Preparations Underway for A*L*O*T's Annual Bull Sale - February 25, 2006

A*L*O*T Angus Association's annual Bull Sale will be Saturday, February 25, 2006 at the Titus County Fairgrounds Facility in Mt. Pleasant, TX. The auctioneer will be Lakin Oakley of DeKalb, Texas, 903-277-9610. The consignment period closed December 31, 2005. Consignors are asked to have their bulls in place no later than 2:00 p.m. on Friday, February 24 unless arrangements are made with a member of the Sale Committee (Sale Secretary, officers, directors). Bulls must have individual production EPDs (BW,WW, Milk, and YW) to be cataloged. Sire and dam EPDs will not be published in the catalog.

The LSU scoring system (Here) will be used to determine the sale order. Consignors are reminded that bulls which 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 may be weighed at the sale site or within 7 days of sale. All bulls must be accompanied by a health certificate from the home state for interstate shipment. All animals over 12 months old must have a negative TB test within 30 days of the sale, animals 18 months of age must be accompanied by negative brucellosis test (or noted from TB and/or Brucellosis Free Herds/States), and must have passed a Breeding Soundness Exam within 30 days of the sale. Join us and check out the EPDs and genetics. Lunch will be served at 11:00 a.m. prior to sale at 12 noon.

A*L*O*T to have Spring Female Sale May 13, 2006

Want to increase your herd? Want to improve the genetics? Whatever the goal is for your herd, we have the answer. The Spring Female Sale on May 13, 2006 will be held at the Titus County Fairgrounds Sale Facility in Mt. Pleasant, TX and will begin at 12:00 noon. Time has a way of creeping upon us, so please start planning now to determine your consignments. Remember it is proven that well conditioned cattle sell better than thinner cattle (well conditioned means well-fed, groomed, and free of illnesses/lameness, etc.)

Winter and early Spring is rough on cattle, especially those cows with nursing calves, so plan to feed your cows 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 veterinarian, for the sale update sheet.

The consignment forms for the Spring Female Sale are Here.

The consignment period opens on March 3, 2006 and closes on Mar 17, 2006. Please read the guidelines for sale entry before you register and before you bring your cattle to the sale.

The sale committee asks that you have your animals at the sale facility by 2 PM on Friday, May 12. If you are unable to meet this time frame, please contact Beth Wicker or one of the officers/directors. The phone number for the office on Sale Day is: 903-577-9545.

Fall Female Sale Results

October 8, 2005
Auctioneer: Lakin Oakley, DeKalb, TX
67 Lots Grossed $118,350. Average Per Lot was $1766.

• Top Selling Bred Cows: Lot 8, DLB Miss Stockman 365 224, Reg 14088213, bred AI to Krugerrand of Donamere 490, due to calve 3/12/06, consigned by BILLINGSLEY ANGUS FARM, Keithville, LA and purchased by McDONALD ANGUS, Point, TX for $2300. Lot 29, R C Scotch Cap Bess 013, Reg 13697147, bred AI to SAV 8180 Traveler 004 on March 6, 2005, consigned by CROW ANGUS FARM, Maud, TX and purchased by RODEN ANGUS FARM, Grandview, TX for $2300.

• Top Selling Bred Heifer: Lot 42, J Bar Melba 405G of 878, Reg 14561240, bred AI to S S Objective T5110 0T26 on 4/11/05, consigned by RODEN ANGUS FARM, Grandview, TX and purchased by DOUBLE E FARM, Craig Erickson, Chandler, AZ. for $3000.

• Top Selling Split Pair: Lot 38, MADR EXT Supreme Lady 87, Reg 13762434, bred to natural service sire Roden Right Direction 4956, and Lot 38A, Roden Lady 523, Reg 15044064, heifer calf sired by BCC Bushwacker 41-93 consigned by RODEN ANGUS FARM, Grandview, TX and purchased by DOUBLE E FARM, Craig Erickson, Chandler, AZ for $3500 each ($7000 for the pair).

• Top Selling Cow/Calf Pair: Lot 44, Roseneath Lass 169, Reg 14191915, with heifer calf by GDAR SVF Traveler 234D born on 9/1/05, consigned by ROSENEATH PLANTATION, Gloster, LA and purchased by RODEN ANGUS FARM, Grandview, TX for $3500.

• Top Selling Open Heifer: Lot 55, Sowards Miss Queen SAR 404, Reg 14781586, sired by Bon View New Design 1407, consigned by SOWARDS FARMS, Bixby, OK and purchased by RODEN ANGUS FARM, Grandview, TX for $1850.

• 10 Straws of semen on MM Futures Right 704 donated to A*L*O*T by MARTIN METZNER, Tyler TX. It was purchased by CLYDE WILCOX of Willisville, AR. Our thanks to both of these members for their support of A*L*O*T Angus Association.

Items of Interest

• Membership Dues increased to $30.00, effective January 1, 2005. Memberships not renewed by March 1, 2006 will be inactivated.

• Volunteers are needed to help register our guests/buyers and/or help serve lunch during our sales. Please contact Learon Roberts, (903) 572-1857 or Beth Wicker (903) 667-5581, to volunteer your time.

• Consignment periods will be shorter for the 2006 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 before 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 01/01/07 indicates that your dues are good until January 1, 2007, otherwise your membership has expired.

• 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.

• We began using the LSU Bull Scoring System 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). PLEASE READ: 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 the 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 obtain certificates one to two weeks before the consignment opening date.

• A*L*O*T Banner

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

• Ultrasound clinics are encouraged by the association. Those who utilize ultrasound on their cattle are encouraged to allow other breeders with only a few calves to bring their calves and join you at your place for an ultrasound clinic.

• Shipping cattle to Missouri? If you do ship cattle to Missouri, 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.

SPECIAL THANKS to Martin Metzner for his donations of MM FUTURES RIGHT 704 semen which was auctioned and proceeds donated to A*L*O*T, and to all who attended this sale and contributed to its success. We appreciate your continued support and look forward to seeing you at our next sale.

Well, another year has gone by and we still have a great demand for Angus cattle. Mother nature, on the other hand, has not been as good to us. Lack of rainfall, and short hay supplies has been a driving factor in herd reductions in our area. We can’t control what the weather does, so we must focus on what we can help control.

In today’s ever-changing industry, it seems that the consumer wants to know more about where the "product" comes from and what it contains. The beef industry is no different.

Today’s consumer has been aware of the fact that all beef is not created equal, so is the feeder and order buyer. Everyone that goes to their local sale barn sees that black cattle are topping the market. Just because cattle are black does not mean they are Angus sired. I do feel that the Angus breed is directly responsible for this premium that black cattle are enjoying.

We, as Angus breeders, go to great lengths to prove our product to be superior. With the flood of "BLACK" cattle, we must continue to prove our product.

The latest tool for us to use is the Angus Source program.

Angus Source is the only program that identifies Angus-sired cattle, documents the source, the genetic and group age information of enrolled cattle.

Angus Source is a marketing program for Angus and Angus-sired feeder cattle and replacement females. An Angus Source tag lists the state of origin of the cattle, herd location code, 15-digit unique ID number and a five-digit in-herd-management number.

We must continue to push forward with programs that identify Angus genetics and not just accept that because cattle are "black" they are Angus influenced.

We must provide our customers with the information that will help to keep Angus breeders on the leading edge of the markets.

We cannot become complacent with the fact that "black" cattle are the best.

We must continue to prove it through data driven programs. For more information on this program visit the Angus Association website at www.angus.org (Jim Shirley) or contact the Texas Angus Association (Robbie Bean), Oklahoma Angus Association, Arkansas Angus Association or Louisiana Angus Association.

The A*L*O*T Angus Association would like to thank Gerald and Frankie Franklin for their service as director, sales committee members, and editor of the A*L*O*T newsletter. They have been working with the association since its inception in 1994. They can always be relied upon to help in anyway possible whether it was swinging a gate or running cards, or cooking/serving a meal. Most of all we thank them for their contribution in spreading the word about the Angus breed.

Gerald and Frankie have been married 36 years. Twenty-three of those years were spent in the U.S. army. While Gerald served as a career soldier and father, Frankie was working as a homemaker, secretary and mother of Jeff. (Jeff lives in Oklahoma City, OK.).

After retirement from the military, Gerald worked as a software analyst for a time before getting into the cattle business and operating Franklin Angus Ranch, in Duncan, Oklahoma. Their operation has been as large as 85-90 head of commercial cattle on 640 acres of deeded/leased pasture. In the early 1990’s they got into the registered cattle business as a result of trying to raise their own herd bulls. The commercial herd evolved into a registered herd of about 45 mama cows, on a total AI program. As a result of lost grass leases and a general desire to slow down, they drew their registered herd down to about 15 mama cows in 2005. These are run on the "home place" of 160 acres near Velma, OK. The herd is evenly split between Spring & Fall calves with calves being born in Sep-Oct and Jan-Feb to match OBI test schedules. They market their bulls through sales at OBI and private treaty. They’ve used OBI Testing since the early 1990’s. The females are sold at private treaty and through A*L*O*T sales. Gerald resigned from the A*L*O*T board in 2004 due to reducing his cattle operation and a growing interest in blacksmithing. He does custom blacksmithing at his shop, "Black Bull Forge", located on the ranch. We look forward to our continued association with Gerald & Frankie. Thank you again for all your support and hard work and we wish you continued success in every endeavor.

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 on February 35, 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 on page 10 of this newsletter.

[ Back to Index ]

Thank You Bill and Betty Stone

A*L*O*T would like to thank Bill and Betty Stone for their tireless efforts in working for the Angus cattle industry and with A*L*O*T during his tenure as President and as members since it inception in 1994. Their untiring efforts have helped to make many in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas successful in buying, selling and breeding Angus. They gave of their time unselfishly and willingly. They helped prepare for sales, worked during the sales, and spent many long hours before and after sales helping members, consignors and customers. Bill and Betty have “retired” to the ranch in Bells, TX where you will find them not only raising Angus, but supervising the grandchildren, who are raising and showing Angus. We love you and wish you well as we continue working together for A*L*O*T, Texas Angus, and the Angus breed.

2005 Fall Production Sale, Nov. 26 2005 Results

Congrats Minnie Lou! Congratulations to Minnie Lou Bradley for her successful year as President of the American Angus Association!

Auctioneer: Lakin Oakley, DeKalb, TX
Gross Sales: $115,950 52 Bulls Grossed: $99,700 for an average of $1917.31/lot.
9 Females Grossed: $16250 for an average of $1805.56/lot.

Top Selling Bulls:

Lot 2, DLB dividend 963 426, Reg # 14733362, sired by TC Dividend 963, consigned by BILLINGSLEY ANGUS FARM, Keithville, LA. And purchased by GARY COX, Lewisville, AR for $5000.

Lot 34X K Bar Future Direction 204, Reg # +14868314, sired by CA Future Direction 5321, consigned by KIRKES BLACK ANGUS RANCH, Talihina, OK and purchased by JLOR FARMS, Quitman, TX for $3450.

Lot 41 No Name Hy Sky, Reg # 14769268, sired by Hyline Traveler 61, consigned by NO NAME CATTLE CO. Bells Texas and purchased by MORRIS MORTENSEN, Bells, TX for $3000.

Lot 34 K Bar Future Direction 214, Reg # 14868315, sired by CA Future Direction 5321, consigned by KIRKES BLACK ANGUS RANCH, Talihina, OK and purchased by JLOR FARMS, Quitman, TX for $3000.

Lot 4X BRR Backstop Stockman 0412, Reg # 14869071, sired by OCC Backstop 888B, consigned by BRR ANGUS, Red Rock, OK and purchased by TIM NEWMAN FARMS, Mt. Pleasant, TX for $3000.

Lot 32 K Bar 878 New Design 203, Reg #14746560, sired by Bon View New Design 878, consigned by KIRKES BLACK ANGUS RANCH, Talihini, OK and purchased by JOEL WILSON, Poyner, TX for $3000.

Top Selling Females:

Bred Female: Lot 65, Rodens Dateline Pride 2513, Reg #14254538, Bred Heifer sired by Connealy Dateline and AI serviced on 5/18/05 to Lemmon Newsline due to calve 2/2/06, consigned by RODEN ANGUS FARM, Grandview, TX and purchased by NO NAME CATTLE CO., Bells, TX for $2400.

Pair: Lot 61 and 61A, No Name Miss Elba, Reg # 14163797, Open cow selling with heifer calf at side born 10/17/05 sired by “Merger 4303”, a Krugerrand Merger 34 son, consigned by 5G5 CATTLE CO., Pottsboro, TX and purchased by NO NAME CATTLE CO., Bells, TX for $1700.

A*L*O*T Members News

• A*L*O*T would like to thank Board Member from Arkansas, Allen Garner, for his years of service on the board. Due to health problems and increasing family responsibilities, Allen has asked to resign from the board, but he works hard for A*L*O*T and the Angus breed and helps members and breeders alike to make “Black” better. We wish Allen and his family the best of luck.

• Sympathy is extended to Dr. Leland and Sherry Dodd upon the death of Dr. Dodd’s father Nathan Dodd of Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Mr. Dodd had moved to Texarkana to be near his son. Mr. Dodd passed away in January.

• Becky and Scott Overstreet sold out their farm and Angus cattle last year and have moved to town, but A*L*O*T misses them and would like to thank them for their tireless efforts working the sales for A*L*O*T. Becky worked the auction block and Scott worked in the back, moving, loading and unloading and we thank them for the great support while members. Best Wishes and congratulations on your new home.

Meet The New Board Members: Michael R. Dicks and Randy Roden

• Dr. Michael R. Dicks and his wife Ellen, live in Stillwater, OK, where Mike is Professor of the Department of Agricultural Economics for Oklahoma State University and Ellen is a Labor and Delivery Nurse at Stillwater Medical Center. Mike and Ellen have 3 children, Shane, a student in international relations at Michigan State University, Kristina, a student in English at the University of Missouri, Columbia and Evan, a junior at Stillwater High School.

  The home ranch is 280 acres, located southeast of Stillwater and they lease a 640 acres of pasture and 160 acres of winter wheat as needed. They have 67 Angus cows all spring calving. They retain two-thirds of the bulls and heifers for development and marketing as breeding animals. They have thinned the herd from 163 head in 2000 in response to drought conditions and high market prices. Bulls from the ranch have been fed at OBI for 12 years. They are currently feeding bulls at Oklahoma Feeders. All of their cows are AI bred in a select synch program. Bulls, heifers, and cows are marketed through A*L*O*T, private treaty, NEOAA, OAA, and OBI. Dr. Dicks has been a member of American Angus for 15 years. He plans to expand his herd in the next 10 years to 150 cows.

  If you don’t see Mike around ranch or university, you may find him backpacking in the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains, fishing, or coaching baseball. In his spare time he operates a consulting business to assist farmers and ranchers in financial management and law suits. Mike is no stranger to A*L*O*T and we are glad to have him now serving on the board. Thanks Mike, and welcome!

• Randy Roden is an A*L*O*T member from Grandview, TX. He and his wife of 33+ years, Jamie, live on the family farm that his Dad's parents bought in the 1930's just 3 miles north and east of Grandview, Texas. They have four children and seven grandchildren, all of whom live on the family farm as well as Randy's parents, James and Nadine Roden.

  Roden Angus was established in 1994 when Randy and youngest son, Kirk, began buying Angus cows and a show heifer for Kirk. Kirk has served as the Ranch Manager since then and today is employed full time in that position. Both are very active in Angus events throughout Texas.

  Randy has served in many positions of leadership including School Board Trustee for Grandview ISD for 18 years, President for the last 16 of those 18. He has also served on several Boards for various entities such as a bank, a home for neglected children, an educational foundation, several community sports leagues for kids, Mid-Texas Angus Association and Texas Angus Association. He is currently the Treasurer for Mid-Texas Angus Assoc. and President-Elect/Treasurer for Texas Angus Assoc. Randy and all of his family are lifelong members of the church of Christ.

  A*L*O*T welcomes Randy on the board and is looking forward to working with him. Welcome Randy!

THANK YOU NOTES!

• Thank you to Learon Roberts, who sees to scheduling the sale facility, site preparations, meals, sale advertising and anything else that needs doing to make the A*L*O*T sales successful!

• Thank you to George Payne for cooking up the bar-b-que for our lunches on sale day and to the Learon Roberts Family for serving our meals on sale day. It has truly become a family affair with Mom, Dad, daughter, and granddaughters serving us.

• Also, thank you to Deanna Crawford, Marie Shelton, Christy Crawford, Rose Rickson, Karly Wicker, Frankie Franklin, Betty Stone, and Meg Shelton for pitching in and helping wherever help is needed. Deanna and Karly ably help Beth in the office, Marie and Christy help on the sale block, Rose helps register you in and assists in serving lunch to all, and Frankie, Betty and Meg help anywhere they are needed.

• We want to say a special "Thanks" to the guys who help in the back and in the ring, I don’t know all of your names, but you have our admiration for working so hard each sale to get the cattle in, out and where they are supposed to be. It is a hard job and we thank you very much!

• AND, last, but certainly not least!, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the Officers, Directors, and each A*LO*T Member who volunteers their time and energy to making each of our sales a great success! This is truly an organization working together to promote the Angus breed!

[ Back to Index ]

Texas Angus Assoc. 2006 Annual Meeting

The Texas Angus Association met for its annual meeting January 27, 2006 at the Richardson-Bass Pavilion during the Ft. Worth Stock Show in Ft. Worth, Texas. The Board of Directors for the coming year are:

Ronnie Wallace, Ft. Worth Doug Willard, Industry Bodey Langford, Lockhart Steve Knoll, Herford Jimmy Goode, Pampa Rodney Howell, Gainesville

Mike Domel, Meridian Bob Berger, Wichita Falls Joe Fuller, Franklin Jim Macom, Venus Mike Phinney, Stephenville Robbie Bean, Sulphur Springs

Murl Richardson, Ft. Worth Decky Spiller, Fredericksburg Mark Ahearn, Wills Point Roy Crow, Maud Jay Fluharty, Gause

Thank you Jim & Deanna Crawford and Karly Wicker for working the A*L*O*T Booth at the TAA 2006 Banquet!

The executive committee for the coming year will be Ernest Shelton, President, New Boston; Randy Roden, President-elect and Treasurer, Grandview; Rocky Bunting, Vice President, DeLeon; Lee Roy Pyssen, Jr., Past-President, Austin.

Thank you Lee Roy and Laura Pyssen for your work and service to the Texas Angus Association this past year.

A*L*O*T would like to congratulate Raymond Moore for being elected into the Texas Angus Hall of Fame this year.

It takes all at Texas Angus, its regional organizations, and all Angus cattlemen/women working together to make Texas Angus and the Angus Breed the Best in the U. S. Come join us!