Milk Creek Reds Sale Catalog 2023

Quality Red Angus Cattle Bred to Function Efficiently

Annual Bull Sale

Saturday, March 18, 2023

At the Ranch • Plevna, MT • 1 p.m. MDT

Selling 93

Yearling Red Angus Bulls

Bulls can be viewed at Eric Bowman’s feedlot, 1 mile south of Rhame, ND, until three days prior to the sale. Catalog

Welcome

Welcome to our offering of Red Angus genetics that have been developed over the past 38 years since we started in the Red Angus business. Thank you for taking the time to view the information that we have provided in hopes that it will give you the information needed to better inform you about the animals in this offering as well as our program as a whole. Our hope is that our customers can find us open to share all segments of our operation including who we are as a family and that we can understand the needs of our customers well enough to develop lasting relationships that go beyond the cattle industry.

We have arranged this offering of bulls so that they will sell in catalog order. We begin by sorting two high performance pens of bulls with one pen made up of heifer bulls and the other pen containing cow bulls. After that, we try to keep this process simple on our part, so we sort bulls into pens by sire groups and then develop a sale order within each pen which is based on the animals individual ID with a few exceptions. Through this process you will be able to find good bulls throughout this offering and the best bulls might not be at the front end of the sale.

We have added Ridge Oak Canyon 0072, 5L Foreman 04H, Ridge True North 0089 to our bull battery to offer some different genetics to our customers. We once again are offering sons of Ridge Admiral 3411, 5L The Real Deal 143B, RED Minburn Copenhagen 3Y, and Mlk Crk Fusion 5202. We feel that these sires fit into our breeding philosophy and and are being tested here in large contemporary groups.

We continue to have the bulls developed at Eric and Andrea Bowman’s in Rhame, North Dakota. It has been a pleasure to work with this family for over 30 years when we started feeding with Eric’s dad, Bruce. Now we get to watch Dillon, Olivia and Grayson (Eric and Andrea’s children) becoming more involved with their operation. Eric feeds the bulls a TMR ration so that they should gain around 2.5 pounds per day. The bulls have two large lots along with a small pasture to get adequate exercise so they can develop for their future job of breeding cows and heifers.

We hope that the information provided within the pages of this catalog will be useful to you in evaluating our offering. If you have any questions about this information or need additional information please do not hesitate to contact us.

We always look forward to the opportunity to meeting people involved in this ranching life style as well as renewing friendships from the past.

May God Bless You,

Bruce, Tena, Jaclyn Ketchum and Jeff, Cele and Blaze Menees

As servants of the Lord, we are striving to be stewards of the land and cattle that He created and allowed us to manage so that we may glorify Him.

Bruce, Tena & Jaclyn Ketchum • Jeff, Cele and Blaze Menees

Milk Creek Reds Bull Sale

Saturday, March 18, 2023

1 p.m. MDT • Milk Creek Reds Ranch • Plevna, MT

SALE DAY LUNCH:

Complimentary lunch and pie will be served at 11:30 a.m.

SALE LOCATION:

At the Ranch (see map on page 2 for directions)

2093 Plevna Road South, Plevna, Mont.

CATTLE VIEWING:

Sale Information

Selling: 93 Yearling Red Angus Bulls

ACCOMODATIONS:

Baker, Mont.

(If planning to stay please reserve early as the oil field activity can cause room shortages.)

406-778-3819

The bulls can be viewed at Bruce and Eric Bowman’s feedlot 1 mile south of Rhame, N.D., until March 16th. After this time the bulls will be at the ranch.

SUPPLEMENTAL SHEET

Supplemental Sheet with Updated Carcass EPDs, Scrotal Measurements, Frame Score will be available online a few days before the sale and on sale day.

SALE VIDEO

The video of the sale cattle will be available to view by March 1, 2023 at www.milkcreekreds.com or www.dvauction.com. If you don’t have high speed internet or are unable to view the video over the internet, contact us for a DVD on the sale cattle.

SALE FORMAT:

Once again we will be offering the bulls through a rancher’s auction. We will have an auctioneer that will auction the sale in a relaxed atmosphere. Each interested buyer will be able to bid on the bull of their choice with low pressure and the ability to be comfortable.

Online bidding will take place on DVAuction. Go to www.dvauction.com.

PHONE ORDERS

Buyers unable to attend the sale may call or send their bids to the owners, Bruce or Tena Ketchum. If you would like to discuss the sale offering, call us and describe your needs and budget and we can select your genetics for you. We can bid on the animal for you and you pay only the bid price established by the auction. Bids are handled in confidence on all orders. If there are several people needing to use this method for the sale we will set up a conference call for you to call into during the sale. Please call a few days in advance if this is needed so that we may set this up and get you the necessary phone number and information ahead of sale time.

SALE CONTACTS:

Milk Creek Reds

Bruce and Tena Ketchum

Auctioneer: Scott Weishaar

406-778-3819 (Home)

406-978-3819 (Cell)

701-872-5299

Red Angus Association of America: Rachael Oliver.......................

Videos: DVAuction

DV Auction: Jay Rost

AIR

406- 480-1569

406-978-2124

406-978-2124

All persons who attend the sale or view the cattle do so at their own risk. The owners assume no liability, legal or otherwise, for any accidents that occur on the sale or viewing premises.

Montana Motel .........................................................................

Miles City, Mont. Sleep Inn & Suites

406-778-3321

406-778-3315 Red River Inn

406-232-3000 Miles City Inn & Suites

TERMS

866-599-6674

The terms of the sale are cash. All settlements will be made with clerks of the sale immediately following the conclusion of the sale and before any cattle will be released. We will follow the Terms and Conditions set forth by the Red Angus Association of America. Announcements made by seller on sale day take precedence over any statements printed in this catalog or advertisement.

