, sale managers and breed associations.

Profile layout matters. Moving economic indexes to more prominent positions could improve buyer accuracy.
Education is crucial. Breeders and extension programs may need to emphasize the value and interpretation of indexes and percentile ranks.
Buyers should use all available tools. Phenotype alone provides an incomplete picture of an animal’s value.

“A repeat customer is the best kind of customer,” Martinez says. “The more confident they feel in their buying decision, the more likely they are to come back. Presenting genetic information in a way they’ll actually use is key to making that happen.”

Next Steps in Research

Martinez and his collaborators plan to further explore catalog design, potentially testing which layouts maximize the use of economic selection indexes.

“This is the first time anyone has proven that layout impacts accuracy in livestock buying decisions,” he says. “Now that we know it matters, the question is how to use that knowledge to help producers make better choices.”

The study also raises broader questions about decision-making in agriculture and how behavioral economics can inform extension programs, breed association policies and marketing strategies.

“In the end, the more informed the decision, the better the outcome for the producer,” Martinez says. “That benefits everyone in the supply chain.”

GEM: Precision in the Pasture

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 12:31:58 GMT

The challenge of maintaining herd records is a familiar struggle for many cow-calf producers who grapple with balancing detailed documentation and practical, cost-efficient management. However, there are multiple solutions available to help transition from traditional paper to platforms that make data input and analysis more productive. During Smart Farming week, we will learn more about five record-keeping options available on the market today.

Genetic and Economic Management, better known as GEM, was created in the early 2000s by Benyshek and Hough Consulting Services, Inc. GEM is an online data entry and retrieval system that can be used by commercial and registered cattlemen. GEM has users with both small-scale operations and large operations with more than 10,000 head.

“It’s a multifaceted system,” Larry Benyshek says. “It interacts with breed associations for uploading and downloading data and people really like that, of course. They have everything on one platform, from their breeding records through their sale records.”

One feature registered cattlemen can use is registering calves with breed associations through GEM, making the process more efficient with data syncing between the two.

“You can then download back the new registration numbers they get, and they can download their EPDs every week — if they want — to the system,” Benyshek says.

GEM also has a location system where users can build locations within the program and keep track of inventories across their ranch. Records can be easily moved with cattle as they change locations. Then animals can be filtered and grouped by different criteria using records and data within the system.

“The other thing is our auction platform is really good,” Benyshek adds. “We have a lot of people that use the system to create their auction offering. We put that on GEM, and then on sale day they can do all of the paperwork from GEM. In other words, we check people in by bidder number, then there’s a person on the block who records those bids by bidder number in real time and then they’re immediately ready for checkout with an invoice.”

GEM has additional features like embryo records, semen inventory and a database with records on the people an operation works with or for.

“It’s got a lot of aspects that people like — it’s pretty encompassing,” Benyshek explains. “Some people use everything we’ve got. Some people use just parts of it.”

GEM pricing is a monthly fee based on the number of females aged 14 months and older in the operation with a minimum base price of $60 for 50 head or less. Each additional female is $0.40. Large commercial operations vary in pricing.

One aspect Benyshek takes pride in is GEM’s customer service and building those relationships.

“We keep about 110 to 125 clients routinely on the system, and we provide a lot of customer service. Just the other day I did a three-hour training session with a new client, and we use Zoom meetings to do all of that.”

Groendyke Ranch manager Paul Koffskey uses GEM from a commercial perspective. Groendyke Ranch manages more than 2,000 head in a commercial Angus cow-calf operation using Hereford and Angus bulls. In 2025, they were recognized as the American Hereford Association Commercial Producer of the Year.

“We use as much of [GEM] as we want,” Koffskey explains. “I use it more for performance-based information to go into making decisions on what goes in our commercial bred heifer sale every year and then our feeder calf sales as well.”

Koffskey emphasizes the importance of generating different reports with varying data and details.

“The report function to me is the best aspect,” Koffskey says. “It’s simple once you become familiar with it. From an efficiency standpoint, we’re able to identify animals or bulls or whatever the case may be that are not performing. We’ve increased weaning weights, yearling weights, shortened breeding seasons and increased cow productivity.”

Koffskey adds both Benyshek and John Hough are always available if there is a problem or to answer questions.

“Those two guys and their experience in this industry, they are just a wealth of knowledge,” Koffskey says. “If you’re not using GEM or CattleMax or any of the others out there, you’re leaving money on the table.”

More information on GEM can be found at benyshek-hough.com

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Simplicity In Record-Keeping With an All-in-One Hub
Voice-to-Record App Reinvents Cattle Management
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2026 Cull Cow Prices: Why Tighter Supplies are Driving Record-High Market Values

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 12:31:32 GMT

Cow prices normally increase seasonally until about June each year. 2026 prices have had little seasonal increase, but they remain in record high territory.

Auction prices in the Southern Plains for 85% to 90% lean cows have increased by about $3 per cwt. to $167 per cwt. since the beginning of January. National average cutter quality cows have increased about $13 per cwt. since the first of the year. Likewise, the cow beef cutout has steadily increased by $19 per cwt. to $331 per cwt. in early March.

(USDA-AMS, Livestock Marketing Information Center)

Across the South, cull cows at auctions have trended higher this year. Since the first of the year, Mississippi breaker quality cow auction prices have been as high as $175, and started early March at $162 per cwt. Kentucky culls of the same quality began in March at $164. Breaker cows at Georgia auctions have been even higher, beginning in March at $174 per cwt.

Yield grade 1 cull bulls broke the $200 per cwt barrier during February in Mississippi and Georgia auctions. Those prices are about $30 per cwt. higher than this time last year. Bull prices have increased a little more than cow prices this spring.

(USDA-AMS, USDA-NASS, Livestock Marketing Information Center)

Tighter supplies are boosting prices. Beef cow slaughter is down more than 20% from last year so far in 2026. Only 34,200 head were slaughtered during the last week of January, making it the smallest non-holiday week slaughter in years.

Dairy cow slaughter is running 7.3% higher than last year. The largest dairy cow herd since the early 1990s and sharply lower milk prices will keep dairy cow slaughter ahead of 2025’s pace in the coming weeks.

