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South Carolina Angus News
December 8, 2004
Windy Bartee
As we begin a fresh new year in 2005 we pause to look back over our good fortune last year, especially with our Angus cattle.
South Carolina had several very successful sales of Angus last year. Just to summarize the last few held in the fall, you can see that the price of Angus is up.
Halloween was more of a treat than a trick at Walter Shealy’s Black Grove Cow Dispersal. Walter wrote, "The goodwill from 43 years of breeding Angus cattle translated into the all-time record-breaking event for the Carolinas…The sale averaged $5,057 per lot." There were 53 lots resulting in a total of $268,042.
The Yon Family Farm followed the next weekend with their first Fall Bull & Female sale. The 46 Angus and 11 Charolais were the highlight of the sale. The Yon Family reported," Especially sought after were those bulls that offered calving ease with powerful growth and performance to boot." The 46 Angus bulls averaged $3,118. The eleven Charolais bulls averaged $2,327. The 48 Angus female lots averaged $2,502. Ten Charolais female lots sold at an average of $2,160.The sale total was $310,721. And they plan to sell more bulls in February.
Black Crest Farm near Sumter brought all the McLeod kin together working the chutes and the books on November 27, right after turkey day. No turkeys were there that day, as the 78 Angus and Gelbvieh lots averaged $3,464. The total for the sale was $2,70,200. All the McLeods were thankfully smiling on that after-Thanksgiving sale. Louis Tisdale, the new president of the South Carolina Cattlemen was setting a good example in the back, helping move the cattle through the chutes.
Several of our Carolina Angus members found their way to Louisville in November for the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE). Among the attendees was Ted Bourne who looked fine and healthy. When he got back to SC the doctor discovered Ted needed a heart tune-up. His recovery from surgery is one thing to celebrate. He is back at work and driving again.
At the NAILE Evelyn Edmunds took on the task of getting together items for the American Angus Auxiliary’s silent auction that raises money for the NJAA scholarships. She fixed a basket with an Angus afghan, food products from SC, such as grits, pecans, and peach jelly along with sand dollars and starfish which brought more than $200. She also took another afghan and a unique pocketbook made from Angus car tags that brought a hefty price. South Carolina’s 3 items raised $360 of the more than two thousand dollars raised by the group’s effort. Evelyn made South Carolina proud and we do not even have an official SC Angus Auxiliary to support our youth.
Have you heard the news about the glass ceiling that got broken at the American Angus Association annual meeting in November? No, there was not a big brawl! They elected the first woman as president of the association, Minnie Lou Bradley. Evelyn Edmunds, Kevin Yon and Ted Bartee were there for the vote in Louisville on Nov. 15.
The American Angus Association sent this thumbnail sketch on Minnie Bradley:
Minnie Lou Bradley recently completed her second three-year term on the board and a year as vice president. Her Angus operation, Bradley 3 Ranch Limited, specializes in raising “ranch-raised bulls for ranchers" and has been a pioneer herd in the areas of collecting performance and carcass data.
An Oklahoma native, Minnie Lou used her 4-H Angus herd to finance her way through Oklahoma State University, where she majored in animal science and minored in agriculture journalism. She was a member of the livestock judging team, and earned the title of high overall judge at the International in Chicago. Now that should inspire some of our Angus youth.
It seems that one of our own has been inspired and has started climbing the Angus Association ladder as the following press release reports:
Jeremy Adkins Earns Junior Bronze & Silver Awards
Jeremy Adkins, Pelzer, SC, has earned the National Junior Angus Association’s (NJAA) Bronze and Silver Awards, according to James Fisher, director of activities and junior activities for the American Angus Association in St. Joseph, Mo.
Jeremy, the 21-year-old son of Jesse and Debbie, attends Greenville Tech. He was active in the NJAA and the South Carolina Junior Angus Association. He has shown his Angus in numerous shows at the local, state, and national levels. Jeremy has cattle enrolled in the Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR) program and has consigned cattle to the Carolina Futurity. He is a past treasurer and director of the South Carolina Junior Angus Association and has been a member of the National Junior Angus Association since 1995.
Keep up the great work Jeremy. The next step is a gold award and we hope you get there.
As we look forward into 2005, look for more Angus sales. Mark your new calendars. Our member to the north Dale Thompson from Hilltop Angus will have a sale on January 8, 2005 at Stanley Livestock Arena in Norwood, NC. Forty-five Angus bulls, 30 Angus heifers, 15 Angus cows will be featured. Call 910-439-5261 or 910-975-0753 for a catalog or information.
South Carolina will have bull sales every Saturday in February, if all goes as planned last year. Beginning on Feb. 5 is the Clemson Bull Sale, usually followed by Black Crest, Yon Family Farm Bull sale on February 19, and Tokeena Angus on the last Saturday.
Our SC main event is always the Carolina Angus Futurity at noon on March 19th at Clemson’s T. Ed Garrison Arena. Friday, March 18 will start off the weekend with the SC Annual Angus Association meeting and banquet. This year will be at the Clemson Madren Conference Center. The social hour begins at 6 with dinner at 7. New directors will be nominated to be elected by mailed ballots. Stephanie Clark is leading the juniors in another silent auction to benefit the SC Junior Angus Association. This year we will be printing a new directory. The ads will be auctioned off at the banquet.
As we step forward with faith into 2005, we pray our good fortune will hold up and that our Angus prices go even higher as long as we continue to produce the excellent quality.
Thank you to Nancy Crocker for the pictures from the NAILE. Thank you to Evelyn Edmunds for getting the items to Louisville and helping get the results. If you know news that should be included in the SC report, please let Windy Bartee know at 803-222-7533 or tumblet@earthlink.net.
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