Program Rules

Requirements for Entrance:

As a consignor to the Ohio Bull Test, you are in essence committing to a contract to have your bull(s) fed for the duration of the 112-day test. Bulls may be excused from the test as seen fit by the committee in cases of unsoundness, illness, temperament problems, etc. Bulls may not leave the test early unless approved by the committee. Bulls will not be released until all fees are paid.

1. Bulls must originate from a calf crop that has been performance tested under the performance test program of the breeders' respective breed. State Production Testing Program records are acceptable in breeds that do not have a national performance program. Consignors must submit a photocopy of the herd performance summary originating from the breed association or state production testing program by the 56-day weigh date. If information is not received by the 56-day weigh date, those bulls will become ineligible for sale but must remain on test for the duration of the 112-day test. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE!

2. A completed nomination form must be received at OCA postmarked by October 7, along with the nomination fee of $50 per bull for space reservation. Nominations received postmarked after October 7, 2000 will not be accepted. Consignment forms will be sent upon receipt of the nomination form and fees. The nomination fee will be refunded if the bull cannot be accepted because of space or because the bull does not meet entrance requirements. The nomination fee will be forfeited for bulls that fail to arrive on delivery day. Half of the nomination fee will serve as an Administrative Fee for each bull that begins the test. The remaining $25 per bull will be applied toward the consignor's total test station cost.

3. Bulls must be weaned and started on feed a minimum of 28 days prior to delivery to the test station.

4. Bulls must weigh 2.45 pounds per day of age at delivery.

5. Bulls will be inspected at time of delivery and will not be accepted if sick, wild, or have a physical defect that may impair future reproductive performance such as: cryptorchidism, testicular hypoplasia, stifled, foundered, "double muscled", etc. Scrotal palpation of bulls is recommended at time of vaccinations. Bulls that do not meet the screening committee's approval will be required to leave immediately. All decisions made by the screening committee are final. Nomination fees will be fully refunded for bulls that fail to pass the committee's examination.

6. Bulls must be registered or recorded with a National Breed Association to participate in the Ohio Bull Test and Sale.

7. Bulls are required to have a legible and healed tattoo. Bulls with non-legible tattoos, unhealed tattoos, or tattoos which do not correspond to consignment forms will be rejected. Recommended time for tattooing is on or prior to vaccinations.

To be delivered to the test station with the bull(s):

1. Completed consignment forms and vaccination and treatment record forms. Bulls will not be accepted with incomplete information.

2. Appropriate health papers.

3. Payment of $150 per bull delivered. An additional $200 will be due by the 56-day of the test. By the 56-day, a total of $400 must be paid in full. $375 of the payment will be credited towards the consignor's total test station cost with $25 per bull used for Administrative costs. If the $400 is not paid on or by the 56-day, the bull(s) will not be eligible for the sale. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE!

Priority plan for accepting nominations:

(This plan will apply only when nominations exceed space at the test station.)

1. There are a total of 200 spaces at the bull test facility. The American Simmental Association has made arrangements to use the Ohio Bull Test as an Eastern National Simmental Bull Test and have committed to using 60 spaces. Therefore there are approximately 140 spaces available at the test station.

2. Approximately 25 percent of the spaces (35 bulls) will be reserved for out-of-state consignors. If the out-of-state allotment is not filled by entry deadline (postmarked by September 15, 2000) then the remaining spaces may be used by in-state consignments.

3. Priority for in-state and out-of-state spaces will first go to consignor's from the 1999-2000 Ohio Bull Test. A consignor from the previous test has the first priority to the same number of spaces that were used last year. In other words, a consignor who had three bulls last year, will have first priority at those three spaces. In addition, before that consignor can add an additional bull, those spaces will be made available to new consignors. Those nominations will be filled by rotating through nominations in ascending order of postmark date and accepting one bull from each consignor on the first round and one bull on successive rounds until approximately 100 percent of the spaces are filled. Priority will be given to consignors from the previous year's test.

Health requirements and procedures:

(The health requirements and procedures go beyond the regulatory requirements of the State of Ohio. These requirements have been established by the Bull Test Committee and are mandatory for all bulls prior to arrival at the bull test station.)

1. Bulls must be weaned for at least 28 days.

2. Bulls must test negative to Tuberculosis and Brucellosis within 30 days prior to delivery to the test station. Bulls from accredited and certified herds do not need to be TB and Brucellosis tested but certification and accreditation numbers must be listed along with qualifying test dates.

3. All bulls must be free of active ringworm lesions and warts on delivery day.

4. Bulls must be dehorned and healed prior to delivery.

5. All bulls, regardless of state of origin must be accompanied by a certificate of veterinary inspection stating TB and Brucellosis status and verifying the bull(s) are in good health with no visible signs of infections or communicable disease.

6. Upon receiving the nomination form, OCA will send consignment forms and vaccination and treatment records for each bull nominated. All forms must be completed and delivered by hand with the bull(s). Your veterinarian must sign the vaccination and treatment record stating that the bull(s) have been vaccinated and boostered for the following agents according to manufacturer's specifications:

• IBR, PI3, and BRSV
• Wart Vaccine
• BVD (killed)
• Haemophilus Somnus
• Clostridium (7-way)
• Leptospirosis (5-way)
• Pasteurella haemolytica and multocida

The first vaccinations must be administered between September 18-22. An injection of Selenium/Vitamin E is also required at time of first vaccination. Boosters must be administered between October 9-13. (NOTE: The previous mentioned vaccination dates have been adjusted to comliment the extended nomination deadline - check with OCA for details.) Bulls will be rejected on delivery day for incomplete or untimely vaccinations. ALL SHOTS MUST BE GIVEN IN THE NECK REGION.

