Annual Spring Female Sale Scheduled in May

A*L*O*T will hold its Spring Female Sale on May 14, 2005. The sale will again be held at the Titus County Sale Facility in Mt. Pleasant, TX. Even though the sale may seem a long way off, time has a tendency to creep up on most of us, so please start planning now to determine your consignments. Remember that well conditioned cattle sell better than thinner cattle (well conditioned means FAT). Late winter and early spring are tough times to put weight on cows that are nursing calves, so plan to feed these girls well so that they will bring top dollar for you. It takes about a hundred pounds of gain to add one Body Condition Score to a mature animal.

Remember that all consignments should be accompanied by current pregnancy status, as determined by a practicing vet, for the sale update sheet. The consignment form for the Spring Female Sale is on Page 5 of this newsletter. The consignment period opens on March 4, 2005 and closes on Mar 18, 2005. All animals over 12 months of age must have a complete set of individual performance EPDs (BW, WW, Milk, YW). Interim EPDs will be allowed, but we will no longer publish sire and dam EPDs in the catalog. All cattle must be accompanied by a health certificate for interstate shipment from the home state. All animals over 12 months old must have a negative TB test within 30 days of the sale indicated on the health certificate. The sale committee asks that you have your animals at the sale facility by 2 PM on Friday, May 13.

A*L*O*T to Hold February Bull Sale

The A*L*O*T Angus Association will hold its February Bull Sale on Saturday, February 26, 2005 at the Titus County Fair Facility in Mt. Pleasant, TX. Auctioneer will be Lakin Oakley of DeKalb, Texas, 903-277-9610. The consignment period closed December 31, 2004. Consignors are reminded that their bulls should be in place no later than 2 PM on Friday, February 25. Bulls must have a complete set of individual production EPDs (BW,WW, Milk, and YW) to be cataloged. Sire and dam EPDs will not be used in the catalog.

We will continue to use the LSU scoring system (see pg 7) to determine the sale order. Consignors are reminded that bulls who do not score between 1 and 15 on this chart will not go through the sale ring and consignment fees for these bulls will not be refunded. Bulls will be weighed at the sale site. All bulls must be accompanied by a health certificate for interstate shipment from the home state. All animals over 12 months old must have a negative TB test within 30 days of the sale and bulls must have passed a Breeding Soundness Exam within 30 days of the sale.

A*L*O*T Dates ——– 2005 Dates ——– Spring Bull Sale - Feb 26, 2005: Consignments postmarked from Dec 17 to Dec 31, 2004. Spring Female Sale - May 14, 2005: Consignments postmarked from Mar 4 to Mar 18, 2005. Annual Membership Meeting - Oct 7, 2005: 5 PM, Titus County Fair Facility, Mt Pleasant, TX. Fall Female Sale – Oct 8, 2005: Consignments postmarked from Jul 29 to Aug 12, 2005. Fall Bull Sale – Nov 26, 2005: Consignments postmarked from Sep 9 to Sep 23, 2005.

Fall Female Sale Results

October 9, 2004 - Fall Female Sale
Auctioneer: Scott Crawford, Platte City, MO

Gross Sale $115,900
Average of 77 Lots Sold $1,505

• 13 Bred Cows $19,650 Average $1,512
• 17 Pairs $26,900 Average $1,582
• 9 Split Pairs $20,700 Average $2,300
• 22 Bred Heifers $31,600 Average $1,436
• 13 Open Heifers $14,200 Average $1,092
• 3 Open Cows $2,850 Average $950

High Selling Bred Cow Lot 40 - JNK FOREVER MISS ALLISON 602 - a Basin Max 602C daughter bred to MSCF 6807 of 701 9018, due to calve 2/8/05. Consigned by Joseph Krause Angus Farms, Ada, OK; purchased by McBride Farms, Whitewright, TX. For $2500.

High Selling Pair Lot 26 & 26A - Sagehill Right Time 0293- a Dalebanks Extender 6012 daughter sold with heifer calf sired by Rito 6I6 of 4B20 6807. Consigned by Double D Angus Ranch, Quitmanm TX; purchased by Diamond M Ranch, Plano, TX for $2200.

High Selling Split Pair Lot 64 & 64A - Roseneath Polly 935 - a TC Dividend 963 daughter bred to WCC Special Design on 6/14/04. Consigned by Roseneath Plantation, Gloster, LA, purchased by Mc Bride Farms, Whitewright, TX for $1450. Her heifer calf born 3/17/04 sired by New Design 878, to Mc Bride Farms for $1700. Combined total for the pair $3150.

