Page 19 - MWC 3-10-2022s

The Midwest Cattleman · March 10, 2022 · P19
BULL SALE SEASON CONSIDERATIONSTIONS
BULL SALE SEASON CONSIDERA

During the late winter and breeding heifers are typically ers need to make
early spring, rural mailboxes the highest-priced bulls.” sure that they
seem to be full with the ar- Bull Acclimation are not bringing
rival of bull sale catalogs. K-State veterinarian diseases along
In a recent podcast, experts with that ani-
at Kansas State University’s Brian Lubbers said there mal,” Lubbers
are health considerations for
Beef Cattle Institute said it bulls once producers bring said.
can be hard to know how to them home. When separat-
prioritize traits in making “When bringing a new an- ing a bull for bi-
bull selections. imal into the herd, produc-
“The most important thing continued on page 39 Knowing the objectives of the operation will help producers
select new breeding stock.
to do is find out what your
objectives and goals are for
your operation,” said Shane
Werk, manager of K-State’s
Purebred Beef Unit.
Operation Objectives
When viewing catalogs,
Werk suggests prospective
buyers look for bulls that
offer traits that enhance the
operation.
He said commercial pro-
ducers need to know the ge-
netic and marketing goals of
the operation to determine
the best breed fit. EPDs, or
expected progeny differenc-
es, can provide those insights
on what bulls to add to the
ranch.
Beef cattle nutritionist
Phillip Lancaster said pro-
ducers should determine the
traits they really need for
improvement. “Then look for
bulls that have EPDs above
the average EPD for those
traits, but also make bulls
have average EPDs for other
traits so that they don’t lose
ground in some traits,” he
said.
“The marketing plan dic-
tates a lot about what traits
you need to pay attention to
when you’re looking at those
bulls.”
There will be selection dif-
ferences if the acquired bull
will be breeding heifers or
cows. K-State veterinarian
Bob Larson pointed out that
when breeding heifers, the
bull's calving ease and calv-
ing weight EPDs should be
prioritized.
But Werk said there can
be a tradeoff if producers are
only using one bull to breed
the entire herd.
“If you’re buying heifer
bulls for your cows, obvious-
ly there’s a potential for less
performance and growth in
your calves,” Werk said. “Also,
the bulls that are best for