- Van Newkirk Herefords
Every bull is a picture bull. Why does Joe feel so strongly about getting a picture of every single bull? Strong genetics and consistent quality from start to finish are important. You want to buy bulls from a herd that has been breeding consistent TOP quality genetics for years not a one hit wonder.

When you walk through the bull offering every bull should be as top notch as the first bull in the ring because that’s how strong they’ll breed the genetics onto their calves. It takes years of stacking top quality genetics into the cows so that their bulls breed that quality on. They should all be long as a coal train-length adds the profitable pounds you need and still gives you calving ease. They should all be easy fleshing-so they convert, feed well, hold their condition, and their daughters breed back. Large contemporary or calving groups-(this is two-fold)-first, EPD’s are far more accurate from large calving groups and secondly, you can quickly spot trends in herd sires. You’re not just buying bulls for next years calf crop; you’re buying bulls that are going to impact the future of your cowherd for years to come. So, what’s important, calving ease, docility, marbling to hit the grids, easy fleshing, structure, length and growth for the pounds and $$, maternal? Clearly, all of these are very important. Some of these traits are antagonistic against the other. That’s why Joe believes so strongly that it takes generations of breeding and culling to consistently improve. You can’t add marbling over night without losing easy fleshing or fertility. As your browsing through bull catalogs look for a herd that the quality of the offering is consistent from top to bottom and the EPD’s are consistent thru out the offering- that’s the kind of calves those bulls will breed.