ROCK SPRINGS, Pa. — Beef producers earned $261,400 for top-quality bulls at the 46th Pennsylvania Performance Tested Bull Sale on March 29 at the Pennsylvania Livestock Evaluation Center in Pennsylvania Furnace, Centre County.
Bulls averaged $2,970 per head. Producers from across Pennsylvania and neighboring states sold 88 Angus, Hereford, Red Angus, Simmental, Black Hereford and SimAngus bulls.
“This sale is proof of the power of partnerships, as our region’s beef industry comes together each year for a great day to see great cattle, meet with good people and take ideas home to apply to their own programs,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “Together we help this center to remain a regional hub for improving the livestock industry. My congratulations to everyone involved for a successful sale.”
The bulls completed a 112-day test at the center that evaluated average daily gain, carcass traits and feed efficiency. After the testing period, the bulls were ultrasonically scanned to determine ribeye area, marbling and fat thickness, and examined for breeding soundness. Prospective buyers can review this data, which often includes EPDs (expected progeny differences) enhanced with results of genetic marker testing, in order to make the most informed decisions to select bulls that will best work for their herds.
The high-selling bull was an Angus consignment from Rains Angus of Mercer, Mercer County, which sold for $5,300 to Denver Cramer of Shade Gap, Huntingdon County. The top-indexing Hereford, consigned by Slayton’s Beardance Farm of Bedford, Bedford County, sold for $5,000 to Brian Beitzel of Accident, Md.
Fifty-nine Angus bulls averaged $3,051, six Herefords averaged $3,717, eight Red Angus averaged $2,338, 10 Simmentals averaged $2,680, four SimAngus averaged $2,825 and one Black Hereford brought $2,300. The Pennsylvania Spring Simmental Female and Pennsylvania Angus Finest Female consignment sales followed the bull sale.
Since 1973, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Performance Bull Testing Program, hosted at its Livestock Evaluation Center, has provided the state’s beef industry with a way to measure inherited traits through sire evaluation. The center has adapted with advancing technology, offering expanded information on bulls and enhancing their marketability to potential buyers. Careful guidance and foresight have developed the center into a regional hub for improving the beef industry.
For more information, contact Greg Hubbard at 814-238-2527 or ghubbard@pa.gov or visit www.livestockevaluationcenter.com.
— Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture