Fire Sweep Ranch
Well-known member
Well, several breeders in our area asked about putting together a state sale in the spring. We used to have one many moons ago (Simmental of the Ozarks), but it has not been held for years. We hold a state sale in the fall (Fall Harvest), and have good luck with it. Anyway, I was asked to be sale coordinator, and I agreed. It is pretty difficult to get people to get the consignment paperwork in on time, but after a lot of phone calls and help from our northern crew, we are pulling it off! The sale will be at the Springfield Livestock Marketing center, on Saturday (anyone wanting a catalog, PM me because I do not want this to be a sales pitch!).
So, I am excited because I was able to help put a Spring sale together. Now, I am sad, because we are consigning some of our favorite girls. One of the good things about being a smaller breeder is you know your cows well, and have no room for "junk"; it tends to sort itself out quickly. One of the bad things about being a smaller breeder is you have to sell heavily. We are limited on acreage, and therefore for every heifer the kids keep we have to sell a cow. That is the hard part. Below is a few pictures of some of my favorite girls that are leaving next week.
This is Kitty (AVAS 2W). We bought her as a 7 month old calf for our middle daughter to show. She never won anything big, but she has been a super cow. Her first calf was a red calf we steered for the freezer, and he won the carcass contest grading Choice+ and YG 1.4. She has thrown a bull every year, except for the few embryos she raised for us. Last year, she had a fantastic heifer, we call Kat (registered Kitty Kat.... cute!). We AI bred her to Iron Hide for a September calf. Her calves always wean off at least 65% of her weight (she is small framed, a Shear Force sired cow that might be a 5.0 frame). She averages around 1200 pounds when she is fat.
Her heifer that our daughter is showing
This other consignment is another tough one. She is just a three year old, and calved late February with an Upgrade heifer calf. Lilly was shown at the American Royal several years ago as a yearling, and placed second in her class. We are keeping her heifer from last year to replace her. Lilly is sired by Movin Forward, and out of a first calf heifer herself. Her grand dam is still in our herd, and gives us a great one every year.
her calf
The other two I do not have pictures of, but one is my son's first show heifer, Brooks Jackie. She has carried an embryo EVERY year for us! She is 6 years old, and AI bred to Iron Hide also. The last one is a bred heifer, due in October to Broadway. That belongs to the oldest daughter, and she has a good show heifer already from last year so she is letting this heifer go.
It is sad to see some of our proven matrons leave, but I know we have to sell if we are going to keep. I hope they give their new owners years and years of production like they have done for us.
So, I am excited because I was able to help put a Spring sale together. Now, I am sad, because we are consigning some of our favorite girls. One of the good things about being a smaller breeder is you know your cows well, and have no room for "junk"; it tends to sort itself out quickly. One of the bad things about being a smaller breeder is you have to sell heavily. We are limited on acreage, and therefore for every heifer the kids keep we have to sell a cow. That is the hard part. Below is a few pictures of some of my favorite girls that are leaving next week.
This is Kitty (AVAS 2W). We bought her as a 7 month old calf for our middle daughter to show. She never won anything big, but she has been a super cow. Her first calf was a red calf we steered for the freezer, and he won the carcass contest grading Choice+ and YG 1.4. She has thrown a bull every year, except for the few embryos she raised for us. Last year, she had a fantastic heifer, we call Kat (registered Kitty Kat.... cute!). We AI bred her to Iron Hide for a September calf. Her calves always wean off at least 65% of her weight (she is small framed, a Shear Force sired cow that might be a 5.0 frame). She averages around 1200 pounds when she is fat.
Her heifer that our daughter is showing
This other consignment is another tough one. She is just a three year old, and calved late February with an Upgrade heifer calf. Lilly was shown at the American Royal several years ago as a yearling, and placed second in her class. We are keeping her heifer from last year to replace her. Lilly is sired by Movin Forward, and out of a first calf heifer herself. Her grand dam is still in our herd, and gives us a great one every year.
her calf
The other two I do not have pictures of, but one is my son's first show heifer, Brooks Jackie. She has carried an embryo EVERY year for us! She is 6 years old, and AI bred to Iron Hide also. The last one is a bred heifer, due in October to Broadway. That belongs to the oldest daughter, and she has a good show heifer already from last year so she is letting this heifer go.
It is sad to see some of our proven matrons leave, but I know we have to sell if we are going to keep. I hope they give their new owners years and years of production like they have done for us.
In fact, Kris is stingy with her Iron Hide semen so allowing me to do the honors was a compliment.
