ROCK SPRINGS, Pa. — Beef producers earned $286,300 for top-quality bulls at the 45th Pennsylvania Performance-Tested Bull Sale, March 30, at the Pennsylvania Livestock Evaluation Center in Pennsylvania Furnace, Centre County.
Bulls averaged $3,329 per head. Producers from across Pennsylvania and neighboring states sold 86 Angus, Hereford, Red Angus, Simmental, Shorthorn, Fleckvieh Simmental, and SimAngus bulls.
Three bulls tied for the high sale price of $6,000. An Angus consignment from Ebony Angus of West Sunbury, Butler County, went to William Moore of Millmont, Union County.
The top-indexing Hereford, consigned by Slayton’s Beardance Farm of Bedford, Bedford County, sold to Randy Shaw, of Everett, Bedford County.
A Red Angus bull from Finger Lakes Cattle Co. of Penn Yan, N.Y., sold to Jeffrey Gerlach of Lancaster, Lancaster County. Fifty-seven Angus bulls averaged $3,433, six Herefords averaged $3,533, six Red Angus averaged $3,717, 11 Simmentals averaged $2,855, four SimAngus averaged $2,675, one Fleckvieh Simmental brought $2,000, and one Shorthorn brought $3,000.
Female sale
The Pennsylvania Spring Simmental Female and Pennsylvania Angus Finest Female consignment sales followed the bull 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. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Livestock Evaluation Center measures genetic traits for beef, swine, sheep and meat goats for two purposes: to benefit producers through evaluating economically important traits, and to benefit consumers by providing wholesome, high-quality products at an affordable price.
Since 1973, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Performance Bull-Testing Program 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 livestockevaluationcenter.com.
