Follow the Red Angus Marketing Team as they travel across the country to bull sales, feeder calf sales and beef industry events representing Red Angus and speaking with cattle producers across the nation.

Rachael Oliver

rachael@redangus.org

1-406-480-1569

Time sure flies when you’re having fun, or at least traveling amidst the fall feeder calf run. On Oct. 17, I traveled to Jordan, Montana, to help the MacDonald family ship their Red Angus steer calves to Adams Land & Cattle in Broken Bow, Nebraska. The MacDonalds were the first Red Angus producers to send their calves to ALCC and then follow in the Brazen Beef program last year. Once again, they decided to send their calves back into the same programs so they can receive their second round of carcass data.

Next, I headed to Billings, Montana, Oct. 19-21 for the Northern International Livestock Exposition. I helped the Montana Red Angus Association — giving the board and members updates of what RAAA has been working on — and then attended the sale and helped with the junior show. 

On Oct. 24, I participated in the USDA ranch audit with Dana and Sonia Show in Joes, Colorado. This was my first time having a USDA auditor with me while conducting a ranch audit, but Dana and Sonia were great people to help me through the process and everything went smoothly.

Afterward, I attended a Red Angus feeder calf sale in Mobridge, South Dakota, on Oct. 25. It was a long haul from Joes to Mobridge, but the sale was strong despite the downward spiral in the cattle market the last couple of weeks. They sold roughly around 2,000 Red Angus-influenced cattle, and once again, the Red Angus heifers outsold the steers.

Once the ended, I headed home to beat the first winter storm that hit right as I made it home to Savage. Despite the much-accumulated snow, Sidney Livestock Market Center hosted their Red Angus special feeder calf sale on Oct. 25. To my surprise, they had 3, 000 head sell that day with a strong offering of reds. The market was soft due to the downtick in the market all across the board. Tim Larson and his crew fought through the harsh winter storm and did an excellent job putting on a feeder sale.

I'm preparing to head to Reno, Nevada, for the Western States Classic and Bet on Red Sale. I'm planning to fit in some ranch visits from the area as well. Hopefully, this winter weather relents and gives us one more glimpse of fall weather before we trudge back through six months of winter. 

Cory Peters

cory@redangus.org

1-402-418-2351

The month of October is a busy time for all in our industry. We find ourselves immersed in harvest, fall calving, weaning, winter preparation, bull and female sales, grain and calf marketing plans and numerous other activities. During October, I spent time interacting with Red Angus producers while planning for or being actively engaged in these tasks or activities.

Throughout this month, I attended multiple Red Angus special calf sales across the Nebraska Sandhills. My stops included Crawford Livestock Market, Valentine Livestock Auction, Ogallala Livestock Auction Market and Sheridan Livestock Auction Co. My October feeder calf sales will conclude on Halloween at the Columbus Sales Pavilion for their Montana Calf Special.

Upon reviewing notes from these sales, the bulk of calves marketed were preconditioned, bawling calves. A majority of the steers moved during these sales ranged from 475 to 550 lb., with heavier groups approaching 615 lb. Many of the heifers moved alongside their steer mates ranged from 25 to 50 lb. lighter. A noticeable trend observed across all sales was the continued strong demand for replacement quality Red Angus-influenced heifers. Many of these heifers sold near or above their steer contemporaries.

While attending these sales, I connected with multiple commercial and seedstock Red Angus breeders at the sale or when conducting ranch visits during my travels. Conversations were centered around finding increased value of feeder cattle through different programs, either through RAAA or through other process-verified programs. Many producers currently not enrolled in the yellow tag program did express interest in participating and will be my focal points for future commercial ranch visits.

On Oct. 28, I was at Pieper Red Angus in Hay Springs, Nebraska, for their 2023 Fall Run Sale. It was a chilly, blustery day, but the weather didn’t seem to deter anyone from the sale. Nearly 90 age-advantaged Red Angus were marketed, along with more than 400 females. The females included registered heifer calves, bred heifers, spring bred cows, a select group of fall calving cows and commercial bred heifers. A small genetic offering of frozen embryos and embryo pregnancies were also offered. This was the first bull sale I attended on behalf of RAAA. I was thoroughly impressed with the consistency and quality of animals in the offering and was able to build many new connections. I look forward to continuing to attend these events and to network with those involved in this fantastic breed.

Source: RAAA