Results: Red River Valley Fair, Day 1 (Regional Red Angus Junior Show)

Just got a call from my dad. They pulled into West Fargo, ND, yesterday morning for the Red River Valley Fair. It's a four-day event with three separate cattle shows. Had to pull some strings to get a heifer calf registration number, but all is well.

Jack and Marcy are in Fargo handling the string. They've brought four animals this time. The two-year-old cow-calf pair, and two yearling heifers (a March- and April-born).

Judge today was Nate Frederickson from St. Onge, SD. We had another really good day! The cow-calf pair was first in it's class of two, but didn't manage to get around the aged cow-calf pairs for Champion or Reserve overall cow-calf pair. The heifer calf won it's class of two. The April-born yearling heifer (0947) was first in a class of one. The March-born yearling heifer (0914) was second in a class of three - but, as Jack tells me, "[The judge] hmmed and hawwed over first and second, it was really close." In the overall drive, Champion went to a Berg Red Angus January/February-born heifer, and the Reserve went to the Berg March-born yearling heifer (that just beat us in class).

So, a very good day in all. You can tell Jack is excited, because he had to call me right away as he was leading the two-year-old cow from the showring to the barn. Sounds like Fargo is going to get hit with severe storms today, and possible hail. I wish I could be with the girls and dad at the show, but it's fun to get updates from them. Dad says, "They all looked really, really good."

It's a good day when you can take something you've raised and say that. Way to go!

Results: Central Minnesota Cattlemen's Association Riverboat 4-H/FFA Beef Show

Our 2010 show season began with the Central Minnesota Cattlemen's Association Riverboat 4-H/FFA Beef Show in Aitkin, MN. The 4-Hers really like this one-day show, mainly because it's quick. We've had mixed results over the years, being on both the top and bottom of classes. It's a nice show to bring cattle to for their first time, and there's a hoof-trimmer on site to take care of the show calves feet (if need be).

We took three animals to the show for competition. Our two-year-old cow-calf pair, Angel (0806), and her heifer calf, 1001 placed first in their class of three (two Red Angus cow-calf pairs and one Angus cow-calf pair). Our yearling heifer, 0914, won her class of seven. Courtney Johnson was called back for showmanship, too!

A good day! Courtney treated Jack and Marcy to Dairy Queen on the way home.

Bulls For Sale - 2010

Sires of these sons sell!

 

LJC Mission Statement P27 (AI sire)
Sons include: 0910, 0911, 0915

Bieber Pocasse 10553 (Natural Service sire)
Sons include: 0928, 0941, 0945

Bieber Maximuss 6993 (AI Sire)
2-Year Old Son: 0810

Our 2010 bull offering is our most uniform yet! We have procured six outstanding studs, half of which are the result of our intensive artificial insemination (AI) program. We are also offering one two-year old bull that is ready to cover a larger number of cows.

We are focused on producing bulls with strong maternal traits, that calve easy and have moderate growth,and muscling. Your success is important to us, and we are happy to visit with you about what type of bull will best meet your needs.

Bulls are slowly developed on a growing ration of,corn silage and beef-grower grain supplement. Average Daily Gain (ADG) measurements reflect a 120-day weigh period. Bulls are required to pass a Breeding Soundness Examination before the sale is final.

Our entire herd has passed three consecutive wholeherd TB tests and we are a Level II Johne’s disease-free herd. We follow Beef Quality Assurance guidelines. All purchasers receive a registration certificate.

At weaning, bulls are given:

• Vaccinations for blackleg, BVD, IBR
• Poured for lice/worms

At yearling measurements:

• Bulls have passed a Breeding Soundness Examination and veterinary inspection.
• Poured for lice/worms

We’re looking forward to visiting with you, and are able to deliver purchases up to 300 miles. Bulls can be left at Shady Oaks Farm Red Angus at a cost of $2/day after July 1.

0910 - SHO Slick Statement 0910

0910 has a sweet disposition and was shown as a calf. He’s moderate framed, heavy muscled with a level top and is deep bodied. He’s a dark cherry red package, smooth shouldered and stands on good substance of bone. His mother (117) is a fantastic maternal matron with a 102 MPPA on 9 calves, below average birth ratio and above average weaning ratio. Two-generations of AI sires produced this outstanding brute. 3/20/2010 weight = 1,107 lbs.

