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Southwest Bull Test Open House March 22
Livestock Update, March 2008
Scott P. Greiner, Extension Beef Specialist, VA Tech
An open house will be hosted at the Virginia Beef Cattle Improvement Association’s Southwest Virginia Bull Test on Saturday afternoon, March 22nd from noon to 4:00 p.m. Cattle producers and others interested are invited to attend. The Southwest Bull Test Station is located at Hillwinds Farm, owned and operated by Tim Sutphin of Dublin, Virginia. The station is located just outside Dublin. From Dublin, travel south on Route 11 just over two miles, and turn right on Thornspring Road/Rt. 643 (Cougar Express convenience store on corner). Proceed on Thornspring Road a little over a mile and the facility is on the left.
A total of 213 bulls are currently on test at Hillwinds Farm, including 93 fall-born senior bulls and 120 spring-born junior bulls. These include 147 Angus, 17 Charolais, 3 purebred Gelbvieh, 6 Gelbvieh Balancers, 2 Polled Hereford, 20 purebred Simmental, and 18 SimmAngus. The top two-thirds of these bulls will be sold on Saturday, March 29th at 12:00 noon. The sale will be held at the Umberger sale facility, just outside Wytheville.
A new feature for 2008 will be the addition of the BCIA-Influenced Bred Heifer Sale held in conjunction with the bull sale. A select group of 50 fall-calving bred heifers from leading producers will be offered immediately following the bulls. All heifers will be certified through the Virginia Premium Assured Heifer Program, which verifies health, genetics, and management procedures. Service sires for the heifers will feature highly proven, AI sires selected for calving ease and performance.
Complete information can be found on the VA BCIA website http://bcia.apsc.vt.edu, or phone 540/231-9163.