What is the first word that comes to mind when you see a bull sale catalog in your mailbox? Usually, I hear responses like “profitable,” “cost-effective,” “traditional” or "necessary."

As managers of cow-calf production systems, we have available to us many different tools that may be used to accomplish tasks within our operations. Every tool, no matter what type, is designed for a specific purpose.

Now is the time when producers are sorting through bull catalogs, tabbing pages and attending bull sales to purchase their next herd sire(s) for the coming breeding season.

While statistically, most mature bulls, year in and year out, are going to be satisfactory breeders, if you're on the wrong side of those numbers and you bet wrong on that gamble, it can have a huge impact on your bottom line.

As the winter frost melts and ranchers catch up on sleep after bringing new calves into the world, nature welcomes spring. Breeding season is not far away, and bull sales are an opportunity for ranchers and livestock producers to upgrade their genetics.

Using an EPD versus an animal’s phenotype is an ongoing debate among cattlemen. The question really boils down to whether the animal’s actual performance or the performance of its offspring is your primary interest.

Sire overconditioning is a prevalent issue in the beef industry. While “fat sells” when it comes to selling bulls, research has shown that excessive conditioning can negatively affect semen quality.

For cow-calf producers who limit the length of the breeding season, the period of rest after removal from females is key for management of herd bulls. During this time, it is not uncommon for bulls to be observed less frequently. Attention to them often falls, albeit unintended, to the bottom of the priority list.

Assisted reproductive techniques have revolutionized the field of animal breeding, as these techniques allow practitioners and scientists the ability to perpetuate the genetics of superior animals; cryopreserve genetic materials such as embryos, oocytes and sperm; allow shipping and transport of genetic material globally; enable selection and control of the sex ratio; and facilitate cloning and stem cell research.