Bulls
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.
Gain testing is most economical between weaning and 10 to 12 months of age
Changing calving date is a significant choice that can have ripple effects for the entire operation.
Two bulls in a South Dakota beef cattle herd have tested positive for bovine trichomoniasis, also known as trich, a disease that can be economically devastating to cattle producers.
A total of 850 lots sold at Gardiner Angus Ranch’s 40th Annual Production Sale, Ashland, Kansas, April 6, 2019.
Performing a yearly breeding soundness exam on bulls is an insurance policy for fertility.
Cow-calf producers are constantly bombarded with decisions and challenges as it relates to herd health, nutrition, retaining versus purchasing heifers, sire selection, timing of marketing and the list could continue.
Charging officers and mounting a moving vehicle, a bull in Sparta, New Jersey was put down by police after it attacked and seriously injured its owner.
The long-term effects of spreading trichomoniasis, commonly referred to as trich, in your cattle herd can be much more devastating than simply having a number of cows open at the end of the breeding season.
A business-first approach lets everything else fall into place when families want to make their living on the land. Raising beef cattle as a business, Noble Ranch crunches numbers to keep control of its destiny.
Spring calving cow herd operations should schedule pre-breeding soundness exams for bulls. Evaluations should be conducted 30 to 60 days before the start of breeding.
Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) allow the breeder to identify the animals that excel in the traits that are important for their operation.
A 14-month-old Angus bull became the highest-priced bull ever sold at public auction last week, fetching $800,000 from two ranchers based in Missouri and Oklahoma. The previous record, set just last year, was $750,000.
In the seedstock business, the bar is higher than in a commercial herd. Registered breeders need more from their cows than just an acceptable calf.
Performing a yearly breeding soundness exam on bulls is an insurance policy for fertility.
Four considerations to help you choose the right sires for your herd
Two bulls in a South Dakota beef cattle herd have tested positive for bovine trichomoniasis, also known as trich, a disease that can be economically devastating to cattle producers.
“Collectively, we all seemed to enter spring bull sale season with a fist full of hope and a duffle bag filled with cynicism.”
Cattle temperament is a focus area for research with the aim of reducing the potential for injury to producers and to preserve the longevity of facilities. One of the main objectives of cattle temperament studies is to determine if selecting sires based on temperament is effective for reaching these goals.
With spring bull sales in full swing, cow calf operators are assessing their bull batteries and making needed purchases.
Knowing current average expected progeny difference values for bulls is critical.
Bull price is one of the factors that can potentially alter breeding costs.