Growing Beef Newsletter
February 2025, Volume 15, Issue 8
Using Bulls to Fix Cows
Patrick Wall, ISU Extension and Outreach beef specialist
It’s bull sale season, and you’ve likely recently deposited the largest check per head for your feeder calves than you ever have! What’s that mean? Get ready to spend more on a bull than you ever have as well! This article is going to assume that you are retaining your own heifers, since the vast majority of you do keep replacements instead of buy them. Given that record high prices push expansion of the cow herd, now is a critically important time to focus on the maternal traits of your next herd sire. Yes, I said that correctly; even though bulls don’t express their maternal capabilities, they offer a lot of information. Most of it is provided on paper, but it’s there.
Before you decide which traits are most important, you must first identify your weaknesses. Cow longevity is the #1 driver of profitability, so the easiest method to enhance that is to recall your list of cull cows from previous years. If they were all culled for being over the age of twelve, then your bull selection criteria should remain unchanged. Knowing that is unlikely to be the case, let’s dig deeper. Without question, the easiest way to enhance cow longevity is also the simplest: crossbreeding! The more unrelated the breeds are, the better the outcomes will be. F-1 crossbred females last longer, breed up quicker, produce heavier calves, and have fewer health problems.
Within the breed you choose, there are EPD columns that deserve extra attention. Stayability (STAY) in Simmental, and Sustained Cow Fertility (SCF) in Hereford are just two examples of specific traits aimed at cow longevity. No doubt, these traits are weighted heavily in the maternally driven $ Value Indexes offered in the sale catalog. Many sale books include definitions or explanations of each trait; take time to study these and find the correct trait for the breed you choose. Collectively, these traits all address the most prevalent problem in the cull cow pen: she’s open.
If your culling problems are more specific like bad udder quality, bad attitude, bad feet, or poor body condition, then the selection process needs to get a bit more detailed.
- Udder Quality – a growing number of breeds have two EPDs for udder quality: Udder Suspension (US) and Teat Size (TS). If you don’t find either, asking the producer to see a bull’s dam is a viable option. Unfortunately, if the dam is only 3, you might not learn much about her udder longevity.
- Bad Attitude – EPDs are available for Disposition (DISP) and temperament. Keep in mind, a breed that doesn’t typically have issues with temperament may not have an EPD for it. Likewise, if a bull puts his head up and sprints to the other end of the pen, its probably wise to scratch him off the list regardless of his EPD profile.
- Bad Feet – Some breeds do offer foot scoring EPDs for foot angle and claw set, but those don’t really address things like vertical cracks and lameness issues. In many cases, those are environmental issues that may be more effectively addressed through management changes.
- Poor Body Condition – cows that get too thin, which often end up in the ‘she’s open’ category, can be a product of a selection mistake. Most likely, the culprit is offering too much milk for the environment she has to endure. Relaxing the Milk EPD of your next herd sire is a logical step. In a breed known for milk, that may mean selecting a bull that’s below breed average on Milk EPD. If this step proves difficult, consider a more moderate milking breed.
Fortunately, most of the effort here can be done from the office or the comfort of your easy chair. In some cases, you’ll be putting stars by bulls that many others will ignore … which could save you some money. Make no mistake, the good cowboys will find bulls that excel in maternal traits if they are coupled with good growth and carcass merit. Regardless, enjoy the upcoming bull sale season; this is a great time to be in the cattle business!
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