Town Creek Farm Since 1993
SPRING/SUMMER 2019
Vo l u m e 7 , I s s u e 2 • P u b l i s h e d b y To w n C r e e k Fa r m , We s t Po i n t , M i s s i s s i p p i • B r a n g u s a n d U l t r a b l a c k
Risk Abatement BY MILTON SUNDBECK
THIS YEAR’S HISTORIC FLOODING, SNOWFALL, AND TARIFFS DEFINE THE MAGNITUDE OF RISK FARMERS AND CATTLEMEN OFTEN FACE. As I write this article Mother Nature is piling it on with a sudden drought that has hit the Mid-South. These natural phenomena have prompted me to review things we do to abate risk at Town Creek Farm (TCF) and Southern Ionics, the chemical company I started in 1980. Southern Ionics (SII) manufactures aluminum and sulfur chemicals. We own and operate the Houston ammonia terminal and last year we manufactured and shipped over 2.5 billion pounds of product by pipeline and tank trailers. We have nine manufacturing plants and more than 300 employees. Five of the plants are in hurricane ally between Houston and Mobile, Alabama.
The Grit welcomes your inquiries and feedback. The Grit is published by Town Creek Farm, West Point, Mississippi.
Town Creek Farm Milton Sundbeck, Owner Office: 32476 Hwy. 50 East West Point, Mississippi 39773-5207 662.494.5944 www.TownCreekFarm.com Joy Reznicek, President 205.399.0221 Joy@TownCreekFarm.com Clint Ladner, Bull Development 662.812.8370 CLadner@TownCreekFarm.com South American Representative Ing. Agr. Federico Maisonnave (011) 595 981 362 898 Skype: federico.maisonnave Maisonnave.Federico@gmail.com TOTAL COMMITMENT
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In the last 39 years just about everything and anything one can think of related to risk has happened in our business; hurricanes, floods, power outages, sunken ships and barges of raw material, derailments and runaway tank trailers. Management of risk is always on my mind. SII has teams of professionals who focus on risk management throughout the company. So, one would think that owning and managing a Brangus seedstock business with less than 10 employees verses a chemical company would be a piece of cake with respect to risk management. Wrong! The seedstock business is fraught with its own set of unique risks. Chemicals aren’t bred, fed, born, sick, vaccinated or dead. In the cattle business risk comes to us from every direction, from under the ground, to heavens above, from Washington DC to everything in between. Cause and effect of risk can be learned over time with experience in the cattle business. However, not one of us will live long enough, or has enough money, to endure its learning curve. I rely greatly on experience and advice of our team here at Town Creek Farm, particularly that of Joy Reznicek, our president. My first bit of advice is to find and hire individuals who are educated, experienced and have knowledge to see risk for what it is and are not afraid to act. I think in terms of risk “abatement” rather than “risk management.” Abatement requires specific action to achieve an acceptable level of risk. For example, we know well-timed fertilizer applications are required to harvest high quality Bermuda hay and baleage. To abate damage to our Bermuda grass from armyworms, our farm manager must check pastures daily. Secondly, set up a systems approach to ranch management. Every undertaking carried out in our ranching operations has standard operating procedures to improve efficiency and quality of work. Our systems approach abates risk by preventing rework, which costs time and money, and prevents well-meaning employees from potentially making deficient decisions. Town Creek Farm team’s mindset is that when we act to abate risk, it abates risk for our customers when they buy our bulls and females. Here are just some key elements and action items we take to abate risk to our business and our customers. HEIFER DEVELOPMENT: At weaning we make our first cull, vaccinate and send heifers to the best ground and forage available, which is the Tombigbee River bottom at Cow Creek Ranch near Aliceville, Alabama. Under the watchful eye of Joy and Brice Allsup, heifers are developed to reach target weights to breed at one year of age. Heifers are weighed often and unsatisfactory performers are culled. As yearlings, heifers are bred by artificial insemination. A pasture bull goes in seven days later. Heifers that do not breed in a 60-day period are culled. We expect heifers to calve in a 60-day