The high price of calves, especially beef-on-dairy calves, has helped to boost dairy cow inventory as producers are seeing larger returns from the calves to help offset lower milk prices.

Short supplies of fed cattle are reducing overall beef production, which is helping to keep non-fed beef prices high. Record high fed steer dressed weights, over 980 lb. per carcass on average, are boosting supplies of fat. The larger supplies of fat require larger amounts of lean beef to blend to desirable ground beef percentages. That increase in processor demand for lean beef to mix with ample supplies of fat is also helping to boost cull cow values. Cull prices are seeing a boost from both the supply and demand sides of the equation.

Events of the last week are likely to test the strength of beef demand. Ground beef usually gets a grilling season boost in the spring and could get an extra boost ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup. That demand bump usually leads to higher cull cow prices. So, there is still some room for higher cull cow prices this spring.

Your Next Reads:
Record Profits, Reluctant Expansion: Why Ranchers Are Still Hesitant to Rebuild
U.S. Cattle Inventory Hits 75-Year Low at 86.2 Million Head

Bridging Genetics, Management and Technology in Beef Production

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:37:44 GMT

701x is a North Dakota-based agricultural technology company specializing in smart, connected, solar-powered GPS ear tags and management software for the cattle industry. It enables ranchers to monitor livestock health, location, breeding activity and behavior.

“There’s a lot of pressures on the ranching industry today, and there’s not a lot of technology or tools that can help them,” summarizes Sam Fisher, 701x vice president of sales and marketing.

701x was created by Kevin Biffert, a ranch-raised engineer, who saw the lack of effective technological tools available for ranchers.

“We have to develop a feature set that offers a lot more to the rancher,” Fisher adds.

(Photo: 701X)

Three Pillars: Registry Services, Herd Management, Devices

Fisher explains 701x’s offerings fall into three primary buckets.

1. Registry Services

701x acquired Digital Beef, a software solution for breed associations. This registry allows users to register animals, manage pedigrees and integrate performance data. He explains 701x is currently working on a rebuild of the registry product to make it a sustainable platform.

2. Herd Management Tools

“Think of this as your on-ranch record-keeping system ,” Fisher explains. “Digital calving book, chute‑side mode, breeding record system, even a financial section in there, all available for kind of on‑ranch records.”

701x is working to provide a unified, modern platform that streamlines data from herd management straight into registry services, minimizing manual entry and ensuring consistent, usable records.

Fisher says the 701x system eliminates double/triple entry of data; it makes data searchable and usable and replaces paper records with quick digital access.

Montana Angus producer Sara Stevenson says, “How I best describe 701x is the solution to a long-time problem I was looking for.”

701x helps her manage and communicate herd data. She explains the biggest historical challenge wasn’t collecting data but organizing it over many years and sending accurate information to the American Angus Association and other breed associations.

She says 701x has replaced scattered notebooks and multiple Excel files with one central, long-term system. It allows the Stevenson family to track every animal from birth to sale in one place, including:

Birth, weaning, yearling data and ratios.
Health events such as treatments, navel issues, deaths and injuries.
Fertility records.
Exact reason an animal leaves the herd — feet, fertility, open or death.

Stevenson emphasizes that bad or incomplete data is worse than no data, and 701x makes it realistic to maintain high-quality, multiyear records.

She shares these additional 701x advantages:

Time, stress and marriage-saving benefits. Before 701x, Stevenson says Maternal Plus reporting meant referring to years of calving books and tedious backtracking, causing weeks of work, frustration and “marriage” conflict. “701x eliminated the annual stress and fights,” she summarizes.
Data entry is now done chute-side or same day versus months later, which reduces errors and guesswork. The 701x system ties together EID (electronic identification) tags, wand, scale head and software reducing transposed numbers, missing digits as well as duplicate or outdated spreadsheets.
Digital workflow keeps accurate cow and calf pasture counts, as well as provides the ability to figure correct vaccine dose and mineral needs and get an immediate check of what animals were missed after working cattle. Stevenson admits they keep paper copies as backup, but the digital data saves their ranch money and time, improves accuracy and reduces stress.
Strong customer service and partnership. Stevenson compliments the 701x team for being accessible and willing to help when needed. She says 701x is not just a tool; it is a partner in their operation.

“What they’re really going for is that one-stop shop — the Apple of cattle data — and we are very happy with it,” Stevenson summarizes.

3. Smart Livestock Devices

701x offers two types of smart ear tag devices: the xTpro tag for bulls and cows and the xTlite tag for calves.

Fisher says the tags are a management tool providing tangible, practical benefits like GPS tracking, health and behavior alerts and reproductive data. The tags help producers improve breeding rates, reduce losses and gain actionable data, making the investment cost-effective over time.

The Stevensons use xTpro tags in donor cows and herd bulls to help:

Detect estrus in older donor cows that don’t show strong physical heat signs.
Track bull activity (steps, mounts) and correlate that with actual calves sired via DNA, revealing which bulls are working harder versus just being lazier. She says this leads to data-backed decisions about which bulls and cows are performing.

Dakota Gerloff of Gerloff Farms , Bland, Mo., manages about 400 seedstock cows and 120 commercial cows. The Gerloffs put xTpro tags in all their herd bulls. He says the biggest benefit of the tags is the peace of mind the system provides his family during breeding season.

While he typically checks his fall cows in person every other day during breeding season, 701x allows him to open the app and see how individual bulls are behaving throughout the day: how active they’ve been, whether they’ve been mounting cows and, generally whether they appear to be doing their job.

He says the tags are a valuable tool in an era when good labor is hard to find. Gerloff adds that he plans to tag his cow herd for heat detection and calving alerts, which could reduce manpower needs by providing timely notifications instead of relying solely on constant physical checking.

(Photos: 701X)

User-Friendly Purchasing and Setup

The company aims to make technologically advanced cattle management solutions simple, accessible and valuable to both seedstock and commercial beef producers. Producers can order products directly online through a marketplace. Ongoing support, educational videos and in-person field staff are available to streamline onboarding and maximize value.

Fisher says transparent pricing and simple online purchasing eliminate barriers for adoption.

