BEDFORD, Ind. — The Indiana Beef Evaluation Program will host its 2016 Winter Test Sale of Bulls on April 20 at the Springville Feeder Auction and remote sites. The sale will be broadcast on DVAuction.com

 

Remote sites will be at West Lafayette and Rochester for viewing and bidding. The sale will begin at 6 p.m. There are 92 bulls to sell. With 69 in total, Angus bulls are the most represented at the sale. Other breeds represented in the sale are nine SimAngus, seven Hereford, three Charolais, two Red Angus and two Simmental.

 

The station for the IBEP Bull Test is located at the Feldun-Purdue Ag Center at 1117 State Road 458 in Bedford, Ind. Brad Shelton is the superintendant of the Ag Center and manager of the bull test station.

 

There are a total of eight pens, each with a capacity of about 25 head. Bulls are penned by breed and age or weight. Each pen has a dirt and sand exercise lot of about one-half acre and an open front shed. Feed is delivered as a total mixed ration into fenceline feedbunks.

 

The ration is forage-based with a moderate energy level, which allows bulls to express genetic differences for growth without putting on excess condition. On average, the ration dry matter contains 55 percent corn silage, 22 percent corn grain, 20 percent DDGS, and 3 percent balancer.

 

Winter and summer tests are conducted each year. After a 21-day pretest period, the test lasts 125 days.

 

This winter test is for bulls born Jan. 1 to April 30, 2016. Entries were due in September, and bulls were delivered in late October or early November. The test ended in March, and the sale is April 20. The summer test will be for bulls born May 1 to Oct. 31, 2016. Entries are due this month, and bulls will be delivered later this month or in early May. The test will end in September, and the sale will be in October.

 

Data collected during the test includes:

 

•Weights at delivery, start test, 28-day, 63-day, 91-day and 125-day off test.

•Performance index at each weight is calculated from Average Daily Gain (ADG) and Weight per Day of Age (WPDA).

•Scrotal circumference at delivery and off test.

•Hip height at start test and off test, which is used to calculate frame Score according to BIF guidelines.

•Ultrasound scan data – rib eye area, rib fat, and percentage of intramuscular fat, measured by a certified CUP technician. Breeding Soundness Examinations are conducted of all sale-eligible bulls, plus any non-sale bulls at the owner’s request.

 

The exam is by a reproductive physiologist and a DVM. It includes a physical examination and a semen evaluation, with observations rated as either acceptable or unacceptable according to guidelines established by the Society for Theriogenology. Note that if a bull does not meet the minimum adjusted scrotal circumference requirement, he will not have a further physical examination or semen evaluation. Reports are sent to bull owners after each weigh day and after ultrasound data is returned by the breed associations. Reports are also posted online.

 

Data provided with the bull owner’s entry form includes tattoo, birth date and weight, birth code, birth calving ease, breed, whether the bull is polled or dehorned, dam’s registration number, and sire’s name and registration number. Other information available is:

 

•Bull’s registration number.

•Weaning data – actual weaning weight and date, and adjusted 205-day weight, ratio and number of contemporaries. This is provided by the breed associations. Bulls need to be registered or on file with the appropriate breed association. Weaning data must be sent to the breed association by the owner – this is required for ultrasound data to be processed by some breed associations, and will provide you with 205-day weaning data. Sale order is determined by the Sale Index (see the description above). In case of ties, Performance Index will determine sale order among bulls with identical sale indexes.

 

The minimum bid for a sale is established by the IBEP Board of Directors prior to the sale. The slaughter bull price will be taken into consideration. For the 2015 Winter Test sale, the minimum bid was $2,000.

 

If a bull does not sell, the owner can take the bull home or have it marketed for slaughter. For additional details, visit www.ansc.purdue.edu/ibep/index.htm