period, then, breed back to calve as three-yearolds. Opens are culled and bred three-year-olds come back to TCF, and at four years of age they join the main cowherd. The risk of passing on infertility to future generations of bulls and heifers is significantly abated in this system. BULL DEVELOPMENT: After strict culling for feet and legs, structure, disposition and performance, our weaned bull calves go to our 600-acre bull development facility. The facility is divided into 12 pastures that provide plenty of forage so grazing habits of weaned bulls are never broken as it is with “dry lot” development. Our feed ration is based on Sumrall Bermuda grass baleage, brewers’ grain, soyhull pellets and minerals. From weaning to a year of age, 12.5% corn is added to ration. At yearling time, corn comes out of ration. Bulls are weighed monthly to keep on target for proper development. Our bulls are fit and ready to breed at sale time. Risk of bulls falling apart after the sale is significantly abated by these practices. MATURE COW MANAGEMENT: Managing our mature cows starts with a stringent culling system to abate risk of passing on undesirable traits to our buyers. We cull all open cows and cows that don’t bring calves to weaning pens. Cows are culled on disposition, feet and legs, udders and structure. HERD HEALTH: At weaning, blood and fecal samples are taken from every female for Johnes and Anaplasmosis testing. Johne’s disease is widely present in seedstock cowherds throughout the country. In 2007, with support from Mississippi State University Veterinarian School, we put in place a program to eradicate Johne’s from our cowherd. Fecal samples are tested by “PCR” DNA tests and ELISA serum tests blood. With a positive result, the cow and calf are culled from the herd. We’ve virtually eliminated Johne’s from our cowherd and guarantee our bulls to be Johne’s free. Johne’s can rarely be detected in bulls younger than 36 months of age, so testing dams at weaning greatly abates health risks to our buyer’s herds. We never reuse needles, subcutaneously or intramuscular, which greatly reduces risk of disease transmission among animals and contamination of vaccine bottles. Needles are cheap and they deliver expensive vaccines. FORAGE AND BALEAGE: We take advantage of our geography and soil type to grow winter Fescue and Ryegrass, and summer Bermuda grass, which provides abundant forage year around. When I bought the ranch in 1993, Fescue covered every inch of ground. Over time, with great effort and innovation by our farm manager, Jim Brown, we have converted nearly half our ground to Sumrall Bermuda for grazing, baleage and dry hay. Sumrall Bermuda produces excellent baleage with near perfect protein content for bull development. Forage development on the ranch has taught me that if we can see gifts the natural world provides, and take advantage of them, we can abate some of the risks nature delivers.
TOWN CREEK FARM
2019 FOAL CROP Town Creek Farm’s horse herd is growing rapidly wiTh The addiTion oF Five new Foals born This spring. Careful breeding decisions have paid off as the foals are showing great shape, attitude, and conformation-good indicators of a promising future. Filly-Hickory Holly Time x Light N Kitty x Light N Lena Filly-CD of a Playboy x Miss Francis Lea x son of Dual Pep Colt-Mr Playinstylish (LTE $145,551) x CCR Doc Loves Kate x son of Doc’s Oak Filly-Im Countin Checks (LTE $514,757; PE $3.8M) x Watsons Jet Pegs
Filly-Francis Dual x Sugar Oak Lilly x son of Doc’s Oak
FILLY - CD OF A PLAYBOY X MISS FRANCIS LEA X SON OF DUAL PEP
TOWN CREEK FARM COMMERCIAL BRED HEIFER SALE CONSIGNMENTS DUE JUNE 25, 2019.The 2019 Town Creek Farm (TCF) Commercial Brangus Bred Heifer Sale is scheduled for Saturday, October 19, 2019. This year marks the 22nd year of the sale’s existence. Over the years, Town Creek Farm commercial bred heifers have experienced tremendous growth thanks to the efforts and genetic improvements made by our customer consignors. Providing accessible marketing opportunities for Town Creek Farm genetics is a proven benefit for our customers. The Town Creek Farm Commercial Bred Heifer Sale provides an opportunity for TCF customers to add value to heifers through our unique marketing channel. Buyers, on the other hand, have the chance to tap into multi-generational Town Creek Farm sourced genetics that would otherwise take years for cattlemen to breed, develop and accumulate. Heifers marketed must be at least secondgeneration Town Creek Farm heifers bred back to Town Creek Farm bulls. All heifers must be bred to calve at 32 months of age or younger and calve in a 75-day or less calving period. Complete nomination rules and entry forms along with additional details are available from Town Creek Farm. For more information, please contact Joy Reznicek at 205.399.0221, Clint Ladner at 662.812.8370 or by email Joy@TownCreekFarm.com. Deadline for nominations is June 25, 2019.
