UT Institute of Agriculture Hosts Senior Bull Test
More Than 100 Bulls to be Auctioned
SPRING HILL, Tenn. – The Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center will host the Senior Bull Test Sale on Thursday, January 19, 2017. More than 100 bulls will be sold at the public auction, which begins at noon CST.
The bulls featured in the sale come from some of the top breeding programs in the region. All have recently passed the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture’s performance test, which measures each bull’s weight gain, frame score and reproductive soundness. The sale will feature primarily Angus bulls, but a few Simangus will be auctioned, along with one Polled Hereford and one Charolais.
All bulls in the sale have also undergone DNA testing that can improve the accuracy of genetic predictions, allowing producers who purchase these bulls to make better breeding and management decisions for their herds. This testing will also qualify buyers for an additional $400 in cost-share reimbursement from the Tennessee Ag Enhancement Program.
There was a tie for the Senior Test High Gain Award. A consignment from Plateau Farms in Cookeville, Tennessee, and a consignment from Diamond M Farms in Moss, Tennessee, both posted an average daily weight gain of 5.65 pounds. These bulls finished the test at weights of 1,572 pounds and 1,562 pounds, respectively.
Complete test reports and sale catalogs can be found online at http://middle.tennessee.edu, or you can pick up a catalog at any UT Extension office. Catalogs will also be provided at the sale.
The Senior Bull Test Sale begins at noon CST. Prospective buyers from East Tennessee who can’t make it to the auction site can enjoy the convenience of bidding on bulls at one of the two TeleVideo centers located at the University of Tennessee Brehm Animal Science Building in Knoxville and the Clyde Austin 4-H Center in Greeneville.
The purpose of the Bull Testing Station is to provide a standard, impartial post-weaning gain test that will furnish records that will be useful in breeding programs. The station also provides a market for completely performance-tested bulls and serves as an educational tool for beef cattle improvement.
The UT Bull Test Program is a cooperative effort between UT Extension, UT AgResearch, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine and the Tennessee Beef Cattle Improvement Association.
Through its mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. ag.tennessee.edu