Buying a Bull: Prices, EPDs, Semen Tests and Cows per Bull

By the XES Netting team — bale net-wrap manufacturer · Updated October 21, 2026 · ~29 min read

Buying a bull comes down to four checks: genetics that fit your cows and how you sell calves, a recent breeding soundness exam, enough bull for the number of cows, and a price that pencils out per cow bred. Bulls have rarely cost more. Registered Angus bulls averaged $8,395 in the American Angus Association’s 2025 fiscal year (October 2024 to September 2025), $1,200 more than the year before, and in the first quarter of its 2026 fiscal year the Association reported average bull prices $2,400 higher than a year earlier. Performance-tested bulls at two spring 2026 test-station sales averaged $7,207 (148 bulls in Virginia) and $8,352 (300 Angus yearlings in Montana).

Spread over the cows he breeds, even an expensive bull’s purchase price comes to a modest cost per cow. At those prices, an $8,400 bull that breeds 25 cows a year for four seasons and then sells for about $3,200 as a cull costs about $52 per cow exposed (XES arithmetic, purchase price only; feed, vet care and death loss come on top). The other three checks decide whether you actually get the calves.

This guide is for commercial cow-calf producers buying a herd bull, whether at a production sale, a test station, private treaty or a sale barn. It covers what bulls cost in 2026, what a bull costs per cow, which EPDs matter, feet and legs, what a breeding soundness exam checks, how many cows one bull can cover, where to buy or lease, health tests and quarantine, how to bring a sale bull down to working condition on hay, and how long to keep him. It is not veterinary advice; the breeding soundness exam and any disease testing are your veterinarian’s job.

XES makes bale net wrap, and most of our customers’ hay goes to cows and the bulls that breed them. We read 2,186 posts from 337 archived AgTalk, HayTalk and TheFarmingForum discussions about buying, testing, using and replacing bulls (every post that matched, the post on either side, and every post in the 45 discussions with bull buying, prices, EPDs or semen tests in the title, out of 6,582 posts in those discussions; 334 of the discussions started in 2022 or later), and four readers coded 1,327 of those posts as relevant. Then we checked what producers said against the American Angus Association, two 2026 test-station sale reports, USDA market reports, and Extension and veterinary publications.

What bulls cost in 2026

There is no single bull price; it depends on breed, age, genetics, the sale and the region. These published 2025 and 2026 figures give a reference point for registered and performance-tested bulls:

Showcase sales sit far above what most commercial herds pay. The prices producers reported on AgTalk give the commercial range, and they show how fast it has moved:

A northeast Missouri producer weighed the sale-barn option against the old rule of thumb in March 2026:

"I heard sale barn bulls were bringing $5 to 6000 today. So you can spend a chunk and take a chance on an unknown bull at a sale barn, OR spend a little more and buy a bull from someone you know. ... Didn’t they use to say a bull should cost 3 to 5 calves. In today’s market at $2500/calf that would be $7500 to 12500."

— cows-n-crops, NEMO, March 2026 · AgTalk thread 1232021

And a Mississippi producer saw his local breeder’s price double (February 2026):

"Two years ago I bought a bull from a local breeder for $4,000. This year he is selling bulls for $8,000."

— DieselDennis, Brandon, MS, February 2026 · AgTalk thread 1228649

What a bull costs per cow

Aaron Berger, a University of Nebraska–Lincoln beef Extension educator, uses a three-factor formula in his cow-cost workshops, as reported by the Angus Journal in December 2025: bull cost is the purchase price minus salvage value, divided by the productive years and the cows bred. “Three ways to address this,” he said. “Get a bull into the herd at less cost, maybe get more value when he leaves or get more cows pregnant by that bull.”

Salvage value is the easiest number to pin down. At Oklahoma National Stockyards on October 20, 2026, USDA reported nine average-dressing slaughter bulls averaging 1,782 pounds at $178.00 a hundredweight, about $3,170 a head. Using a $3,200 salvage value and 25 cows a year, the purchase price works out like this:

Two things move the number more than the hammer price. A bull that lasts one more season cuts it by about 20% (from $52 to $42 for the $8,400 bull), the same figure the Angus Journal gave for one extra productive year. And a bull asked to cover too few cows costs more per cow: the same $8,400 bull on 15 cows for four years is about $87 per cow. The purchase price is not the whole bill; Berger puts depreciation, feed, vet care and death loss on the balance sheet, and in his worked example, as reported, a $10,000 bull used five seasons on 25 cows cost $116 per calf produced. A better bull also pays back in the calves. In a Penn State Extension example, a bull whose calves wean 20 pounds heavier, used on 40 cows a year for four years with 95% of calves weaned, adds 3,040 pounds of calf.