FILLY - HICKORY HOLLY TIME (LTE $231,025) X LIGHT N KITTY X LIGHT N LENA
FILLY - FRANCIS DUAL X SUGAR OAK LILLY X SON OF DOC’S OAK
REAL WORLD GENETICS FOR THE REAL WORLD
Town Creek Farm Sale
Saturday, October 19, 2019 • 12 noon at the ranch near West Point, Mississippi
150 Town Creek Farm Bulls
Brangus, Ultrablack and VigorMax™ Half-Blood Bulls Large selection of FULL two-year-old bulls.
300 Brangus Commercial Bred Heifers
Multi-generational, ranch and source-verified, second generation Town Creek Farm heifers bred back to Town Creek bulls. Fall and spring calving heifers offered. Sale in its 22nd year.
THESE BULLS SELL AS FULL TWO-YEAR-OLDS ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2019. Go to our website to request a sale catalog and to join our mailing list. Not all Grit recipients are on Town Creek Farm mailing list.
3 Quality Assurance always comes first.
TOTAL COMMITMENT
Milton Sundbeck, Owner • Office 662.494.5944 32476 Hwy. 50 East, West Point, Mississippi 39773-5207 Joy Reznicek 205.399.0221 • Joy@TownCreekFarm.com Clint Ladner 662.812.8370 • Cladner@TownCreekFarm.com www.TownCreekFarm.com
Since 1993
THESE BULLS SELL.
Town Creek Farm Continues Quest of Developing New Brangus Genetic Lines SINCE 2015, TOWN CREEK FARM HAS ENGAGED IN BREEDING-UP TO FIRST GENERATION BRANGUS. OUR EARLIEST MATINGS BEGAN WITH FOUNDATION BREEDS OF BRAHMAN AND ANGUS. Efforts began with an understanding that creating new 3/8-5/8 Brangus genetics was more relevant than ever in the history of the Brangus breed. Introducing new Brangus genetic lines will increase heterosis and expand the breed’s genetic base. Additionally, our mission is to return Brahman content to its original Brangus breed percent of 32.5 to improve heat tolerance, longevity and mothering ability in Brangus populations. is spring we calved out 30 half-blood heifers who produced three-quarter blood calves. Calves are sired by Brahman A.I. and pasture bull herd sires. Heifers went through the winter on less supplement than.their Brangus contemporaries. After calving, the half-blood dams continued to be thrifty and efficient. ey have exceptional dispositions. Udder quality is excellent; tight, level
udders with small teat size. Additionally, we’ve enlarged our Brahman herd to provide a continuous supply of foundation genetics to our project. is spring we collected ovocytes from Kempfer Cattle Co. Brahman females. Ovocytes were fertilized with line-bred Angus A.I. sires. Recipients carrying embryos are due to calve in January 2020. Our growing inventory includes a set of fresh-weaned three-quarter blood, half-blood and Brahman calves along with 20 VigorMax™ Half-Blood bulls which sell October 19th.
Three-QUarTer blood heiFer “alice” (3/4 brahman x 1/4 angus). she’ll be mated to an angus bull to create first generation brangus. Three-QUarTer blood Calves oUT oF halF-blood dams. our first large group of 1/2 blood dams who spring-calved at two-years of age. heaT oF The day. These two brahman heifers are being developed with brangus contemporaries. in the heat of the day, brahman heifers are out and about while brangus are shaded up.
Research Underway to Determine Heterosis Estimations in Brangus Cattle
University of Florida professor, dr. raluca mateescu, right, is pictured with milton sundbeck and Joy reznicek. mateescu will oversee research to determine heterosis estimates in brangus cattle.
HETEROSIS IS DEFINED AS THE INCREASED PERFORMANCE OF A CROSSBRED ANIMAL COMPARED TO THE AVERAGE OF THE PUREBRED PARENTS. University of Florida Associate Professor of Animal Science, Dr. Raluca Mateescu, and her doctoral student, Joel Leal, have set out to determine estimations of heterosis levels in Brangus cattle, and crosses of Angus and Brahman cattle. “Brahman and Angus genomes are quite different, and many genetic markers across the genome have different alleles in the two breeds,” says Mateescu. This allows us to track the breed origin of each chromosomal fragment and estimate the exact amount of heterozygosity in first generation Brangus as well as the decay in heterozygosity in subsequent generations.” “For many genes, both breeds have the same allele (alternative forms of a gene), and for those genes there is no heterosis effect. The maximum heterosis comes from genes which are in homozygous state for alternative alleles in the two breeds,” Mateescu says. High density 250K genotypes on more than 1500 DNA samples will be utilized. Town Creek Farm is committed to investing in projects from which our customers stand to benefit. Town Creek Farm has partnered with University of Florida on this research project.
