The Mating Game Black Angus Bull Brings Record $9,000 At Annual Fairgrounds Auction

Conformation is important. And good breeding is paramount.

But size still counts at the Cowman’s Classic All Breed Bull Sale.

And not just body weight.

“Thirty-six-point-five, that’s good sized for a yearling,” said one rancher, reading the stats on a black Angus bull that fetched $9,000 - a record - during Tuesday’s auction at the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds.

That’s 36.5 centimeters in circumference - slightly larger than a softball. The scrotal measurement was listed alongside each bull’s weight and lot number on the auction program.

Ranchers study the numbers the way sports fans memorize heights, weights and batting averages.

“Just because they’re big doesn’t mean they’re fertile,” cautioned Dr. Randy Scott, a large-animal veterinarian who works at the annual sale.

“But bulls with bigger testicles tend to service more cows and they pass that size on to their calves.”

In fact, bulls that don’t measure up are barred from the sale, which is known for its quality breeding stock. The minimum is 31 centimeters.

That measurement is only one indication of a good bull. Buyers also look at muscle conformation, and the length and thickness of the animal, as well its weight when it was born, when it was a year old, and at maturity.

Ranchers don’t have to pay the price of a new car to get bulls that will keep their herds productive. Most bulls sell for less than $2,000.

Larry Cordes made the winning bid of $1,600 on a 2,000-pound Hereford bull. He’ll breed it with the Angus heifers on his ranch near Cusick, Wash.

“That’s pretty cheap for a champion,” said Cordes.

There’s no evidence the bulls gave much thought to their malehood or appearance before entering the auction ring.

They stood stoically while handlers primped them with combs and hair spray. Most plop in the straw as soon as their handlers turned their backs.

None of the 137 bulls sold Tuesday for a total of $240,000 is headed for the slaughterhouse. Instead, they’ll be herd bulls, each with his own harem.

Kendall Kurrency, the top-selling bull, will have a more productive life than most.

“He could sire, naturally, 50 calves a year. But through his semen … he could sire thousands,” said Rod Kendall, who was raised on the Potlatch, Idaho, ranch where the bull was sired.

Kendall’s father, Ron Kendall, retained one-third ownership of the bull’s semen. It will be inserted into top cows to raise calves that are even more productive than their father.

Kurrency will be started slowly - with perhaps 30 cows his first year, said the bull’s new owner, Duane Steiger of Dusty, Wash.

“I was hoping it’d go for $5,000 to $6,000,” Steiger said. “But that was a damn good bull. If cattle prices go back up, he’ll make it back for me.”

Still, Steiger wasn’t sure he deserved the praise of other ranchers who slapped him on the back to acknowledge a shrewd purchase.

“They don’t have to write the check,” he said.

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