Buying breeding stock is a capital investment. To get the best return on that investment, make sure to do the proper research. Buy a bull that fits your herd's needs and take care of him.

If you're hunting for a herd bull to sire the 2003 calf crop, you might want to take a long hard look at your cows first. "That's the place I'd start," said Eldon Cole, extension livestock specialist in southwest Missouri. "Size up the strengths and weaknesses of the cows, and try to find a bull that will complement the average cow in your herd."

That's how the Witts look for bulls to put on their crossbred cow herd. Robert and Dorothy Witt, along with their son, Vince, and his wife, Janelle, manage split-season calving cows on the Barry/Lawrence County line, just west of Monett, Mo. The Witts agree that selecting a bull takes a lot of study.

"We judge a bull on how well he will suit our cows," said Dorothy. "We look at a bull's EPDs [Expected Progeny Difference], especially for birthweight, weaning weight and milk."

"But a bull's overall appearance is important," added Robert. "I like to see a bull in the flesh; not just his records. I want to see how he stands and moves. I wouldn't ever want somebody else to buy our bulls [for us]."

"We have some big cows in the herd, many of them are Simmental crossbreds," said Vince Witt. "Some of them may be too big, and that complicates our bull selection to some extent. We want bulls that will put meat and milk on calves, and we want bulls that can walk and do their job during breeding season."

Breed and hair color are not as important to the Witts as these factors once were. Their crossbred herd grew out of a straightbred Hereford base.

And, within affordable limits, neither is price.

"We don't start with a price in mind," agreed Robert. "Last year we bought two Red Angus bulls that cost $2,000 each. If a bull can breed cows and make the right kind of contribution to our herd, we consider the money well spent. But it has to be an exceptional bull for us to pay much over $2,000 for him."

Disposition is important. Bad behavior can get an otherwise good bull banished from the Witt herd.

"Life's too short to deal with a cantankerous bull," said Eldon Cole. "You always need to keep in mind that even a mild-mannered bull is still a bull. And a ton of rambunctious bull can do a lot of damage to equipment, fences and people."

"We need to handle our bulls a lot, too," said Vince Witt. "Any time they are not with the cows, we bring bulls into pens and feed them. Younger bulls that are still growing get 12 to 15 pounds of grain per day; older bulls in good flesh get somewhat less dry feed.

"We also take all bulls to the vet for a breeding soundness exam and semen test well ahead of the start of breeding season," he added. "We give them 7-way vaccinations and deworm the bulls at that time."

That kind of care falls under the heading of protecting their investment in superior sires. And, with their cow herd about evenly divided into spring- and fall-calvers, the Witts note that they get more breeding mileage out of their bulls than if cows were all bred to calve in one season.

"That gives us two shots at the market, too," allowed Vince. "Fall calves usually bring more per pound, but spring calves weigh more at weaning."

"We don't overwork bulls, either," said Dorothy. "We turn a young bull in with no more than 25 cows. Older bulls may breed 40 or so cows in a season. Since we'll be using the bull again in 6 months, we don't want to drag him down in condition. We have a lot of money invested in a bull--we can't afford not to take care of him."

An outstanding bull is worth more because he is genetically capable of making big changes in your feeder calf program.

"Even if you're running relatively few cows, you can pay more than you may think for a bull that will make the right kind of progress for you," said Cole.

Comparing EPDs across breeds
If you're crossbreeding, you might like to compare the EPDs of two or more bulls of different breeds. Researchers at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) in Nebraska have come up with a way to make such comparisons easier. You simply add the MARC adjustment values to the EPD of a given animal (or animals), then compare the results.

MARC begins by assuming that the Angus adjustment factors are zero for four major traits: birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight and milk. In other words, Angus sets the benchmark for across-breed EPD comparisons. Whatever an Angus bull's EPD, that's his adjusted EPD for comparison purposes.

For example, if you want to compare an Angus bull to two Gelbvieh bulls (by referring to table A) you can see the Gelbvieh bulls will have adjustments made as follows: birth weight, +7.8 lbs.; weaning weight, +16.6 lbs.; yearling weight, -2.7 lbs.; and milk, +13.6 lbs.

Now, if you want to make a decision between Angus bull X and Gelbvieh bull Z, you have a fairer way of comparing how their offspring will perform.

The Gelbvieh bull's offspring should weigh about 3.4 lbs. more at birth (7.1 minus 3.7) than those of Angus bull X. They'll weigh 22 lbs. more at weaning (66 - 44); about 16 lbs. more at one year of age (88 - 72) but the daughters of the Angus bull will produce calves that weigh about 6 pounds more (29 - 23) than daughters of the Gelbvieh bull.

"All this may seem a bit tricky, especially if you still doubt the validity of EPDs," said Eldon Cole. "And, like regular EPDs, these adjustment factors no doubt will change somewhat. But EPDs do work, and they're only going to become more useful as you evaluate breeding stock."

Check the bull's breeding soundness
"You can own the greatest bull in the world, but if he can't service cows, he's virtually worthless," said Dr. Richard Randle, extension veterinarian with UMC's Beef Focus Team.

"Bulls usually are selected for their genetic potential to improve the cow herd, but they are sometimes the forgotten entity," he added. "They stay in a pen for most of the year, then are expected to perform at their peak for a few weeks. During breeding season, a bull has to cover a lot of ground and do a lot of things in a short while. He needs to be physically sound and be producing semen of quality. Probably a third of the bulls will not maintain themselves through a complete breeding season, even if they are in good shape at the beginning."

Reproductive inefficiency, often a result of a bull being unable to settle his share of the cows, can be as costly as dead calves, although not as dramatic. To help prevent these reproductive wrecks, Randle recommends that a breeding soundness exam be performed on each bull yearly--or more often, if the bull is used to breed cows for more than one calving season.

"Don't overwork bulls," advised Randle. "Young bulls should be turned out with 15 to 20 cows. A mature bull should not be expected to breed more than 30 cows per season. And if your cattle are running on rough terrain, you may need a higher bull-to-cow ratio.

"Don't just kick bulls out into the pasture and forget them," he added. "Watch the bull--and the cows--for a while. If cows are cycling as they should, 5 percent should be in heat on any given day. If riding and other heat signs continue at a fairly high level, the bull may not be doing the job.

"If you buy a combine for $200,000, you'll service and maintain that machine to protect your investment," Randle summed up. "You need to have that same attitude toward a good bull you have paid several hundred dollars for."