To ensure When I ask beef producers, “What is the most cost-effective procedure your herd health veterinarian can do for you?,” I hear answers like pregnancy checking cows, delivering a live calf, and solving a disease outbreak. Rarely does someone say, “performing a bull breeding soundness examination (BBSE).”

So, what is a BBSE? This is a comprehensive examination of the bull, with a focus on its reproductive capacity. During the physical exam, we assess his feet and legs, his locomotion, his eyes and his overall health. A measurement of his scrotal circumference is taken, and we have guidelines from reproductive experts specifying a minimum measurement based on age. Too small, and the bull immediately fails.

We palpate the internal reproductive structures and obtain a semen sample. The sample is now examined under a microscope to assess progressive motility (i.e., whether the sperm are moving in a linear pattern). Next, we apply a stain and count at least 100 sperm to ensure the morphology (shape) meets the standards. After a bull passes each of these parameters, only then is he deemed a satisfactory potential breeder.

At today’s prices, the return on investment for having this procedure done is over $70:1. Would you be satisfied to invest $1 and have your banker give you $70 six months later? I know I would.

Why does this procedure give such tremendous ROI? When we look at data across the U.S., we see that about 10-20 percent of all bulls examined fail their BBSE. That means that, for a very large herd with 10 bulls and 250 cows, about 25-50 more cows than expected are open at pregnancy check because one or two of those 10 bulls were infertile. That is a huge economic loss.

I have owners of larger herds say, “I just turn out an extra bull or two in case one is no good.” My response is, “What if the infertile bull is one of the most dominant bulls in the pasture?” He is going to have his harem of cows, and there is no way another bull is going to challenge him. All his cows will be open.

I completely understand that larger herds may need an extra bull in case one gets hurt, but this spare bull should not be with the main herd. We also know that when we have more bull power than needed in the breeding pastures, bulls become bored and tend to fight more.

What if a herd owner with 25 cows turns out a single bull that is infertile? The result is zero calves and zero income for the following year.

I have been a beef cattle veterinarian for over 40 years, and nearly every year, I have a herd, or group of cows, in a larger herd with zero pregnant cows.

The good news is that this disaster can easily be prevented with a 30-minute BBSE before every breeding season. If you have both a spring and fall calving season, the bull should be checked before both seasons. I had a herd a few years ago with a 4-year-old bull who passed his BBSE before the spring breeding season. The owner decided to save his money and not test him six months later, before the fall season. Big mistake. He bred the fall herd AI, then turned out the bull, and got a 56 percent pregnancy rate with AI and 0 percent with the bull. We calculated his loss, and he could have paid for a BBSE for the next 45 years and still paid less than he lost by being 44 percent short of his calf crop.

If you are buying a new bull this year, insist that the bull has passed a BBSE before he leaves the seller’s farm. We see the highest failure rate in yearling bulls, so don’t start with a problem.

According to data from the National Animal Health Monitoring System, only 31  percent of beef producers have their bulls tested before each breeding season. As a beef cattle veterinarian, it is embarrassing to me that we have done such a poor job of conveying that this is the most cost-effective procedure we can offer our clients. Please contact your herd health veterinarian today to schedule an appointment to test all your bulls before the next breeding season.