26th annual Hokie Harvest and cattle auction to go online in 2020
This year, 70 cattle will be auctioned online, including four purebred spring pair splits, five fall-calving purebred cows, 14 fall-calving commercial cows, and 24 breeding age bulls.
One of the cattle in the auction. Photo credit: Carrie Joines
In keeping with Virginia Tech and CDC guidelines, the 26th annual Hokie Harvest is going online in 2020. The online auction will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 30 through www.cowbuyer.com.
This year, 70 cattle will be auctioned, including four purebred spring pair splits, five fall-calving purebred cows, 14 fall-calving commercial cows, and 24 breeding age bulls.
Mature cows with proven production records and promising herd sires from predictable cow families will be sold. All four spring-born calves will sell separately from their dams. A strong set of fall-calving commercial cows of SimAngus origin will also be offered.
The beef cattle program strives to raise the most predictable genetics available and features both purebred and commercial beef cattle. Breeders of purebred Simmental, Charolais, and Angus cattle will be able to select AI-sired progeny from a cross-section of the Virginia Tech Beef Cattle herd. Some of the very best females and bulls have been hand-picked stemming from elite donors that combine curve-bending expected progeny difference, breed-changing genetics, and acceptable phenotype.
Proceeds from the sale are re-invested in Animal and Poultry Sciences departmental programs; more than $3.2 million has been reinvested since the first sale in 1995. In addition to the reinvestment in the departmental programs, approximately 1,900 students have gained valuable experience working on all facets of the sale, although student involvement won’t be occurring this year.
“The Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences takes great pride in our university, our livestock, and especially our students. Given the uncertain and uncomfortable era that we are currently experiencing, it was the proper decision to eliminate student involvement in this year’s sale,” said Dan Eversole, an associate professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, co-director of undergraduate programs, and director of the beef cattle programs. “An abundance of caution has been put in place to provide safety to our buyers, alumni, friends, parents, students, and staff. Unfortunately, we miss the opportunity to welcome everyone to Hokie Harvest, but look forward to doing so in the future.”
To participate in the online auction, registration is required on www.cowbuyer.com at least one hour before the sale to watch and bid online in real-time. If high-speed internet is not available, bids can be arranged via tel-o-auction. Before the sale, call Brubaker Sales at 540-908-5799 to obtain a bidder number. Absentee bids may be left with Eversole, Chad Joines, director of beef cattle operations, or Ken Brubaker, the event’s auctioneer.
The cattle will be available for inspection by appointment only the week before the sale, and videos will be posted of the cattle online before the sale.
The online horse auction is typically a component of Hokie Harvest. This year, however, the online horse auction and Hokie Harvest are occurring separately.