High Selling Bred Heifer Lot 59 - Rodens Royal Emulous 311N - a SAF Connection daughter bred to Bon View New Design 878 on 3/21/04. Consigned by Roden Angus Farm, Grandview, TX; purchased by R & L Farms, Carrollton, TX for $2000.

High Selling Open Heifer Lot 67 - G L R Erica 308 - a C A Future Direction 5321 daughter consigned by Sowards Farms, Bixby, OK; purchased by Roden Angus Farm, Grandview, TX for $1600.

High Selling Open Cow Lot 51 - Deer Creek 878 ND 2275 - a Bon View New Design 878 daughter consigned by Neal Reinig Angus, Roanoke, TX; purchased by Ron Rollins, Tom Bean, TX for $1000.

2004 Fall Bull & Female Sale

November 27, 2004, Bull & Female Sale
Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Auctioneer: Scott Crawford

Gross Sale $108,700

• 58 Lots Averaged: $1874
• 47 Bulls Averaged $1900
• 7 Bred Females Averaged $1686
• 4 Pairs Averaged $2167

Top Selling Bull - Lot 3 - A May 2003 son of B/R New Frontier 095- consigned by BRR Angus, Red Rock, OK; to Norman C. Smith, Austin, TX, for $2900.

Top Selling Bred Female - Lot 61 - A Nov 2002 daughter of SAF Bando 5175 bred for February 1 calf, to Bon View New Design 878 - consigned by BRR Angus, Red Rock, OK; to Natchez Farms, Marquez, TX, for $3000.

Top Selling Pair - Lot 73 - A Sep 2000 GAR Commitment daughter with 10/3/04 heifer calf by Connealy Lead On - from Wann Ranch, Poteau, OK to Diamond M Ranch, Plano, TX, for $2800.

Semen Donated at Fall Sale

Ronnie Foley, Foley Angus Ranch in Merit, TX donated semen from two good bulls at the Fall Bull & Female Sale in November. Five straws of GAR Premium Product, a son of GAR Precision 1680, were won by Dan Brown of Sulphur Springs, TX. Foley also donated five straws of GAR Prime Cut, another Precision 1680 son. This semen was won by Jerry P. Russell of Mt. Pleasant, TX. A*L*O*T thanks Foley Angus Ranch for this generous donation. We hope the semen will result in many fine calves for the lucky winners.

Why Don’t My Calves Have EPDs?

A question often asked by breeders is: Why don’t my calves (my cows/my bulls) have EPDs? The short answer is that someone along the line failed to take care of the Angus Herd Improvement Record (AHIR) business. The long answer is a little more complex.

We must first look at the EPD mechanism and how it assigns EPD values to registered cattle. Basically, the American Angus Association runs a computer program twice a year called the National Cattle Evaluation (NCE). The is a high powered statistical program that weighs certain growth, carcass and performance factors in the existing Angus herd. These statistics are then formulated into a set of Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) for individual animals that qualify.

How does an animal qualify? The simplest way for an animal to qualify is to have both a sire and dam that have existing EPDs. If this is the case, the calf will most likely be assigned a set of EPDs and they will be reflected on its Performance Registration Certificate (PRC). If a calf is registered outside the window for one of the two NCEs that are run, the calf will be assigned a set of Interim EPDs. Interim EPDs are just what you would think they are—a set of temporary figures. If your herd is enrolled in the AHIR, the calf’s EPDs will be updated to “permanent” EPDs at the next NCE run. If your herd is NOT enrolled in the AHIR, the calf will retain Interim EPDs forever.

Interim EPDs aren’t so bad, are they? They give a picture of the calf’s potential for production. So what if they aren’t as up to date as they could be? They are “close enough”. Well, here’s where the Interims come back to haunt you: if you put that animal into production with Interim EPDs (because you haven’t enrolled your herd in the AHIR Program), progeny of that animal will not be assigned Interim (or any) EPDs. Let me say this a different way. Interim EPDs are not calculated from Interim EPDs of parents. What this means is that a calf born to one or more parents with Interim EPDs will not be given EPDs. There will be no entries on the new calf’s PRC for EPDs.

This problem could have been averted if the herd was enrolled in the AHIR because all cattle enrolled in the AHIR are processed through the NCE twice a year and the Interim EPDs of the parent would have been updated at one of these NCE cycles. The lesson here is to enroll your herd in the AHIR Program. There is an enrollment form on page 10 of this newsletter. There is no fee associated with enrollment. In fact, the only fee involved with the AHIR is $3 per weaning weight submitted.

So, what if you buy a really well bred, open heifer (young bull) that has Interim EPDs? Every calf from this heifer (bull) will not have any EPD value assigned until you resolve the “Interim” situation. The only way this can happen (since you bought the animal with Interim EPDs) is to weigh his/her calves in a proper contemporary group and submit these weights to the Angus Association through the AHIR Program.

