Bulls
Assess the ages of your herd bulls and current feed costs. Culling older herd bulls now and re-populating with young bulls next spring can add long-term genetic advantages beyond just the savings in winter feed bills.
Heading into the next several winter months, how will you keep your “breeding athletes” prepared for the season to come?
Gardiner Angus Ranch’s 18th fall production sale saw 169 buyers from 26 states and Mexico acquire 1,178 head.
Check out the photographs of nine common problems Dr. Ahmed Tibary, Washington State University, says he most often sees in the sperm of bulls that fail breeding soundness exams.
The 7th Annual Gardiner Angus Ranch “Meating Demand” bull sale was held Monday, May 2, 2022, at the ranch near Ashland, Kansas.
Gardiner Angus Ranch’s 43rd production sale held Saturday, April 2, in Ashland, Kan., saw 874 head sell to 264 buyers from 30 states.
When choosing a breeding protocol, it’s important to consider time, labor, skill, cow condition and cost. Dr. Steven Hughes shares considerations and tips to have the most success in your breeding season.
Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist Mark Z Johnson provides an answer to the question he posed in Part 1: Which bull transmits more profit potential to this operation?
Ensuring that bulls are in good body condition and physically fit for the upcoming breeding season is key to reproductive success.
Castration is a key component to any preconditioning program that can greatly influence market price premiums or discounts, especially in older bull calves.
Nichols Farms, Bridgewater, Iowa, sold 201 bulls during its opening day event on January, 28, 2022.
An early season barometer of rancher optimism and demand for high-quality bulls, Gardiner Angus Ranch’s 5th Annual “Early Bird” bull sale was held on Monday.
Preparing for breeding season begins long before bulls are turned out. Evaluate bred heifers, cows, and bulls for Body Condition Score (BCS) to ensure your herd breeds back successfully.
When harsh winter conditions are in the forecast, avoid being caught off-guard and consider these ways to manage your cows, calves, and bulls to help them weather the storm.
The bull lameness exam Lameness can mean the difference between a valuable bull and hamburger.
Most commercial bulls ultimately cull themselves due to injury or old age. The USDA Meat Animal Research Center evaluated the ability of genetic testing to inform management decisions around bull prolificacy.
In most spring calving herds, the breeding season begins in the spring or early summer. Maintaining a 60- to 90-day breeding season can be one of the most important management tools for cow-calf producers.
While demand proved strong for all bulls in Gardiner Angus Ranch’s 6th Annual “Meating Demand” sale, the 14- to 17-month-old bulls drew the highest bids, averaging $7,139 on 61 lots.
Before bulls are turned out this spring a complete breeding soundness evaluation (BSE) should be conducted by a veterinarian, including a physical examination, reproductive tract examination, and semen evaluation.
Gardiner Angus Ranch’s 42nd Spring Sale held Saturday at the ranch near Ashland, Kan., saw a total of 898 head sell to 275 buyers from 30 states, Canada and Mexico.
Breeding season is fast approaching, set your herd up for success by focusing on these key areas.
Ranchers are finding advantages in profitability, retained female fertility and longevity when using Hereford bulls in their crossbreeding programs, and many advantages translate into benefits at the feedyard, too.
Drovers and Bovine Veterinarian invite you to attend a free one-hour webinar on how to use breeding soundness exams to ensure adult and yearling bulls are ready for the breeding season.
Make sure your bulls are in good body condition, possessing structural soundness and are able to produce high quality semen ahead of breeding turnout with the females.
DVMs Bob Larson and Jennifer Koziol will discuss how to evaluate bulls so only those that can get a high percentage of exposed cows pregnant in a short period of time are turned out into the breeding pasture this spring.
Find out who won the latest Drovers photo contest!
Voting on Facebook is now open! It will close Wednesday, April 15, 2020, at midnight.
Gardiner Angus Ranch’s 15th annual fall bull sale held Sept. 30, 2019, at the ranch near Ashland, Kan., saw 515 lots sell for an average of $3,664 for a sale gross total of $3,041,150.
An Angus bull sold for a record $1.51 million earlier this year. His new owners might be giddy if his ROI matches that of recently deceased Hoover Dam, a bull that has sold 233,000 units of semen.
With the ever-growing databases and improved techniques and computer applications to access the data, reviewing records of old bulls to access the current genetics within the herd aids in understanding the herd.