Well, it's over!
Probably the greatest spectacle in a Hereford related event that's taken place since the Millenium and $4,000,000+ in cattle have been claimed by their new owners. Even if some of that is "funny money" that was spent by the principles, it still represents a significant investment that's betting on the future of the Hereford breed.
I arrived at Star Lake Cattle Ranch, just after noon on Thursday, the day before the sale. I wasn't alone! There were more folks looking at the cattle on Thursday than I've seen attending some Hereford sales on sale day.
My first thoughts – an impressive setting, but the cowboy in me looked at the new housing developments looming above the horizon in three directions and I felt a little sadness, knowing what the pending "doom" of this ranch likely is. I was thinking that, perhaps some day, a historic marker will be placed in its honor among the houses – like Dr. Harris's old place near Fort Worth.
A large herd of black recipient cows were in the pasture on the west side of the ranch road leading up to the sale barn. Looking at them, I noticed their great condition and more than ample size, which also prepared me for my first look at Star Lake's registered cowherd. The donor cows were huge! I'd guess most wouldn't weigh less than 1600 lb. and some of them might press down the scales at a ton plus. I hadn't seen cows that large since my visit to the Ochs Bros production sale back in the 90s. And here I thought that moderation was the current trend!
A survey of the Star Lake herd bull battery beforehand had reminded me of a battle scarred company of soldiers. There were the dead - Online, Git-R-Done, Bright Kelly, 29F, Legacy; the discharged - Palliadin, Pounder, Battleground, Magnum; the wounded and disabled - Bright Future, Bogart, S109, Quantum, Lock-N-Load; the veterans - Breakout, Can Am, Moneymaker; and the young and yet to be proven replacement troops – Timeless, Jail Break, Makin Time. Seeing the bulls in person that were still living and present did little to change my impression. As I walked around the grassy area stationed below the office and sale barn, it was Timeless and his brother, Makin Time, that were doing all the pawing and bellowing, letting the other herd bulls know that THEY were nearby. And the veterans were paying them no mind. The veterans had probably been staked out in that area before in their electrified pens – when sales past were being held. Shock and Awe and Lock-N-Load were side by side, with only two electric strands keeping them about 10 foot apart. I walked down that alley between them, looking both of them over. I quickly came to the conclusion that I liked Lock-N-Load better, even if I could tell that he was rather annoyed that I had invaded the space between him and Shock and Awe. I would have never dreamed that either of them would eventually sell for the comparatively low prices that they did….but I guess bulls with +7.4 BW EPDs or those that can't pass a semen check should have a decreased value, even in a maniacal atmosphere.
I walked back up the hill to the office, looking for a map to direct me and found that they had none for Thursday. So I set out to find the lots that I had previously circled from looking at the pedigrees, videos, and catalog. I had 15 heifer calves, 3 bull calves, and a pair on my short list to look at. There were also a couple of bulls out of Keysha in the "ranch ready" bulls that I wanted to see for reference. Spotting Lot #233, the pair I had marked, was easy as she was the only cow in the sale with a small calf. As I walked down in the narrow trap to look her over, I couldn't help but notice that Olivia and her bull calf were among the group in the next pen. And on the opposite side, the Lot # 181 cow and her bull calf stood out. Olivia was pretty well everything that I expected, a little more moderate framed than most, with a lot of thickness, a decent udder, and a maternal cow look to her. The Lot #181 cow was massive and her 1000 lb. + bull calf that she had at side was equally impressive.
It took a couple of hours but I eventually found all of the heifer and bull calves that I had previously picked. The bull calves I had picked were a little disappointing, compared to what I thought I was seeing in the video. I had Lot #226 picked as maybe the top bull calf in the sale, and he was also featured in the Star Lake promotion piece on The American Rancher. In person, I found him to have the great profile that I had seen in the video, but from the rear he just didn't appear as thick as some of the other bull calves that I had seen. At a glance, I was sure that there were better bull calves there than the three that I had picked from the videos. I made a pledge to myself that I would never make a significant investment in a herd bull prospect again - without first seeing him in person.
The heifer calves were all attractive and impressive, with no real surprises. But I tend to be more forgiving when it comes to choosing heifers, relying more on the pedigree that I'm looking for and only eliminating one when I see faults that bother me. And there weren't a lot of faults in these calves.
As I walked back by the office and back toward my car, I once again surveyed the scene and started processing what I had just seen. I had always wondered about the Star Lake breeding program, because it never had any cohesiveness or "breeding plan" that I could recognize. I realized that in my search for some complex breeding program that I had overlooked the simple and obvious answer. The goal was to take the best individual cows that they could find and flush them to the best complimentary bulls that they could find. Phenotype is the primary goal - and everything else is secondary or maybe even unimportant. It doesn't really matter if a donor cow can have a calf naturally – or milk for it – for there's a whole herd of recipient cows located over on the other hill that can fill that role. And the goal is to produce progeny from these elite individuals "en masse" and market them with generally little intention of retention in the herd. Every calf looked show ring ready and had the appearance that they had been pushed to their limit to get the maximum size and condition on them for the sale. It was about that time that everything started taking on an unrealistic and unnatural feel to me. I declined the invitation to stay for dinner on Thursday night, opting instead for chicken and dumplings at the local Cracker Barrel and a chance to organize my thoughts.
We know what happened in the next two days. The emotional tributes, the overflowing crowd of spectators, and the bidders from all over vying for a portion of this final offering from Star Lake. I took it all in, but the spectacle had taken on an atmosphere not unlike what I suspect attending a WWE event would be like. Unrealistic! Maybe on the verge of being surrealistic! It was Star Lake RAW and the selling of Olivia was the main event!
Perhaps this is the future of cattle breeding, where a very few elite individuals produce all the embryos and the surrogates do all the work. If it is, I'm reminded once again of that line in Don Edwards song: "While progress toots her greedy horn and makes its motor buzz, I thanks the Lord that I was born no later than I was!"
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