“We focused on easy, easy, easy, easy,” he says. “You go to 701x.com, there’s a tab for the marketplace ... add to cart ... check out and it’s shipped directly to you.”

Fisher explains the tags come pre-integrated into the software ecosystem, which makes the setup seamless. Producers are supported by educational materials, responsive field staff and personal phone/video help as needed.

When inserting xTpro tags, place the buttons between the two main ribs of the ear. Apply the tag so the solar panel sits forward and up for best sunlight exposure.

(701x)

The tags are designed to be robust, solar-powered and connected by both cellular and satellite networks for maximum utility and minimal hassle. The system’s value is demonstrable through examples of loss prevention, breeding improvement and labor savings.

Fisher says customer feedback shapes product development and issue resolution, and all customers have open access to knowledgeable staff. 701x continually refines its algorithms and is developing new features like feedyard systems and more advanced monitoring to adapt to industry needs and drive future genetic improvements.

(701x)

A Seedstock Supplier Service for Bull Buyers

The Gerloff family hosts an annual bull sale each October selling 80 bulls. As a customer service, the Gerloffs tagged all 2025 sale bulls with 701x’s xTpro. If a bull sold for more than $6,500, the buyer was offered a one-year 701x app subscription.

Gerloff says the tag process went smoothly and praises retention and durability. He says they tagged the sale bulls 10 days before the sale. He was originally concerned about the bulls fighting and losing tags before sale day. He reports they didn’t lose any tags despite the tendencies of 20-month-old bulls.

Gerloff says more than half of the buyers who qualified to use the system have made a 701x account thus far. He also notes he has not received one negative call or frustration about the tag.

701x’s core aim is to help both commercial and seedstock producers be more profitable and sustainable by providing customers cutting-edge, practical tools that deliver real-world results.

“I really believe we’re building tools that actually matter,” Fisher summarizes. “Tools that will actually keep people in the beef business, keep families on the same piece of dirt that they’ve always ranched.”

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Zoetis to Acquire Neogen’s Animal Genomics Business

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 13:12:11 GMT

Today, Neogen Corporation , an innovative leader in food safety solutions, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its global genomics business to Zoetis Inc. , the world’s leading animal health company, for $160 million, subject to customary closing adjustments.

Neogen’s planned divestiture, which had been previously announced, was part of the company’s portfolio review strategy to simplify the business and focus on core strategic markets.

“Neogen’s genomics business ( GeneSeek ) has been a pioneer in advanced DNA testing for livestock and has set a high standard for innovation across the livestock sector, with globally recognized solutions spanning genomic prediction, herd improvement and data integration,” says Tom Schultz, Neogen head of commercial global genomics."We’re excited to build on that foundation in our future with Zoetis and to continue advancing tools that strengthen animal health, performance and overall profitability. Customers can expect a thoughtful transition and continued excellent service,”

According to a Zoetis release , “This acquisition aligns directly with Zoetis’ strategy to drive future livestock innovation through genomics, reinforcing its commitment to livestock producers worldwide and advancing its precision animal health portfolio. By integrating Neogen’s genomic technologies and data solutions, Zoetis is expanding its capabilities to deliver predictive insights, individualized care and greater value to customers across major livestock and companion animal species.”

Neogen’s genomics business serves customers in more than 120 countries through its five laboratories in the U.S., Brazil, Australia, China and the United Kingdom, as well as an office location in Canada. The business leverages a comprehensive genotyping platform of fixed array and sequencing technologies, as well as software solutions that empower customers to make informed and data-driven decisions. The business is a leader in U.S. beef and dairy genomics , and its cutting-edge technologies enable highly accurate, scalable genetic testing and deeper insights into animal health, productivity and sustainability.

“This transaction is part of the company’s strategic portfolio review and allows the company to accelerate de-leveraging and improve profitability going forward,” says Mike Nassif, Neogen’s chief executive officer and president. “Furthermore, this deal allows us to focus in areas where the company has the most significant competitive advantage and further leverage our core capabilities in food and animal safety. We are committed to a smooth transition for customers, employees and other stakeholders, and believe the business is well positioned to thrive under Zoetis’ ownership.”

GeneSeek has been a pioneer in advanced DNA testing for livestock and companion animal industries, leveraging a global presence to deliver highly accurate, data-driven insights that contribute to improved animal performance and health, as well as profitability, in the beef, dairy and other industries. Through the flagship Igenity and GGP portfolio and rapid turnaround times, the business offers returns-focused genomic tools and globally recognized standards in genomic prediction to accelerate herd improvement and enable genomics trait screening. Supported by the Encompass platform for genomic data integration and strategic partnerships advancing DNA-backed traceability, GeneSeek is committed to continued innovation and scientific excellence.

“We’re excited to build on our innovative genomics portfolio offerings in our future with Zoetis and to continue advancing tools that strengthen overall animal health, performance, and profitability,” Schultz says. “At Zoetis, genomics becomes a core part of a company fully dedicated to animal health. Zoetis brings deep scientific capabilities, operational scale, and a long-term commitment to genetics and data.”

Jamie Brannan, Zoetis chief commercial officer, adds, “The addition of Neogen’s genomics business strengthens our commitment to advancing animal health through innovation, data and technology. As we continue to grow our leading innovative solutions in Precision Animal Health, this acquisition brings complementary capabilities that expand predictive insights and individualized care, enabling us to deliver added value to customers. Together, we are shaping the future of animal health, empowering customers with the tools they need to support healthier animals and sustainable livestock production globally.”

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the first half of the company’s 2027 fiscal year, subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. The net proceeds from the transaction are expected to be used primarily for debt reduction. The Neogen genomics business generated approximately $90 million in sales during fiscal year 2025.

“At the time of the announcement, nothing will change,” Schultz explains. “Our customers’ contacts and ordering processes remain the same — products, services and support also remain the same. Customers can expect a thoughtful transition, continued service continuity, and future benefits from Zoetis’ focus in the business. Any changes will be communicated well in advance.”

Zoetis says it is committed to a seamless integration, supporting continuity for colleagues and customers, and building on Neogen’s legacy of innovation in genomics.

