The next big beef sires, part three: how semen providers pick the top bulls

• This article is the third in a three-part series about beef semen providers, including the bulls in demand, buying trends, and the processes in identifying the top sires.
  

Both domestic and international bulls feature as the most popular sires in Australia over the last 12 months, and stakeholders say the traits in demand have changed slightly over time.

But when it comes to identifying the next top bulls, genetics companies say it's a matter of being proactive and considering the needs of the whole supply chain.

Fletch Kelly, ABS Australia, said a big portion of their clients were commercial producers and the company was guided by their customers.

"We have customers that are really big on Landfall genetics, we have customers that are big on Millah Murrah genetics, we have customers that focus on Dunoon genetics," he said.

"There's a few studs in particular that we always have our eye on.

"The bull has to be there, and the bull has to tick that triangle in terms of pedigree, performance and phenotype first."

ABS also had staff in the US viewing and purchasing bulls, some of which would be offered to Australia.

The US criteria was similar in terms of phenotype, pedigree and data, he said.

He said the nature of the industry meant standout sires were unlikely to remain a secret.

"I think ultimately the best bulls will always rise to the top, and because it's such a tight-knit industry, good news travels quite fast in terms of bulls," he said.

"So, chances are by the time you've found a good bull, there's multiple people that will know about it anyway because that's just the nature of the industry."

Damien Thomson, Genetics Australia, said the company was often approached by breeders hoping to market their bulls.

"We try and take a pretty heads-up approach to it and actually go out and find the bulls that we want, rather than just waiting to see what bulls come up or what bulls get put forward to us," he said.

"We do get a lot of bulls put forward to us - a lot of people would like to market their bulls in a semen catalogue."

It was important to consider the whole supply chain, and not just breeders, he said.

"It's also who they're selling to in the background or the feedlotter, and then who they're selling to in the processor, and ultimately, the consumer is the only one that actually puts any value into the supply chain. Everyone else is taking a share of it."

They were always on the lookout for bulls that were better than those in the existing offering.

There had been a focus on intramuscular fat about 18 months ago, and the company responded by sourcing sires that were strong in the trait.

"Australian breeds are very good at breeding better genetics, so there's always something available," he said.

"We look at our team and look at where we're very strong and where we're weaker and what bulls we need to provide more of in a certain area."

Jack Laurie, Breeder Genetics, said word of mouth still played a big part in identifying up-and-coming bulls.

"I get asked a bit about what I get directive from on what the next great bull needs to look like, and the answer to that is from our commercial clients," he said.

"They're the ones that have to drive the industry. I like to keep a pretty close tab on the realities of the commercial industry, the supply chain as a whole."

Data was taken into account and he, along with plenty of scouts, looked at a lot of cows and bulls to try and identify the next big thing.

Relationship building with the breeders was also important and he did get approached by studs when they had a standout sire.

"Nine times out of 10, we will have those bulls on our radar before we have those conversations with breeders about them," he said.

"We do a lot of homework on them, make sure they're right.

"Word of mouth is still massive - it would surprise people."