UT Junior Bulls Now Ready For The Farm
A prospective buyer inspects a bull before the 2015 Junior Bull Test Sale. To speed
up the checkout process, bulls will not enter the sale ring during the 2016 auction.
Buyers are encouraged to arrive early to view the bulls in the barn. Sale begins at noon on Thursday, March 10.
Photo by G. Rowsey, courtesy UTIA.
New Sale Procedure Promises Easy Check-out
SPRING HILL, TENN.
More than 40 performance-tested bulls will be sold at the University of Tennessee Junior Bull Test Sale on Thursday, March 10. The sale takes place at noon at the Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center.
All bulls in the sale have undergone DNA testing and have Genomic Enhanced EPDs. This information can improve the accuracy of genetic predictions, giving prospective buyers more insight into each bull’s genetic merit. This testing will also qualify buyers for an additional $400 in cost-share reimbursement from the Tennessee Ag Enhancement Program.
The junior bulls (45 Angus and 1 Simmangus) gained an average of 4.50 pounds per day. The high-gaining bull, consigned by Lazy S Angus of Chuckey, Tennessee, gained an average of 6.07 pounds per day.
To facilitate faster checkouts for buyers, the bulls will not enter the sale ring. Instead video of each bull will play on screens in and around the sale ring. Prospective buyers are encouraged to arrive early to view the bulls in the barn prior to sale time.
Print and video sale catalogs will be available by March 1 at the UT Department of Animal Science website: ag.tennessee.edu/AnimalScience. Find the link to the Bull Testing Program under the Extension menu. Print versions can also be found at county UT Extension offices, and catalogs will be provided at the sale.
In addition to the auction at the Middle Tennessee AgResearch Center, two tele-video sites will be provided. One will be the Clyde Austin 4-H Center in Greeneville and the other in the Knoxville area with an exact location to be determined at a later date. Prospective buyers in the Knoxville area should check with their local UT Extension agent for location updates.
Lunch will be available for purchase at the Middle Tennessee AgResearch Center. For sale-related questions, contact Dr. David Kirkpatrick at 865-974-7294, or call the Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center at 931-486-2129. The Center is located on Highway 31 between Spring Hill and Columbia. ∆