Cow-Calf Checklist: Start Preparing for Breeding Season

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 16:45:34 GMT

1. Start post-calving nutrition programs for spring-calving females.

Begin lactation rations/supplement levels or feed higher quality hay once first calving cycle is complete.
Ensure thin (BCS ≤ 4.0) females are maintaining or on an increasing plane of nutrition going into breeding.

2. As you make your bull selection decisions:

Review your past herd performance relative to your marketing and genetic goals.
Study EPDs and indexes that impact your operation profit centers and do your homework well before sale day.

3. If you will synchronize females this spring, schedule your protocols now well in advance of the breeding season and mark key dates on your calendars.

Inventory your artificial insemination (AI) supplies and order products in advance.
Check your tanks for current semen inventory and nitrogen levels.

4. If you have a fall-calving cow herd:

Schedule pregnancy checks if not already done.
Evaluate cost of gain vs. the value of gain when considering how to market fall-born calves this spring.

5. Evaluate your mineral program for the upcoming spring and summer seasons.

Work with your supplier to outline your needs.
Consider magnesium supplementation levels, particularly for lactating cows grazing wheat, rye, or triticale in the spring.

6. Evaluate herd bulls for body condition score, adjust as needed prior to breeding.

Bulls need to be in a BCS ≥ 5.0 prior to the next season of use.
Schedule breeding soundness examinations with your veterinarian well in advance of breeding.

7. Monitor replacement heifer growth and development.

Check weights help ensure growth rates are on track.
Consider tract scoring and pelvic measuring .

8. Review your calf health protocols before spring turn out.

Schedule calf working activities , mark dates on calendars.
Reflect if changes from last year are needed.

9. Take inventory of any feed/forage that will be left over from winter.

Cover piles or close bags if silage is left over and won’t be fed until fall.
Clean up any soiled bedding or unused/wasted feed in pens and calving lots to reduce the breeding and development of stable flies as the weather warms up.

10. Price risk management will be key again this year given record high calf prices.

Consider if specific price risk management strategies (forward contracting, insurance) need to be part of your operation.
Evaluate strategies for both cattle and pastures/forages.

Are Below Breed Average Bulls Better?

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 13:20:40 GMT

The use of genetic selection tools by cattle breeders has resulted in significant changes within the majority of major breeds over the last 30 years. With a few exceptions, the overwhelming genetic trend has been for more milk, higher weaning weight, and bigger mature weight.

Without question, the use of expected progeny differences (EPDs) has enabled this change. While we have achieved our goals of more, have we achieved our goals of better?

The late Dr. Bob Taylor from Colorado State University said it well, “Profitable cattle are usually productive, but productive cattle are not always profitable.”

Weaning Weight Questions

Four different benchmark data sets for commercial cow-calf producers from the states of Minnesota, North Dakota, Kansas, as well as Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma have shown little to no change in average weaning weights or calf weaning rates in terms of the percentage of calves weaned per cow exposed over the last 15 years. This has to prompt the question why? How can it be that there has been such significant genetic change in several breeds that should increase weaning weights, but records from several commercial cow-calf data sets would indicate that there has been relatively no change?

In 2014, David Lalman from Oklahoma State University made a presentation at the Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle meeting titled “ Matching Cows to Forage Resources in a World of Mixed Messages .” In that presentation, Lalman made the case that the genetic potential of many cattle today is not supported by the forage resources available, so the animals never fully express their genetic potential. He presented data that shows the cost of maintaining larger cows with higher milk potential exceeds the value produced by small increases in calf weaning weights.

In 1988, Rick Bourdon, wrote a paper titled “ Bovine Nirvana – From the Perspective of a Modeler and Purebred Breeder ” where he presented the case that genetic selection should be toward the optimum for what a set of resources or environment could support.

Bourdon says, “To breed for optimum means to have a target insight beyond which you don’t want to go. If your goal is to maintain an optimum level for any trait, the evidence of your accomplishment is not visible change, but lack of it.”

Replacement Heifer Considerations

Cow-calf producers have EPDs and index tools to make genetic selection decisions related to traits that impact levels of productivity and longevity. Producers selecting sires from which to develop replacement heifers may want to evaluate where their cow herd is compared to what they believe optimum to be.

Producers can work with beef cattle genetic specialists and breed association representatives to help them identify what EPD levels for milk, weaning weight and mature weight best meet their target. What a producer identifies as optimum in terms of milk production, weaning weight and mature size can vary significantly from one operation to another depending upon resources available and management. When optimum is identified, sires can be selected to produce daughters whose maintenance energy, longevity, level of milk production and mature weight will move the cow herd toward identified goals given available resources.

Identifying and selecting optimum genetics for milk production and mature weight is a genetics selection approach that may require a change in focus for many cow-calf producers. It may mean selecting sires at a bull sale that are at or below breed average to move the cow herd genetically toward a desired level for certain traits.

Selecting a bull that is “below breed average” is a paradigm shift for many cow-calf producers. Identifying a window of optimum given a set of resources and then selecting cattle that hit the optimum target is the goal under this method of cattle breeding.

Success in selecting for optimum means that for many producers they will be selecting sires whose EPDs for milk production and mature weight will decrease the average in their herd. Simultaneously, they should be using EPDs to select for traits that will maintain or improve fertility and longevity.

Genetic selection and breeding programs should focus on increased profit, and in many cases this may mean selection for decreased mature weight and milk production to move future replacements for the cow herd towards optimum.

How Should You Manage Bulls in Winter to Ensure Summer Breeding Performance?

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:31:26 GMT

It can be easy to forget bulls and focus on cows when weather hits, but management strategies during the winter months can impact a bull’s performance in the upcoming breeding season. Managing herd bulls properly to prevent frostbite of the testes and properly manage body condition score before the next breeding season is imperative.

“Owning bulls during the idle months is not all sunshine and rainbows,” says Beth Reynolds, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach program specialist. “Broken fence, beat up hay rings, injuries from fighting …. And all that comes with bored boys — I mean bulls — in the winter.”

She says in a recent Iowa Beef Center Growing Beef Newsletter article that bull management must be kept to high standards in order to get a good return on investment, because quality bulls are not cheap.

“Winter management puts a large emphasis on periods of cold stress and temperature fluctuation,” Reynolds explains. “The negative impacts of poor winter management are broad, but two general categories are nutritional and breeding soundness.”

