We try to score the herd as to whether they're average in specific areas, above average or an excellent performing herd in certain areas. And that serves as our guidepost to determine whether they have weaknesses or strengths in specific areas.

Tags are specific to herd reduction areas.

If you want to select a bull in the top 10 or 25 percent in the breed for a specific trait, those percentile tables will give you a benchmark number to compare bulls to in order to find out if a bull has the desirable genetics for a specific trait.

That should direct you toward what type of standards you should set up for your next bull purchase.

It's a very key decision to the whole ranch management system.

As calves get heavier, there will likely be a price slide. That last 50 pounds you put on the calf, normally, is not as valuable as the first 500 pounds. If you add 40 to 50 pounds with creep feeding, what you pay for feed and what you'll receive for the heavier calf may not always favor creep feeding.