The University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will be holding it annual Florida Bull Test Sale on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006 at 12:30 p.m. CDT.

The sale will be held at the North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC-Marianna) Beef Research Unit, one mile west of Greenwood, Fla., at 4925 Highway 162 North.

One objective of the Florida Bull Test is to provide the commercial cow/calf producer a source of bulls that have been gain tested and thoroughly evaluated at the same location and have passed stringent health requirements.

“The bulls in this year’s Florida Bull Test Sale will be the strongest offering of bulls we have ever had,” said Gary Hansen, a UF/IFAS professor of Animal Science, who is based at the NFREC-Marianna. “A panel of cattlemen will screen the bulls for structural soundness and disposition. All bulls have been ultrasounded and will have passed a breeding soundness examination prior to the sale. This is truly a set of bulls that will bring performance to seedstock as well as commercial cattle herds.”

Approximately 75 performance proven bulls will be sold, including Angus, Brangus, Charolais, Hereford, Limousin, Santa Gertrudis, SimmAngus and Simmental bulls. Each of the bulls in the sale indexed 90 or better based on a combination of gain and weight per day of age in the test.

“The bulls are currently averaging over four pounds per day with several bulls gaining over five pounds per day,” Hansen said.

NFREC-Marianna is a large unit of UF/IFAS that focuses on agronomic, forestry, and beef cattle programs. It is also home to a modern 1,000 acre cattle ranch, a new Feed Efficiency Facility and the Florida Bull Test Facility.

For more information and a catalog contact Mary Chambliss at (850) 482-9904 or mchambliss@mail.ifas.ufl.edu. Additional information can also be found at http://nfrec.ifas.ufl.edu.