Producers we read use simpler rules. A North Dakota producer aims to keep bull cost under $50 a calf and says $50 a calf seems common for AI as well (January 2026); an Illinois producer divided a $5,500 bull by 60 calves (20 cows, three calf crops) and got $91.66 a calf (February 2024). Others price in calves or cull bulls:

"My judging team coach always taught “your cull bull plus two steers”. what ever age you sell your steers is the number you should use. Always use the price for your cull bull."

— ICC, southeastern Idaho, December 2024 · AgTalk thread 1183088

Rules tied to the cull price swing with the market. An eastern Washington rancher pointed out in January 2026 that at “twice the cull price” a bull they had just shipped as a cull at $4,000 would set a new bull at $8,000, and argued that such a rule should use a four- or five-year average. A Manitoba producer’s rule caps the premium for quality instead (March 2024):

"Pay a third to a half more for a great bull instead of a good bull, but not double for an exceptional bull, unless you’re looking to keep exceptional replacements."

— northerngrazer, MB, Canada, March 2024 · AgTalk thread 1151433

EPDs: picking genetics for your herd

An expected progeny difference (EPD) predicts how a bull’s calves will perform compared with calves of other bulls in the same breed’s evaluation. The Beef Improvement Federation’s guidelines define it as half of the animal’s breeding value, call EPDs and indexes the best tools for genetic selection, and recommend genomically enhanced EPDs. Differences are read directly: in Penn State’s example, a bull with a weaning weight EPD 20 pounds higher than another’s will wean calves 20 pounds heavier, on average, when both are bred to an average group of cows. Compare a bull with his own breed’s averages, which breed associations publish.

Start from what you sell and what you keep:

• Bulls for heifers. Calving ease direct and birth weight come first. Penn State suggests bulls at or below breed average for birth weight, with good calving ease, for young cows, and below breed average if you will keep heifers from any of your cows, because half the birth-weight genes come from the dam. A south central Iowa producer considers a calving ease EPD of 12 the minimum for heifers and looks for 14 or 15 in AI sires (May 2025); those numbers only mean something on one breed’s scale.
• Calves sold at weaning. Weaning weight and growth matter, but the same cows have to rebreed on your grass and hay.
• Keeping replacement heifers. Maternal traits matter for years. Berger urges producers to think about daughters’ mature size and milk needs before buying above-average bulls, because bigger cows mean higher feed costs for years to come. “I really do think in many situations there are folks who should be buying below breed average bulls,” he said. In 2025 the Angus Association released three new EPDs: functional longevity, teat size and udder suspension.
• Retained ownership or grid marketing. Carcass EPDs and dollar indexes come into play.
• Accuracy. Accuracy rises with information: pedigree, the bull’s own records, genomic tests and, later, his calves. A young bull’s EPDs carry less information and can change after you buy him.

Many producers we read put the eye first and EPDs second. A Nebraska producer (December 2022):

"Phenotype should be pass/fail. The EPDs help sort the ones that pass. You’ll have problems if you switch the order."

— J HL, Nebraska, December 2022 · AgTalk thread 1089302

A southern Iowa producer made the case for using them (March 2024):

"running a breeding program without utilizing EPD data is pretty much the same as buying your seed corn picking out the hybrid with the most attractive plants growing in the field without considering all the agronomic characteristics and performance ratings in the seed catalog and evaluating plot data."

— clicker, Southern IA, March 2024 · AgTalk thread 1153314

Accuracy was the usual complaint. When a buyer asked in April 2026 why his Simmental bull’s calving ease EPD had dropped from 12.1 to 8.6 in the two years since he bought him, a western Ontario producer answered:

"I agree with t-boss, the bulls original calving ease accuracy was .20 ... how confident are you that you’ll get rain when the forecast says 20% chance?"

— 12thMan, Western Ontario, April 2026 · AgTalk thread 1235268

Milk is a maternal number that ties straight to winter feed. A northeast Kansas producer wrote in April 2026 that he picks sires with milk EPDs of 20 to 30, on an Angus scale where individual bulls run from about 10 to 45, because of what he saw in his own herd:

"In my herd and under my current feeding practice, a daugher from a bull with 40+ milk epd often failed to re breed when nursing her 1st or 2nd calf."

