Choosing seedstock is the biggest decision a cow-calf operation makes. The genetics you buy today shape your calf crop for a decade. This guide pulls together everything we’ve written on reading EPDs correctly, understanding what actually drives a bull’s value, and building a cow herd that compounds. Start with the fundamentals, then work down.
Start with the fundamentals
What Angus EPDs Mean and How to Read Them Correctly
An EPD predicts the average difference between one bull’s future calves and another’s. But the number is only half the story. Accuracy and percentile rank are the rest. The place to begin if EPDs still feel like alphabet soup.
Selection & what drives value
What Actually Sets a Bull’s Sale Price? 21,000 Sales Have an Answer
We studied more than 21,000 real bull sales. The biggest driver of price isn’t a single EPD. It’s the sale he’s in and the reputation of the program behind him, and it changes how you should buy.
Feed Efficiency in Cattle: Understanding Residual Feed Intake (RFI)
RFI identifies cattle that gain the same on less feed. It compounds into a lower cost of production every year you keep his daughters.
Building the herd
Good to Great: Three Decisions That Elevate Your Herd
Three decisions that separate a good herd from a great one, and why the ripple effect of each one shows up years later.
Setting the Bar Higher: Our Approach to Cattle Breeding
Why we choose fewer, genetically superior animals over volume, and how that philosophy shows up in every bull we sell.
The Cow Decides
The bull gets the attention, but the cow herd decides what your program becomes. Numbers keep you honest. Here’s how we let the cows lead.
Ready to look at bulls?
See the Angus seedstock we have available and how our program is built.
More guides
Regenerative Ranching, Explained
What regenerative means, how we practice it at Rafter 9, and why local beef matters more now.
How to Buy Better Beef
What the labels mean, grass-fed vs grain-fed, beef shares and weights, and cooking what you bring home.