As part of its inaugural high altitude bull test and sale, the University of Wyoming will host an educational field day and private treaty sale at the Laramie Research and Extension Center (LREC) Saturday, April 1.
Launched in January 2023, the UW High Altitude Bull Test and Sale evaluates potential sires on their ability to serve producers at high altitude and provides students with hands-on experience in production agriculture.
The new program culminates in the upcoming field day and bull sale in Laramie. The event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.
Educational programming begins at 10 a.m. Landon Eldridge, coach of the UW Livestock Judging team, will present on bull selection and Mark Enns, Ph.D., of Colorado State University will discuss bovine pulmonary hypertension. Faculty, staff, and students involved in the UW High Altitude Bull Test will share an overview of this year’s results as well as future directions for the program.
“The field day is a great opportunity to see what we’re doing with the program, listen to good speakers discuss bull selection and high altitude disease, and interact with faculty and students from the university to see what other research we’re doing,” says Shelby Rosasco, UW Extension Beef Specialist and a co-founder of the program
Free lunch is available at noon. Students in the College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources will present current beef research during a poster session from noon to 1:30.
Twenty bulls—Angus, Simmental, and Red Angus—are available for private treaty sale. Viewing will take place from 1:30-3:30 p.m. in the Cliff and Martha Hansen Teaching Arena. All bulls have been PAP and semen tested; expected progeny differences (EPDs) and carcass evaluation data are also available.
Data was collected by a group of eight undergraduate and three graduate students supervised by Rosasco, Assistant Professor Hannah Cunningham-Hollinger, LREC Director Scott Lake, and LREC Beef Unit Manager Ben Hollinger.
Students were responsible for bull development, management, and marketing in addition to attending weekly lectures and presentations. Producers covered feed and testing costs and received regular updates on the weights, ultrasound results, and breeding soundness evaluations of their animals.
This year, a total of 41 bulls were assessed over a period of several months, starting in January. Going forward, Rosasco and her colleagues hope to expand the program to include a full performance test tracking individual growth performance, feed intake, and feed efficiency.
To learn more about the UW High Altitude Bull Test and Sale, contact Rosasco at srosasco@uwyo.edu or (307) 766-2329.