— Doug61, Eastern NE KS, April 2026 · AgTalk thread 1236160

Heavier-milking cows need more feed to hold condition and rebreed, which our guide to body condition scoring beef cows covers.

Feet, legs and disposition

EPDs do not tell you whether a bull can walk a big pasture for 60 days. North Dakota State University Extension’s pre-turnout checklist starts with feet and legs and vision in both eyes, before the semen and scrotal measurements. Watch the bull move on hard ground, look at his feet and claws, and watch how he handles people and pens. Feet came up again and again in the threads we read, often alongside complaints about overfed sale bulls. A northern Missouri producer described how his sire selection has changed (March 2026):

"Looking for big footed, excellent claw EPDs, and video to watch them move."

— 6030Deere, N MO, March 2026 · AgTalk thread 1232469

Sale preparation can hide problems. A central South Dakota rancher, in a January 2026 thread about hard-fed sale bulls:

"I don’t know about currently but 10 years ago their feet were all trimmed prior to the sale. That is a red flag in of itself."

— Simocattle, Central SD, January 2026 · AgTalk thread 1224785

A Nebraska producer added in February 2025 that he wished sellers would not photograph bulls in deep bedding, because you cannot see the feet, and that bulls pampered on flat ground with extra feed “often go downhill” in his Custer County hills.

The breeding soundness exam

A breeding soundness exam (BSE) is a veterinarian’s assessment of how likely a bull is to get cows bred in a defined season. The University of Tennessee Extension fact sheet by veterinarian Lew Strickland lists four parts, with minimums set by the Society for Theriogenology:

A bull that passes all four is a “satisfactory potential breeder.” One that fails a part is classed as unsatisfactory, or “deferred” and rechecked later if the problem may clear up with time or treatment. Strickland’s fact sheet estimates that only about 10 percent of U.S. beef bulls get a BSE, and it is plain about the limits: the exam does not evaluate libido, does not guarantee the bull is free of infectious disease, and cannot rule out an injury during the season, so you still have to watch the bulls work. The Merck Veterinary Manual recommends an exam every year, usually about a month before breeding, and a recheck at least 60 days later for questionable results; Nebraska Extension’s Kacie McCarthy notes that sperm production is a 61-day process and suggests testing 4 to 6 weeks before turnout, which leaves time to retest or find a replacement. Penn State notes that most central bull test stations run a BSE on the bulls they sell, and that a BSE is valid only for the day of the test. Producers we read paid $40 a head in eastern South Dakota and $65 in Arkansas in May 2025.

Producers we read who test said to test every bull, every year, including bulls bought with a fresh exam. A Nebraska producer (May 2025):

"Every bull every year. Even newly purchased bulls that were supposed to have passed a BSE before the sale. Well worth the double check."

— J HL, Nebraska, May 2025 · AgTalk thread 1203217

He figured they had caught four purchased bulls over the years that weren’t good enough. A pass is not a guarantee, either. A northeast Missouri producer (April 2025):

"We had a bull this winter that had broken his penis. He passes his semen check, but apparently he didn’t extend out far enough to catch the break."

— oldtiger, NEMO, April 2025 · AgTalk thread 1196762

A northeast Kansas producer passed on his veterinarian’s caution (March 2023):

"My vet will defer young bulls and ask for a re-test in 4 weeks. He is careful to remind me that a bull successfully passed BSE today but may fail next week."

— Doug61, Eastern NE KS, March 2023 · AgTalk thread 1101692

And in a high-price year, failures cost more. An eastern Washington rancher, January 2026:

"Got blindsided this year at breeding evaluation with missing testicles ... on more than one bull, ... low swimmers, perfect storm on high bull price year. ... this year we will keep 30 more Angus bulls than normal as to avoid these $8000 dollar bulls we just had to buy"

— rock, Tablerock Ranch eastern Wa, January 2026 · AgTalk thread 1226454

How many cows per bull

Nebraska Extension puts national averages at about 25 cows per mature bull and 15 per yearling bull, and warns that pushing the ratio too high raises the risk of missed heats and later calves, especially when many cows come into heat at once or terrain limits how far a bull travels. The Merck Veterinary Manual gives a minimum of 25 cows per bull, varying with soundness, libido, terrain and season length. Penn State suggests limiting a yearling to about 15 to 20 cows, because a young bull should not be expected to breed more than about one cow a day, and about 30 for a two-year-old. It cites Colorado State University work showing a mature bull can comfortably cover 50 cows in a season, and calls cutting that to 40 the same as buying insurance: a cow with a fertile heat that is not bred until the next cycle could cost upwards of $150 in lost weaning weight. A southwest Wisconsin producer put the working number this way in July 2024:

"If you have a bull who’s passed a breeding soundness exam, even a young bull should handle 25 cows over a reasonable amount of time, say one or two cycles (42 days) max."

