Submitted by Brandy Brabham
WVU Extension Agent, 304-927-0975
The Southern Bull Test and Heifer Development Sale is located conveniently close for Roane County and surrounding area beef producers to acquire a quality bull or heifer in Point Pleasant, WV.
This year's sale will be held on March 30, 2013 at the Jack Crank Farm on Old Route 35, three miles from Point Pleasant. The sale will begin at 11:00 AM with the heifers and follow with the bulls at 1:00 PM. Both Angus and Polled Hereford bulls will be offered along with Angus, Angus X, and SimAngus heifers. Bulls and heifers will be available for inspection at the farm prior to the sale. You can track their progress, view consignor information, and review the sale catalog at www.wvbeef.org/bulltest
In the early 1980's, the Southern Bull Test and Heifer Development Program was established to expand West Virginia's progressive efforts in beef cattle performance evaluation and to provide a source of profit-oriented genetics to cattlemen throughout southern West Virginia. Originally located in Greenbrier and Monroe counties, the program later moved to its present location at the Jack Crank Farm in Henderson, WV.
Although Southern, as it is more commonly known, has evolved significantly since its inception, the goal remains the sameâidentifying genetically superior bulls that will improve the bottom line of commercial cattlemen in West Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic region. The Southern program is a collaboration of the West Virginia Cattlemen's Association, West Virginia Department of Agriculture, WVU Extension Service, and WVU Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences.
The Southern Bull Test develops and evaluates over 120 bulls and 105 heifers annually for some of West Virginia and Ohio's most progressive seedstock breeders. The program is a leader in beef cattle performance evaluation and helps make West Virginia the largest performance evaluation state in the Mid-Atlantic region. Early on, the program focused on improving growth rate and feed conversion, but to meet the demands of an evolving market, the program now focuses on calving ease and carcass quality as well.
Each year the program culminates with a sale the last Saturday in March, and only the best bulls make the sale. Bulls fail to qualify for the sale if they do not meet minimum qualifications for disposition, structure, muscling, gain, fertility, and overall performance. In fact, only 2/3 of the bulls evaluated will sell. That means the program eliminates all the problems for you, and you can buy with confidence. If you have any questions about the Southern Bull Test and Heifer Development Program or Sale, please contact the WVU-Mason County Extension Agent, Rodney Wallbrown at 304-675-0888 or email RMWallbrown@mail.wvu.edu
The West Virginia Young Sire Evaluation Program Sale at Wardensville, or the Wardensville Bull Test as it more commonly known, is a few hours northeast of our region, but also offers a large selection of quality bulls.
This Wardensville Sale will be held on March 28, 2013 at noon at the WVU Reymann Memorial Farm in Wardensville, WVa. A variety of breeds are available including Angus, Polled Hereford, Charolais, Limousin, and SimAngus. The bulls will be available for inspection at the farm prior to the sale. You can track their progress, view consignor information, and review the sale catalog at bulltest.ext.wvu.edu. To request a print catalog, contact the West Virginia Cattlemen's Association. Free delivery is available to central points.
For over 45 years, the West Virginia Young Sire Evaluation Program at Wardensville has been a progressive performance evaluation center focused on increasing the efficiency and profitability of West Virginia cattlemen. The program has evolved significantly since its inception, but today, the goal remains the sameâ identifying genetically superior bulls that will improve the bottom line of commercial cattlemen in West Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic region.
The program is a collaboration of the West Virginia Cattlemen's Association, West Virginia Department of Agriculture, WVU Extension Service, and WVU Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences, and the test center is a component of the WVU Experiment Station at the WVU Reymann Memorial Farm in Wardensville, WV.
Now in its 46th year, the West Virginia Young Sire Evaluation Program develops and evaluates over 150 bulls annually for some of the state's most progressive seedstock breeders. Since its inception in 1967, the program has been on the leading edge of performance evaluation in cattle.
Early on, the program focused on improving growth rate and feed conversion, but to meet the demands of an evolving market and to utilize improved evaluation techniques, the program also began to emphasize calving ease and carcass quality. In recent years input costs have risen rapidly, and the program's focus on feed efficiency has drawn significant attention from both consignors and buyers. A national leader in calculating Residual Feed Intake (RFI) as a robust measure of feed efficiency, the program emphasizes balanced trait bulls that will function efficiently for commercial cattleman.
Each year, the program culminates with a sale the fourth Thursday in March, and only the best bulls make the sale. To insure buyers a sound investment, bulls have to meet some of the industry's most complete and strict standards. Bulls fail to qualify for the sale if they do not meet minimum qualifications for structure, muscling, gain, feed efficiency, fertility, and marbling. In fact, only 2/3 of the bulls evaluated will sell. That means the program eliminates all the problems for you, and these bulls are solid, dependable, and ready to work. They are a safe bet, and you can buy with confidence!
For more information about the Wardensville Bull Test Sale, please contact the WVU Extension Livestock Specialist, Kevin Shaffer at 304-293-2669 or email Kevin.Shaffer@mail.wvu.edu
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