7. All bulls must be treated for the control of grubs and lice and be dewormed.

8. Veterinary service for any bull will be obtained when necessary and the consignor will be responsible for veterinary service fees, drugs and medication on their bull(s).

9. Any bull deemed to be sick, unsound, and/or exhibiting physical abnormalities of any kind will be removed from the test and/or ineligible for sale. The veterinarian and a representative of the Bull Test Committee will make these decisions. All committee approved decisions are final.

Ration:

The ration will consist of a high grain, self-fed ration formulated for approximate gain of 4 pounds a day and will be pre-approved by the Bull Test Committee. A recommended pre-delivery/weaning time diet will be formulated and made available to consignors after nominations have been received.

Return:

Bulls will be evaluated after the first 28-day period on test, and bulls failing to perform at an acceptable rate will be dismissed. Bulls may not be removed from the official test without permission from the Bull Test Committee. Violation of this requirement by a consignor will forfeit all future testing privileges. The committee reserves the right to request a consignor to remove a bull from the station because of health, disposition, lack of identification or any failure to meet entry requirements. A charge of $3/day for any bull that fails to complete the test will be assessed. If the bull is not removed within seven days of notification, the fee will increase to $5/day. Bulls that fail to qualify for the sale will be released once a $200 per bull payment is made. Sale bulls that do not bring the minimum floor at auction will be released once a $200 per bull payment is made. This payment must be made on sale day. These payments will be credited toward the consignor's total test station cost. All fees must be paid before any bull is released. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE!

Liability:

Careful management and care will be exercised at all times. Veterinary services will be used when necessary at the expense of the owner. However, neither the Ohio Bull Test Station nor anyone associated with Ohio State University or the Ohio Cattlemen's Association will assume liability for the cattle in case of loss. Ohio Cattlemen's Association has no obligation to procure casualty insurance on tested bulls; however, consignors are encouraged to consider casualty insurance on their bulls prior to delivery to the station.

Costs:

All costs except feed and individual veterinary expenses will be equally divided on a per bull basis. All costs incurred during the test will be billed appropriately to consignors at true cost. A nomination fee of $50 per bull must accompany all nomination forms. Half of the nomination fee will serve as an Administrative Fee for each bull that begins the test. The remaining $25 per bull will be applied toward the consignor's total test station cost. A fee of $150 per bull will be paid when the bulls are delivered to the station. An additional $200 will be due by the 56-day of the test. By the 56-day, a total of $400 must be paid in full. Consignor's may choose to pay the total of $400 upon delivery to the station, $375 of the payment will be credited towards the consignor's total test station cost with $25 per bull used for Administrative costs. If the $400 is not paid on or by the 56-day, the bull(s) will not be eligible for the sale. The remainder of the feed costs will be prorated at the end of the test according to the pounds of gain of each bull. All consignors must be members of the Ohio Cattlemen's Association. All fees must be paid before bulls are released from the station. Make all checks payable to Ohio Cattlemen's Association.

Performance Records Provided on Sale Bulls:

• Birth weight
• Birth date
• 205-day weight
• Frame Score
• Pelvic Measurements
• Adjusted scrotal circumference
• Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs)
• Fat and Ribeye area measured by ultrasound
• Weight and average daily gain (ADG) after each 28-day period
• Bulls will be ratioed within each breed according to a Performance Index. The Performance Index = .60(Average Daily Gain Percentage) + .40(Weight Per Day of Age Percentage)

If there are less than six bulls tested within a breed, those bulls will be Indexed using the Average Daily Gain and Weight Per Day of Age of all other bulls that fail to meet a minimum breed test group size.

Sale order will be established by the sum of each bull's within-breed ranking using a four-star evaluation system. The four-star evaluation will award **** to a bull that ranks in the 25%, *** to a bull that ranks in the top 50%, ** to a bull that ranks in the top 75% and * to a bull that ranks in the bottom 25% of the breed. The six criteria to be evaluated using the four-star system to determine sale order are: Average Daily Gain Percentage, Weight Per Day of Age Percentage, Adjusted Scrotal Circumference, Birth Weight EPD, Weaning Weight EPD, and Maternal Milk EPD. Bulls will then be ranked for sale order by the total number of stars received from maximum to minimum. In case of identical trait rankings among two or more bulls, the Performance Index will determine the sale order. One * will be deducted for each missing EPD.

Dave Kohli, Chairman

Don Peterson, Vice Chairman

Stan Smith, OSUE

Dr. Francis Fluharty, OARDC

Keith Kauffman, OCA Director

Dr. Steve Debruin, D.V.M., OCA Director

Remote Video Sale Site Representatives:

Dave Mangione, OSU Extension, South District

Woody Joslin, OSU Extension, Shelby County

Troy Cooper, OSU Extension, Knox County

Mike Hogan, OSU Extension, Carroll County

EORDC Facility Representatives:

Jim Trotter, Superintendent OARDC Branches

Wayne Shriver, Manager EORDC

Kevin Stottsberry, Bull Test Herdsman

• Ohio Bull Test Station, EORDC
• 16870 Township Road 126
• Caldwell, OH 43724
• 740.732.4275

OBT nomination forms are available from:

• Ohio Cattlemen's Association
• 10600 US Highway 42
• Marysville, OH 43040
• 614.873.6736
• Fax: 614.873.6835
• Email: beef@ohiobeef.org
• Ohio Bull Test Website: www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~bulltest