What if you buy a bull/cow with no EPDs? The solution is the same: weigh the progeny in a proper contemporary group and submit these weights to the AHIR Program. Sound familiar? If you are going to present your prospective customers with animals that give them the best EPD picture of your offering, you must enroll your herd in the AHIR and submit the proper weight data.

Beginning with the A*L*O*T Spring Bull Sale to be held in February 2005, all animals over 12 months of age must have a complete set of “growth EPDs” (BW, WW, Milk, and YW). This is the first step in upgrading the offering to our A*L*O*T customers. In the future, there will probably be other EPD requirements placed on our sale animals so that our customers can see that A*L*O*T sales are sources of the best genetics available.

Enroll your herd now, and plan to weigh your calves for the coming years. It’s a management thing that takes time, but if it were easy, everybody would be doing it. Again, the enrollment form is HERE.

Items of Interest

• Membership Dues increased to $30.00, effective January 1, 2005. Memberships not renewed by March 1, 2005 will be inactivated.

• Volunteers are needed to help run the kitchen and serve lunch during our sales. Please contact Learon Roberts, (903) 572-1857, to volunteer your time.

• Consignment periods will be shorter for the 2005 sales. The window will be two weeks long and will start later than in previous years. This will allow consignors a little more time to get their paperwork put together for mailing. Please remember that ALL information on your consignments must be received by the Sale Secretary prior to the end of the posted consignment period. Information not received during the consignment period will be published on the update sheet on sale day.

• Check your mailing label. Your membership expiration date is included on the mailing label. A notation of EXP 01/01/05 indicates that your dues are good until January 1, 2005.

• All animals consigned to A*L*O*T sales that are over 12 months of age must have a complete set of individual performance EPDs (BW, WW, Milk, YW). Interim EPDs will be allowed, but we will no longer publish sire and dam EPDs in the catalog.

• Beginning with the 2004 Fall Bull Sale, all bulls must achieve a score of 1 to 15 on the LSU Bull Scoring System (page 7 of this newsletter). Bulls scoring 16 or higher at the sale site will not go through the sale ring. The consignment fee for any cataloged bull that fails to meet the LSU standard will not be refunded.

• Going to the new Electronic Storage Option? Sale Secretary Beth Wicker wants members to know that paper Registration Certificates will still be required for consigning cattle to our sales. The AAA says that consignors who have chosen to use Electronic Storage will have an option when they view certificates on the web to "Put to Paper". If they check this option, the next day a paper certificate will be put in the mail to them. Those who plan to consign cattle to the sale will need to do this a week or two prior to the consignment opening date.

• A*L*O*T has a large banner and a collection of Angus promotional literature for loan to members. The package is a great way to promote Angus cattle and the A*L*O*T Association. Contact Ernest Shelton to arrange for these items to be shipped to you in time for your next event.

• Ultrasound clinics are encouraged by the association. Many of you have your cattle ultrasounded and we encourage you to allow other breeders with only a few calves to bring their calves to your place for ultrasounding.

• Shipping cattle to Missouri? If you are, you should know that an emergency rule has been put into place requiring all cattle 8 months of age and older to either originate from a TB Free State, or Accredited Free Herd, or test negative for TB within 30 days of shipment to Missouri. Contact Dr. Taylor H. Woods, state veterinarian and director of the Division of Animal Health for the Missouri Department of Agriculture for more information.

• The Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR) Program is one of the most powerful management tools available to Angus breeders. Your herd must be enrolled in order for you to submit weight and other AHIR data on your herd. A form is on page 10 of this newsletter. There is no cost for enrolling your herd, just complete the form and mail it in.

www.alotangus.org is the A*L*O*T website. Please verify your member name, address, and email information online at that site. Notify info@alotangus.org with any corrections or updates.

Newsletter Publication Schedule Spring 2005 – Ad copy deadline February 20, 2005 for March 2005 publication. Summer 2005 – Ad copy deadline May 20, 2005 for June 2005 publication. Fall 2005 – Ad copy deadline August 20, 2005 for September 2005 publication. Winter 2006 – Ad copy deadline December 15, 2005 for January 2006 publication. Send all copy items to geraldf@texhoma.net Full Page: $110 for one issue; $400 for four issues. 1/2 Page: $65 for one issue; $240 for four issues. 1/3 Page: $45 for one issue; $160 for four issues. 1/4 Page: $35 for one issue; $120 for four issues. Card Ads: $50 for four issues. Contact Gerald Franklin geraldf@texhoma.net for more information.

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