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Marianna, Fla. – A Jan. 16, 2016 sale will conclude the annual Florida Bull Test at the UF/IFAS Northeast Florida Research and Education Center in Marianna, Florida.
Only bulls meeting specific benchmarks are eligible for the sale. In addition, bulls are inspected for structural soundness and disposition and must pass a breeding soundness exam to qualify for the sale. Additional information, such as actual performance data, expected progeny differences (EPDs), and carcass ultrasound data is available for bull buyers to aid in the selection of excellent quality bulls to purchase.
Internet bidding will be available at the sale. Potential buyers will need to preregister on the Cattle in Motion, LLC website (http://www.cattleinmotion.com/ ) before the sale.
For more information on the Florida Bull Test, visit http://nfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/florida-bull-test/, or call 850-526-1621. Catalogs for the sale are available by request.
Among the goals of the Florida Bull Test are to provide the commercial cow/calf producer a source of bulls that have been tested, and to promote awareness and understanding of the latest animal breeding concepts and tools while showcasing superior beef cattle genetics in Florida, said Cliff Lamb, professor of animal sciences at the North Florida REC.
The 16th Florida Bull Test was conducted at the North Florida REC in Marianna from Aug. 18 to Dec. 9, 2015.
Owners submitted 136 bulls from Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. There were 34 Angus, four Braford, four Brahman, 10 Charolais, three Composite, eight Hereford, 51 SimAngus and 22 Simmental submitted bulls born between Aug. 15 and Dec. 31, 2014.
Bulls were delivered in late July 2015 and began their 112-day test on Aug. 18. The last day of the test was Dec. 9. In addition, a hallmark of the Florida Bull Test is that individual feed intake is assessed to establish feed efficiency. At completion of the test, the bulls averaged 3.13 pounds of gain per day, but ranged from -0.11 to 4.95 pounds per day.
With the help of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association and UF, the Florida Bull Test began in 2000. The test is used to teach people how to improve beef cattle. The test standardizes environmental conditions for evaluating post-weaning performance. In doing so, it provides useful records for bull consignors to better evaluate genetic programs and creates a local source of performance-tested bulls.
Since the test began, 1,449 bulls of more than 20 breeds have been tested.
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Caption: Bulls will go on sale Jan. 16 at the UF/IFAS Northeast Florida Research and Education Center in Marianna, Florida.
Credit: Courtesy, Cliff Lamb, UF/IFAS
By: Brad Buck, 352-294-3303, bradbuck@ufl.edu
Source: Cliff Lamb, 850-526-1612, gclamb@ufl.edu
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