DELIVERY

We will provide delivery up to 500 miles. Over 500 miles we will work with the buyer to make arrangements on delivery. A $100 credit per bull will be applied to the purchase price of the bull if the new owner picks up the bull(s) on the day of the sale. Delivery of the bulls will start the week after the sale.

BULL HEALTH PROGRAM

The bulls received Vision 7 at branding and then were preconditioned in August with Bovishield Gold One Shot and Vision 7 Somnus. The bulls were boostered with Bovishield Gold in October. They received a Fusiguard injection in November and a booster in December. The bulls were drenched in November with Safe-Guard, poured with Clean-Up II in December and in January, Standguard in January and Clean-Up II in February. Semen evaluations were performed by Fallon County Vet Service prior to the sale and all the evaluation forms will be available sale day. Bulls that do not pass the semen evaluation will be available for sale after they have a satisfactory evaluation.

BULL DEVELOPMENT

The bulls are fed on a ration to develop them into sound functional useable bulls that will work in big country. They are fed to gain 2.5 lbs per day. The ration consists of ground corn (9.5 lbs), dry distiller’s (1.75 lbs), corn silage (12.5 lbs), and the balance of chopped hay that consists of grass, alfalfa, oat hay(12.5 lbs). Along with a vitamin-mineral supplement. This ration is developed to use 1% of the feed base being grain to reach our goal of 2.5 lb gain. They have been developed at Bruce & Eric Bowman’s feedlot which is located 1 mile south of Rhame, N.D.

SEMEN INTEREST

Milk Creek Reds is retaining one-half revenue-sharing semen interest in all bulls in the sale. The retained semen interest by Milk Creek Reds allows us to collect semen, use semen on the bull in our herd, as well as share in semen revenue if the bull would develop interest to be used in other herds or semen marketing companies. Any semen collection would be at the buyer’s convenience in the off-season use. Full possession and full salvage value sells on all bulls in this sale.

CATALOG & PROMOTION:

Tracey Koester, Cow Camp Promotions www.cowcamppromotions.com

A big thanks to Tracey and her crew!

Sale Information

WATCH AND BID ONLINE AT DVAUCTION.COM

Can’t make the sale?

We are pleased to bring you real-time Internet bidding and a live broadcast of this sale through DV Auction. To watch or bid online, simply complete the following steps:

• Visit the DVAuction web site at www.dvauction.com

• Click on the “Register” tab

• Enter a user name, password and your contact information.

• Click on “Apply for Bidding.”

• Select the sale from the list of other auctions and click “Apply”.

• Complete the process by filling out the Banking & Lending information requested.

Be sure to include a personal contact at your bank, we will contact them in order to get a credit reference.

If you would prefer to be approved using your credit card, call (402) 474-5557.

Please be sure to apply for bidding at least a day in advance of the saleevery effort will be made to process your application in a timely manner.

DVAuction will contact you once you have been approved to bid. We do not provide buyer numbers until you have purchased a lot in the sale, and that number is only usable for that auction. After the sale contact the sale owner or manager to make arrangements for payment and delivery of your online purchases.

Please Note: High speed Internet access (DSL, T-1, or Broadband) is required to be able to bid successfully during the sale. If you have any questions, please contact DVAuction at (402) 474-5557 or email support@dvauction. com.

Proxy Bidding: If you can’t access a computer during the sale, you can now place a “proxy bid” through DVAuction. Simply follow the instructions listed above, and as the sale date nears there will be a “Proxy Bidding” link under the sale listing on the main page of DVAuction. You can then place the maximum amount that you’d like to bid, and our system will represent your bid just as if you were there.

One important person will be missing at the sale this year, she always sat at the back and recorded the price of each bull, along with baking pies for everyone to enjoy.

Mary Ketchum lived the majority of her adult life on this ranch that we call home. She was married to Stanley Ketchum shortly after graduating from high school and moved to the ranch on the south fork of Milk Creek. At a young age she developed a strong work ethic and competitive spirit that she instilled in her two boys as well as many students that she worked with in the sport of rodeo. Most of her life she was faced with difficult challenges which she met head on. Her husband passed away unexpectedly when she was 36 years old leaving her the ranch with a huge debt and two young boys to raise. Many women would have not even attempted to accept this challenge but she didn’t understand the concept of giving up. She was financially forced to sell all the cows but was able to keep a handful of bred heifers and heifer calves. She was able to take some cattle in on shares to help pay some bills as well. With only a high school education and living 30 miles from town, getting a town job didn’t seem feasible to her so she began training barrel horses and students as a business. She also competed in barrel racing as a business to make money to keep food on the table and to keep from having to sell the ranch. She would usually have 2-3 outside horses along with 3-4 of her own raised horses in training at any given time. Throughout the summer months there would be a continuing rotation of girls and ladies that would travel to the ranch for 2 days to a week at a time to get lessons at the barrel patch but many walked away with lessons about horse care, pedigrees, and life in general.

In 1998 she was faced with another challenge when she was evaluating a couple of horses for one of her students. Through a chain of events she was knocked off balance by one horse bumping her while she was looking at the other horse and when she was falling the horse kicked her in the back of the head causing a major brain injury. She spent 17 days in a coma and a month and a half in the hospital and rehab before being able to come home. The doctors and hospital staff didn’t have an explanation for her recovery other than it was a miracle. A year later she was competing in the rodeo arena in the sport she loved, barrel racing.

