The Cattle Connection

I recently attended a University of Illinois livestock and meats judging team reunion. Admittedly, when I received the invitation in the mail I thought to myself… I am way too busy to go. However, my team was to be highlighted on the program as the 10 year anniversary team. Thus, I put it on my calendar. Upon arrival, I met up with those that were on the 2008 team and we began reminisci...

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Commercial cow-calf producers and seedstock breeders interested in purchasing a total performance tested bull will want to attend the 2019 Illinois Performance Tested Bull Sale. The sale will be the leadoff event of the Illinois Beef Expo. There are 59 bulls cataloged with 23 being longer-aged 2017 mature bulls and 36 yearlings. A breakdown of the breeds includes 31 Angus, 17 Simmental and SimA...

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Seedstock breeders in Illinois should be identifying bulls they plan to consign to the 2018 Illinois Performance Tested (IPT) Bull Sale. The IPT Bull Sale is the leadoff event for the annual Illinois Beef Expo. The sale is scheduled for Thursday, February 22 nd at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield. The sale accepts older as well as younger bulls, with a birth date range fr...

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"One of the greatest gifts to agriculture was the plow. Perfected by many, the plow turned the earth and gave way to farming as we know it. However, the plow also contributed to the great Dust Bowl of the 1930's. This illustrates that technology is only as good as those that implement it. One of the most exciting technologies in the cattle industry today is the expanded us...

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The Illinois Performance Tested (IPT) Bull Sale was the lead-off event of the 2017 Illinois Beef Expo held on Feb. 23 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill. The sale averaged $3,400 on 54 lots. "This sale continues to be one of the best sources for total performance genetics in the Midwest," said Travis Meteer, IPT sale manager. "During the past 49 years, the sale...

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Commercial cow-calf producers and seedstock breeders interested in purchasing a total performance tested bull will want to attend the 2017 Illinois Performance Tested Bull Sale. The sale will be the leadoff event of the Illinois Beef Expo. There are 67 bulls cataloged with 27 being longer-aged 2015 mature bulls and 40 yearlings. A breakdown of the breeds includes 42 Angus, 20 Simmental and SimA...

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One of the most popular questions I get asked is "What is your ideal cow?" This question always spurs quite the debate. Factors like breed, cow size, milking ability, and a long list of phenotypes are discussed. Comments like "We don't want to go back to that kind of cattle" typically dominate the conversation. While I enjoy listening to the stance of different cattle breeders and cattl...

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The Illinois Performance Tested (IPT) Bull Sale was the lead-off event at the 2016 Illinois Beef Expo held Feb. 25 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill. The sale had the second-highest overall average in the 48-year history at $4,109 on 45 lots. "This sale continues to be one of the best sources for total performance genetics in the Midwest," said Travis Meteer, IPT sale...

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Are you sifting through stacks of bull sale catalogs looking for your next bull? While bull selection can be a daunting task, your choice will impact your herd for years to come. Thus, taking some time to think about what you need from your next herd sire is important. Here are some points to emphasize when it comes to bull selection. Know your market. Understand what tr...

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Commercial cow-calf producers and seedstock breeders interested in purchasing a total performance tested bull will want to attend the 2015 Illinois Performance Tested Bull Sale. The sale will be the leadoff event of the Illinois Beef Expo. There are 69 bulls cataloged with 15 being longer-aged 2013 mature bulls and 54 yearlings. A breakdown of the breeds includes 32 Angus, 32 Simmental and SimA...

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The Illinois Performance Tested (IPT) Bull Sale was the lead-off event of the 2014 Illinois Beef Expo held on Feb. 20 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill. The sale had the highest overall average in the 46 year history at $3,840 on 51 lots. "This sale has developed into one of the most reliable sources of performance bulls in the Midwest," said Travis Meteer, IPT sale...

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Pedigree, scrotal measurement, EPDs, accuracies, actual weights, $ values, DNA tests.... and you haven't even looked at the bull yet. There is no doubt that sire selection can be a daunting task, but economic indexes may be the tool to help simplify your selection process. Economic indexes are a collection of EPDs that are weighted depending on their economic importance in a given scena...

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Have you ever looked beside the recliner of a cattleman during bull sale season? Catalogs stacked deep and scattered in every direction, pages saved, lot numbers circled, EPDs highlighted, and a dozen empty coffee cups littering the scene. Bull selection can be a consuming task, but cattlemen realize future profitability is very dependent on the next herdsire. It is important to make so...

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