Located an hour north of the U.S. border near Coaldale, Alberta, U2 Quality Seedstock is a second-generation operation raising Angus and Red Angus cattle with a focus on traits that keep commercial cattlemen in business.

The bull purchase is unlike any other decision that gets made by a cow-calf operation. It carries enormous importance to the success of a herd. The average bull will have a far larger genetic footprint than even the most productive cows, siring well over 100 calves over the course of his time in a herd.

Strong relationships are what set producers apart. It isn’t fancy marketing or the shiniest catalog that keeps customers loyal. It’s showing up, telling the truth and being there when it matters.

Springtime brings greener pastures, warmer weather and, for many seedstock producers, annual spring production sales. Production sales are the culmination of months and years of breeding, calving, growing and fitting in one or two sales per year.

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."

In this Progressive Cattle Podcast episode, David visits with Kent Bacus, vice president of governmental affairs for the National Beef Cattle Association, at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference about trade negotiations with Canada, and Tyrell visits with Charley Martinez with the University of Tennessee about a study using artificial intelligence (AI) and tracking eye movement to gauge interest in what genetic information producers are looking at in bull sale catalogs.

As the agricultural industry continues to provide higher yields using fewer resources, innovation and improvements made on family operations drive the changes necessary to feeding an ever-growing population. For one of these operations, located in Elkader, Iowa, innovation began with a camcorder in a hog barn.

When selecting a bull, you want a bull who will add value to your operation, but the bull and his progeny must also be able to survive and thrive in the environment within your fences. So how do you choose the right bull?

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.

Unlike in decades past, nailing a hand-painted plywood sign to a fencepost or running a small print ad in the local paper no longer fills out the itinerary of a cattle sale’s marketing campaign.