March 21, 2005

Annual bull sale set for April 2

by K.C. Jaehnig

beef dr karen

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Seventy-one performance-tested bulls will cross the auction block beginning at noon Saturday, April 2, in Southern Illinois University Carbondale's annual sale of top-quality breeding stock.

The auction, now in its 30th year, takes place at SIUC's Beef Evaluation Station on Rowden Road in Carbondale. Rowden intersects with Chautauqua just west of Tower Road.

This year's sale features Angus (both black and red), Balancer, Charolais, Gelbvieh, Limousin, Maine-Anjou, Shorthorn, Sim-Angus and Simmental yearlings. Station staff members evaluated the bulls in terms of average daily gains, feed efficiency and weight per day of age over a 112-day period that began last October. Each is also ranked against others in his breed. Last year's top seller, an Angus bull, brought $3,700.

SIUC's sale, the only one of its kind in Southern Illinois, draws prospective buyers from all over the state and surrounding areas. Some 500 people attended the 2004 sale. For an online preview of this year's event, go to www.siu.edu/%7eanimal/bulltest/. For more information, call Karen L. Jones at 618/453-1774 or e-mail her at kljones@siu.edu.