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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Strong Demand for Illinois Performance Tested Bulls
at 40th Annual Sale

There was strong demand for bulls at the 40th Annual Performance Tested Bull Sale that was the lead off event of the 2008 Illinois Beef Expo held on Friday, February 29th. Due to power failure at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, the Interstate Center in Bloomington proved to be an excellent venue for the 2008 Illinois Performance Tested Bull Sale.

There were 80 bulls in the sale selling for $2,545 which is the third highest average ever and a $471 increase in price from the 2007 sale. The University of Illinois Extension, University of Illinois Department of Animal Sciences, and consigning breeds sponsor the sale. Also, Fort Dodge Animal Health and the Illinois Angus Association provide industry support.

This sale has developed into one of the largest performance tested bull sales in the Midwest. During the past 40 years, the sale has sold 4,146 bulls valued at over 6.6 million dollars according to Dave Seibert, Animal Systems Educator with University of Illinois Extension and Bull Sale Manager. There were three breeds, Angus, Simmental, and Polled Herefords represented in the 2008 sale, however, the majority of the bulls came from the Angus and Simmental breeds.

Bulls with high growth either through adjusted weaning & yearling weights, weight-per-day of age (WDA) or Expected Progeny Difference (EPDs) for performance were in high demand throughout the sale. There were several phenomenal weaning and yearling weights offered in the 2008 sale. Adjusted weaning weights of 800 pounds were not unusual with two bulls with over 900 pounds for adjusted 205 days weight. Yearling weights were equally as impressive with most in 1,250 to high 1,300 pound range, several weighing over 1400, a few in the 1500 range, and one bull with over a 1,600 adjusted yearling weight.

Another measure of growth potential is the EPDs for weaning and yearling weight. Many bulls of all breeds were in the top 5% of their breeds for these growth traits with a number well beyond the minimum needed for the top one-percent of their breed for these traits. The reason for this superb performance is the stacking of pedigrees with high accuracy AI growth sires.

Selecting for outstanding growth can result in a higher birth weight and poorer calving ease bulls. However, through knowledgeable selection a purebred breeder can put downward pressure on birth weight while reaching for higher weaning and yearling weights.

Commanding top Angus price for the day at $5,600, and the fourth highest ever for the 40 year history was a very popular January 4, 2007 bull from Callan Farms of Stonington. This high growth bull had a 1,528 pound adjusted yearling weight with exceptional growth EPDs for weaning and yearling. Even with this growth potential he is still eligible for the Illinois Heifer Development Program (IHDP) because of an excellent EPD for Calving Ease Direct (CED). Following active bidding he was purchased by Darrell Johnson of Oconee.

Securing the second highest price of $4,000 was the top Power Score (PS) Junior Angus bull also from Callan Farms. This December 2006 bull excelled in growth with a 1,601 pound adjusted yearling weight, had exceptional growth EPD in weaning and yearling, ranks high in the carcass traits of marbling and ribeye area, and was the second highest ranking bull in $ Beef meaning his offspring's will excel in the feedlot. Darrell Jones also purchased this bull to go along with his stall mate as the top selling bull.

Marvin Kramer from Farina sold a popular January 2007 Angus bull that brought $3,800 and had one of the widest birth weight EPD (-.1) to weaning (59) and yearling (114) growth EPD spreads in the entire sale. This bull had a 1,570 pound yearling weight, WDA of 3.8, scrotal circumference of 48.4 centimeters, and is eligible for the IHDP program. This bull was selected by Glenn Wright of Saybrook.

The seedstock firm of Murphy's Angus from Illiopolis had a very successful sale with two bulls selling over $3,500. A pair of embryo flush full brothers with identical 1,425 pound yearling weights, exceptional growth EPDs, IHDP eligible, and ranking in the top of $ Beef brought $3,700 and $3,500 from Unsicker Farms of Peoria. Callan Farms had another bull in the junior division that brought $3,600 from John Ayers Family Angus of Rochester. Two other yearling bulls brought $3,500 with these being from Can Am Cattle of Shelbyville going to Trueline Angus of Downs, and J. Ben Curtin's bull going to Spring Valley Farms of Carrollton.

The top Power Score of the sale was consigned by Prairie Creek Angus of Pleasant Plains with an exceptional 5.83 Power Score. This outstanding genetic package excelled in the nine EPDs traits provided in the sale and was at the very top of the offering for the economic traits of $ Wean and $ Beef. This bull was purchased by the only out-of-state buyer in the sale to Doley Angus of Ethel, Missouri. Other Angus seedstock firms with bulls selling over $3,000 includes; Kramer Farms of Farina; University of Illinois at Urbana; Blue Ston Farms of Blue Mound (two bulls); Dustin Stuckemeyer of Altamont; and Rock River Ranch of Mt. Morris.