— Jim, Driftless SW Wisconsin, July 2024 · AgTalk thread 1167750

When a southeast Iowa producer asked in February 2026 whether a six-year-old Angus bull could cover about 26 cows plus embryo-transfer recipients that came back into heat, all in 60 days, one reply put the case for a spare bull in dollars:

"Ask yourself what another bull costs vs what the cost of an open cow is when 400-500 lb calves are $2500+ I don’t think it takes many open cows to pay for a bull."

— Kooiker, February 2026 · AgTalk thread 1228031

In multi-bull pastures, McCarthy notes, dominance is strongest in bulls 3 to 4 years old and older, and a dominant bull may breed more of the cows; that is fine if he is fertile and a problem if his semen quality or sex drive is low. Larger herds we read spread the risk anyway. A central South Dakota rancher who runs as many as six or seven bulls in a pasture (April 2026):

"I don’t want a single sire group in case I have a bull that is an inferior breeder."

— Simocattle, Central SD, April 2026 · AgTalk thread 1235736

A bull that passes a BSE can still fail to breed, so watch the cows for repeat heats in the first cycles, and preg check early; our preg-checking guide covers when. An Iowa seedstock breeder recalled in October 2022 selling a bull that had passed his BSE, then getting a call in November or December that the bull had bred none of 14 cows; the buyer said he hadn’t really seen the cattle much all summer.

Where to buy, or lease

• Production and seedstock sales. The widest choice, with EPDs, data and often a guarantee. Producers we read advised judging the breeder’s cows and program as well as the bull; one Nebraska producer’s rule (November 2024) was to buy bulls from a breeder who raises them in a tougher environment than you do.
• Test stations. Bulls with gain and fertility data, sold together. A Michigan producer said in January 2024 that his state’s tested bull sale sells the top 75 of the 95 to 100 bulls put on test, so even the last bull of the day has been screened.
• Private treaty. Room to look closely and negotiate; a Nebraska producer’s neighbor prices bulls at slaughter value plus a premium.
• Sale barns. Cheaper some days, but usually without records. Penn State Extension calls the sale-barn bull “most likely the most expensive bull a producer can buy,” because without performance records you have no way to reduce calving risk or improve calf growth.
• Raising your own. Several producers we read raise some of their own bulls; a Nebraska producer saved five bull calves out of older proven cows in 2026, hoping to skip the “$14k avg bull sales” around him. It works best with known genetics and a plan to keep home-raised bulls off their relatives.

Ask what the seller guarantees, and get it in writing. In one February 2026 report, a central Missouri buyer’s bull, bought for about $11,000 and used one season, had a low sperm count at his next pre-turnout check; the breeder told him to sell the bull at the sale barn, let him keep the salvage value and gave a $6,400 credit toward another bull. A central South Dakota rancher’s regular supplier will replace any bull that is injured or dies in his first breeding season, regardless of purchase price (January 2026). But an Iowa seedstock breeder set the limit plainly in October 2022:

"No matter the breeder, the most they will guarantee is the bull. There will be no compensation for open cows."

— RCD, West Central Iowa, October 2022 · AgTalk thread 1080414

Leasing a bull

Leasing can cost about the same as owning. In Berger’s example, a leased bull at $2,000 plus feed came to $101 per calf produced, nearly the same as owning the same bull, while reducing the risk of death loss and the need for off-season care. Rental terms producers reported varied widely:

Sharing a bull works well between herds that breed at different times. The west-central Illinois producer in the table rented his bull from a fall-calving herd to breed his spring calvers, and the bull went home “in better body condition than he left in.” (Our guide to fall vs. spring calving covers the two seasons.) A Michigan producer who sold his bull to a neighbor still uses him (January 2026):

"Any how I sold him to another neighbor as a three-year-old for what I paid for him. This year I ’leased’ him back for 45 days to cover my 25 cows for 2 rolls of net wrap."

