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What Is A Bull Worth?
By Dr. Wayne Wagner, WVU Extension Livestock Specialist
A bull is very much the same, in terms of genetic input, to a beef herd as a bag of seed corn is to a farmer who raises corn. There is one large difference, which is that the seed corn producer provides both the male and female side of the equation ( the fertilized egg in cattle ) and therefore determines the genetic input from both parents instead of just the male side when a beef producer decides on a bull to breed cows to. A bag of seed corn may cost from $60-120 and a bushel of corn is worth $2.00. What is a bull worth?
Some say a bull is worth 4 to 5 weaned calves or 2.5 to 3 fed cattle.
| 500 lb calf |
| Price/lb |
4 head |
5 head |
| .90 |
$1800 |
$2250 |
| $1.00 |
$2000 |
$2500 |
| $1.10 |
$2200 |
$2750 |
| $1.20 |
$2400 |
$3000 |
| $1.20 |
$2400 |
$3000 |
600 lb calf |
| Price/lb |
4 head |
5 head |
| .90 |
$2160 |
$2700 |
| $1.00 |
$2400 |
$3000 |
| $1.10 |
$2640 |
$3300 |
| $1.20 |
$2880 |
$3600 |
| $1.30 |
$3120 |
$3900 |
1200 lb steer |
| Price/lb |
2.5 head |
3 head |
| .80 |
$2400 |
$2880 |
| .85 |
$2550 |
$3060 |
| .90 |
$2700 |
$3240 |
| .95 |
$2850 |
$3420 |
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