Bull sale season is one of the most anticipated times of the year in a cattle operation, offering an opportunity to shape the future of the herd. Unfortunately, it may also bring confusion. Over time, the amount of data available to guide sire selection decisions has grown significantly. While more information can lead to better outcomes, it can also create undue stress and decision fatigue.

As the industry works to build back the cow herd after reaching historic low numbers, quality genetics will remain key to continue progressing herds, and the industry, forward.

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.

According to the January 2025 USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service Cattle report, the U.S. cattle herd is at its lowest point since the early 1960s.

Nestled just north and east of some of Alberta’s most stunning scenery is Soderglen Ranch, where cattle act like they’ve belonged on the terrain for thousands of years.

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.

Today, sexed semen is available on a wide selection of sires and performs at a fertility level encouraging the most skeptical operators to give it a try.

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.