By MEGGIE I. FOSTER
Assistant Editor

BEDFORD, Ind. — Instead of trucks and trailers lining the country roads of Bedford for the spring Indiana Beef Evaluation Program (IBEP) Bull Sale, interested buyers can save their gas money and bid on one of 137 elite production bulls online at DVauction.com
“We’ve videotaped for many years and sold the bulls at five video sites for many, many years; this year, however, one unique thing is we’re going on the Internet,” said Kern Hendrix, IBEP sale manager.

“Now, you have the opportunity to be at home in front of your computer, bid and purchase a bull you can see and hear online. It’s pretty amazing.”

Hendrix said, however, the online auction requires a high-speed Internet

connection as well as pre-registration prior to the sale. To register, visit Dvauction.com and click on the register tab and apply to bid at “The 61st IBEP Bull Sale.”

Beginning at 6 p.m., the April 17 bull sale will commence at the Springville Feeder Auction, 10 miles northwest of Bedford on State Route 54-58. According to Hendrix, eight breeds will be on parade in Bedford and on the Web, including 97 Black Angus, five Charolais, one Gelbvieh, five Hereford, four Maine-Anjou, four Simmental and 20 SimAngus.

Each bull in the sale must pass rigorous tests and comply with eligibility requirements before entering the sale arena, he noted.
Additionally, not all consigned bulls are accepted – only top-indexing bulls of their breed that pass the structural and breeding soundness exams will sell.

“Cattle producers looking for bulls that will add pounds, quality and value to their calves will not want to miss this sale,” he said.
“These bulls will sire calves that grow rapidly, have high carcass value and carry good maternal characteristics such as ease of calving.”

All bulls entered in the winter test program were evaluated based on performance criteria, including daily rate of gain; structural soundness, such as feet and legs; breeding soundness, such as a semen and reproductive tract evaluation; and carcass merit measurements, such as the ribeye area, using ultrasound technology.

According to Hendrix, nearly 92 percent of all bulls are purchased by Hoosier growers, with the remaining 8 percent going to producers in the four states surrounding Indiana.

In addition to online viewing at DVAuction.com and the physical site in Bedford, the sale will be broadcast at four locations across the state, including the Clark County Purdue Cooperative Extension office at 9608 Highway 62 in Charlestown, the Tippecanoe County Extension office at 3150 Sagamore Parkway in Lafayette, the Fulton County Fairgrounds at 1009 W. Third Street in Rochester and the Park County Extension office at U.S. 41 North in Rockville, and at the University of Kentucky Anderson County Extension office at 1026 County Park Road in Lawrenceburg, Ky.

Hendrix said in the past 31 years, with two sales per year, IBEP has evaluated more than 8,548 bulls and 969 get-of-sire groups. He also said 4,427 bulls have been sold through IBEP auctions.

“We’ve been at this awhile and had great participation from beef producers, selling bulls in nearly 21 states,” he concluded.
Complete performance data, photos of sale bulls and the catalog can be viewed at www.ansc.purdue.edu/ibep