Welcome....
March 12 Taber
Taber, AB 1PM
From all of us at Sweetwater Ranch, Welcome to our First Annual Bull and Female Sale! We would like to give a big thank you to the Tams Family for all they’ve done for us, it would not have been possible without you guys. Thank you!
We had purchased a lot of Bulls from Thistle Ridge over the years and the traits we liked most about their bulls were consistency, excellent feet and the fact that they were not pushed too hard. We saw good performance in the calves and above average performance in the feedlot.
When we heard that Ben and Carol were thinking of letting their Red Angus and Charolais cows go we didn’t think twice at a chance in a lifetime. Here was a set of cows that they worked so hard for all those years and what they are today is an absolutely beautiful set of females.
Our plan is to continue to focus on the things that Thistle Ridge found most important; to sell a good strong set of bulls every year. We have moved the calving dates up from February 1st to January 1st to give the bulls a little more time to grow without pushing them too hard.
Ben always said “ We are not going to claim that this is the best set of bulls we are bringing to town. We think that is up to each and every one of you to decide. We like them – nice and consistent, top to bottom, with a bull to suit the needs of just about anyone, with calving ease and maternal on the Angus side and lower birthweight Charolais with lots of jam and good disposition.” And that about sums it up.
There will be 40 Red Angus Bulls and 30 Charolais Yearlings as well as 25 -30 Red Heifers with Feb/March calves at side. The pairs will stay at the Ranch to prevent stress and sickness, but there will be videos and pictures at the sale or come on down to SweetWater to view in person.
We will deliver your bulls free of charge to the first 150 miles, and we’d like to have them delivered by the middle of May. We look forward to working with each one of you to set a date that works.
Heifers pairs can be picked up from Sweetwater or we will deliver them, within 150 miles. Replacement Heifers will need to be picked up after the sale.
Hope to see you at the sale.
David Klassen 639.317.6126
Peter Klassen 403.654.3335
Offering....
40 Yearling Red Angus Bulls
28 Yearling Charolais Bulls
25 Commercial Red Angus 2 Year Old Pairs
15 Commercial Red Angus X Open Heifers
I always pictured us having a big dispersal sale with all the bells and whistles some day in the future. The battle to try and keep running a ranch in the heart of potato country, and the fact I just don’t seem to run as fast as before were the main reasons we decided to sell. We tossed around the idea of moving, but Taber is home to us. When the opportunity came to market our cows to 1 owner that wanted us to help them getting established in the purebred business it really was a nobrainer for us.
The Sweetwater crew is very easy to deal with, and I’m excited to be helping them with everything purebred. The bulls are being fed the exact same way they always have been, and I still treat them like they are my own. The transition has been easier than we expected. We did keep the old Red Angus girls, as well as the older Black Angus and red gene carriers. That way we can’t spend money on potentially fun things like a winter getaway.
Although the cattle have changed hands, the cattle haven’t changed. Buy with confidence. You will be looked after. Stop in to view the bulls anytime, and please come on down Sale Day for the great Taber Steak Fry after the sale.
Call me anytime,
Ben & Carol Tams
Ph: 403.223.4118 Cell: 403.317.0689 Box 4205, Taber, AB T1G 2C7
Auctioneer: Ryan Hurlburt 306 292 9812
Ringmen:
Byron Wolters 780 581 8396
Andrew Reeleder 403 848 1260
Sight Unseen Purchases & Sale Day Phones
Ben Tams 403 317 0689
David Klassen 639 317 6126
Peter Klassen 403 654 3335
We guarantee satisfaction on sight unseen purchases. Please call any of the above numbers for help.
Special Buyer Rep:
Andy Houweling @ Alberta Prime 403 308 8700
Insurance:
Cheryl Brown from Stockmens Insurance will be available sale day. Any bulls going back to the feedlot with us we strongly recommend insuring. Contact Cheryl 403 601 3460
Terms:
Terms of the sale are cash or cheque at par made payable to Thistle Ridge Ranch / Ben or Carol Tams
Announcements:
Announcements sale day take precedence over printed material.
