When purchasing bulls, cost is always a factor – but it should not be the only factor. First and foremost, you should consider the program behind the bulls. Bulls that are produced in a program that aligns with your long-term goals are worth a whole lot more than bulls coming out of a program that does not align with your long-term goals.
It’s unfortunate, but most bull programs do not align with any commercial cow-calf operations. Most bull programs are high-input operations with big, inefficient cows that require substantial pampering just to stay in production. Last winter, an extremely high-input outfit sold 400 overfed Diesel Bulls for an average price of $11,900. Unbelievable! Why would anyone pay so much for a bull that is guaranteed to fall apart?
Another very important factor in getting your money’s worth is the number of calves a bull will sire before he must be replaced. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that a bull that sires twice as many calves as the average bull is worth twice as much as the average bull. After all, the reason you purchase bulls is to sire calves.
According to many university experts, you can only expect to get three years of use out of a high-maintenance, grain-developed Diesel Bull. On average, I think that is too high. Even with supplementation, most Diesel Bulls can service no more than 20 cows their first year and no more than 30 cows their second and third years – for a lifetime total of 80 calves.
It is not at all uncommon for our low-maintenance, grass-developed Solar Bulls to provide at least six years of service. In most cases, we are not afraid to turn our Solar Bulls out with 40 females their first breeding season. We expect our bulls to gain weight during their first breeding season – without being supplemented. Our mature bulls can handle 50+ cows – for a lifetime total of at least 290 calves.
In this case… the low-input, grass-developed Solar Bull sired 210 more calves than the high-input, grain-developed Diesel Bull. If the Diesel Bull cost $6000, his cost per calf would be $75. At $75 per calf, you could have paid well over $21,000 for the Solar Bull, and still be getting your money’s worth. Since our Solar Bulls cost about the same as Diesel Bulls, you will always get MORE THAN YOUR MONEY’S WORTH with a PCC™ Solar Bull.