For current EPDs, extended pedigree and performance data, click here. Asking price? $1,650.

0911 - SHO Sandy Statement 0911

We joke that this bull is hairy, a trait he got from his mother. Unlike his mother, he is a bigger framed bull with good bone structure and muscling. 0911 is the highest gaining bull in our offering, posting a 3.93-lb. average daily gain over the 120-day test period. His mother isn’t pampered, with a 102 MPPA on 8 calves and above average weaning ratios. 3/20/2010 weight = 1,018 lbs.

For current EPDs, extended pedigree and performance data, click here. Asking price? $1,550.

0915 - SHO Mini Statement 0915

Looking for a range-bull to cover your cows? Here’s a moderate framed, smooth topped, moderately muscled bull that fits the bill. His mother has raised 9 calves with below average birth weight ratios, and above average weaning and yearling ratios—an excellent combination for easy calving and growth to follow. 3/20/2010 weight = 1,040 lbs.

For current EPDs, extended pedigree and performance data, click here. Asking price? $1,500.

0928 - Made For U Pocasse 0928

Here’s a nice-topped bull with good muscle and a moderate frame. His mother consistently raises above average weaning weight ratio calves. If you’re looking for maternal traits and calves that can gain, this bull is the bull to do it. 3/20/2010 weight = 931 lbs.

For a current EPDs, extended pedigree and performance data, click here. Asking price? $1,450.

0941 - SHO Holy Toledo 0941

This heavily muscled brut has a smooth front, level top and moderate frame. He walks out on a good set of feet and legs. His mother posted a 103 MPPA on 5 calves, with below average birth and above average weaning and yearling data. 3/20/2010 weight = 983 lbs.

For a current EPDs, extended pedigree and performance data, click here. Asking price? $1,450.

0945 - SHO Turn N Burn 0945

The youngest calf in our offering is not one to write off. He’s level-topped, with good feet and legs. His smooth shoulder compliments his medium frame. This calf has a very prolific mother, a donor cow for Bieber Red Angus. She boasts a 107 MPPA on 22 calves with above average weaning and yearling data. 3/20/2010 weight = 973 lbs.

For current EPDs, extended pedigree and performance data, click here. Asking price? $1,500.

Rangeman sighting!

Just a note-worthy note: Eric has been quoted in BEEF magazine regarding an article about managing "cheatgrass." Check it out, here!

Happy 21st Birthday, Sunshine!

Some may find it strange that every March I mutter a "Happy Birthday, Sunshine" on March 13. Who is Sunshine, you ask? Well, just the greatest maternal mama and foundation of our herd at Shady Oaks Farm. You see, Sunshine was my very first 4-H project, an open heifer we purchased from Bieber Red Angus. I know her birthdate so well because I had to memorize first for the 4-H heifer project, then later as I showed her in cow-calf classes.

Sunshine had a prolific life at our farm. In subsequent years when attending the Bieber production sale, I'd daydream that I'd run into Craig, Ron, or even a cowhand and we'd have a lengthy discussion about the merits of A515 (Sunshine's tattoo/ID), her mother and father, and how she is working for us.

Sunshine was more than just a number for us on the farm. She's raised top-gaining sons for the Focus On Efficiency bull sale/test. She's produced females that had longevity in our herd. Her daughter was my 4-H heifer in 1999, and I won Reserve Champion Red Angus heifer with her (her name was Madeline). It was quite a feat to raise your own champion. And all thanks to Sunshine.

I remember cold mornings in August while at county fairs. My friends and I would pile on top of her back and snuggle (and she'd let us). Nothing really got her riled up. She always looked for grain or a scratch. She weighed in at 1550 lbs., without any help of feed. She was an easy-keeping cow that continued to be productive well into her teens!