She stresses these three keys to managing bulls during the winter.

1. Provide windbreaks.

Reynolds says managing the breeding soundness impacts of cold weather on herd sires requires being proactive and using tools to mitigate frigid temperatures.

“Windbreaks are very impactful in mitigating cold stress effects,” she explains.

Temporary windbreaks using portable windbreak panels, hay bales or even stock trailers can be effective if placed with prevailing winds in mind.

According to South Dakota State University , there are several considerations for designing windbreaks, and the requirements for sizing will largely depend on the number of animals that will be usng the structure for shelter.

“A common rule of thumb is to allocate 25 sq. ft. of protection per cow, or 1' of fence length per cow,” explains SDSU guidelines. “The protected zone of a windbreak will extend out to the leeward side by 8 to 15 heights of the structure with a reduction of wind speed of approximately 50%. Previous research has identified an ideal ratio of length to height of 10:1, so for example a 10’ windbreak should be a minimum of 100’ long for maximal protection. Structures should be placed at least 75' upwind of any roads, alleys or buildings to reduce the impact of high winds and drifting snow.”

2. Provide bedding.

Dry areas to lay are important to consider when wintering bulls. These areas can be achieved by providing bedding or areas within a pasture that provide adequate cover from wind and snow.

“Bedding is especially important to create a barrier, keep the scrotum off the frozen ground to prevent frostbite and help alleviate the increased nutritional needs,” Reynolds says.

A feedlot trial from SDSU found providing 4 lb. of bedding per head per day reduced energy maintenance requirements by 20% to 40% compared to unbedded counterparts on cement. While less research has been done on breeding stock to quantify changes, Reynolds says one would expect providing bedding would also reduce maintenance requirements for bulls and cows during cold-stress periods.

Wet and cold conditions increase the risk of frostbite. Frostbite presents as a scab, discoloration and/or sloughing of the bull’s scrotum. These tissue damages limit or prevent the ability for a bull to regulate testis temperature. This is caused by the inhibition of the raising and lowering of the testes that occurs naturally. Come breeding season, this can result in a decrease in fertility.

“Arguably, the most discussed negative impact of not managing cold stress in bulls is frostbite on the scrotum,” Reynolds explains. “Mild frostbite will set back normal sperm production for 45 to 60 days, and severe frostbite may cause permanent damage.”

Additionally, in periods of cold stress, a cortisol spike can be expected. Cortisol can transfer from the bloodstream to semen, and in vitro trials have observed negative effects on sperm quality.

3. Provide adequate and strategic nutrition.

Reynolds explains managing the nutritional impacts of cold weather on herd sires will look very similar to nutritional adjustments needed for the gestating cow herd. The genera rule of thumb for cold stress still applies: for every degree the temperature is below the lower critical temperature, energy needs increase by 1%. The lower critical temperature for a dry winter hair coat on cattle in good (5-6) body condition is around 20°F.

Cold stress for brief or extended periods increases energy requirements while protein, mineral and vitamin needs remain consistent. If adequate forage is available, bulls will increase their dry matter intake during periods of cold stress. Depending on hay quality, this could perpetuate the problem of needing more energy in the diet. In cold stress scenarios, supplemental grains high in energy can be extremely effective for bulls on high-forage diets.

Use the offseason to bring bulls back into good condition after the breeding season and allow plenty of time and space for them to recover from any immune system strains or physical injuries.

Underfed bulls are more prone to disease, poor libido and lower quantity and quality sperm.

“Micronutrients and the mineral program in particular should not be overlooked if you expect a healthy, active bull to pass a BSE and perform well in the following breeding season,” Reynolds says. “For example, zinc and selenium are essential for testicular function in addition to their importance for an effective immune response.”

Other Stress Reduction Strategies

Reynolds encourages trying to reduce bull stress in general by ensuring commingled bulls have adequate room to reduce fighting . This goes beyond providing space for bulls to “get away” and roam. It includes providing enough space at the feed bunk or hay ring, as well as a larger area for bedding down to reduce fighting when active, eating and resting.

Cold weather and frozen ground can also strain bulls’ hooves, making them prone to toe abscesses, foot rot and other infections.

“To promote hoof health, be diligent in maintaining pens in the warm spells when uneven ground and manure can be addressed,” she says.

Even if all available cold stress prevention strategies are used, follow up with your veterinarian to schedule breeding soundness exams . A close-up examination is needed to catch some physical injuries and sperm abnormalities, even after the best off-season management.

“When scheduling, remember that sperm production takes about 60 days. Although some bulls may go from a failed to a passing BSE if rechecked, a plan B likely requires purchasing another bull, and bull sale season is underway,” Reynolds says.

Producers in the Midwest should also be cautious if the primary fall and early winter feed source is pasture containing a significant portion of mature, unimproved fescue.

“Endotoxins found in Kentucky 31 fescue cause vasoconstriction, or reduced blood flow to the extremities,” she says. “This will ultimately perpetuate any negative effects of cold stress at warmer temperatures than would be expected on other feed sources.”

Lastly, don’t forget water. Be sure bulls always have sufficient access to clean, fresh water.

“The moral of the story,” Reynolds stresses, “don’t forget about herd sires in the winter months or in the spring when calving season is in full swing.”

Your Next Reads:
Wanted: Bulls Ready to Work
Why Bull Rest Matters: Time to Prepare for the Next Breeding Season

Zoetis Launches First Commercial BRD Genetic Predictions to Help Build More Resilient Beef Herds

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 04:22:14 GMT

Zoetis Inc. today announced the launch of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) genetic predictions in INHERIT^® Select for commercial cow-calf operations and as an upgrade to its INHERIT Connect test for seedstock. This marks the first time that cattle producers can select replacement females and evaluate sires based on genetic predictions for BRD health and survival.

BRD costs the beef industry nearly $1 billion each year due to calf and production losses and increased treatment expenses. Until now, producers had no way to evaluate and select for the genetics that influence calf BRD health and survival after weaning.

