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Agribusiness News February 2025 – Sector Focus: Breeding Bulls

31 January 2025

Bull Selection

Bull selection and the purchase of any new stock bull are important decisions to be made by suckler herd farmers.  Breeding decisions made at this year’s spring bull sales will have an impact on the herd’s productivity, efficiency and profitability in the future.  A bull bought in 2025 will not have calves on the ground until 2026 with these calves not finished until 2027 at the earliest.  If heifer calves are retained for breeding, at the earliest, their calves won’t be on the ground until 2028.  Therefore, it is important to take time to evaluate bulls physically and evaluate what their genetics offer to meet the breeding strategies of the herd.

With a 410-day calving interval condition due to be introduced to the eligibility criteria for the Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme this year, undoubtedly many suckler producers will be looking for replacement bulls with Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) with negative gestation length, positive calving ease (maternal and direct), and negative birthweight.  However, it is crucial not to overlook bull selection fundamentals from an initial visual assessment such as feet, legs and locomotion.

Society Sale Inspections

Many bulls are culled prematurely due to problems with the musculoskeletal system including swollen hocks and valgus deformities i.e. turned out from the knee which can lead to abnormal claw overgrowth.  It is vital that problems with feet and or legs are identified to prevent these bulls being selected as sires.

Locomotion is an important factor in the longevity of breeding bulls.  Therefore, it is important to observe bulls walking to check for lameness.

Key things to look for are:

  • Free moving gait
  • Hind feet should step into the footprints of the front feet
  • Over or under stepping are indications of problems and lameness

The pre-sale inspection of each bull entered for sale at Breed Society sales with a panel of inspectors and a vet appointed by the Society is an integral step to ensure that bulls presented at these sales are free from any health and/or structural defects.  Eyes, teeth, testicles, temperament, general health and locomotion will all be checked.

Bull Locomotion and Sale Price

To maintain and promote correct locomotion of breeding bulls sold at what is considered by many as a prestigious Society sale, the Aberdeen Angus Cattle Society employed Meurig James, Head of Breed Development with The National Bovine Data Centre (NBDC) to carry out an individual assessment of each Aberdeen Angus bull sold at Stirling bull sales between October 2022 and October 2024.

So far, a total of 263 bulls have been assessed.  Bulls were scored alongside The National Bovine Data Centre’s beef cattle type classification guidelines – https://nbdc.uk/media/1135/nbdc-beef-type-classification-guide.pdf

The scores were then analysed against the average sale price, as shown below:

The analysis showed a clear association between the bull’s locomotion score (1-9) and the average sale price.  Bulls which scored poorly for locomotion i.e.  scored 1 had a significantly lower average sale price of £2,940 in comparison to those bulls who scored 8, which had an average sale price of £7,875.

On average, the difference between the bull sale price and locomotion score was +£482.  As the locomotion score increased, so too did sale price.  Although the relationship is not wholly linear, the increasing relationship between locomotion score and average price suggests that good locomotion is a trait purchasers are willing to pay more for.

Also, of note is that this data highlights the significant range of locomotion in bulls forward at breed society sales.  Therefore, an extra day at the sale ahead of the sale itself to assess bulls in their pens and during the pre-sale show is justified from both an operational and economic perspective.

With thanks to the Aberdeen Angus Cattle Society.  For more information, please see https://aberdeen-angus.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Linear-Assessment-Explanatory-Doc_v2.pdf 

 

Sarah Balfour, Sarah.Balfour@sac.co.uk

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