Her last challenge was a battle with cancer that began two years ago with a small outpatient surgery and some therapy administered by a pill. In August of this past year she began having some abnormal back pain which ended up her seeing a few different doctors and a hospital stay for what was originally diagnosed as a heart attack but ended up being discovered that the cancer had come back and metastasized to the vertebrae, ribs and hip. When she was nearing the end of life, she was asked if she was able to walk out of the hospital on a beautiful fall day what would be the one thing that she would want to do. Her response was that she was just fine where she was. She had found peace in a place that she wouldn’t have wanted to be in if she didn’t have to be.

Mary’s blessings came in the form of over 70 buckles, five saddles, numerous plaques, articles written about her, Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame Induction, Lifetime Quarter Horse membership, family, her sons, her grandchildren and great grandson.

Of the many life lessons learned from Mom, perseverance, determination and finding peace in the middle of life’s most challenging times were the most important.

Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame Inductee

Mary with Ketchum’s Ote, Ketchum’s Jay and McCues Grant – three of the studs that she stood for breeding and also competed on.

Cele, Mary and Jaclyn

Mary at the Bull Sale

Mary still doing at 80 years

Loyd and Mary at the Milk Creek Reds Sale

The Mary Ketchum Family

Reference Sires

ARIDGE ADMIRAL 3411

RIDGE ADMIRAL 3411

We continue to use Ridge Admiral in our AI sire lineup because of how his progeny perform in our enviroment. The bulls have been well received by our commercial as well as registered customers and the oldest females are now 8 years old and bringing in good calves while functioning very well in our enviroment. You will see some of his daughters bringing bulls to this offering and you will continue to see sons offered in future sales. When you study the numbers he is a bull that does well on all the indicies and yet has growth EPDs that are not what some people would say are ideal yet it is where we like it to be for the female to fit our eastern Montana enviroment. Owned with Sandbur Ridge Red Angus.

BMLK CRK ADVOCATE 4304

We have calved our 7th crop of daughters out of 4304 and are very pleased with their fleshing ability, moderate size, feet and leg structure and calving ease. The 4304 daughters are the largest sire group in our cow herd because of the ability of this sire to produce higher performance with good caracass and leave the right size and kind of females in the herd. The visitors that we have go through our cowherd usually pick out the 4304 daughters due to their appearance. They also are females that bring in above average calves in the fall of the year.

MLK CRK ADVOCATE 4304

C5L THE REAL DEAL 1687-143B

REG.

# TATTOO: BD: 1701634

5L SIGNATURE 5615

5L ADVOCATE 817-14W

5L BLACK ADINA 525-560

5L DESTINATION 893-6215

5L FIREFLY 275-1687

5L FIREFLY 2573-275

5L MARTA 345-817

TC STOCKMAN 365

5L ADINA 293-525

5L DIRECT FIRE 1641-6443

5L ADINA 525-893

5L NORSEMAN KING 2291

143B FLR 2/16/14 100% 1A BW/Ratio WW/Ratio YW/Ratio ADG/Ratio %IMF/Ratio REA/Ratio Fat/Ratio Dam’s MPPA/Age 3.74 4.52 13.8 0.31 78 715 105.0 1314 96 111 116 122 92 108 114 7 CED BW WW YW ADG DMI M ME HPG CEM ST MARB YG CW REA FAT 13 -0.9 68 121 0.33 2.72 20 17 6 7 11 0.72 0.04 41 0.25 0.00 46% 65% 30% 15% 7% 99% 88% 96% 97% 53% 87% 9% 36% 10% 28% 13% ProS HB GM 71 2 69 73% 97% 9%

5L THE REAL DEAL 1687-143B

Reference Sires

DRED MINBURN COPENHAGEN 3Y

RED MINBURN COPENHAGEN 3Y

We found Copenhagen progeny at the U2 ranch in Canada 7 years ago while touring through their pastures viewing cattle. His daughters impressed us as to their type and kind that we like, to a point that every cow we asked Joanne Unger what she was out of it would end up being a Copenhagen daughter. We viewed Copenhagen as an 8-year-old bull and found him to be very sound and holding his condition. When U2 dispersed everyone else found the Copenhagen daughters as well and they were one of the highest selling sire groups in a record setting sale. We are now offering the 3rd set of sons and are calving the second set of daughters and have been very pleased with both. AI Sire.

EMLK CRK FUSION 5202

MLK CRK FUSION 5202

Fusion 5202 is a bull that the Lelands selected out of our 2016 sale. He has been a good calving ease bull for them and has provided both bulls and heifers that have been well received by their customers. We have been pleased with the calving ease that he has provided after calving three sets of heifers bred to him but the nugget in these genetics are going to be the females that he produces. He has numbers that are very attractive to the industry, minus his growth EPDS, yet his growth numbers will allow his daughters to be able to thrive on less inputs which equates to a better profit margin for the cow/calf producer. Owned with Leland Red Angus.

RIDGE PROVISION 6013

BUF CRK LANCER R017

BUF CRK THE RIGHT KIND U199

REG. # TATTOO: BD: 3552198 [

5L ADVANTAGE 3267-221Y

5L ADINA 195-3267

5L ZENITH 1425-5767

RIDGE MONA 8162-2057

RIDGE MONA 620-8162

BUF CRK SHOSHONE R353

5L TRADITION 203-6145

5L ADINA 2113-195

5L MTN NORSE 71-7994

5L OSCE 233-1425

MUSHRUSH LTJULIAN LG S005

RIDGE MONA 303-620

We used 6013 A.I. on both heifers and cows and then used him naturally on 52 two-yearold heifers where he held his flesh well and had only 3 open cows in his group. By using this bull hard he has recorded 317 progeny over the past five years which allows us to determine his genetic merit within our herd. We have calved four sets of daughters and they fit well in our herd having good feet, udders and mothering ability while bringing in respectable calves in the fall. Owned with Sandbur Ridge Red Angus.