“This is a breakthrough for the beef industry,” says Brett Bristol, head of Zoetis Precision Animal Health. “For the first time, producers can make selection and breeding decisions based on Genomic Expected Progeny Differences for BRD health and survival, in addition to production traits. Long-term, this innovation is expected to have meaningful economic impacts on commercial cow/calf producers and downstream backgrounders and feeders.”

Genetics That Compound Over Time

As the rebuilding of the U.S. cow herd begins and replacement costs are at historic highs, producers are looking for ways to build cow herds that last longer, raise healthier calves and deliver predictable value. Genetic advancement from testing and selection compounds over time; the breeding decisions made today influence future herd health and productivity.

INHERIT Select and INHERIT Connect with the BRD Upgrade include three BRD genetic predictions in the form of Genomic expected progeny differences (GEPDs):

BRD Health (BRDH) GEPD: Predicts genetic differences in the likelihood that calves (progeny) will stay healthy after weaning without requiring treatment for BRD. Higher BRDH and lower percent rank are better.
BRD Survival (BRDS) GEPD: Predicts genetic differences in the likelihood that calves (progeny) will survive from arrival for backgrounding to harvest without dying from BRD. Higher BRDS and lower percent rank are better.
$BRD Economic Index: Combines BRDH and BRDS into a single dollar value that estimates revenue impact per calf (progeny). Higher $BRD and lower rank are better.

These predictions are based on feedlot health and performance data from a commercially representative population of more than 50,000 head of cattle across North America. These phenotypes, along with continual genetic data additions, are updated weekly and included in the Zoetis Multi-Breed Genetic Evaluation.

Select Replacements That Build Healthier Calf Crops

“GEPDs for BRD and $BRD bridge an economically important gap in current beef genetic evaluations,” says Kent Andersen, Zoetis Precision Animal Health
director of beef technical services. “BRD predictions give us a way to select for post-weaning BRDH and BRDS and related economic impact that we couldn’t before. That matters when used along with predictions for maternal, feedlot, carcass and adaptability traits, and simplified via economic indexes.”

With BRD genetic predictions in INHERIT Select, commercial cow-calf producers can:

Select replacement heifers with stronger genetic potential across all major economically important traits to set the stage for healthier and more productive calf crops.
Identify and invest in genetics for greater profit potential and less health risk that compounds over time.

Using the population of more than 440,000 commercial animals tested using INHERIT^®, researchers compared the top versus bottom 25th percentile rank based on GEPDs for BRDH, BRDS and $BRD. The comparison shows progeny of the top 25th percentile that are genetically:

25% more likely to stay healthy and not require treatment for BRD from feedlot arrival to harvest
14% more likely to survive and not die from BRD from feedlot arrival to harvest
$12 per calf advantage in net return from combined genetics for BRDH and BRDS

Evaluate Bulls for BRD Health Genetics

For seedstock, the INHERIT Connect + BRD Upgrade provides a powerful way to evaluate bull batteries and potentially differentiate sale bulls based on BRD GEPDs and $BRD.

With the INHERIT Connect + BRD Upgrade, producers can:

Potentially differentiate sale bulls with BRD predictions that benefit commercial buyers and downstream backgrounders and feeders
Evaluate A.I. sires and bull batteries to benchmark genetic merit for BRD and identify favorable and unfavorable outliers
Document genetic merit for BRDH and BRDS and position future calf crops for premium prices

When comparing bulls tested using INHERIT Connect + BRD Upgrade, bulls in the top 25th percentile rank for $BRD have a $1200 predicted advantage over bulls in the bottom 25th percentile rank, assuming they sire 100 calves during their lifetime.

Producers can contact their Zoetis Genetics representative or visit beefgenetics.com to learn more and get started with testing.

Tradition Reimagined: The National Western Stock Show Enters a New Era

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 20:08:17 GMT

Legacy, tradition, the place to be in January — the National Western Stock Show (NWSS).

When I reflect on my younger years and the early days of my career, there’s no doubt I valued my annual trip to Denver for the NWSS. I looked forward to the chance to see some of the best beef genetics from across the U.S. and Canada. There was nothing like standing on the catwalk in the Yards and taking in the impressive view of pen after pen of bulls on display. And on the Hill, it was the Super Bowl of cattle shows.

NWSS was a chance to network with some of the leading seedstock and commercial producers, as well as chance to see some of the hot new sires.
While I understand and respect the showring does not reflect the commercial industry today, at one time NWSS was an elite event where commercial producers came in droves to purchase bulls from the Yards.

Today, the NWSS is a 16-day livestock show with more than 25 different cattle breeds and many other species of livestock. With more than 12,000 head of livestock moving in and out of the gates each year, visitors can watch traditional competitions including breeding, market and showmanship, or those primarily aimed for recreation or companionship — llamas, alpacas, poultry and stock dogs.

Last week, I had a chance to attend NWSS with my dad. It was an annual trip for us when I worked for the Angus and Hereford associations. Each year, he would hitch a ride with me and take in the activities on the Hill and in the Yards.

I’ll be honest, I’ve not been to Denver since COVID. My work and family schedules did not allow for my annual trip to the Mile High City.

(Angie Stump Denton)

New Facilities, New Perspective

Arriving at the facilities on Thursday, I was stunned and speechless. Where once was the history and tradition of the Denver yards is an impressive, state-of-the-art, beautiful new facility.

According to the NWSS website , the facilities beyond NWSS activities will host concerts and festivals, farmers markets, sporting events, trade shows and conventions, as well as office space, business incubators, classes, public art, cultural events, family activities and shops. Just two miles north of downtown Denver, the site is a unique opportunity to connect the rural and urban economies and become the new epicenter of innovative agribusiness.

Throughout the weekend while catching up with beef industry friends, including exhibitors and spectators, the common theme was: “Wow.”

This was the fourth year for the Stockyards Event Center and the updated Yards . While I admit I miss the famous catwalk and the chance to gaze over the pens, the updated pen space and showring are a welcome upgrade for exhibitors and spectators.

Opening for the 2026 event was the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Livestock Center with a 17,760 sq. ft. arena. The new arena was spacious with amazing lighting, screens and sound. The cattle were exhibited on green turf. The stall area was also updated with many exhibitors commenting on the air quality in the barns, adequate electricity and good wash racks — the important things to cattle exhibitors.