My parents didn't tell me the day they took Sunshine "to town." I don't think I could have handled it. But her memory lives on. I think I'd credit her with the reason we're in the Red Angus business. She gave us no troubles and we admired the entire breed because of her (and a few others). To this day, I'll be studying pedigrees in our herd and say something like, "She's the great-granddaughter of Sunshine," and then lobby to keep that bloodline in our herd. It's amazing the kind of impact one animal (or person, for that matter) can have on an operation.

Learn more about Sunshine's performance stats here.

Babies everywhere!

Had a call from Dad Tuesday night - he had a slew of calves to update me on. On Sunday they had 3, with another on Monday. Looks like the weather is cooperating for them at home (40 degrees and higher) - which is unusual for us. The latest calves on the ground are Durango. Dad says they're long, lithe little buggers and that cows just haven't been having any problems.

Proud of my dad

This past weekend, on one of our frequent phone calls to and from the farm, my dad and I were discussing our upcoming breeding season. He had called last week to let me know that Pete (our Genex genetics provider) would be stopping by, and wondering if we had selected our sires for the upcoming breeding season.

It's pretty early for us to select a sire for the next breeding season, mainly because we haven't seen what last year's studs are doing (read: no calves on the ground out of those sires). But, my dad and I are learning from our mistakes. 2009 was just a year of chaos - for both the farm and family. I remember getting ready to board a flight to Scotland for our honeymoon and trying to get ahold of Pete to deliver semen so I'd have something to breed cows to when I returned. We don't want to relive that experience (and stress) again.

So, my dad, Eric and myself put our heads together and narrowed the semen possibilities. We decided to go with Messmer Packer, and got 30 units on him. You see, when we first started AI-ing we bred to multiple sire groups. But when you only breed 30 cows AI/year, there's not a whole lot of progeny to get a sample on each bull. Thus, we're going to use one or two sires to get a good number of progeny (calves). We're pretty excited because we'll have Packer calves born this year (2010), and next year.

But I'm not only proud of my dad because he's got the semen ordered (and in the tank) by February (and we breed in May), but because he's going to take an AI class. For the past 10 years, I've been the only one trained on our farm to AI. That's great when you're a college kid and you live close to home around May to breed heifers and cows, but it's not convenient when you live 370 miles away in another state. So, dad's going to get trained. We'll be able to shoulder the load of breeding cows together (and maybe a local 4-H gal will learn, too). Either way, our operation will be better because of it.

Baby #2 has arrived

Just got an email from mom this morning entitled "Calf Update." We must trade at least 100 "Calf Updates" throughout February and March. Why? Because we are so excited about each new arrival (and ok, because I keep an Excel spreadsheet of data that I cross-reference with dad's calving book).

Remember our last bundle of joy was born Feb. 6? Well - they're keeping it in the family! Baby #2 is related! 0806 (Angel) gave birth first... and while we haven't decided a name for her calf, our 4-Her would like to call her Harmony. Well, Angel's mother - 27N (Heaven) - gave birth last night to a healthy, bucky little boy! We're excited about this new bundle of joy because his father is an AI stud - Messmer Packer - and we just ordered 30 more units of Packer to breed our cows this spring.

Mom tucked in her email a note about how it is supposed to be -8 tonight at the farm. Brrr! I hope the new babies that are coming into the world won't have to face that cold temp. I expect lots of calves to start rolling in now.

Say Cheese!!

My dad, Jack, tried to take pictures of the new mama and her baby. Here's his handiwork!

Looks cold, doesn't it??

Ah, ain't she sweet!

First calf of the season!

Good morning all! I come bearing good news - we started our calving season yesterday. This is cause for excitement every year because we wait with anticipation to see the arrival of the new crop of artificial insemination (AI) calves. This year, we weren't disappointed (will publish photos of the new bundle of joy when possible).

We start calving our heifers 1 full breeding cycle (3 weeks) before the cowherd, so it was one of the new-moms who had a baby. And the day couldn't have been nicer. Saturday morning, Feb. 7, 2010, the temperatures were 34 degrees (quite nice for February in Northern MN). The mama was 0806, better known as Angel, and she had a little heifer calf. The cow has a beautiful udder. I'm excited because this is a continuation of the line of Don Burt cattle (I was given 0806's mother, 27N, as a bred heifer for handling the Don Burt cattle sale). It always reminds me of Uncle Don.