RIDGE PROVISION 6013

Reference Sires

G5L FOREMAN 2174-370E

5L FOREMAN 2174-370E

Foreman is a A.I. sire from 5L that we used the past 3 years because he has the pedigree and EPD profile that will fit well in our program. We used him on both heifers and cows to get a good test across our female base. His sons and daughters did well at weaning, yearling and ultrasound. We are currently calving the third set of heifers bred to him and the first set of daughters and like the results.

HRED U2 MONEY TALKS 530F

After 3 trips to Canada studying the cow herd at U2 we came to the conclusion that we needed to sample a pedigree that worked multiple times in their program. We selected Money Talks out of their 2019 bull sale after studying the bull calves the previous fall as well as at the sale and studying the cows in the spring and fall. We used 530F on both heifers and cows A.I. and then turned him with 50 plus head of 1st calf heifers for natural service and had only 3 opens. He has now recorded 191 progeny in three calving seasons and are very pleased in the balance of birth, performance, carcass and phenotype. His first and 2nd calf heifers that are currently calving are displaying excellent udders and feet while being good mothers.

RED U2 MONEY TALKS 530F

MUSHRUSH IMPACT Z352

MUSHRUSH IMPRESSIVE CA U236

MUSHRUSH ZENA JL

MUSHRUSH IMPACT Z352

We have been using Mushrush Impact AI for four years and appreciate the calving ease, performance and eye appeal produced by this sire. His oldest daughters are 5 this year and nice uddered, good footed, with a moderate frame and raise calves that do well. Owned by Mushrush Red Angus.

RIDGE OAK CANYON 0072

Reference Sires

JRIDGE OAK CANYON 0072

Ridge Oak Canyon is a new sire group in the offering this year. We purchased him to use as a cleanup sire and his progeny has out performed what his EPDs predict him to be. His parents are old genetics that don’t have much for EPDs yet his progeny are proving that wrong. I am very pleased with his sons in the offering and daughters that we have coming into the herd. Owned with Sandbur Ridge Red Angus.

KMLK CRK EXPRESS 9127

MLK CRK EXPRESS 9127

Express 9127 is a sire that never goes out of style here. We continue to use him AI on heifers because he produces calving ease bulls that are the shape and type that are easy to look at. His daughters turn into great functional cows that produce well.

LMLK CRK ADVOCATE 0401

MLK CRK ADVOCATE 0401

ProS HB GM 153 109 44 3% 1% 36%

NORSEMAN EXPRESS

5L RUBY 01-453

GLACIER CHATEAU 744

401 2.64 2.83 12.0 0.32

88 683 98.0

1106

ET ET ET ET 118 95 110 11 CED BW WW YW ADG DMI M ME HPG CEM ST MARB YG CW REA FAT 13 -3.7 54 79 0.15 1.46 23 -5 19 8 20 0.70 0.10 22 0.28 0.05 49% 20% 77% 86% 91% 47% 69% 15% 1% 36% 8% 11% 62% 55% 24% 94%

Advocate 0401 is a new sire that we retained for a cleanup sire and was in a multi sire pasture so we didn’t get many progeny the first year. He combines muliple generations of great functional cows with longevity. We put him in a single sire pasture this past year and are expecting 38 calves this spring.

Reference Sires

5L FAST BREAK 117-324E

M5L FAST BREAK 117-324E

Fast Break 324E is a sire that we used on heifers his first three years of breeding. Last year we used him on a group of cows with the resulting sons that are listed in this sale. We are pleased with his calving ease, moderate size with depth and thickness that are easy to like. His daughters are the type of females we need more of. Owned with 5L Red Angus.

RIDGE TRUE NORTH 0089

RIDGE TRUE NORTH 0089

Ridge True North is another new sire group we are offering in this year’s sale. We purchased him to use cleanup on a group of cows to introduce a different pedigree into our lineup. His first calf crop has performed well and we are looking forward to getting his daughters into production next year. Owned with Sandbur Ridge Red Angus.

O5L FOREMAN 3428-04H

04H is a bull that we purchased from 5L Red Angus to use clean up on heifers. His EPD profile reveals that he will offer a bit more growth and his first progeny that are offered confer with the predictions. Owned with 5L Red Angus.

PMLK CRK REDSTONE

Q5L COW BOSS 3697-34G

5L Cowboss was purchased from 5L Red Angus to use cleanup on heifers. He is moderate framed with good muscling and depth of body and works well on heifers. Owned with 5L Red Angus.

5L COW BOSS 3697-34G

Yearling Bulls

MLK CRK REAL DEAL 2200

We are starting off the sale with this powerful Real Deal son that is packed full of muscle. He is thick over the top and through the quarter and carries a lot of depth of body. He has performed well at weaning and through yearling, posting one of the higher gain ratios.

2 MLK CRK FUSION 2202

Lot 2 nearly matches lot 1’s weaning, yearling and gain weights and ratios, plus brings a dark red color patern with additonal length and depth. He ranks in the top 2% for both the Herdbuilder and ProS indicies, as well as ranking high for Calving Ease, Birth Weight, and Calving Ease Maternal EPDs.

MLK CRK REAL DEAL 2226

Lot 3 posts one of the highest gaining and yearling ratios along with one of the highest ribeye areas in the offering. He also expresses above average thickness, length, and depth in a darker color pattern.

