Best Possible
Bulls from
Full Service
Relationships
By Bruce Derksen
For producers that choose
natural service as their primary
breeding system, the purchase
of a bull and herd sire is a
tangible investment in the
future plus a key source of new
genetics to their program.
The value of a bull is a
variable equation to variable
producers but much like a
piece of machinery or a tract
of land is relatable to return on
investment. A basic requirement
of the cow/calf business is
to make sure each cow has a
calf every calendar year but
before that can happen, there
is need of the best possible
bull to kick-start the cycle.
Hypothetically, consider that
this best possible bull sires
120 calves in his working life
over the course of four years,
improving the weight yield of
calves sold at weaning by a
15-pound average at $1.50 per
pound. This plausible scenario
will increase the bottom
line by $2700 over said time
period. On top of this is the
value of any females kept as
replacements and added to
the herd over the four years.
If a third of the approximately
sixty heifers are kept, in a
20 | APRIL 2019