“The 103rd SW MO All Breeds Performance Tested Bull Sale is scheduled for March 25th,” says Patrick Davis MU Extension Livestock Field Specialist. The offering consists of 30 bulls and the breed breakdown includes 2 Red Angus bulls, 5 Hereford bulls, and 23 Angus bulls. This longtime running sale put on by the SW MO Beef Cattle Improvement Association (SWMOBCIA) will be held at the Springfield Livestock Marketing Center in Springfield, MO and begin at 7 p. m.
“This sale pays close attention to genomics and performance measurements when developing the offering of bulls,” says Davis. An expected progeny difference (EPD) is a representation of how the bull’s progeny will perform, whichrepresents genetic merit of that bull. Bulls that are consigned to this sale meet performance and EPD standards. Sale bulls must have EPD’s that are above average for their breed in three of six categories. The six categories include calving ease direct, weaning weight, yearling weight, milk, marbling, and ribeye area. Furthermore, these bulls are required to be genomic tested which improves the confidence in their genetic merit. Davis suggests that based on the screening process of these bulls that buyers can be confident that they are buying bulls that excel in performance and genetic merit which is important when selecting the next herd sire.
“MU Extension plans to have an educational session and answer questions related to using EPD’s when buying bulls,” says Davis. This session titled “Buying Bulls by the Numbers” will take place prior to the sale at 5:30 p. m. in the sale arena.
For more information on the sale and online bidding visit https://livewireauction.com or contact sale manager Phoebe Wiles at 417-293-8002 or by email at [email protected].
