After 40 years, Colorado State University’s annual Bull Sale is still going strong. This year’s sale will take place Saturday, March 19, at the Taylor Conference Center located just east of CSU’s Agricultural Research, Development, and Education Center, 4482 East County Road 56, in Fort Collins. The sale will consist of 35 yearling Angus and Hereford bulls for sale and 21 yearling open commercial heifers.
Sales kicks off at 9 a.m. March 19
The sale will kick off at 9 a.m. with a preview, buyer/bidder check-in, and donuts/coffee. The sale itself will begin at 11 a.m. followed by a lunch at 12:30 p.m. which will be catered by CSU Ram Country Meats.
CSU’s Seedstock Merchandising Team will run the sale and has been preparing the bulls for sale throughout the year.
Real world experience for students
“This sale is just one more example of how our students are given the tools to apply what they have learned in the real world,” said Jason Ahola, associate professor of Animal Sciences, who advises the team. “It is hard to separate learning about animal agriculture from hands-on experiences, and the sale and all of the work that goes into it demonstrate our commitment to preparing students for careers whether they go into industry, academia, or take other paths.”
The students helped design a sale website which includes a sale catalog as well as videos and pictures of the bulls for sale. The site also contains EPDs, or Expected Progeny Differences, which were provided by the American Angus Association and American Hereford Association, as well as PAP, or Pulmonary Artery Pressure, scores provided by CSU veterinarian Dr. Tim Holt.
40-year tradition
“That the sale has been active for 40 years speaks to CSU’s long-standing role as Colorado’s land-grant institution,” said Ahola. “We not only educate students and conduct cutting-edge research, but we also serve as a valuable resource for our local community, the animal agricultural industry, and agriculture across the state of Colorado.”
About the Seedstock Merchandising Team
Colorado State University has raised seedstock cattle for over 100 years to educate students via hands-on and experiential learning, and supply high quality beef cattle genetics to cow/calf producers.
Since 2003, all responsibilities associated with marketing CSU’s bulls and heifers each year have been placed on the CSU Seedstock Merchandising Team – a select group of 8 undergraduate students. The main focus of each team’s efforts is the annual March bull sale in which 30 to 40 purebred and registered Angus and Hereford bulls and heifers are sold. Team members oversee the selection, development, and marketing of these high quality genetics.