Lot 1 • MLK CRK REAL DEAL 2200

Lot 2 • MLK CRK FUSION 2202

Yearling Bulls

Lot 4 • MLK CRK STEWARD 2230

4 MLK CRK STEWARD 2230

Steward 2230 brings a balance of growth and marbling to his female-making pedigree. By adding Advocate 4304 to the Lot 4’s pictured dam, it should create the genetic package for making a great set of cows. Maybe the icing on the cake is the smooth made phenotype that this bull brings in addition to other traits he possesses.

5 MLK CRK ADMIRAL 2234

With positive ratios across the board including the top gain and yearling ratios of the offering, 2234 will have some take a second look at his data. If the data is enough to perk interest to take a look, most people won’t be diappointed in the length and depth of body along with thickness throughout that lot 5 possesses. His 5-year-old dam will calve AI any day now and her granddam is the donor dam to some of the bulls in the offering. Check out his video on www.DVAuction.com!

MLK CRK REAL DEAL 2236

REG. # TATTOO: BD: 4630203

5L DEFENDER 560-30Z

5L THE REAL DEAL 1687-143B

5L FIREFLY 275-1687

RIDGE ADMIRAL 3411

MLK CRK THUNDER 796

MLK CRK THUNDER 4100

Lot 6 • MLK CRK REAL DEAL 2236

5L ADVOCATE 817-14W

5L BLACK ADINA 525-560

5L DESTINATION 893-6215

5L FIREFLY 2573-275

5L LEGEND 1553-425V RIDGE GRANDIOSE 629-1112

ANDRAS FUSION R236 HRR

Lot 6 posseses the highest weaning ratio, 2nd highest yearing ratio, and 3rd highest marbling score in this sale while maintaining many indicies and EPDs in the front end of the breed. His pictured dam combines Admiral, Fusion and data in the front end of her pedigree, giving her the tools to produce a MPPA of 107 which matches her dam’s MPPA, while her granddam posted a 112 MPPA. Her dam also raised the heifer calf that was selected out all our heifers to go to the NILE this past fall.

MLK CRK LAKOTA 706, Dam

Lot 7 • MLK CRK ADMIRAL 2254

7

Yearling Bulls

MLK CRK ADMIRAL 2254

Admiral sired another deep, thick son in lot 7, who achieved postive growth and marbling ratios and ranks in the top 5% or better for 2 of the three indicies.

MLK CRK OAK CANYON 2288

Dam to Lot 8 • MLK CRK EMUMAR

024

Lot 8 is a larger framed Oak Canyon son that has competed extremely well against his competition considering his age and the age of his dam. His 13-year-old donor dam continues to produce functional performance with a 107 MPPA. Lot 8 continued to gain on his older contemporaries until at yearling weight he only had 4 bulls weigh more than he did with actual weights that day.

9

MLK CRK OAK CANYON 2304

OAK CANYON

OAK CANYON 0072 MLK CRK LAKOTA 828

Lot 9 • MLK CRK OAK CANYON 2304

Our Firecracker daughters are moderate framed, with great udders and feet while producing offspring that can grow and gain like Lot 9.

Yearling Bulls

Checking out the heifers.

MLK CRK FUSION 2220

Looking for a heifer bull that checks a lot of the boxes, check out lot 10. He has exceptional growth, gain, and carcass ratios along with top rankings in the indicies. His young dam decends from the 14X cow who is a donor dam to bulls in this sale. At 13 she is still in production with an excellent udder and great feet. Be sure to check out his video on www. DVAuction.com!

MLK CRK IMPACT 2256

The combination of Impact with Admiral has produced a bull that competes well against his contemporaries at every step from birth through growth as well as carcass. He also competes well within the breed, ranking in the top 1% for ProS and Herdbuilder respectively. While his stats might be attractive, his best attribute might be his phenotypical profile. It is not typical to find a low birthweight bull with the dimension that he possesses.

MLK CRK EXPRESSIVE 2261

Lot 12 • MLK CRK EXPRESSIVE 2261

5L GRAND EXPRESS 453-5655

MLK CRK EXPRESS 9127

MLK CRK SHEBA 043

RED MINBURN COPENHAGEN 3Y

MLK CRK MALTA 048

MLK CRK MALTA 066

5L NORSEMAN EXPRESS

5L RUBY 01-453

BJR PROOF 224-159

MLK CRK SHEBA 869

RED RMJ REDMAN 1T MINBURN MAY 112M

5L TRAILBLAZER 1766-188V

REG. # TATTOO: BD: 4630071 [ [ [ [

MLK CRK MALTA 864

We continue to use the Express 9127 sire due to his ability to produce calving ease sons like lot 12 that can perform and still look good. With the combination of his sire with his Copenhagen dam, the females out of this lot should be tremendous.

Lot 11

MLK CRK IMPACT 2256

13

MLK CRK IMPACT 2262

14

Yearling Bulls

MLK CRK FUSION 2264

Lot

has some respectable growth numbers while providing low birth weight and good Calving Ease scores.

Lot 14 decends from a strong cow family that includes his donor, maternal and paternal granddams and great granddams that were still in production at 13 plus years of age. He offers calving ease with above average growth and marbling ratios with high ranking indicies.

15

MLK CRK IMPACT 2266

# TATTOO: BD: 4630143

Splish! Splash!

The weaning weight ratio of Impact 2266 ranks him near the top of his contemporaries while maintaining a moderate birth weight.

