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2009 Southwest Bull Test: Sale, Open House, and Bred Heifer Sale
Livestock Update, February 2009
Scott P. Greiner, Ph.D, Extension Animal Scientist, VA Tech
An Open House will be hosted at the Virginia Beef Cattle Improvement Association’s Southwest Virginia Bull Test on Sunday 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 208 bulls are currently on test at Hillwinds Farm, including 105 fall-born senior bulls and 103 spring-born junior bulls. Breeds include Angus, Charolais, Gelbvieh, Gelbvieh Balancer, Polled Hereford, Simmental, and SimmAngus. The top two-thirds of these bulls will be sold on Saturday, March 28th at 12:00 noon. The sale will be held at the Umberger sale facility, just outside Wytheville. Only bulls which meet stringent BCIA criteria will sell. BCIA has made some significant changes to the program which has been brought about through feedback from commercial bull buyers. Highlights include complete breeding soundness exams (including semen evaluation) on fall-born bulls, volume buyer discounts, and an enhanced soundness and fertility guarantee on all bulls selling.
The BCIA-Influenced Bred Heifer Sale will be 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.