UW High Altitude Bull Test Field Day and Sale Set for March 28

Fourteen University of Wyoming students helped put a class of bulls through their paces at 7,200 feet this winter, and the public gets to see the results when the fourth annual High Altitude Bull Test wraps up with a free field day and sale Saturday, March 28, at the Laramie Research and Extension Center.

Events kick off at 10 a.m. inside the Cliff and Martha Hansen Teaching Arena at 470 Hwy 230. An educational program runs from 10 a.m. through mid-morning, followed by a complimentary lunch at noon and the all-breed performance tested bull sale starting at 1 p.m. Buyers unable to attend in person can bid remotely through DVAuction. Bulls may be previewed Friday, March 27, from noon to 5 p.m., and again Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Load-out follows the close of the sale.

"The goal of the bull test is to provide producers in the region the opportunity to evaluate potential sires for risk of pulmonary hypertension, or high-altitude disease, and serve as a reliable source of performance and PAP-tested bulls," said Shelby Rosasco, UW Extension beef specialist and assistant professor of animal science. "The program also allows students to apply knowledge they have learned in the classroom."

The test's central feature is pulmonary arterial pressure, or PAP, testing, which screens bulls for susceptibility to brisket disease, a serious concern for cow-calf operations running cattle at elevation. Each bull undergoes a 45-day screening period designed to assess both pulmonary hypertension risk and growth trajectory before advancing to the sale. A certified technician records PAP measurements at 40 to 45 days into the test and again in early March.

Performance data from the prior test show yearling bulls averaged 4.95 pounds of daily gain during the feed efficiency portion, while aged bulls averaged 3.86 pounds per day.

The morning educational program features three presentations. Dr. Zach McFarlane of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo will address feed efficiency and feeding behavior in yearling bulls. UW undergraduate students enrolled in the bull test program will present a test update, and Dr. Tyler Cozzens of the Livestock Marketing Information Center will offer a cattle market outlook.

Those students are central to the program's mission. Twelve undergraduates and two graduate students participated during the fall and spring semesters, gaining hands-on experience in bull development, bull selection, breeding soundness exams, pulmonary hypertension evaluation, feed efficiency, and carcass ultrasound.

The Laramie Research and Extension Center, part of the UW Agricultural Experiment Station, hosts the test and sale each year. For questions, contact Rosasco at (307) 766-2329 or srosasco@uwyo.edu.