Also new this year was the Legacy building. This building serve as the home to all members of the National Western family. It was built to be a gathering place, gallery and a watering hole for friends, cowboys and art lovers alike. This building was breathtaking .

Historical photos from the Yards and the Hill.

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National Western Stock Show

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National Western Stock Show

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National Western Stock Show

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National Western Stock Show

Times Change, Yet Tradition Continues

While NWSS exhibitors and spectators were excited about the updated facilities and the newness of the showring, you could still feel the tradition and legacy of the NWSS as you watched the show and walked through the Yards.

Since the first Stock Show in 1906, it has been a place where generations of beef producers have spent time reuniting with friends, learning about new genetics and techniques and doing business, year after year.

I can’t wait to watch my sons and future grandkids exhibit in the new facilities as it hosts future NWSS and junior nationals.

How Clear Objectives Lead to Smarter Bull Selection

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 14:47:29 GMT

Various factors play a role in decision-making as producers flip through a sale catalog looking for a new bull. It is important to find a strategy that works for your program and create selection criteria that will help you find a bull to progress your operation toward your goals.

Each producer has their own set of priorities in which they rank their options, various budgets for buying bulls, and different genetic preferences.

“Define your objective of what you’re trying to accomplish,” says Jeff Mafi, American Angus Association regional manager. “How are you going to use the bulls? Are they going on heifers or cows? How are you going to sell those calves by those bulls? Are you retaining ownership or keeping replacement females? What selection tools do you need to use to help accomplish what you are trying to do?”

Mafi says defining these things will make it a lot easier to go through a sale book and find the individuals that will help move you forward. For a first-time buyer, he recommends having a good understanding of that breed’s expected progeny differences (EPDs) and indexes and how to use them.

“Don’t hesitate to reach out to a breeder and ask questions,” he adds. “They know their cattle and their genetics the best.”

With plenty of information available from data and genomics to photos and videos, Mafi says many producers still walk through the cattle in person to get a feel for the disposition even if they may bid online later. While crowds at live sales have not diminished, online bidding presence has increased, allowing customers to buy bulls from all over the country.

Travis Meteer, beef Extension specialist at the University of Illinois, says bull selection should start with the bull’s functional ability to breed cows.

“This includes feet, legs, structural soundness, a good libido, a passed breeding soundness exam and body condition appropriate for a breeding bull. Not too fat and not too thin. I would also include a good disposition in this,” Meteer says.

From there, Meteer agrees that selection criteria need to be catered to the herd goals and emphasizes the use of data and multi-trait selection.

“A bull needs to inject genetics that fit the goals of the herd from a management and marketing perspective,” Meteer explains. “DNA-enhanced EPDs and multi-trait selection indexes can aid in helping make decisions that are based on reliable data and not one single trait. While past criteria were heavily weighted on output traits, inputs and cost of production are being better weighted today than in the past.”

When buying bulls for a commercial operation, Meteer says leaving hybrid vigor on the table is a big loss.

“Lowly heritable traits like reproduction, health and cow longevity are best improved by crossbreeding,” he adds. “Crossbred cows and maternal heterosis are a key to profitability on commercial cow-calf operations. Studies have shown that net profit per cow is increased by $75/cow per year as a result of maternal heterosis.”

Producer Perspective

Will Andras of Andras Stock Farm, a Red Angus seedstock operation in west-central Illinois, says he looks at three main things when selecting a bull: soundness, phenotype and genetic potency. When flipping through a sale catalog, Andras says photos are important. Overly photoshopped pictures with clear structural alterations are a deal-breaker.

Beyond photos, Andras combs through EPDs, ratios within a contemporary group and pedigrees.

“We aspire to produce superior, outcross seedstock on the bleeding edge of the Red Angus breed,” he adds. “We focus on the necessary and practical convenience traits while also attempting to stack those premium pieces that fit tomorrow’s demand. Genetics are paramount, and outcross genetics are a plus. Genomically-enhanced EPDs are a must. Soundness, phenotype and disposition have never gone out of style and never will.”

Andras Stock Farm has its own registered Red Angus bull sale in the spring, and while it depends on weather, most customers walk through the cattle on sale day and bid in person. However, Andras says they also see a large presence in online bidding.

Haddie Simmentals of Walkerton, Ontario, raises full-blood and purebred Simmentals and was recently honored as the Ontario Simmental Commercial Producer of the Year. They start their herd bull search with structural soundness because of their location and terrain.

“Having good feet and overall correct structure is crucial for performance and walking our pastures,” says Ashley Fairminer of Haddie Simmentals. “Easy calving, too. While birth weight doesn’t play a huge roll in our selection, we look for a bull with lots of length to him for easier births on our cows and reducing loss of calves.”

When evaluating genetics, Fairminer says they look for data to prove they produce good maternal cows with good milk and consistent fertility. Whether they have a bull or heifer, both could stay in the herd for a long time, so consistent quality in genetics is important to their operation. When they receive a sale catalog, they look for those traits as they flip through the lots.

“We always pick a handful and call the farmer and ask about the bull, temperament, feet, dam, etc.,” Fairminer says. “We find a conversation with the farmer is the best way we can learn if a bull would be a good fit for our family and program.”

With a primary focus on replacement heifers, Haddie Simmentals focuses on selecting a bull with good maternal traits and dispositions.

“We strive to raise heifers our customers can be proud to have in their fields and ones their families can work without hesitation, and we know quality bulls play a crucial role in achieving that goal,” Fairminer adds.

Ultimately, starting the search for a new bull begins with defining program objectives and selection criteria that are important to your programs success. Many cattlemen start with the end product in mind, using a plethora of tools to find their next bull.

Your Next Read:

What's The Cost to Lease a Bull in 2026?

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 14:16:40 GMT

According to Oklahoma State University’s Mark Johnson, in the current market, a good bull is worth somewhere between $12,000 to $17,175 to a commercial cow-calf operation in 2026.

In a recent article , Johnson, OSU extension beef cattle breeding specialist, explains where exactly in that range depends on a producer’s marketing plan and the market conditions at that time.

“There’s not an exact number because there are many variables in play,” he says.

He explains one potential way for a commercial cow-calf operation to reduce expenses is to lease, rather than own, a bull.

