Santa Gertrudis Source January 2025

FROM THE FRONT OFFICE • Chris McClure • (361) 592-9357 • chris@santagertrudis.com

Picking Bulls

B enjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” That statement is true in most areas of life, but it is especially important in the selection of breeding livestock. Where do you want to go with your breeding program? Most people have a vague idea that includes words like “improve” or perhaps “increase,” but they rarely have specific targets for which they are aiming. Those targets are important and the more specific, the better. This applies to both seedstock and commercial operations. In the seed stock business we are looking at specific metrics such as ribeye area, marbling or perhaps frame score. In the commercial cow-calf sector it is typically more general in that we are either planning to retain heifers or perhaps market all of the calf crop as feeder animals. Sometimes it’s a mat ter of both – we are looking for bulls that will produce quality females that can be utilized as replacements, but want to get the most we can out of those we don’t keep when we market them as feeder cattle. Sometimes it becomes a balancing act – especially in the last case men tioned above. It is sometimes difficult to find just the right bull battery that will provide quality females that can serve as replacements, while still pro ducing exceptional weaning weights that maximize value if sold as feeders. Even more difficult is if those weaned calves are retained and fed to harvest. Then, we also have to consider carcass characteristics that they might pro duce. The maternally focused traits are sometimes antagonistic to the ter minally focused programs.

The future looks bright for Santa Gertrudis cattle. To seize the oppor tunities ahead, we must understand and remain focused on what makes our customers and potential custom ers money. It’s all about their bottom line, not ours. If we can help put dol lars on their bottom line, we will see more flow to ours. To circle back, do you have a clear understanding of where you want to go with your breeding program? Are you seeking to improve marbling, or is your focus maternal? Are you produc ing cattle for the commercial industry or are you building show cattle? Always be aware that half of the ge netics of any mating comes from the female. If you are selling to a com mercial operation, you need to know something about their cows. Are they crossbred or are they commercial an imals of a single breed? Are they Bos taurus or is there Bos indicus influ ence? Answers to those questions can affect the type of bull that you might recommend to them. Bull selection can be simple or it can be complex, depending on the breed ers’ goals. Always remember that your customer usually has a general idea of what he wants to accomplish – that’s why he’s looking at improved genetics – but he may not have a clear idea on how to achieve those goals. It is the job of the purebred seedstock breeder to help him work through the complexities.

It is the job of the seedstock breeder to understand the needs of their com mercially focused customers. They should assist them in selecting bulls that meet the goals of their opera tions. Those needs are unique to each operation. Many times, the seedstock produc er assumes that their customers are as educated as they are on things like expected progeny differences (EPDs) or specialized breeding techniques such as artificial insemination or em bryo transfer. That is rarely the case. Breeders need to be able to “trans late” information into terms that can be easily understood by their com mercial customers. Usually, the place to start is by ask ing questions. Ask prospective cus tomers what the goals are for their breeding program. It’s okay to talk about EPDs, but they should be ex plained in terms that are easily un derstood. This also includes things such as ultrasound results. Many breeders, when speaking about car cass data, are referring to ultrasound data. Commercial producers, when speaking about carcass data, are re ferring to the animal after harvest – hanging on the rail. There should be close correlation between the two, but we must always remain cognizant of the fact that, although using the same words, you and your customer may be referring to two totally differ ent things.

It is the job of the seedstock breeder to understand the needs of their commercially focused customers. They should assist them in selecting bulls that meet the goals of their operations.

6

SANTA GERTRUDIS SOURCE

JANUARY 2025