Farmers who plan to keep their old bulls another year or swap bulls with a neighbour to save money may end up costing themselves more money in the long run, said an Alberta Agriculture beef specialist.
Farmers may be swapping dollars now for more open cows, slow-growing calves and lower growth rates that will hurt the finances of the farm for years to come, said Christoph Weder.
“It’s really, really important to pay attention to a good breeding program,” said Weder.
When the markets are good, producers can get good money for runty, slow-growing calves. But in poor markets, buyers discount poor calves by $20-$30 each. A good bull, however, can put a stop to discounting so it is vital that producers maintain herd quality, he said.
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“It’s even more important to produce what’s in demand out there.”
Weder said if a bull costs $3,500 to buy and it costs $500 a year to keep the animal, at the end of four years a producer will get about $500 when it’s sold. If the bull bred 30 cows a year, the cost of the bull will be $41 per calf born.
Compare that with a $2,500 bull with the same expenses and the price of the bull translates to $31 per calf born. The $10 per calf difference can easily be made up in growth rate and calving ease from a good bull.
The bull is going to have an impact on how quickly cows are rebred, the kind of calves they produce, ease of calving and calf growth rates, said Weder.
He urged producers to avoid the stampede of those who are cutting expenses at any cost.
“Yes, (salvage) bull prices are probably going to be down, but I still think it’s a very good investment to spend money on an animal you know has proven genetics on birth weight and growth weight.”
Weder also warned producers not to swap bulls with neighbours unless they know the neighbour’s herd health program. It would be false economy to get a free bull and end up with disease in the herd, he noted.
It’s also important not to cut expenses on semen tests, said Weder. The price of a test can be justified next spring considering the cost of having open cows.
