02/13/2026
Evaluating immature, underfed, and overworked cattle is a dying skill I often lament. Forced growth and a nice layer of grease covers a multitude of flaws, while simultaneously jump starting their inevitable onset.
My bulls are guaranteed to breed 4 years, and fed accordingly. My own herd sire prospects go to heifers at about 14 months, and often work odd jobs with neighbors and friends between my breeding seasons. That is how this guy got to experience a different management style, courtesy of Schulte Farm Services. When we picked him up, I knew I had to share this picture of him coming off of cows as a 2 year old. He turns 5 this Spring.
His 650 pound recip earned her place, time and again. His donor was 14 years old, and produced a single grade 2 embryo, one last calf, the only time she was flushed, to one of the best breeding bulls I’ve owned. He rounded up cows like a stud horse, lined out new bulls, then left the pen with a tap of the shoulder, and graciously accommodated toddlers hugging his legs. You can’t buy these genetics, you find them.
If you’re doing commercial beef, go wild. If you’re raising breeding stock, every crutch you hand them will gloss over faults and weaken your genetic selection. Cattlemen and cowboys love my bulls, but they’re not for everybody. I’ve both gained and lost customers over these values and principles.