16

MLK CRK IMPACT 2270

REG. # TATTOO: BD: 4630141

MUSHRUSH IMPRESSIVE CA U236

MUSHRUSH IMPACT Z352

MUSHRUSH ZENA JL X320

RIDGE ADMIRAL 3411

MLK CRK LAKOTA 064

MLK CRK LAKOTA 5108

Lot 16

MLK CRK IMPACT 2270

BUF CRK LANCER R017

MUSHRUSH MADAM LT R265 BECKTON JULIAN G1 J526

MUSHRUSH ZENA EP U339

5L LEGEND 1553-425V

Studying pedigrees helps us to identify that lot 16 is more than a 3/4 brother to lot 15 which would provide an opportunity to purchase a closely related bull to put with a group of heifers. This Impact son has as much dimension as you can find in a low birth weight, calving ease bull. He also brings positve ratios on all the growth and carcass measurements while maintaining the top 2% breed rank for both the ProS and Herdbuilder indicies.

Yearling Bulls

Lot 17 • MLK CRK FUSION 2271

17

MLK CRK FUSION 2271

5202 continues to sire dark red sons like lot 17 who posts positive growth, gain and ribeye ratios. He ranks well within the breed on the indicies and profiles well phenotypically.

MLK CRK HOT SHOT 2294

Blaze as Woody for trick-or-treating.

Low birth weight with above average growth and gain ratios helps Hot Shot 2294 peak the interest of some. He also offers a moderate frame with good thickness and depth.

19

MLK CRK ADMIRAL 2232

5L

560-117A

Lot 19 • MLK CRK ADMIRAL 2232

Block, Chunk, or Tank are three words that might best describe lot 19. He is moderate with depth and thickness to balance his profile. Admiral 2232 started with a moderate birth weight and then added above average growth and gain ratios to go along with his substantial ribeye scan. His dam is a dark red, good footed and uddered Firecracker daughter that most people would want to replicate.

Milk Creek Reds Bull Sale Catalog and video online at www.milkcreekreds.com

MGD to Lot 20 • MLK CRK LAKINA 523

20

Yearling Bulls

MLK CRK ADMIRAL 2238

Admiral 2238 decends from the strong Lakina cow family that maintains a strong performance record including his dam with a 104 MPPA and granddam with a 113 MPPA. His pedigree, actual data and projected EPDs puts him on track to produce performance offspring that you will want to keep the females back.

21

MLK CRK ADMIRAL 2242

Lot 21 is another dark red Admiral son whose dam is a maternal sister to the Advocate 4304 sire in this offering. He posts two of the three indicies in the top 4% and his individual performance is charted on the postive side, helping to attract some interest.

22

MLK CRK REDSTONE 2400

Lot 22 •

CRK REDSTONE 2400

Lot 22 is an ET Redstone son that combines above average growth with good carcass that is packaged into an attractive phenotype. His pictured dam is very functional with a good udder and feet.

Lot 21

MLK CRK ADMIRAL 2242

Yearling Bulls

23

MLK CRK ADMIRAL 2206

24

MLK CRK ADMIRAL 2207

Admiral continues to sire moderate birth weights with above average growth and then packages it in a moderate frame with above average thickness and depth of body. Lot 23’s dam has been one of the first cows to calve the last two years shortening her calving interval which adds value. He ranks well in all the indicies and many of the EPDs.

25 MLK CRK ADMIRAL 2210

Lot

2210

Lot 25 is a soggy-made Admiral son that has gained very well post weaning. His dam descends from a strong cow family with her granddam producing two sires that we are currently using. He also ranks well in the Herdbuilder and ProS indicies.

MLK CRK ADMIRAL 2227

MLK CRK ADMIRAL 2227

25 • MLK CRK ADMIRAL

Lot 28

MLK CRK REAL DEAL 2203

27

Yearling Bulls

MLK CRK ADMIRAL 2231

29

MLK CRK REAL DEAL 2205

28

MLK CRK REAL DEAL 2203

Lot 28 combines a moderate birth weight with above average growth and gain while being phenotypically pleasing to the eye. He is backed by a 6-year-old Legend daughter that posts a 103 MPPA and has bred back to calve AI again this year.

MLK CRK REAL DEAL 2209

BLAZIN RED 1354-6166 MLK CRK LAKOTA 850

Dam of Lot 27 • RED XO CROWFOOT LADY 2444Z

Yearling Bulls

33

MLK CRK REAL DEAL 2222

31

MLK CRK REAL DEAL 2212

560-30Z

5L THE REAL DEAL 1687-143B

MLK CRK LAKOTA 5108

Real Deal combined with Data has produced the highest marbling bull in the offering. Lot 31 also brings appealing growth and gain ratios to interest potential customers. His dam has posted a 103 MPPA and is an ET daughter of the great 850 cow.

32 MLK CRK REAL DEAL 2213

335 continues to produce thick-butted bulls that push the scales down in the fall. Lot 32 is one of the heaviest weaning bulls in the offering and carries that weight in depth of rib and thickness.

34

MLK CRK REAL DEAL 2250

# TATTOO: BD: 4630213

5L DEFENDER 560-30Z

5L THE REAL DEAL 1687-143B MLK CRK CPR LASS 834

Real Deal 2250 offers a moderate birth weight while adding positive growth and carcass ratios.

– Milk Creek Reds Bull Sale Catalog and video online at www.milkcreekreds.com

Lot 32 • MLK CRK REAL DEAL 2213

Lot 36 • MLK CRK THE REAL DEAL 2411

35

Yearling Bulls

MLK CRK THE REAL DEAL 2404

Lots 35 and 36 are full ET brothers that should produce some excellent females while increasing performance in the male offspring. Their dam is the type and kind that most people would like to have a pasture full of.

