The cattle that will be entering your herd, whether that is the replacements you raise or the ones that you buy, will steer what direction your herd goes in the future. It is during times like these that a producer must make their decisions based on sound business judgment. These are not the time to let emotions get the better of you.
When it comes to cattle buying, there are plenty of sellers. All you have to do is take a quick look around social media to find that out. There are many sellers. But that does not mean that all of them are the right ones to go with. It will be up to you to wade through all of the noise. The key is to find the one that will be right for you. Here are four things that you can follow to make the right choice.
What is the breeder selling?
Now, with this, you may be thinking, “Well, dud cattle!“. In the general term, you will be correct. But for the sake of this post, that is not what I am talking about. What I am talking about here is the segment of the industry that the seller is serving. Are they catering to the purebred, show ring, or simply commercial? Each of these segments has different goals, and they do not always align with the others.
These different goals are where knowing what your goals for your operation are will come into play. Are you just looking for some crossbred cows, or do you want to go the purebred route? You may want to inject some genetics from a particular breed into your herd. Before you start looking, plan out what your plan is for, say, the next five years. Doing this will prevent you from getting as lost in the weeds as you are while you are shopping.
Know the value
Before you start looking around at new cows or bulls to buy, do one thing. You must figure out what your budget is going to be. It is essential to know how much you can spend. Deciding ahead how much you are willing to pay is vital so you do not stay focused on something you cannot afford. A good rule of thumb is that, say, a good bull is worth the value of 5 calves that the bull sires. So, if calves have a value of $1,015 per head, then the bull should cost at most $5.075. I go into more detail on how to determine the value of a bull in a previous post, “Simple guidance for you in bull value”.
Whether you are looking at a bull or cows, it is always a good idea to look at their EPDS. Looking at the EPDs will tell you how that particular animal performs as compared to the specific breed’s average. You will only find one that has high marks in some of the areas, so you will need to decide which are essential to you and go from them. If you have either 1st calf heifers or smaller cows, then calving difficulty and birth weight might be an excellent place to start.
Visit with the potential breeder.
Before you purchase any animals from this person, it is a good idea to visit their operation. You wouldn’t buy a new truck without visiting the car lot, would you? Visiting their operation will give you an idea of the quality of their animals and how they will likely perform. A pretty accurate rule is only to purchase animals that are 200 miles away from you. By keeping in this circle, the cattle will be more acclimated to the environment where your ranch is located.
One thing that you can look at is how they select which animals they keep and which animals they will get rid of or sell. This selection process will tell you the business mind of the person that you will be buying from. If they have a strict selection process, then you will know that the cattle they have will be of good quality. On the other hand, if they cannot bring themselves to let certain animals go, then buying from them may not be the best idea.
Check out the pasture.
Suppose you will be buying cattle for the pasture or commercial operation. In that case, it is a good idea to see them moving around the seller’s pastures. Seeing them move will reveal if there are any structural problems with the cattle. You want animals that can move around the pasture and, in the case of bulls, service the cows. Observe them as closely as possible to notice any lameness of feet problems. Nothing could be worse for you than spending much money on a new cow to find out they have soft feet or something.
You can check on the breeder themselves by checking out their previous customers. Do they have many repeat customers or not? Any repeat customers will give you an idea of the reputation of the person that you will be dealing with. One reference you could use to locate a potential breeder is by visiting a breed association’s website or by going to the Cattle Exchange website here.
Look at their pedigrees and awards.
The animal’s bloodline is a good indicator of their future performance. How well the dam and sire do will tell you how the calf and their future calves will do. This information is not too hard to find out because ranchers generally like to brag about how well their cattle do.
Awards and stuff can be nice, but unless you are burying show cattle, there should be more criteria. For commercial operations, you want to see how they do out in the field and the weather. This information is where knowing what exactly you want will come into play.
Another thing to be careful about is focusing too much on feed trials. Many breeders put their bull calves on intensive feed trials that are designed to show how many pounds of gain they can produce per day. These tests can display some impressive numbers, but it is not guaranteed that his offspring will gain the same way.
Do they stand by their products?
This question is where the breeder’s reputation will come into play. Reputation is just as important as anything when it comes to buying cattle. Even though this industry is very much “our word is our bond,” that does not mean there aren’t people with less than upstanding character.
The critical thing here is that you should take your time with purchases you are ready for. Buying cattle is a relatively expensive investment, so it is ideal to get the best return possible. Intuition can be a good thing, so if something does not feel right, then you might hold off on spending the money. If you are not fully confident in your abilities to pick cattle, consider bringing someone you trust to help you out.