35th Annual Performance Tested Bull Sale Approaches

LARGEST TEST SALE EVER - HELD ON MARCH 28 AT THE LIVESTOCK EVALUATION CENTER

Held in Conjunction with Pennsylvania Beef Expo

Pennsylvania Furnace, PA. – The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will hold the 35th Annual Performance Tested Bull Sale on Friday, March 28 at noon, at the Samuel E. Hayes, Jr. Livestock Evaluation Center, in conjunction with the 19th Annual Pennsylvania Beef Expo.

“For 35 years, the Pennsylvania Bull Testing Program has been an excellent opportunity for producers to gauge the quality of stock for farms prior to purchase,” said Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff.  “With many excellent animals on test now, the sale will be the largest performance tested bull sale ever offered, and I encourage producers to take advantage of this worthy program.” 

This year, 116 bulls representing eight different beef breeds, including Simmental, Limousin, Angus, Hereford, Red Angus, Charolais, Lim-Flex, and Crossbred, will be offered at the sale.  All bulls were evaluated on rate of gain, muscling, composition of gain, (fat thickness and marbling) and breeding soundness as part of the performance bull testing program. 

Leading the sale is the high-indexing Simmental bull consigned by Kenley Myers of Dallastown, Pa.  This high-capacity, heavily muscled bull leads the Simmental breed in average daily gain with 6.00 pounds per day.  The second Simmental bull is a consignment from Caitlin Wolfgang of Middletown, Pa.  The Simmental breed is represented by 23 excellent bulls. 

The top-indexing Angus bull is consigned by Robert Work of Smock, Pa.  This thick-muscled bull finished test with an average daily gain of 5.54 pounds per day and has an adjusted loin-eye area of 16.9 square inches.  The second Angus bull is a consignment of Hannah Grim of East Berlin, Pa.  This big, deep-bodied bull has an adjusted loin area of 17.6 inches.  Sixty-nine Angus bulls with incredible performance data will sell and thirteen are listed as calving ease bulls.

Eleven excellent Hereford bulls from Pennsylvania and New York will be in the sale.  The top indexing Hereford bull, consigned by Zane Hausner of Thomasville, Pa., registered tremendous performance gaining 5.13 pounds per day.  Following in the sale is a Hereford bull, consigned by Jack Abrams of Livingston Manor, N.Y., which recorded an adjusted yearling weight of 1574 pounds.

Two Limousin and two Lim-Flex consignments are included in the sale, including two bulls consigned by Nathan and James Baker of Commodore, Pa., and two bulls consigned by Jim Delaplaine of Three Springs, Pa.  These Limousin bulls posted gains as high as 4.71 pounds per day on test and loin areas as high as 20 square inches.

One Crossbred (Simmental and Angus) bull will be featured in the sale.  This correct, heavily muscled bull, consigned by Leon Tice of New Enterprise, Pa., posted gains of 5.40 pounds per day gain and has a 16.9 square inch loin eye area. 

The lone Charolais bull in the sale is an outstanding representative of the breed. This calving ease, docile bull was consigned by John Myers of York, Pa. 

The seven Red Angus in the sale are led by the fastest gaining bull of all breeds.  This wide-made, deep-bodied bull consigned by Wade Vonada of Mill Hall, Pa., maintained 6.02 pounds per day average daily gain through the 112-day testing period.  This son of Pie Avalanche 381 also has a tremendous adjusted 365 day weight of 1592 pounds.

All bulls to be sold in the 2008 performance tested sale have completed a 112-day test at the Livestock Evaluation Center.  This test evaluates bulls on average daily gain, carcass traits and feed efficiency.  Following the testing period, the bulls were ultrasonically scanned for loin-eye area, marbling and fat thickness and given breeding soundness exams. 

Following the bull sale, the Pennsylvania Simmental Association will hold a female Simmental breeding cattle sale.  In addition, the 19th Annual PA Beef Expo will feature educational programs and events, including a trade show for the beef industry, a large junior show, and a junior quiz bowl and skill-a-thon.

The Pennsylvania Bull Performance Testing Program is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to promote a higher level of performance genetics within the beef industry.  The selection for economically important traits in the beef industry can benefit the producer and the consumer through a higher-quality more efficient product.

All performance information, including expected progeny differences (EPD’s), are listed in the 2008 Pennsylvania Performance Bull Sale Catalog, available online at www.agriculture.state.pa.us.  For a hard copy of the catalog, please contact Glenn Eberly at 814-238-2527 or geberly@state.pa.us.

  For more information on the Livestock Evaluation Center, visit the Center’s Web site at www.agriculture.state.pa.us/lec.  

Video of the bulls can be viewed in mid March at: www.das.psu.edu/das/beef/bull-sale

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The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Samuel E. Hayes, Jr. Livestock Evaluation Center measures genetic traits for cattle, swine, sheep, and meat goats for two purposes: to benefit producers in evaluating economically important traits, and to benefit consumers by providing wholesome, high quality products at an affordable price.