Let me know if you have any names for our new cherub! Grandmother's name: Heaven; Mother's name: Angel...

Reflecting on 2009

There have been many reasons to cheer in 2009, but we're also happy to see it go. Here are a few re-caps for our avid fans:

• We found some amazing successes with our 4-H youth show program - having three of our young ladies exhibit cattle at the MN State Fair 4-H weekend. One lucky lady - her last eligible year of 4-H - was named Reserve Champion Red Angus Cow-Calf Pair and Reserve Champion Senior Showman for the Cow-Calf division. What an honorable success.
• Alaina and Eric were married May 1, 2009 and now live in Brookings, SD.
• Jack retired from his day job, teaching science at Hill City High School.
• Jason was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma February 6, 2009 and BEAT it!
• All of the kids were home for Christmas 2009.
• Jack became president of the Itasca County Farm Service Board.
• Mary completed her remodeling project and has an expanded quilt room!
• We only had 3 open cows at the end of the 2009 breeding season.

Showstring successes!

Whew - it's been just over a month since we've began our 2009 show season - and we've had our share of victories and defeats! Here's a quick re-cap of what our hardworking 4-H kids have been up to. First, let's meet our crew.

Marcy McNichols - is our resident "senior" 4-Her. She will be a sophomore at North Dakota State University in the Fall majoring Agricultural Business. When she's not showing cattle, Marcy enjoys shooting sports, and shootin' the breeze. This summer she and her family traveled to Germany to visit a foreign exchange student they hosted.

Courtney Johnson - will be a senior at Hill City High School in the fall. Newest to the showteam, Courtney is a happy-go-lucky young lady who has diverse interests in small animals, health and journalism. Last year she was a one-woman-show for the school newspaper and yearbook!

Emily Rassmussen - known for her dual-skills in horsemanship and cattle, Emily is exhibiting her very own steer in addition to breeding females this year. While there's much to learn about raising and showing steers, Emily's feels proud to have "one of her own" on the string. In the fall, Emily will be a Junior at Grand Rapids High School.

Hannah Rassmussen - here's our cowgirl in training. Though not officially leasing 4-H projects yet, she competed in her first show at the Aitkin County 4-H Fun Show. Hannah is a bright, inquisitive 10 year old who has unrivaled success with her pony. When she's 12, she'd like to become an official member of the showteam.

July 11, 2009 - Aitkin County 4-H Fun Show, Aitkin, MN
Showmanship successes were the highlight of this one-day event! Hannah, in her first show, earned champion Junior Showman with her big, easy going heifer. Cortney, Emily and Marcy were all called back for the Senior Showmanship contest, and Marcy was named champion (her first such honor!). The animals were all well behave, except Double D - Emily's steer - was a bit freaked out.

In the classes, we did well, also. 0811 placed second, followed by 0806 and 0819 in a class of 6. 0846 won her class, but didn't earn any additional honors. The steer placed 4th out of 8 in the unfinished steer contest.

July 13-16 - Red River Valley Fair, West Fargo, ND
This event comprises three different shows: Regional Red Angus Show, Open Red Angus Show and Mel Kirkide Youth Show - which is great to get a different perspective on what your cattle can do. We were on both extremes - near the bottom and at the top throughout the event. What was most memorable though was the fun Alaina and the girls had - especially on Wednesday night when Jack and Becky joined the fun for go-kart racing!

July 31-Aug. 2 - North St. Louis County Fair, Chisholm, MN
Jack and the girls brought a full trailer load to the county fair. A neighboring county, we've brought cattle here for 20 years and feels like a second home. With 4 heifers, 3 cow-calf pairs and 1 steer, it was a tight fit to get to the event. But once, hay and straw was provided for all exhibitors. Through pouring rain, the team showed quite well, sweeping nearly every competition. Champion Female was #12 and her calf; Champion Bull was #117's bull calf. The steer won it's class of 3, also. You'll note the yearling heifer class was jumbled as 0819 is coming on strong, placing: 0811, 0819, 0846 and 0806.

