Santa Gertrudis Source April May 2025

PRODUCTION TIPS & TOOLS • Randy L. Stanko, Ph.D. • Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Commercial Cow-Calf Herd Sire Values

I f you are in the market for or are getting ready to mar ket young bulls produced for commercial cow-calf ranching operations, you’ll need to know: What are they worth in today’s beef industry? Are commercial herd sires still worth the price of three to five weaned calves? Over the years, I have heard that rule of thumb spoken by commercial and seedstock producers alike. For recent/cur rent weaned calf value hovering around $3/pound, that would price replacement bulls between $4,500 to $7,500 each. That is a wide margin for either under- or over-pric The most important aspect of bull selling or buying is to understand the exact cost of production for that young bull. ing bulls. The most important aspect of bull selling or buy ing is to understand the exact cost of production for that young bull. Both buyers and sellers of bulls need to realize that nearly all beef cattle production costs have risen. This is critical to understand. Many things have changed eco nomically since the purchase of our current and much older herd sires. Herd sire customer expectations are additional areas of price-influencing factors. “Old-timers” like me will want to remember when good commercial herd sires could be purchased for no more than $2,500 per head. Whereas younger ranching customers will require information like expected progeny differences (EPDs), a passed breeding soundness exam certificate, a replacement warranty/policy and perhaps either partial or full delivery. These additional items may cost more. Moreover, never forget that agricul ture folks love to receive volume discounts. That is because

it is what we are, or have been, used to receiving on almost everything we purchase, even groceries. Including the current salvage value ($1.50-plus/pound) of packer bulls ($3,250 to $4,000) in the bull buying/sell ing conversations can help establish fair market for re placement bull values. Establishing sound relationships with potential bull buyers will provide more information on the number (1 or 2) and timing of scheduled breeding seasons per year, expected number of calves produced by the sire each year and historical herd sire longevity at the ranch. This will allow both buyer and seller to pencil out ap proximately the cost per calf sired of each priced bull. When we look at all of the beef cattle EPDs generated for production traits, it is important to emphasize those traits that can improve the genetic potential for the age and weight of the types of calves typically marketed from the ranch. Nonetheless, all EPDs can be considered important because commercial cow-calf operations are the backbone of the beef cattle industry, and these cow-calf producers are actually producing the beef for our beef-eating con sumers. Additional EPDs can be included in bull compari sons if the buyer intends to raise/keep any replacement fe males from the sire. Registered/seedstock cattle producers must always realize that many bull-buying customers may not be well versed in EPD lingo. Thus, a brief explanation or a little education is always appreciated. Buying or selling commercial cow-calf young herd sires can be as difficult as buying or selling new pickup trucks. It requires the bull buyers to know what they want or need in a herd sire for the near future of the ranch. Also, it re quires the bull sellers to truly know their cattle, to provide some customer service options and to stand behind each sire sold. Herd sire marketing/purchasing can become very active in the spring of each year and will require time, pa tience, good listening skills, good conversational skills and good beef cattle appreciation. If everything goes according to plan, long-term customer relationships can be estab lished and time saved for subsequent bull purchases. Breed associations, Extension livestock specialists, local/regional large-animal-veterinarians and neighboring cattle ranch ers can be great resources to recommend reputable seed stock producers with beef cattle sires for sale.

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SANTA GERTRUDIS SOURCE

APRIL/MAY 2025