Bull Selection: An Investment in Your Beef Herd’s Future
By Jason Cleere, Ph.D., Texas Cooperative Extension beef cattle specialist, Texas A&M University

A common mistake made by cow-calf producers is not placing enough emphasis on purchasing a bull. Too often producers view the bull as just another area of expense to be cut. However, due to the tremendous impact he has on the entire calf crop, the bull should be treated as an important investment for the cow-calf producer. Investing in a quality bull is one of the easiest and most economical ways to increase the value of your calf crop.

Where do I buy a bull?
Avoid purchasing bulls with unknown backgrounds. Background factors include health status, fertility status, age and performance information. Purchase bulls from a reputable breeder specializing in producing quality genetics for cow-calf producers.

What tools do I use for the selection process?
The beef industry is continuously changing and introducing new technology to improve efficiency of production and product quality for the consumer. Selection tools are available to help with purchasing a bull:

• Visual selection

• Individual performance records

• Expected progeny differences (EPDs)

• Ultrasound measurements

• Marker assisted selection
  Use all the selection tools available to you, but don’t over-use one tool at the expense of another.

Visual selection
Visual selection is the oldest standard in bull selection. It’s often assumed that selection based on objective production data will replace the more subjective visual evaluation of cattle, visual selection shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Structural correctness of feet and legs is absolutely necessary. It’s the most critical component of visual selection because conformation is difficult to measure objectively.
Regardless of how great his performance data is, a bull that is unable to mount cows in heat has no value to the cow-calf producer. Also, structural defects may be passed on to his calves and could ultimately affect their value.

Frame score, an estimate of skeletal size based on hip height and age, is an effective measurement for estimating rate of maturity, mature size and general carcass composition at a given end point. Choose a bull with a frame score that complements the cow herd to produce calves that are acceptable to the market.

Select well-muscled bulls to produce more muscular calves. The degree of muscling is important and relates to the amount of red meat yield the calf will have at harvest. Feeder calf quality is based heavily on muscling of the calf. Muscling can be visually evaluated by examining width across the bull’s topline, at the round and lower quarter. Bulls with heavier muscling walk with a wider base.

Choose a bull that is well-balanced from end to end and eye appealing because these traits are passed on to his offspring. Depth and capacity in bulls are also important because of their positive relationship to fleshing ability.

Avoid selecting bulls with pendulous sheaths or that aren’t masculine in appearance. All bulls should have a breeding soundness examination performed by a veterinarian prior to or immediately after purchase to detect and cull individuals with inadequate fertility.

Performance records and EPDs
Individual sire performance data (birth weight, weaning weight, etc.) can help predict the performance of a sire’s offspring. EPDs take that a step further and helps us make even more accurate predictions of how a group of a sire’s offspring will perform.
An EPD is the difference in predicted performance of the future progeny of an animal, when compared to other animals of the same breed or the breed average for that trait.
EPDs are calculated from actual performance data breeders submit to their breed association. The more information a particular bull has in the breed association database, the more accurate his EPDs are. The more accurate the sire’s EPDs are, the more accurately we can predict the performance of his calves. Don’t compare the EPDs of bulls of different breeds unless specific adjustments are made to the figures.
Selection for one trait often affects other traits either positively or negatively.

Ultrasound measurements
Ultrasound technology can measure ribeye area, back fat thickness and percentage of intramuscular fat (marbling). Cow-calf producers who are paid for the carcass quality of their calves should use this powerful tool. However, even if you are simply selling your calves at weaning, ultrasound ribeye area measurements can be used to more accurately select bulls with more muscling.

Genetic markers
Marker assisted selection is a relatively new technology now readily available as a selection tool. Numerous genetic markers are available and are discussed in detail in Texas Cooperative Extension publication E-352, “Texas Adapted Genetic Strategies for Beef Cattle XI: Marker Assisted Selection for Beef Improvement.”

Use the available tools
Visual selection, performance data, ultrasound data and genetic markers are available to help select a bull. Use a balanced approach when evaluating genetic traits. Single trait selection can rapidly improve performance in one area while possibly reducing it in another. Treat a bull purchase as an investment in your operation rather than merely another expense.