Second Town Creek Farm Brangus Bull Exported to Thailand FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THREE YEARS, TOWN CREEK FARM (TCF) GENETICS WERE SELECTED FOR AN EXPORT PROJECT TO THAILAND. Town Creek Farm’s focus on environmental adaptively, moderate birth weights, early maturing patterns, and maternal and carcass qualities make TCF genetics easily adaptive to Thailand’s tropical atmospheric conditions. Thai cattlemen want to capitalize on hybrid vigor without changing base breeds of Brangus, Angus and Brahman and increase carcass qualities of their beef. Thailand is a tropical country in Southeast Asia that has a high ambient temperature and high humidity. It’s one of the world's most visited countries. Tourism is vital to the Thai economy contributing approximately 9.4% of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2017. The nine main airports of Thailand serve more than 130 million passengers, including one million Americans. Beef cattle in Thailand have been an important part of Thai culture since ancient times. More recently, Thailand is an emerging destination for beef and live cattle, backed by the economic growth, rising tourism demand, and its strategic location between south and north Asia. As importantly, Thai people have developed a desire for high quality beef.
SANYA SUPHAPPORNCHAI OF THAILAND, SECOND FROM LEFT, IMPORTED HIS SECOND TOWN CREEK FARM BULL INTO HIS NATIVE COUNTRY.
Town Creek Farm’s Clint Ladner Elected to Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association Executive Leadership Team CLINT LADNER WAS ELECTED AS SECOND VICE PRESIDENT OF MISSISSIPPI CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION AT ITS ANNUAL MEETING IN FEBRUARY IN JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI. Clint has been actively involved in the cattle industry his entire life. He grew up on dairy farms and showed cattle during his youth. Clint received a Bachelor of Science degree from Mississippi State University in Agricultural Economics with a minor in Animal Science. In 2013, Clint joined the Town Creek Farm team and plays an important part of its success. Clint is bull developer manager and has a key role in the Town Creek Farm marketing program.
TOWN CREEK FARM PROUDLY JOINED THE SPONSORSHIP TEAM OF OUR HOMETOWN SUPERSTAR, PROFESSIONAL STEER WRESTLER, WILL LUMMUS. Will made his first appearance in the National Rodeo Finals (NFR) last fall and finished third in the world. There, he was lauded for his stellar first-time performances and was dubbed as the most educated cowboy in the 2018 NFR. Lummus graduated East Mississippi Community College, then transferred to the University of Tennessee, Martin, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science and wellness. Then he earned his Physical Therapy Assistant certification. Lummus intends to make a career of Physical Therapy after a few more years of professional steer wrestling. Town Creek Farm wishes Will Lummus the best in 2019. Follow Will on Facebook; Will Lummus Professional Steer Wrestler. TOWN CREEK FARM SALUTES OUR BRAZILIAN CUSTOMERS AND FRIENDS, JMT AGROPECUARIA, FOR EXHIBITING THE 2019 SUPREME GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPION BRANGUS BULL, JMT E097 “MYTH”. “Myth is an outstanding bull that has Cow Creek Ranch and JMT genetics – a perfect combination. Besides being a very beautiful animal, the most important trait is how efficient and productive Myth is,” says Fernando Waihrich, JMT Agropecuária ranch manager. “Myth” is grand sired by CCR Sleep Easy 46T3, a foundation sire in the Town Creek Farm program. Fernando spent two spring semesters as an intern on Cow Creek Ranch where he grew to appreciate the value of genetics. After returning to Brazil, Waihrich guided JMT Agropecuária to an investment of Cow Creek Ranch and Town Creek Farm embryos. JMT Agropecuária has experienced great successs by combining genetic pools. The JMT program has become one of the most renowned Brangus breeding operations in Brazil. Our congratulations to Moacyr Teixeira, Fernando Waihrich and Petchi Waihrich of JMT for superior management of their breeding program and operation.
NEVER TOO SOON TO MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATIONS FOR TOWN CREEK FARM SALE ON OCTOBER 19, 2019. HAMPTON INN AND SUITES............................................(662)245-1085 1915 6th Street, Columbus, Mississippi 39701 Ask for Town Creek Farm Sale room block.
2019 SUPREME GRAND NATIONAL CHAMPION BRANGUS BULL OF BRAZIL, “MYTH”. HIS SIRE CAME FROM AN EMBRYO EXPORTED TO BRAZIL BY TOWN CREEK FARM.