– John F. Grimes, OSU Extension Beef Coordinator
The Ohio Cattlemen’s Association is currently accepting bull consignments to the Seedstock Improvement Sale. The sale, held on Saturday, April 8 at noon at the Union Stock Yards Company in Hillsboro, Ohio, offers an affordable way to market bulls from multiple breeds in one location and on one day. Buyers have the assurance of buying bulls with known genetics, a completed vaccination regimen and a breeding soundness exam.
The Seedstock Improvement Sale is open to consignments from all breeds of bulls. Consignors must be a current member of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association to participate. Bulls are required to be registered and to have expected progeny differences (EPDs). The bulls will be placed in sale order based on a within breed evaluation star system using EPDs for birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight, milk, marbling and ribeye. Bulls consigned to the sale can be from one to five years of age. History of the previous sales indicates that bulls 18 months and older that possess excellent EPDs and phenotype command a higher sale price. Consignors will be allowed to substitute bulls for entries made to the Seedstock Improvement Sale. All bulls are required to be tested for Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) persistent infection (PI) status.
For more information on the sale including all requirements, visit www.ohiocattle.org and look under the Events and Programs section or contact the OCA office at 614-873-6736 or through email at beef@ohiobeef.org. Interested consignors or buyers can also contact John Grimes, sale manager and OSU Extension Beef Coordinator, with any questions at 937-763-6000 or grimes.1@osu.edu. Consignment deadline for the sale is February 1, 2017.