— r82230, Thumb of Michigan, January 2026 · AgTalk thread 1226454

That bull also covers two groups of about 20 cows at the neighbor’s, around 65 cows a year in all, with more than 135 days to do it. Put the terms of any lease in writing before the bull arrives: who feeds him, who pays for the BSE and trich test before he goes and after he returns, and what happens if he is hurt. A northeast Kansas producer advised a bull owner in January 2026 to price death and loss-of-use insurance and add it to the rental fee. A central Missouri producer described the terms at a friend’s bull rental business (January 2026):

"They currently rent out bulls for $1350.00 for 90 days. They help pick up and drop off. You are responsible to return the bull in good usable condition. If he gets lame ... or dies, you pay the difference between any salvage value he brings at auction, and the predetermined value of him that you agree on."

— olivetroad, Fulton, Mo, January 2026 · AgTalk thread 1225587

Health tests and quarantine

A new bull can bring disease with him. The Merck Veterinary Manual says bulls should be checked for brucellosis, tuberculosis, trichomoniasis, bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) and paratuberculosis before use, and warns that bulls used in other herds, particularly herds of unknown disease status, may transmit diseases such as campylobacteriosis and trichomoniasis. North Dakota State recommends quarantining new bulls away from the herd for 30 days, with two weeks the minimum, at least 6 feet from other cattle and without shared feed or water; South Dakota State suggests at least 30 days, and up to 60. Ask the seller for the BSE, trich and BVD results, vaccination and deworming records, EPDs and registration, and the development ration, the list NDSU recommends collecting. Rules for trich testing at sale or movement vary by state, and some grazing associations set their own; check with your state veterinarian. A range rancher who runs cattle in a couple of associations described their rule (January 2023):

"Our bylaws you have clean trich and good semen test a minimum of 45 days before the turnout date."

— Russ In Idaho, January 2023 · AgTalk thread 1094447

The 45 days leave time for the three clean tests needed if trich turns up, he added, and he tests his own bulls in January or early February so there is time to replace any that fail.

Some problems show up after the sale. In a January 2024 AgTalk thread about a newly bought bull that tested positive for bovine leukosis virus, a central Missouri producer said a three-year-old bull of his that had just passed a BSE went down the same way, and a northwest Tennessee producer said the bull “pretty much had it when you bought him.” Ask your veterinarian which tests make sense for a bull you are buying, and buy closer to home where you can; a Nebraska producer reasoned in February 2025 that the closer a bull was raised to home, the less likely he is to bring in a disease the herd hasn’t been exposed to.

Getting a new bull ready on hay

Most young bulls are developed on high-energy rations, and some arrive heavier than they should be for breeding. North Dakota State Extension forage specialist James Rogers wrote in February 2026 that bulls at body condition score 7 or higher can carry fat in the scrotum that interferes with temperature regulation, and cited a University of Georgia evaluation in which only 41% of overconditioned bulls passed a breeding soundness exam, against 81% of bulls in adequate condition. Young bulls should start the breeding season at BCS 6 to 6.5 to allow for weight loss, he wrote; an actively breeding bull can lose up to 200 pounds.

Producers we read had noticed the gap between the sale pen and the sales pitch. A northeast Tennessee producer, January 2026:

"Always found it interesting going to some on-farm bull sales with really rough round bales of hay sitting in the pens, all the while knowing the bulls have been on silage and grain since weaning and where creeped while on the cow."

— Tennessee Cattleman, Northeast Tennessee, January 2026 · AgTalk thread 1224785

The fix is a slow step-down onto forage:

• Start about 90 days before turnout. Rogers notes that 90 days also fits the roughly 60-day sperm production cycle, so a semen problem has time to resolve.
• Keep the old ration at first. NDSU’s publication suggests starting at 80% of the previous concentrate and cutting 15% to 20% a week; Rogers suggests replacing concentrate with forage at 10% a week. Bulls turned straight onto hay after a sale can lose 1 to 3 condition scores, NDSU warns.
• Keep yearlings growing. Target 1.5 to 2 pounds a day, on forage at about 10% crude protein and 60% to 70% TDN. Good grass hay or a grass-legume blend works; Rogers advises against pure alfalfa hay, which might cause bloat or other digestive issues. If you do not know the previous ration, NDSU suggests high-quality forage plus 4 to 6 pounds of grain.
• Have him on forage before turnout. Rogers aims for a forage-based diet 2 to 3 weeks before the breeding season.

