OK! . . . . . Here we go again! - BREEDS - BREEDS - BREEDS. In addition to having our heads into BREEDS, we need to have our constant THOUGHTS into BALANCING Traits and Characteristics with the cows to which the bull(s) will be bred. If the cows have certain "weaknesses" in your opinion, then select bulls which will overcome those negative traits without causing a TRAIN WRECK with other desirable Traits and Characteristics. That is why it is called BALANCING.
You have many good suggestions here about certain breeds, but the important factors to consider are to match those individuals with EPD's and DNA markers which will ultimately IMPROVE the resulting progeny.
There are some on this forum that stress Charolais to a great degree, and I can't fault that opinion too much - with the exception that there are some Charolais traits which will NOT be in balance with some cows (whatever breed we are considering) with some frame size that are in opposition to those presented by Charolais. Calving ease, mothering ability, Milk production that is not over +25 should be considered. High Milk EPD's can give rise to narrow pelvis openings, light bone structure, and lack of body capacity - thereby birthing a bulky Charolais calf MIGHT be a little difficult. Every individual is different, but you don't want to buy a 'pig-in-a-poke' and end up with difficult calving problems. Consider your cows' frame scores pretty carefully when selecting bulls.
Think beyond BREEDS - BREEDS - BREEDS!
DOC HARRIS
