Tucumcari sale results, 1970

              COOPER,ATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY
A the Tucumcqr i Bull Testing Station
tT{ltli$$*ffi
H*ffi
Iiffifi#
Bull Ses$ion
Repor t Fnom
J
QI
?,vo
xnl4,qq
bb3
Aprril 30, L970
TUCIruCARI SALE RESI'LTS
Attached is a l-ist of buyers and prices paid for bulls in the Ninth Anntral Performbnce
Tested Bul-l Sale at Tucumcari on March 20, L97O.
The overall average on 88 bu1ls was $666.76. TLre senior bul-Ls averaged $702.05, and
the juniors, $655.00. By breeds the averages were: PoLLed Herefords, $1rL08.331 Here-fords,
$595.91; Angr.rs, $581-.20; ?urebred CharoLais, $958.33 and Crossbred Charolais,
$662.50.
the accourpanying graphs ilLustrate the prices for bul-I-s cLassified according to the
traits rneasured. The traits, average daily gain and sale index, show a rather consis-ient
increase in price as the traits improve. Ttris seems to be a rnuch stronger correLa-tion
this year than a few years back and refLects, I bel-ieve, the growing awareness of
the importance of gainability in cattle. the curve for conformation score does not
show as much trend upward in price as grades Bo upr and i.s more erratic. Some of the
sharp ups and downs in al-l the charts are caused by the faet that only one or a few
bull-s fitted into some of the cl-assifications and some differences in breed preference.
Central test stations heLp breeders to get a l-imited comparison of cattle from differ-ent
herds. To a degree they also heLp corunercial- breeders find the herds l*tich have
greater performing abil-ity within the herd. It is not enough, however, just to take
any bulls raised in a top herd and expect that they will- do the job of improving your
cattle. Selection based on perforrnaRce is always needed. Ttre tail end calves out of
a top herd will probably be inferior to the top calves out of a mediocre herd. A bul-l
buyer should ask to see within herd weaning weight ratios on the bull calves he buys
from the purebred breeders. O'D yearLing bul-ls he should also want to see the adjusted
yearling weights and within herd weight ratios. How else can he expect to find the
bull-s he needs? At the same time he should expect to pay more for the top end of the
cal-ves than the bottom end. Itrs sort of ridiculous to have one price for a whol-e
crop of bu1l calves when you realize how much even hal-f-brothers generally vary in
their genetic merit.
Pl-ans are underway for the l-970-71 Tucumcari BulL Test which will- begin next October.
Breeders interesLed in testing bulls as alternate cooperators should send a deposit
of $50 for pen rental- to Bob Powell, Drawer B, Tucumcari, inmediately.
Bobby J.
As soc iate Livestock Specialist
New Mexico Stafe University and the U. S. Department of Agriculture cooperating