How to buy registered bull semen
By the RanchOS Global editorial team · Updated
In short: choose the bull on the EPDs that match your herd goal, confirm his registration and pedigree with the breed association, check that the straw carries full identification and health certification, and if the semen is going from the United States to Mexico, arrange the import permit first.
1. Decide what you want to improve
Before you look at prices, decide what your herd needs: calving ease in heifers, weaning weight, milk in daughters, carcass merit. That goal tells you which EPDs (expected progeny differences) to look at first. New to EPDs? Read What EPDs are and how to read them.
Compare bulls within the same breed: one association's EPDs are not directly comparable with another breed's or another country's.
2. Confirm registration and pedigree
A registered bull has a registration number with his breed association (for example ABBA, Beefmaster Breeders United or the American Wagyu Association) and a pedigree you can verify. Ask for the number and check it with the association. On RanchOS Global, each animal record shows the registration number and pedigree when the ranch publishes them.
3. Read the straw label
A straw of certified semen from the United States is printed with:
- the bull's full registered name and registration number,
- the NAAB code (semen type and seller, breed, and the bull's number),
- the collection date and the code of the collection center,
- and, where it applies, the Certified Semen Services (CSS) logo.
That information lets you trace who produced the semen, where and when. The CSS logo is optional; if it is missing, ask the seller whether the semen is certified.
4. Ask about health certification
CSS certification means the collection center meets minimum standards for bull health testing, biosecurity and semen quality. For semen exported from the United States to Mexico, the USDA health certificate requires donor bulls to live in an approved, officially supervised AI center for at least 60 days before collection, and to be free of or test negative for diseases including BVD, trichomoniasis, campylobacteriosis, IBR, brucellosis and tuberculosis.
5. Shipping semen from the United States to Mexico
- The importer must obtain Mexico's sanitary import permit in advance, in the same name that appears on the health certificate.
- The exporter issues the USDA bovine semen health certificate for Mexico: an accredited veterinarian signs it and a federal veterinarian endorses it.
- Requirements change (for example, with New World screwworm measures). Confirm with USDA APHIS, SENASICA and your customs broker before you pay.
6. Buy directly from the ranch
In the RanchOS Global marketplace, filter by breed and by type "Semen", open the bull's record and use the contact button: the inquiry goes straight to the ranch, which confirms price per straw, availability and shipping. You can also browse the ranch directory by breed and state.