Reproduction

Dale Sauls was no stranger to “fixed-time” artificial insemination. The Florida native had used the reproductive management tool in his commercial dairy operation. So when he and his wife, Connie, moved with their daughters to Mountain Grove, Missouri three years ago, it was only natural for them to incorporate fixed-time AI into their beef herd.

When technology is mentioned for computers, medicine or media, it is roundly applauded by society. But when a breakthrough is made in livestock production, technology is unfairly labeled a factory-farming ploy that’s harmful to the consumer, said Gary Sides, a beef cattle nutritionist for Pfizer Animal Health.

Currently, beef bulls are worth a lot of money – at least based on the relatively high prices paid by bull buyers for virgin seedstock bulls this past fall. As a result, strategic management of bulls, particularly during the winter months, is becoming even more important to a producer’s profitability.

We often think about the bull as the means of introducing new genetics into a beef herd. However, management of the bull (or lack of it) after purchase is often the “Achilles Heel” of cattle production.

I know many producers spend many hours in the process of purchasing a bull. It's a big decision - one that can impact your herd for many years beyond the expected usefulness of the bull due to his daughters remaining in production. It pays to do some homework on determining what kind of bull you need prior to purchase. Here are some steps to help guide you through the process.

MT. VERNON, Mo. -- Fall breeding soundness exams done on 95 bulls in Cassville, Miller, Billings and Aurora revealed that 10 (or 10.5 percent), would not do well at getting cows or heifers bred if turned out on that day.