In reviewing large commercial datasets, experts are seeing certain patterns beginning to emerge – particularly as it relates to a cow’s ability to stay in the herd. These trends are important to be aware of to identify challenges as well as opportunities.

Fertility is the number one trait linked to profitability for cow-calf herds. It’s also of low heritability and sometimes difficult to assess, depending on your record-keeping system.

For cattle operations of any size, a bull purchase represents one of the most significant investments producers make. The genetics, disposition and overall health of a herd sire will have far-reaching impacts on productivity, profitability and long-term improvement.

With feeder calf prices at record highs and USDA predictions for prices to remain at or above $3 per hundredweight (cwt) into 2027, it’s an exciting time to be in the cow-calf business.

As it always is, the 2025 edition of the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Symposium – hosted June 9-12 in Amarillo, Texas, by West Texas A&M University – delivered boatloads of cutting-edge research results and practical applications of genetic tools.

We see a lot of variation in cattle, even when we utilize full siblings within sire groups. We wonder why there is so much variation from the lightest calf to the heaviest calf, and from the highest-quality grade to the lowest-quality grade, and from the calf that stays in the herd until she is 14 to 17 years old versus the one that falls out at 2 years old.

With reproductive success estimated to be three to nine times more influential on operational profitability compared to other production traits, it makes sense that we would provide the best opportunities to maximize the number of cows we are able to get pregnant.

Efficiency is efficiency, right? Turns out, it’s probably not that simple. Efficiency in a feedlot and at the cow-calf level are two very different things.

When working to maximize fertility in cattle, cows are often the focus. However, bull fertility is a crucial consideration for any beef operation.

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.