36

MLK CRK THE REAL DEAL 2411

37

MLK CRK HOT SHOT 2284

5L HOT SHOT 2370-186A

5L FAST BREAK 117-324E

5L ROXIE 854-117

RIDGE MONA 1116-7062

MLK CRK ADVOCATE 4304 RIDGE MONA 740-1116

Lot 37 • MLK CRK HOT SHOT 2284

5L BLAZIN KIND 189-228Y

5L MARTHA 425-2370

5L

5615

ROXIE 854 MR

5L SECRET AGENT 117-229Z

MLK CRK SHEBA 1014 RIDGE UNMATCHED 8039 RIDGE MONA 303-740

Moderate framed, balanced, thickness and depth in a low birth weight and above average weaning weight package help lot 37 to stimulate interest. He also adds positive carcass ratios to sweeten the interest.

MLK CRK LAKOTA 2115, Dam

Yearling Bulls

38

MLK CRK IMPACT 2285

39 MLK CRK HOT SHOT 2296

40

MLK CRK IMPACT 2299

The boss checking water.

41

MLK CRK HOT SHOT 2303

Lot 41 • MLK CRK HOT SHOT 2303

Lot 43

MLK CRK HOT SHOT 2318

44 MLK CRK HOT SHOT 2325

Yearling Bulls

42 MLK CRK HOT SHOT 2310

43

MLK CRK HOT SHOT 2318

Fast Break 324E has produced some nice calving ease, low birth weights sons like lot 43. This bull not only offers calving ease but ratios well in all the other measured boxes and profiles well from any angle.

45 MLK CRK COW BOSS 2337

# TATTOO: BD: 4630465

5L COW BOSS 3697-34G

COW BOSS 5684-124D 5L MYDEE MISS 1807-3697 MLK CRK ADVOCATE 4304

MLK CRK EMUMAR 053

Moderate, thick, and deep describes Lot 45. He has the birth weight and calving ease to make a great heifer bull with above average growth and carcass.

Yearling Bulls

Dam to Lot 48 • MLK CRK BONNEBELL 848

46

MLK CRK TRUE NORTH 2260

47 MLK CRK OAK CANYON 2292

48

TRUE NORTH 0089

CRK BONNEBELL 848

MLK CRK TRUE NORTH 2293

True North brings an above average growth and gain ratioed son to the sale that decends from a balanced, moderate framed Admiral daughter.

Lot 47 • MLK CRK OAK CANYON 2292

Lot 49 • MLK CRK OAK CANYON 2309

49

Yearling Bulls

MLK CRK OAK CANYON 2309

Oak Canyon brings a dark red, thick, yet attractive son that will catch your eye. He balances moderate birth weight with above average growth and gain to acquire some more attention.

50 MLK CRK TRUE NORTH 2322

Will he be a mechanic?

Moderate, thick and attractive growth ratios best describe this True North son.

MLK CRK OAK CANYON 2344

Lot 50 • MLK CRK TRUE NORTH 2322

Yearling Bulls

Lot 52 • MLK CRK TRUE NORTH 2347

52

4630553

MLK CRK TRUE NORTH 2347

COMPASS 7087

RIDGE TRUE NORTH 0089 MLK CRK THUNDER 9134

AQUILA 552-8066

Lot 52 is a moderate, attractive, thick made True North son that offers a decent growth pattern with acceptable birth weight.

53 MLK CRK OAK CANYON 2350

Lot 54 • MLK CRK STEWARD 2208

54 MLK CRK STEWARD 2208

REDMAN 94Y RED CROWFOOT BRNDINA 1103Y

798, the dam to Lot 54 continues to build her resume on bringing in calves that push down the scales and marble well. Her dark red son will produce growth in his progeny while having daughters that will be the right kind to work on limited imputs.

Milk Creek Reds Bull Sale Catalog and video online at www.milkcreekreds.com

Dam of Lot 53 • J5 L297 MERCEDES 14X

55 MLK CRK STEWARD 2244

56

MLK CRK STEWARD 2248

57 MLK CRK STEWARD 2255

Lot 58 • MLK CRK VENTURE 2279

58 MLK CRK VENTURE 2279

Money Talks combined with the Express 9127 produces a moderate birth weight with above average growth and balanced indice ranking.

Yearling Bulls

59 MLK CRK SPOKESMAN 2280

60

MLK CRK VENTURE 2342

61

MLK CRK VENTURE 2343

Check out this Money talks son that offers a moderate birth weight with above average growth ratios.

62

MLK CRK VENTURE 2351

RED U-2 RECKONING 149A

RED U2 MONEY TALKS 530F

RED U-2 MS DYNAMO 233B

5L THE REAL DEAL 1687-143B

MLK CRK LAKOTA 906

Lot 62 • MLK CRK VENTURE 2351

Lot 62 combines multiple sires that speak of great functional females that will offer longevity, with performance. He is dark red with a balance of depth and thickness like his sire. His dam is one of our deepest-made cows in her age group.

63

MLK CRK FUSION 2211

64

MLK CRK FUSION 2214

65

MLK CRK FUSION 2215

66

REG. #

MLK CRK FUSION 2247

67

MLK CRK FUSION 2249

BELLE B167

5L GRAND EXPRESS 453-5655

MLK CRK SHEBA 403 5L LEGEND 1553-425V

GRANDIOSE 629-1112

EPIC R397

Combining Fusion 5202 with Admiral creates a balanced bull with all the indicies at a minimum top 13% of the breed.

68

MLK CRK FUSION 2252

Yearling Bulls

MLK CRK EXPRESSIVE 2269

70 MLK CRK EXPRESSIVE 2275

71 MLK CRK EXPRESSIVE 2282

72 MLK CRK PROVISION 2290

73

MLK CRK PROVISION 2297

Lot 74 • MLK CRK PROVISION 2306

Yearling Bulls

74 MLK CRK PROVISION 2306

Lot 74 ranks well against the breed with his ProS and Herdbuilder topping off at 10% and 1% respectivily, but also against his contemporaries he competes well in growth and carcass ratios. His dam is a deep-bodied 4304 daughter that posts a 104 MPPA.

