Elation: Angus bull auctioned off for record-breaking $800,000

Earlier this year a world record was shattered when Elation, an Angus bull, was sold at a public auction for the enormous sum of $800,000 USD.

The bull, who was 14 months old at the time, was purchased by U.S. ranchers Brian Bell and David Bogle, who share ownership rights with original owners, Schaff Angus Valley Farm.

According to NPR, Elation lives in the lap of luxury, dwelling in a large indoor/outdoor pen where he exercises, enjoys a mineral tub to lick and has a tire full of hay to eat. A chiropractor checks him out once a month.

What makes Elation so special? Genomic testing shows that he has traits that are key for producing solid beef cattle. According to his owners, his genetics promote low birth weight, high growth rate and very high quality beef. He comes from a famous family of cattle known for being efficient meat producers.

“Perfect footed. Perfect uddered. Fertile,” Bell said. “You know these cattle have some longevity and will stay in people’s herds and allow them to be profitable.”

That’s great for Elation and his owners, but it’s also great for many other ranchers — because for about $50, they can buy a straw of Elation’s semen, and use it to bolster their own herds. More than 2.5 million straws of beef cattle semen were sold in the U.S. in 2016, according to the National Association of Animal Breeders.

Elation’s semen fetches a price nearly twice as high as most straws for sale, and his new owners are elated to predict they will be able to pay off the $800,000 in just a few years. They also plan to use his semen to invest in their own herds.

“This will be a bull that will stay in the Angus breed for a long time,” Bell said. “He will build phenomenal females, which is what commercial breeders need.”