It would partly depend on what size herd you have if you want to purchase a bull. I delivered a bull to a commercial producer a few days ago who has done this very well. This family purchased a Shorthorn bull in our Sun Country sale for $7850. They have a herd of mainly Simmental X Angus females and they believe in buying the best bulls they can to improve their herd. On the same day of our sale, they also purchased a Simmental bull in the Wheatland sale for $14,000. This is the 4th Wheatland bull they have purchased and they have all been between $14,000- $20,000. They started their own bull sale a few years ago selling mostly crossbred bulls ( Simmental X Angus) and this year they averaged $5560 on 59 bulls with a top of $9850. I think most purebred breeders would love to have a bull sale as good! This family truly believe that the best bulls they can buy are the best way to improve their herd in the fastest manner. They have also purchased some high selling Angus females in recent years and also combine breeds in a very good ET program. The cow they consider to be their best cow in their herd, is 50% Simmental, 25% Angus and 25% Shorthorn. She was the dam of their high selling bull at $9850. She has also produced several other top progeny for them. She is at an ET center now, and is being flushed to some good Simmental and Shorthorn sires.
While visiting with this family, I asked them why they had decided to purchase a Shorthorn bull after the success they have had with their Simmental and Angus crosses. They said that they felt that Shorthorns were going to be the next breed to see great acceptance in the beef industry and that they wanted to have Shorthorn and Shorthorn cross genetics available when it hit.
Buying good herd bulls has certainly worked in this program. It may not be a similar situation if a person had a herd of 12-15 cows.
