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STOCKTON, Mo. – The 106th Southwest Missouri All Breeds Performance Tested Bull Sale is scheduled for Oct. 27 in Springfield, says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist.
The offering consists of 26 bulls: 23 Angus, one Hereford, one Gelbvieh and one SimAngus. This long-running sale on by the Southwest Missouri Beef Cattle Improvement Association is 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, at the Springfield Livestock Marketing Center.
“This sale pays close attention to genomics and performance measurements when developing the offering of bulls,” says Davis. An expected progeny difference (EPD) is a representation of how the bull’s progeny will perform, which represents genetic merit of that bull. Bulls consigned to this sale meet performance and EPD standards. Sale bulls must have EPDs that are above average for their breed in three of six categories: calving ease direct, weaning weight, yearling weight, milk, marbling and ribeye area. Furthermore, these bulls are required to be genomic tested, which improves the confidence in their genetic merit. Davis suggests that based on the screening process of these bulls that buyers can be confident that they are buying bulls that excel in performance and genetic merit, which is important when selecting the next herd sire.
“MU Extension plans to have an educational session and answer questions related to using EPDs when buying bulls,” says Davis. This session, titled “Buying Bulls by the Numbers,” will take place before the sale at 5:30 p.m. in the sale arena.
For more information on sale bulls, view the online catalog. For questions, contact sale manager Chase Hultgren at 417-880-4479.