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Bull Selection Criteria as Indicated by Sale Price¹

Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the major criteria used by purchasers of performance tested Angus and Hereford bulls, as indicated by the sale price. Of 1,014 bulls tested, 791 were sold at public auction to breeders from 20 states. Of the 16 factors studied, six significantly influenced the sale price of Angus bulls and 11 significantly influenced the sale price of Hereford bulls. However, there was little loss in the variation accounted for by dropping one-half of the variables from the statistical models.

Some breed differences were observed. For example, Hereford buyers placed much more importance on the herd from which the bull came, paid less attention to life ADG and more to 365-day weight and were more conscious of the problem of dwarfism than were Angus buyers. Purchasers of both breeds placed their major emphasis on conformation and growth, whereas, neither paid much attention to weaning grade, tail setting, masculinity development, or condition, except as the latter two affected conformation in general. Hereford buyers paid approximately $150 more per head for polled bulls than for horned bulls.

The order of importance of the criteria that significantly influenced sale price of Angus bulls was conformation, year of sale, life ADG, age, sale order and dwarf status. A comparable ranking for the Herefords was conformation, 365-day weight, year of sale, herd, feed test gain, prewean ADG, age, polledness, dwarfism status and sale order.

When an index value was substituted for final grade and life ADG, it became the most important variable. Each index point above the average was worth approximately $25 for either Angus or Hereford bulls. Weaning index value has no significant effect on the sale price of Angus bulls but was worth approximately $3.75 per index point above the average for Hereford bulls.

¹ Published with the approval of the Director of Agricultural and Life Sciences, V.P.I. Research Division.

² The author expresses his appreciation to the Virginia Beef Cattle Improvement Association (BCIA) for the use of these data.