Buying Bulls

 I've shown our bulls before, but realize the majority of my focus tends to be on the cows, and their calves. Today I'm highlighting the men of the operation.
Bulls are half of the genetic contribution to each calf, and while a cow is very important in a lot of ways, she raises just one calf a year. A bull, on the other hand, will sire an estimated 25-30 calves per year (some do less, some do much more). One key area of importance with bulls is their genetic influence within a herd, and the fact that it will last for decades.
Because of the ability of a single bull to influence a herd, we spend a lot of time and effort and money making sure we buy bulls who will sire both bull and heifer calves we like phenotypically, and who will excel in specific performance related areas that are important to us.

First, we do our research. We check out potential sires of the bulls we will buy in semen directory catalogs, or online (you can check out one website I use here). Shown above is a page from a semen directory, with two popular sires. Producers can purchase semen from these bulls, and artificially inseminate their cows to them. This system is one way both registered and commercial cattlemen can have access to the best and most elite genetics available in the cattle industry when breeding their cows.
We buy registered Black Angus bulls, which have a lot of information recorded on them, including pedigree information, and a plethora of production related information, and how likely he is to pass those performance traits to his offspring.

Here is some of the information on the bull from the right page above, who is called Bismarck. Every bull has a name, that often includes numbers. You can see his pedigree over by the picture of the cow. The first three capitalized letters proceeding the actual name represent the ranch or people who bred the bull. For instance, SAV, stands for Schaff Angus Valley. Bismark's dad is GAR Grid Maker, and his mom is SAV Abigale 0451, and SAV Abigale 0451's dad is Schoenes Fix It 836, and her mom is SAV Abigale 6062.
Pedigrees are one part of our research. We like some bloodlines of cattle, and won't buy bulls with too much influence from other bloodlines. This is usually due to one or more traits a bloodline is known to carry, and pass on to their offspring.
Then there are the numbers, perhaps you noticed them at the top of the photo? Every two or three capitalized letters are an abbreviation for a genetic trait of importance. The number highlighted in blue is that bulls performance indicating number for that trait, and the number below that is his accuracy for that trait. The percentage number at the bottom of the grid is how he ranks in the breed.
For example, CED stands for Calving Ease Direct, and is a measure of the ease, or difficulty, this bulls calves will experience when being born. In this trait, a higher number is better, and his 13 (that's a high number in this instance) means his offspring shouldn't have any trouble. The .93 is a high accuracy for the trait, which means there is a lot of data recorded on actual offspring of this bull that were used to calculate his performance. But, you have to use all the numbers in combination, and weigh and measure them against each other to get the perfect mix that you want in your herd. Going right from CED, BW = Birth Weight, WW = Weaning Weight, YW= Yearling Weight, and so on. Each of these traits, (CED, BW, WW, YW), is called an EPD (Expected Progeny Difference).
Every breed has EPD averages for every trait you see. The numbers are a comparison of how that bull compares to other bulls in his breed, and how is progeny will differ compare to those sired by other bulls. As a rancher, I have a good idea what the breed average is for each trait, and I have my own requirements of what numbers a bull must have in each of those traits before I will buy him.

After we do our research on sires, we get out our catalog and mark any bulls that work for us on paper. That means they have the right numbers in all of those different traits for us, and their pedigree doesn't include certain individual's we don't like. Different ranchers will have different requirements based on the environment their cattle live in, how they market their cattle annually, and what their feed program is, to name a few examples.
Ranchers who sell bulls often have a sale, and they will send you a catalog if you request one, or have purchased from them in the past. Catalogs are a compilation of information on all the bulls in the sale, with their pedigrees and how they perform in all those EPD areas.

If a producer has enough bulls that meet our requirements on paper, we may attend their sale. At the sale we look at all the bulls for physical traits of importance.
First, they must structurally correct. Just as different humans have different bone and joint problems that limit their mobility, so do cattle. If we buy a bull that has an unsound skeleton, he is significantly less likely to hike over our rough terrain, and make sure he gets as many cows bred as possible in a breeding season. And, let's be honest, that is his one job each year. Structural incorrectness increases his odds of personal injury, and he can pass those problems on to his offspring. Just like your dad passing his bad knees on to you...
There are also physical attributes that indicate how a bull will perform in certain areas. EPD's, and all that information I showed you, is relatively new to the cattle industry. It's been used heavily since the early to mid 1990's. Some people still don't use EPD's as a selection tool when buying bulls, but we believe in using as much information as possible to make the best and most well-informed decision.
One thing to check out physically is the shape and size of a bulls shoulders, and the shape of his head. These are typically among the "problem spots" when calving. If a bull has smooth shoulders and a relatively long, narrow head, he's likely to pass them on to his calves, and they will be born with ease compared to calves with big, bulky shoulders and a big, fat head. Usually.
Third, a bull has to have the style and look we like. As in all things, different people have different taste, and cattle are no different. I'm really not kidding. All black cattle do not look alike.
You can get short, wide, massive bulls, or long, narrow, tall bulls. Obviously those are extreme examples, but you get the idea. My dad and I both have very specific tastes, and also as with most things, if we're going to buy a bull, we much prefer him to have the look we like. This is the "cuss and discuss" part as we call it, and we will give each other a very hard time about specific traits that one of us likes and the other doesn't : )
As we find bulls that meet our physical requirements, we write them down, with notes for areas they excel or are weak in.
Then, we combine our physical picks with the bulls who made the grade when we looked at the catalog. Any bull that passed in both areas is one to potentially bid on. We will have favorites rise to the top as we go through this process, and they will be our top picks to purchase.
A budget is set based on how deep our checkbook is prior to attending any sale, but upon arriving we will discuss how much we would be willing to spend on each bull we have marked. Dad and I like to go together, but either one of us will also go alone to bull sales.