We've got a 2.5 week break before the Itasca County Fair - our hometown crowd and extravaganza!

Sold!

Do you remember that song from John Michael Montgomery called "Sold!" Sometimes I like to break out with it in song, as I do today. Here's the chorus, in case you forgot:

And I said 'hey pretty lady won't you give me a sign.
I'll do anything to make you mine oh mine.
I'll do your biddin' and be at your beck and call.
Yeah I've never seen anyone lookin' so fine,
Man, I gotta have her, she's a one-of-a-kind
I'm goin' once, goin' twice,
I'm sold! on the lady in the second row
She's an eight, she's a nine, she's a ten, I know
She's got ruby red lips, blond hair, blue eyes
An' I'm about to bid my heart good-bye!

Anyways, that has absolutely nothing to do with this post - except to report that 3 of the 6 yearling bulls in our 2009 private treaty sale offering have been sold (or that 3 are still for sale). Cross 0815, 0821 and 0826 off of your list, as they SOLD!

But don't fret, that still leaves 0809, 0810 and 0827 to be had!

2009 Private Treaty Bull Sale

We're pleased to showcase our 2009 Private Treaty Bulls for sale. Below you will find a few photographs on each bull, a link to their extended pedigree/EPDs from the Red Angus Association of America website and our comments on each.

These six yearling bulls represent the best of our 2008 calf crop in maternal cow power and strong sires (both industry-recognized AI sires and our natural herd bulls). Don't hesitate to contact us if you see something you like!

SHO GRANITE PC 0809

His name is Granite because he’s a solid, AI-sired bull. He and his mother were named Champion Red Angus cow-calf pair at the MN State Fair 4-H show. He’s got good frame and will put a thick topline on the calves he sires. Granite is one of the most complete bulls in the 2009 lineup, with good weaning and growth numbers.

This year's bulls all have a nice set of nuts. All bulls sell after passing a breeding soundness examination by our herd health veterinarian. That way, you know you'll have a capable breeding bull when you turn him out to pasture.

View 0809's extended pedigree, weights and EPDs by clicking here.


SHO JACKPINE MAX 0810
Jackpine’s are known to stand above the others, and this bull is no exception. He may be out of the ugliest cow in the herd, but she’s always raised a belt-busting calf. He bears a resemblance unlike his mother, with a teddy bear look and disposition to match. A very balanced bull that carries his depth with plenty of gut. And a nice smooth shoulder/front-end (see below)!

View 0810's extended pedigree, weights and EPDs by clicking here!


SHO TABASCO PC 0815

Meet Tabasco named such as he’s bound to spice things up. Standing on good substance of bone, Tabasco has a gentle disposition and plenty of length. His mother is a young super-producer from Sonstegard Cattle Co. Check out his smooth front-end—easy calving! A maternal half-brother was the first bull to sell in 2008. View 0815's extended pedigree, weights and EPDs by clicking here!


SHO HOSS ML 0821

Here’s a bull that packs a punch! The guys took one look at him and agreed—he’s a steer making bull if they’ve ever seen one. Shorter framed, with a powerful, stout front end, he’s out of a cow with loads of milk. With a big wide top to him, he’ll add power. And, he’s got a good disposition, too! Do you like that, Hoss?

View 0821's extended pedigree, weights and EPDs by clicking here!


SHO SHOCKER PO 0826

Looking to add some excitement to your herd? Shocker has the giddy-up and go! He is one of the most athletic bulls in the battery. With a small head, good depth and an attractive hip to him, he will sire deep-sided, standout calves. Jack thinks this is the best bull in the offering. (Caution - he's a little frisky).

View 0826's extended pedigree, weights and EPDs by clicking here!


SHO STOPPER ML 0827

Stopper is a lighter colored bull that is worth a second look. With a heifer-head, smooth shoulder, frame and plenty of length to him—he’ll shape up to be a calving-ease king. His mother is an easy-keeping forage monger with a good tight udder; a model of efficiency! Stop and take a look at this youngster.

View 0827's extended pedigree, weights and EPDs by clicking here!