The Mountain Research Station in Waynesville will host a bull sale at the Haywood County Agriculture Office Building Saturday, Jan. 5. The 33rd annual sale features 30 performance-tested bulls from the research farm.
The performance tests are sponsored by the N.C. Beef Cattle Improvement Program and conducted through a partnership between the department, N.C. Cooperative Extension and N.C. Cattlemen’s Association.
Each July, private beef producers enter their bulls into the program on consignment. In January, they are sold at auction and the owner keeps the profit. To be eligible for the performance-testing program, consignors must be a member of the North Carolina Cattlemen’s Association and have their entire purebred herd enrolled in some type of beef-improvement program.
“It’s a good deal for the consignors, and it’s a good deal for the buyers because they get to breed quality bulls with their own herds,” said Kaleb Rathbone, Mountain Research Station manager. The goal of the program is to produce a higher quality beef herd across the state.
The Haywood County 4-H Livestock Team will sell lunches beginning at noon Jan. 5. The auction will start at 1 p.m. The event is open to the public. The sale catalog is available here. Bidders can view the bulls the day of the sale from 10 a.m. to noon. They also can see the animals in the YouTube video below.
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All bulls will have a floor of $1,500 and will be sold at auction to the highest bidder. If you wish to participate in the auction, but can’t attend, contact Gary Gregory at N.C. Cooperative Extension at 919-515-4027 for more information.