COLUMBUS, Ohio – Beef cattle producers who want to boost their profit potential need to consider several factors when purchasing a herd sire, says a beef cattle expert in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University.
While beef cattle producers have a wide range of criteria when purchasing a herd sire based on their production goals and the size of their herd, price and calving ease usually become high priorities, said John Grimes, beef coordinator for Ohio State University Extension and a member of the OSU Extension Beef Team. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of the college.
Given the value of feeder cattle and the level of expenses associated with beef production today, producers have to make sure that any potential herd sire they consider buying is able to get the cow pregnant and produce live calves, Grimes said.
“It’s like buying a car or life insurance, it’s never as easy as it sounds,” he said. “A lot of folks have calves on the ground and breeding season isn’t far away.
“Just like anything, price is going to come into the conversation. Cattle are so valuable now because of supply and demand so we’ve got to produce live calves. The two most important traits in any potential herd sire are fertility, because we’ve got to get the cow pregnant, and then calving ease to help get a live calf on the ground.”
Producing more live calves has taken on increased importance for most producers thanks to lower corn prices, improved pasture conditions, smaller beef cow herds and increased domestic demand. All this has combined to help beef cattle producers experience record prices for beef this year, Grimes said.
“There is simply too much risk involved in beef production today for producers to take a chance on a choosing a herd sire without knowing its genetics, health and fertility,” he said. “It’s very important because cattle production is a long-term thing.
“The lengthy production cycle of 15 to 18 months to get a calf from birth to market means that you’ve got to get them rebred quickly to be profitable. Because of the expense of raising an animal, it’s important to have live calves each year to pay expenses. “
When considering a herd sire, producers should check the animal’s Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs), which allow the breeder to identify the animals that excel in the traits that are important for their operation, Grimes said.
“EPDs are numerical scores that give a producer an indication where this animal ranks on specific traits,” he said. “EPDs can be used to determine exactly where a herd sire candidate ranks within a given breed and its potential to make significant improvements in performance of future calf crops.”
Source: Ohio State University