If you begin in the summer you will be able to select from the entire calf crop before they have been picked over. Don't be hesitant about asking for references from a breeder with whom you are not familiar. It is not uncommon for commercial cattlemen to order bulls sight unseen from seedstock producers they know and trust. Study the Expected Progeny Differences EPD's are five to seven times more effective than performance records as a selection tool. But EPD's are always accompanied by accuracies which reflect how much variation you might expect.
Most young bulls have very low accuracies.
Your seedstock producer should provide you with accurate and meaningful performance records to reinforce EPD's. As a minimum these should include birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight, weight per day of age, average daily gain and scrotal circumference. This data will be most accurate when the cattle have been tested in large contemporary groups. On A Breeding Soundness Exam Never purchase any bull without a complete BSE to include a semen evaluation within 30 days of sale. Even with this thorough evaluation of the bull's reproductive system he may still be a non-breeder because of low libido.