Test the hay you plan to use for the bulls; our guide to reading a hay test shows where to find crude protein and TDN. Mature bulls winter on much the same hay as the cows. A North Dakota producer who rented bulls after their owner was done with them, and paid the rent by wintering them (May 2024):

"I kept the bulls over winter for 8 months and we called rent square and everyone wins. Feed good hay and mineral. Don’t get caught up in overpriced feed."

— JAnderson, McCanna, ND, May 2024 · AgTalk thread 1159005

A central Minnesota producer agreed (November 2024):

"If what you’re currently feeding is keeping the cows in good condition then that’s more than good enough for the bulls. Virgin bulls and heifers will get a few pounds of grain on top the tmr they get."

— centralmnangus, Ft. Ripley MN, November 2024 · AgTalk thread 1178964

The same Minnesota producer’s other advice was to make sure bulls get bedding in winter so nothing freezes. Nebraska Extension’s McCarthy notes that after frostbite or another injury to the scrotum, it can take upwards of 60 days to have normal sperm again; catching it early leaves time for recovery or a replacement before turnout. Our guides to windbreaks for cattle and bedding for cattle cover winter protection, and how much hay a cow eats and winter mineral for cattle cover the rest of the winter ration.

How long to keep a bull

Producers we read commonly planned on two to four seasons from a bull, and some sound bulls worked far longer. A central South Dakota rancher said in March 2024 that his cow bulls average about four years of service; the Illinois producer who figured $91.66 a calf keeps bulls three years because he keeps his own heifers (February 2024), and an Indiana producer who keeps every heifer said that means buying new bulls every two or three years (June 2025). In an April 2026 thread on how long to keep a bull, a northeast Tennessee producer said he tries to sell bulls by the time they turn 10, and an Alberta rancher described a Hereford bull that was semen tested and inspected every year, worked eight years in a community pasture and two more at home, and was sold at 12 only because they switched to Angus bulls.

Injuries are a cost of doing business: the South Dakota rancher, who keeps 25 to 30 head on a permanent basis, said he loses about one a year to injuries (January 2026). As prices climbed, insurance came up too. The range rancher quoted above on trich said in December 2024 that he was putting insurance on his breeding bulls after always self-insuring, because bull buying had changed in the last year or two. His yardstick (October 2025):

"if I can get 4 years out of a bull the breeder did his job, and the luck of the draw the bull didn’t get hurt. I never thought I needed to worry about insurance on bulls."

— Russ In Idaho, October 2025 · AgTalk thread 1217038

Common reasons to replace a bull are his daughters reaching breeding age, bad feet, a failed BSE, injury, or a temper that makes him dangerous. When you do, his cull value helps pay for the next one; USDA’s nine average-dressing slaughter bulls at Oklahoma City on October 20, 2026 averaged 1,782 pounds and $178 a hundredweight, about $3,170 a head. The Alberta rancher’s rule for both ends of a bull’s career:

"Generally only cull bulls if they get injured or fail their test, haven’t had one that just got lazy or mean. Having said that I won’t buy a bull that I haven’t personally looked at to observe his disposition and how he moves."

— Iamwill, Vauxhall Alberta Canada, April 2026 · AgTalk thread 1235875

Bull-buying checklist

1. Write down your goals. Heifer bull or cow bull; calves sold at weaning or retained; heifers kept or not.
2. Count the cows and the bulls. About 15 cows for a yearling and 25 for a mature bull, fewer in rough country, plus a backup plan.
3. Set a budget per cow, using the formula above with your own salvage value and years of service.
4. Shortlist on EPDs within one breed: calving ease and birth weight for heifers; growth, maternal or carcass traits by goal; check the accuracy.
5. Look at the bull: feet, legs, eyes, structure, temperament and condition; see him walk.
6. Ask for the paperwork: BSE date and results, trich and BVD tests, vaccinations, registration and the development ration; get the guarantee in writing.
7. Plan the arrival: quarantine pen, step-down feeding on tested hay, and a fresh BSE 4 to 6 weeks before turnout.
8. Watch him work in the first heat cycles, and preg check early.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a bull cost in 2026?

Registered Angus bulls averaged $8,395 in the American Angus Association’s 2025 fiscal year, and spring 2026 test-station sales averaged $7,207 in Virginia and $8,352 for 300 Angus yearlings in Montana. Producers we read reported commercial bull prices of about $3,500 to $8,000 in 2024 to 2026; some 2026 sales ran far higher.