The Simmental breed had a block buster day with exceptional demand for all three age divisions of the breed. Twenty two bulls average $2,565 which was $583 over the 2007 prices and $286 over the previous high of the breed established in 2005. Also, this breed average is the 4th highest ever for a breed at the IPT Bull Sale. All of the Simmental bulls in the sale were black and most were polled.

Commanding the top price of $4,000 was a January yearling from Haven Hills Simmentals of Milan that excelled in EPDs traits for weaning, yearling, CED, and the $ Value Indexes of All Purpose (API) and Terminal Line (TLI). This bull qualified from the IHDP program and was purchased by Kevin Hilderbrand of Ohio, Illinois.

The Rincker Simmental firm from Shelbyville sold three of the most popular bulls in the sale that were purebred yearlings and brought at least $3,500. Topping the Rincker offerings was February 2007 high growth bull that excelled in the $ Value traits of API & TI and sold to Dean Nelson of Oneida for $3,850. Following close behind was the high Power Score January 2007 stall mate that contained the best carcass EPDs and economic indexes of API and TLI. This solid black bull sold for $3,750 to JDS Holliday of Greenview. The third Rincker Simmental bull was a February 2007 balanced trait bull that sold for $3,500 and went to Waupecan Cattle Company of Morris.

A consignor that brought in a solid set of composite one-half and three-quarter blood bulls was Curtis Lipe of Coffeen. These bulls expressed their genetics to grow with exceptional WDA's and adjusted yearling weights. Two of the Lipe one-half blood bulls had incredible 4.00 WDA. Both of these bulls were in the top one-percent of the Simmental breed for EPD weaning and yearling weights. In addition they excelled in $ Terminal Index and should add tremendous value in a crossbreeding program. The yearling February bulls weighed identical 1560 pounds at the sale. The February 5th bull was out of a purebred Simmental dam and a popular Angus bull and sold for $3,800 to Bill Kramer of Roseville, while the February 3rd stall mate was produced by breeding a purebred Simmental Sire to an Angus female and sold for $3,500 to Karl Farnham, Jr. of Paris.

Other Simmental breeders with top selling bulls include: Circle A Simmentals of Moweaqua with a yearling purebred going for $3,300; Larry Parr of Mason City with a senior division purebred going for $3,250; Haven Hills with another junior division purebred for $3,100; and Rincker Simmentals yearling purebred commanding $3,000. In the 2007 sale the price paid for the purebred and composite Simmentals were very similar, however, in the 2008 sale the purebred commanded an average of $2,833 on twelve bulls while the eight composite bulls sold for $2,266.

Besides the 56 Angus and 22 Simmentals there were two Polled Herefords in the sale. An end of March yearling bull that was eligible for the IHDP program with an excellent WDA of 3.7 consigned by Rabideau Polled Herefords of Clifton sold for $1,500.

Producers interested in viewing a breakdown of all the prices can visit the Illinois Performance Tested Bull Sale web site at www.IPTBullSale.com. Also, included on this site are the individual bull prices from the 2008 sale and the numbers and averages from the previous 40 sales.

The sale provides an abundance of performance information to assist buyers with the genetic selection for future seedstock for their herds. Items provided to the buyers include: adjusted birth, weaning, and yearling weights; EPDs, accuracies, and percentile rankings for calving ease direct, birth, weaning, yearling and maternal milk, marbling/% IMF, and ribeye area. In addition Bi-Economic or $Values and percentile rankings are provided on all the bulls to determine the genetic and economic impact the bulls will have on their future herd. Other traits collected and provided to the buyers are sale weight, weight per day of age, scrotal circumference, pelvic area, and frame score.

New for the 2008 sale is that all bulls must be tested for Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) using the Persistently Infected (PI) ear notch screening system. Also for the seventh year, all bulls must meet the Johne's health requirement. This is first sale in Illinois to have animals tested for Johne's. Johne's is a disease that both commercial and purebred cattle producers will have to become more proactive to eradicate from their herds. Also, in the future, buyers will demand that new genetics brought into their herd be negative for Johne's disease.

The IPT Bull Sale Advisory committee will be meeting this spring to formulate rules and regulations for the 2009 sale that will be held as the lead off event of the Illinois Beef Expo. Once again the 2009 sale will require all Angus bulls be scanned prior to the sale with information processed through the American Angus Association and the resulting EPDs for marbling and ribeye area.

A complete copy of the Rules and Regulations along with the Nomination Form will be available by September 1st on the sale web site. Nomination will need to be made by December 15, 2008, for the 2009 sale. Seedstock breeders interested in consigning to the 2009 sale should call Dave Seibert at 309-694-7501 (Extension 224) or write to 727 Sabrina Drive, E. Peoria, IL 61611 to request a hard copy of the Rules and Regulations and Nomination Form.

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Source: Dave Seibert, Animal Systems Educator, University of Illinois Extension (309-694-7501).

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