“Producers should compare the costs and benefits of leasing versus owning,” Johnson says in his recent Cow-Calf Corner article.

Leasing eliminates the capital expenditure of purchasing a bull.

Johnson explains, given the current circumstances, the realistic cost of leasing a 15-month-old bull that is valued at $10,000 and assumed to lose 100 lb. during the lease at $25/day for a 60-day breeding season:

Breeding Fee: $25 x 60 days = $1,500
Weight Loss: 100 lb. x $1 per lb. cost of gain = $100
Insurance: $10,000 x 3.5% = $350
Trichomoniasis Test = $75
Total = $2,025*
*In the current market, based on the quality and genetic value of the bull, prices will vary.

So, assuming the 15-month-old bull will cover 15 cows/heifers during the breeding season, the cost per female bred is $135.

How does this compare to owning bulls?

The following chart assumes a bull provides service until the age of 6. It serves as another way to evaluate the cost per female bred, based on various purchase prices of ownership.

Bull Purchase Price:

$5,600	$8,400	$11,200	$14,000
$40	$60	$80	$100

Cost per female bred - assuming 140 calves sired over duration of time as a herd bull.

For more information on bull value, see Johnson’s recent article:

What is a Good Bull Worth in 2026?

“Whether leasing or purchasing bulls, the expense will be highly dependent on the cattle market and quality of the bull,” Johnson says. “A leased bull is usually kept only during the breeding season so maintenance costs associated with bull ownership are reduced.”

For example, the cost of feeding a bull is realistically at least $1 per day. Additional costs are associated with veterinary care and medicine, labor, potential death loss and the facilities needed to keep bulls safe and secure during the off-season, as well as depreciation and interest.

“All these things considered, bull ownership has a price tag of several hundred dollars annually when bulls aren’t breeding cows,” Johnson summarizes.

Is Leasing an Option For You?

Johnson says leasing bulls may not be an option for all producers.

He encourages commercial cow-calf producer to make a plan in advance of breeding season by checking with seedstock vendors to see if they offer bull leasing options and confirm they will have bulls available for lease when needed. If seedstock producers are receptive to bull leasing, both the lessor and lessee need to consider how leasing a bull could affect the health of the herd.

“Leasing virgin bulls is ideal to ensure that a venereal disease such as vibriosis or trichomoniasis is not introduced into the lessee’s herd,” Johnson says. “A negative test for trichomoniasis (at very least) is a standard part of the lease agreement before the leased bull can be returned to the lessor’s herd. In addition, leasing bulls does not come with the benefit of the salvage value when older bulls are sold.”

Johnson explains four considerations of a typical bull lease agreement for the benefit of both parties:

A daily, monthly or breeding season fee. These fees typically start at $25/day depending on the quality and genetic value of the bull(s). The lessor would guarantee a bull has passed a breeding soundness exam.
A value per pound of bull weight loss during the lease. This typically is based on the cost of regaining the weight after bull is returned. In the current market, $1/pound is reasonable. Both parties should agree on a reasonable weight loss and cost of regaining the weight and include this in the lease agreement.
Cattle mortality insurance to protect the lessor from death loss. Both parties should agree on the value of the bull. Typically the lessee would purchase a policy covering the value of the bull, pay the premium and the policy would be paid to the lessor in the event of the bull’s death. Currently, a 60-day policy could be purchased for 3.5%, and a 90-day policy could be purchased for 4% of the established value of the bull.
Health. Typically, a negative test for trichomoniasis at completion of the lease and prior to the bull’s return, is a standard part of the lease agreement. This cost (usually $50 to $100), is covered by the lessor.

What is a Good Bull Worth in 2026?

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 18:30:03 GMT

As a student at Oklahoma State University in the mid-1980s, I was taught that a good bull is worth the value of five calves he sires.

It is a good answer and a good rule of thumb to follow, but the problem is it doesn’t exactly narrow down the range. As always, we need define “a good bull,” check current market reports, answer some questions about how we intend to market future calf crops and do some “cowboy math” to arrive at a more precise answer.

What is Considered a “Good Bull?”

For this discussion, qualifications to meet “good bull” status are:

A bull that sells with a registration paper, which includes pedigree information and a complete set of genetic values (including EPDs and bio-economic indices) to be considered in the selection process.
A bull that has passed a breeding soundness exam (BSE) and sells with a breeding soundness warranty (terms will vary).
A bull that will add value to calves sired because he fits your breeding objectives, production system and marketing plans.

When Are We Marketing Our Calves? What is Their Value?

Using the end of year market prices for 2025 from Oklahoma State University livestock economist Derrell Peel’s article in the Dec. 29, 2025, issue of the Cow-Calf Corner newsletter :

500 lb. weaned steer calves were worth about $4.80/lb. for a value of approximately $2,400 per head. Therefore, if my future marketing plan is to sell weaned steers, $2,400 x 5 = $12,000 is the answer.
800 lb. yearling steers were worth about $3.50/lb. for a value of $2,800 per head. Therefore, if my future marketing plan is to sell yearling steers, $2,800 x 5 = $14,000 is the answer.
1,500 lb. finished beef steers were worth $2.29/lb. live for a value of $3,435 each. Therefore, if my future marketing plan is to retain ownership through finishing and sell fed cattle on a live weight basis, $3,435 x 5 = $17,175 is the answer.

So, in the current market, a good bull is worth somewhere between $12,000 to $17,175 to a commercial cow-calf operation.

Where exactly in that range depends on your marketing plan and the market conditions at that time. There’s not an exact number because there are many variables in play.

One key point illustrated here is that the longer you own the offspring before marketing, the greater the value of the bull to your operation.

Retained ownership gives you more time and opportunity to capture the value of your investment in genetics.

It is noteworthy that we haven’t considered the value added to replacement females a bull will sire. Bulls used to sire the next generation of cows have an even greater long-term economic impact on the profit potential of your operation and should be valued accordingly.

I encourage cow-calf operations to consider their breeding goals, production system and marketing plan. Doing so should dictate where to apply selection pressure.

Genetic values pay when you purchase bulls capable of improving genetic potential for the specific traits that will translate to added value at your intended marketing endpoint.