How many cows can one bull breed?

Nebraska Extension puts national averages at about 25 cows per mature bull and 15 per yearling. Penn State suggests 15 to 20 cows for a yearling, since he should not breed more than about one cow a day, and about 30 for a two-year-old. Use fewer cows per bull in rough country or a synchronized season.

What does a breeding soundness exam check?

A veterinarian checks the bull’s physical soundness and reproductive tract, measures scrotal circumference (at least 30 to 34 centimeters, depending on age) and examines semen for at least 30% progressively motile and 70% normal sperm, the Society for Theriogenology minimums. It does not test libido or disease status. Producers we read paid $40 to $65 in 2025.

What EPDs matter for a heifer bull?

Calving ease direct and birth weight come first. Penn State suggests bulls at or below breed average for birth weight with good calving ease for young cows, and below average if you keep heifers from any of your cows. Compare EPDs only within a breed, check their accuracy, and still look at the bull’s feet and structure.

Is it cheaper to lease a bull or buy one?

It can be about the same. In a Nebraska Extension example reported by the Angus Journal, a leased bull at $2,000 plus feed came to $101 per calf, nearly the same as owning. Cash rents reported by producers we read ran about $750 to $2,500 a season; others paid per cow covered or in kind. Agree on feed, testing and injury terms.

The bottom line on buying a bull

Buying a bull in 2026 means paying more than ever, so put the effort where it pays: genetics matched to your cows and your market, a fresh breeding soundness exam, enough bull power for your herd and terrain, and a price you have worked out per cow bred. Then bring him home onto tested hay slowly, keep him apart for a few weeks, and watch him work; many of the wrecks producers described came after the sale, not at it.

Bulls, like cows, spend the off-season on hay, and hay that keeps its quality in storage is the cheapest way to keep them in working condition. XES Extreme bale net wrap was tested by DLG (Report 7439), which rated its edge-to-edge bale coverage as good in practical use. Our guide to replacement heifers covers the females a new bull will be bred to.

Research note: We read 2,186 posts from 337 archived AgTalk, HayTalk and TheFarmingForum discussions about buying, testing, using and replacing bulls (the posts that matched, the post on either side, and every post in the 45 discussions with bull buying, prices, EPDs or semen tests in the title, out of 6,582 posts in those discussions; posts from January 2009 to May 2026; 334 discussions started in 2022 or later), and four readers coded 1,327 of those posts as relevant; posts using “BSE” for mad cow disease, and posts about dairy bull calves, castration and politics, were set aside. Quotes are verbatim and attributed to the poster named; places are as the posters gave them, and dates are the month of the post. Producer prices are individual reports, not averages, and some Canadian figures may be in Canadian dollars. Figures marked as XES arithmetic use the assumptions stated with them. This page is general information, not veterinary advice. Sources: American Angus Association, Fiscal Year Results Show Continued Strength in Beef Industry (2025); American Angus Association, Market Momentum Builds as Bull Sale Season Hits its Stride (February 2026); Virginia BCIA, 2026 Southwest Bull Test Sale Report; Western Livestock Journal, Midland Bull Test sale report (April 3, 2026); USDA AMS, Oklahoma National Stockyards Slaughter/Replacement Cattle report 1823 (October 20, 2026; the link shows the latest sale); Jenna Whitaker, Money Talks: Session Five, Angus Journal (December 15, 2025); Penn State Extension, The Most Valuable Investment in the Beef Herd – The Bull (updated August 2025); Beef Improvement Federation Guidelines, Expected Progeny Difference; Lew Strickland, Bull Breeding Soundness Evaluation, University of Tennessee Extension W788; Kacie McCarthy, Are Your Bulls Ready for Turnout?, Nebraska Extension BeefWatch (June 1, 2026); Jonathan Statham, Reproductive Management of Bulls, Merck Veterinary Manual (updated September 2024); North Dakota State University Extension AS2011, Managing Purchased Bulls (2021); James Rogers, Forage Matters: Bull management from the sale to the pasture, NDSU (February 19, 2026); Madison Kovarna and Sydney Vanderhoff, Bought the Bull. Now What?, SDSU Extension (April 2024).

Featured photograph: Angus-bull-van-buren-tn1, Brian Stansberry, May 2014, licensed CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. A black Angus bull in a pasture in Van Buren County, Tennessee. Image unchanged apart from display resizing.