75

MLK CRK PROVISION 2307

76

MLK CRK COPENHAGEN 2278

Lot 76 • MLK CRK COPENHAGEN 2278

Yearling Bulls

77

MLK CRK PROVISION 2314

78

MLK CRK PROVISION 2346

79

MLK CRK COPENHAGEN 2216

Lot 79

MLK CRK COPENHAGEN 2216

80

MLK CRK COPENHAGEN 2233

Copenhagen crossed with the Lakina cow family should produce some excellent females without giving up performance in the male progeny.

MLK CRK COPENHAGEN 2246

82

MLK CRK COPENHAGEN 2251

Yearling Bulls

83 MLK CRK COPENHAGEN 2405

Lots 83 and 87 are full sibs that will make exceptional females based on their sire and dam and what they are and have produced.

84 MLK CRK COPENHAGEN 2407

Dam of Lot 84 • MLK CRK LAKOTA 064

Lots 84 and 85 are full ET brothers that we produced because of the female making qualities of both the dam and sire.

85

MLK CRK COPENHAGEN 2410

Lot 85 • MLK CRK COPENHAGEN 2410

Yearling Bulls

Lot 86 • MLK CRK COPENHAGEN 2414

86

MLK CRK COPENHAGEN 2414

Lot 86’s full sisters are the type of females that we hoped to produce when we decided on this mating. If we didn’t have them, we would have kept this bull to use in the herd.

87

MLK CRK COPENHAGEN 2418

to Lot 87 • J5 L297 MERCEDES 14X

88

MLK CRK FOREMAN 2253

275-1687

Lot 88

•

MLK CRK FOREMAN 2253

Lot 88 is a phenotypcally balanced Foreman son that offeres calving ease with strong maternal pedigree to aide in producing great cows.

MLK CRK LAKOTA 2115, Dam

89

Yearling Bulls

MLK CRK FOREMAN 2258

90 MLK CRK FOREMAN 2268

Lot 90 offers a moderate birth weight with above average growth and ribeye ratios. He also ranks well within the breed for growth EPDs.

91 MLK CRK HEADMAN 2331

Lot 91 and 92 are closely related being more that 3/4 brothers. They both have good weaning and yearling ratios while ranking in the top of the breed for growth and gain EPDs.

Lot 90 • MLK CRK FOREMAN 2268

Yearling Bulls

Lot 92 • MLK CRK HEADMAN 2334

92 MLK CRK HEADMAN 2334

93 MLK CRK HEADMAN 2336

Headman 2336 offers that moderate birth weight with above average growth, gain, and carcass ratios. His maternal granddam is the mother of Lot 19 which is a cow that we would like to have a whole herd of.

Ranch Philosophy

The cattle industry is constantly changing and feeders and packers seem to be the drivers in directing that change. Their ability to direct change is related to the concentration of ownership within these two segments of our industry. Both segments keep increasing the size of animal that they want to feed and harvest because of their efficiency of producing more pounds of beef per animal and reducing the costs by feeding and harvesting less head of cattle and leaving them within the feedlot for longer periods of time. What impacts their bottom line is diametrically opposed to what impacts the cow/calf producers bottom line.

In our segment of the industry, most cow/calf producers raise cattle in an environment that has limitations to what it can produce hindering our ability to meet the changes without increasing input feed costs to sustain the larger, higher output cattle that the feeders and packers are looking for. Coupled with this the feed input costs has increased dramatically over the past four years compounding the problems to reach profitability within our segment of the industry.

I am thankful that our Red Angus Association staff is working hard to educate the industry on the quality of Red Angus cattle and how they can reach all the requirements in the branded packer programs that have been set for Angus cattle. Through this effort, the USDA has recognized Red Angus as Angus so that they are able to qualify in all programs with the exception of CAB which is owned by the Angus Association. This education is going to take time to develop traction and will eventually open more marketing opportunities for our cattle. In the meantime, the industry is using excuses to discount red hided cattle so that they can add more profit to their segment of the industry. With the current cattle inventory, we are hopeful that the next three years will see above average feeder cattle demand which will diminish the ability for discounts because of hide color.

We continue striving to produce cattle that will be able to thrive in a grass-based environment without any inputs other than salt, mineral and some hay when needed due to drought or severe winter conditions. When you study the genetics that we are using you might ask, why don’t you use higher growth sires to increase the weights of your calves? The answer lies in what we have discovered when we have attempted to do that very thing. Most sires that we have used to accomplish this, with exceptions of a few outliers, tend to produce females that have a higher percentage chance of failing to breed as yearlings or first-calf heifers because they have a higher energy requirement than what our natural environment can provide. That can become very expensive when you account for the time and dollars invested in developing those females to that stage.

The sires that we are using will still push the envelop of producing offspring with performance that is limited by our environment on any given year because our weaning weights can fluctuate 50-100 pounds based on when and how much rain falls from the sky. We continue to search the breed for the outliers that will push the performance as well as carcass traits but will not give up the fertility and longevity developed within the herd which are the key profit drivers for any cow-calf operation.

Bruce & Tena Ketchum

1721 Plevna Road

Plevna, MT 59344 (406) 778-3819

ketchum@midrivers.com

Annual Production Sale

Saturday, March 18, 2023

Catalog & videos available online www.milkcreekreds.com

Quality Red Angus Cattle Bred to Function Efficiently