O
PRIME TIME
Buy the Facts!
ver 35 years in the beef business, and about that many sales, Mound Creek Ranch holds the title of the longest tenured Brangus breeder to consecutively host an active bull sale event. We realize the only way we can accomplish this feat is with the continued support of so many long time customers and friends who have stayed the course with our genetic program, and trusted the value of our genetic directions. We are so thankful to have this wonderful opportunity to share some time with each of you, and certainly blessed by God to be caretakers of his land and livestock. Our days in the ranching business would be impossible without the unending dedication from the Mound Creek Ranch crew. No matter the tests that ranch life can bring, our crew will always answer the bell and live up to the challenge. We are blessed to have these dedicated individuals as part of the Mound Creek team and thankful for the tireless efforts from Timmy Sparkman, Josh Wood, Julio Ibarra, Jake Hansen, Mark and Mary Hansen, and let’s not forget our “bull whisperer” Chilly Philley. Females Will Now Sell Friday Afternoon We are excited about this year’s sale offering! Quality is outstanding, herd sire prospects run deeper than ever, the female offering is easily our best to date, our GE-EPDs and related Indexes validate our breeding thesis. In an effort to make Saturday easier on our stockbull buyers we have moved the Female Sale to Friday afternoon and will begin 4:30 to 5:00. Part of our sale team has another event this same day so they will be traveling to Mound Creek at the completion of their earlier sale. Brangus Value Project The Brangus Value project is a comprehensive progeny test overseen by International Brangus Breeders Association which will follow AI sired steers through the feeding and packing segments of our industry and will capture data on feed efficiency, all carcass traits, and tenderness. In the future the data will filter through IBBA genomic database and national sire evaluation genomically affecting thousands of seedstock animals in our national database. These types of programs always have a price tag to be effectively managed so the Brangus Value Project was formed. More details are found in the following pages. Mound Creek has given pledges for four sponsorships from this program and will give these sponsorships to each of the volume bull buyer, volume female buyer, high selling bull buyer, and high selling female buyer. Bull Development We are now in our sixth year of a hand fed, silage based bull feeding program that allows us to accurately understand what, and how much, our bulls are eating during gain test period. This ration is composed of 50% silage, 10% cotton burrs, and 40% premix composed of a protein pellet balancer, cracked corn, and DDGs. The bulls are gain tested in long pastures ten to fifteen acres in size. We believe this program enhances greater mobility, ensures more quality of hoof and leg soundness, produces bigger bellied cattle with greater forage based appetite, and are more ready to survive long term in a real world environment. Simply put, they are more suited to stay stronger, and be better equipped for their new ranching world. Where’s The Weights and Measures How often do you pick up a bull sale catalog and discover there are no longer weights and measures? We believe strongly in the whole herd use of GE-EPD values and those associated percentile ranks. However, our buyers sure appreciate the individual weights and measures you will find provided for each animal in this sale. There are different “engines” in these cattle so we want everyone to understand some of those measured differences. Our genetic selection program, assisted through our use of GE-EPD values, continues to break new barriers. Even with a silage based feeding program here are the phenomenal weights and measures from these 160 sale bulls adjusted to 205 days and 365 days of age. Act BW 76 lbs.
AWW 671 lbs.
AYW 1225 lbs.
SC 36.7 cm
REA 14.9 in
RE/100 1.23 sq in.
Fat 0.32 in.
IMF 5.8%
Feeders and Packers Even with this silage based ration our sale bulls averaged 5.8% IMF with an outstanding RE/100 lb. body weight of 1.23 inches! The 60 sale heifers averaged 1.25 RE/100 lb. body weight and an 6.5% IMF. The total set of sale cattle averaged 6.0% IMF! These grid-based indicator values are off the charts and the importance of these two numbers (RE/100 and IMF) is validated by the input we receive from our visits to feedlots and packing plants. In fact, that segment of our beef industry uses these two measures as primary components when making future buying decisions based on prior feeding and hanging history. The 6.0% IMF (from testosterone filled bulls) puts those cattle well into the CAB range and averages High Choice for these 220 head of sale bulls and females. Mound Creek Ranch | Page 4