Then the sale begins. Each bull is sold individually, in an auction-style method. Some sales are held at a local sale barn, and some ranchers have their own set of facilities on their place. You have to pay attention, and make sure you understand what price the auctioneer is at if you're bidding. If he's a good auctioneer it's not hard once you get the hang of it.
Then if all goes as planned, you will leave with your top choices for well under budget : )
Not everyone buys bulls like this, and there are lots of successful ways to buy good bulls. But, if we're buying bulls at a production sale, this is the process we go through.
To give you an idea of what bulls cost, most Black Angus sales in our part of the world averaged $3,500 - $4,500 per head last year. So far this year they are higher than that, with some averaging over $5,000 per head.
We use bulls for four years. Any longer and you run the risk of inbreeding, and the potential for sexually transmitted diseases increases. Plus, introducing new genetics is a good thing. A percentage of bulls you buy will not make it to their fourth year, and some don't even make it through their first breeding season due to death or personal injury.
The bull sale season is hitting high gear right now, and there are sales every weekend for the next several weeks. I literally have a stack of catalogs and flyers from different producers that is several inches thick.
This is one of my favorite activities in ranching, because it is how you introduce new, "better" genetics, and improve your herd through selecting bulls with specific traits and attributes. I love the entire process.

Bull Sale

Part of Saturday was occupied with another bull sale. While not specifically looking to buy another bull, I was interested in seeing how they looked.
This bull sale is part of a bull test, where multiple producers send bulls to a location and they're fed and information is collected on them. This information includes average daily gain, weight per day of age, and other performance-related indicators. Only those bulls that were in the top 80 percent of the test can be sold through the sale.



Having all the bulls together allows you to select them based on performance against their peers in addition to just their pedigrees and personal performance numbers. You also get to select from multiple producer's bulls, as opposed to a single producers if you go to his production sale. Seeing a wide variety of sire groups, and how they perform against each other, is also interesting. These bulls are also fed differently than a lot of private producers would feed theirs, which can be a good or a bad thing.
It gives the producers who put bulls in the test an idea of how their cattle perform, both individually and against other bull producer's cattle.



As with any bull sale, potential buyers look through the pens of bulls prior to sale, making notes and selecting which animal's they're interested in purchasing. Catalogs provide pedigree, ownership, performance, and EPD information on each animal.



There is a lot of discussing, looking, moving the animals around, and weighing options while looking through the various pens.



Then you might take a closer look at the individual animals you're particularly interested in.



Each bull is run through the sale ring individually, and you bid in a live auction situation for any animals you want to buy. People could also bid over the Internet at this sale, and most sales also provide a phone line you can call to bid through if you're unable to attend.




Regardless of how you bid, you need a buyers number in case you are the winning bidder. You fill out your information prior to the sale, and they give you this number.
If you're at the actual sale, all it takes is a brief wave of the hand, or nod of the head, and one of the guys standing in front of the ring will yell that they have your bid. Should you be the winning bidder, you show them your buyer's number, and it's that easy to be the proud new owner of a bull.
Then you have to pay for him, take him home, and deal with him for hopefully the next four years.

Three States in Two Weeks

It's been a busy, travel filled few weeks for me, and if my posts have seemed a little sporadic, its due largely to my ever-changing schedule.
Since the first of the year I've been to Denver on two separate occasions - once for the NWSS, and once for the NCBA Convention and Trade Show. I've also been to two bull sales, and a number of meetings, conventions and other gatherings around the state.
After being south of Torrington once earlier in the week, and prior to heading for Denver the second time last week, I drove to Torrington again for Torrington Livestock's Customer Appreciation Day. Then I headed south, and was in Denver from Tuesday night through Saturday morning. I drove back to Casper Saturday, and fortunately the roads were great until Douglas. I slept 13 hours Saturday night and stopped by Christy's for her Superbowl Party briefly on Sunday.
This week I headed west to Riverton for the Fremont County Farm and Ranch Days on Wednesday morning, and drove back to Casper that evening. Thursday I rode to Veteran (near Torrington) for another bull sale, then went back to Casper that evening.
Friday I got to work early, then left work early and drove to my parents.
Saturday morning my dad and I drove to Newcastle, Sundance, Aladdin, Belle Fourche, South Dakota, and finally to north of Sturgis where we looked through Blair Brothers bulls and bought our quota for the year.
Then we met my mom in Lead, and Holly and I drove home and my parents stayed for their Valentines date.
This morning Holly and I fed, and right now we are waiting for our pizza to cook for lunch.
This afternoon I have to drive back to Casper.
Tomorrow morning I head to Cheyenne for the Farm Bureau Legislative Meeting, and might be staying the night to cover the Interim Ag Committee Meeting on Tuesday. I still have no idea if I'm attending this in an effort to get articles for the paper, or if I am just representing the Roundup. I also wish this trip had been planned a little better - it would have saved me quite a few miles if I had been able to go straight from my parent's house to Cheyenne in the morning. But, despite some last minute changes, it should all come together without any issues.
Next weekend, and for several following, I will be back home. But, other then that I'm hoping the traveling slows down for a couple weeks. I really like attending different meetings and conventions, but am starting to wear down. I don't have time to wear down too much, with a guaranteed busy March looming in a couple weeks, so I'm hoping my work calendar stays as open as it is right now for the upcoming weeks!
One great thing about all the things I've attended is the vast amount of information I've been exposed to, and the great people I've met. Friday evening I caught my parents up on the latest trends, issues, concerns and outlooks I've heard at all these events. Saturday my dad and I had lots of time to discuss some of them more in-depth as we covered the miles.
Despite all the positive aspects of my travels, this weekend has been a much needed stop between work trips to see my family and cattle, and to get out of town - for a few hours at least.