Over the coming months, hundreds of bulls across numerous breeds will be sold throughout the country. This is a pivotal period for pedigree breeders, with the majority of their yearly income made during this time.

However, it is also crucial time for the farmers who purchase these bulls, marking one of their biggest investments made all year.

While preference of bull type is in the eye of the beholder, there are a few things which bull buyers can do to increase their chances of a successful breeding season in 2021 and a successful calving season next spring.

The way we breed cattle is constantly evolving, with science and data becoming ever more important.

Over the past 20 years, we have seen the rollout of ICBF €uro-Star and EBI evaluations. These have been met with criticism from many, particularly in the last five years from pedigree and commercial beef herds who were partaking in the Beef Data and Genomics Programme.

While some were against the concept of breeding off paper, it did take us to new levels in terms of genotyping our national beef herd. Thanks to this, we are now a world leader in beef genomics.

This has also allowed us to make massive strides in parentage verification, genetic disease and gene testing.

One of the most talked about in recent times is myostatin testing. This has become compulsory for entry to some breed society sales over the past number of years. Identifying carriers of deferent muscling genes is essential in both reducing calving issues and increasing output from individual carcases.

We outline the ins and outs of each of the major genes and how education is key when it comes to selection based on myostatin.

Every bull buyer’s budget is different, but farmers need to remember that a bull is not an expense, rather an investment. We detail what a bull will cost you per cow served for a range of prices and cow herd sizes, and how investing more could lead to an increased income from progeny sales the following year.

However, no matter how good the bull is at the time of purchase, unless managed properly afterwards he could end up costing a lot more than the initial purchase price.

We go through the key points of looking after your bull post-purchase, to ensure a successful breeding season.

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