Breeders Guarantee:
All bulls are guaranteed breeders. Sweetwater Ranch stands behind every bull. Scrotal measurements, sale day weight, and semen test sheets will be available sale day.
Liability:
Any liability of the bull is restricted to the purchase price of the bull. If any problem arises contact either Ben or David as soon as possible.
Pre Sale Viewing:
The bulls can be viewed at TFS Fincastle ( 4 miles east of Taber, ¾ mile north ) anytime until Monday, March 10th. After that they can be viewed at the Taber Ag Plex. The open replacement heifers and cow/ calf pairs can be viewed at the ranch in Govenlock. Please call David for viewing the females.
A note on our calving ease score.
I’ve seen this used before in other catalogs and I really like the idea. Not only does it give you a really good view point on how the bull should calve, but it’s also another way to make us accountable. So here’s how I score them.
Cow bull. Period.
Recommended primarily for cows. If you only have a few heifers mixed in you can get away with it, but do expect to probably help a few.
Heifer bull. I would personally use these bulls on my heifers with no second thoughts.
These bulls have generations of calving ease bred in, and should calve any type of heifer with absolutely no assistance.
**Please note that a 3 Star Charolais bull is rated as used on Charolais heifers. I am still not comfortable recommending them on Angus heifers that I don’t know. **
Online Bidding and Viewing:
The sale will be available to view and bid online via DLMS.ca
Catalogue:
Design and Production by Prime Cut Publishing Photography Tyler Harris Photography
Reacher
Imagine 33M
Architect
RED SWR Musketeer 42M
Nuclear 46M
SWR Younger 81M
Incorporated
RED SWR Ruckas 130M
SWR Remuda 144M
RED SWR Graduate 145M
THRR Styles 209J
ELDERS Jasper 193K
Sweetwater Airforce 96M
Sweetwater Boxcar 97M
Centurion 100M
Sweetwater Vendetta 103M
CALVING
Sweetwater Speedwagon 110M
Sweetwater Enhance 120M
59 CALVING EASE RATING HHH
60
Sweetwater Edgework 121M
CALVING EASE RATING HHH
Sweetwater Lariat
Sweetwater Derringer 139M
Bull Warranty
We guarantee to provide you with a sound, fertile bull capable of servicing a reasonable number of cows. In the event that your bull is a nonsatisfactory breeder the seller will not, under any circumstances, be responsible for more than the original selling price of any bull or female sold in the sale. The consignors will not provide replacement or credit for physical injury or mismanagement. Therefore we stress the importance of insurance on your bull. An insurance agent will be available on sale day.
Vaccination Protocol
All bulls were vaccinated in the fall with Pyramid 5, 7-Way Somnugen, and Ivomec. They were boostered with Pyramid 5 six weeks later.
Armstrong Ranches Bassano X XX
Randy Bertchy Mossleigh X
Bayot Britschgi Orion X XX
Bruce Broderson Vauxhall
Mike Broderson Vauxhall
Casper Cattle Co Scandia X
Jim & Cam Cook Magrath X XX
Blaine Davidson Sedgewick X
Dale Deitz Milo X
Isaac Friesen Taber X
Richard Friesen Grassy Lake
Gordon Givens Nanton X
Henk Grol Bow Island X
Hicken Ranches Raymond X
Todd Holst Hays XX
Richard Horvath Taber X XX
Barry Jensen Taber
Tonny Kuipers Bow Island X
John Lemisko Taber
Leron Litchfield Taber X XX
Andy Meintz Houston, BC XX
Midwest Spray Foam Taber X XX
RCM Cattle Inc Wrentham X XX
George Smith Nanton X
Sunset Feeders Ltd Grassy Lake X XX
Takeda Feeding Scandia X XX
TFS Feedlots Taber X XX
V8u Ranch Mountain View X
Craig Vossler Medicine Hat
Vyefield Cattle Burdette X XX
Tyler Watmough Lethbridge X
Rick Wiest Land & Cattle Enchant X
Ben & Carol Tams Box 4205
Taber, AB T1G 2C7
