December 26, 2011

December has been the slowest month of the year for us here at Big Gully Farm.  We wrapped up a successful 2011 Hereford Internet Sale on November 16th.  Nineteen lots were sold to an ideal mix of junior, commercial, purebred, polled and horned breeders located in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Iowa and Maryland.  Thanks very much for viewing, bidding and purchasing.

Canadian Western Agribition was a busy week in late November.  During that time, I was fortunate to judge the First Lady Classic and Red Angus Shows.  The Hereford Show on Friday went fine, with three class winners, a Division winner and a Reserve Division Winner.  Additionally, a heifer calf I had purchased, earlier in the fall, from Luke Andrews of Triple-A Herefords was selected Reserve Grand Champion Polled Female.  On Saturday we had two bulls take part in the RBC Supreme Beef Challenge, both qualifying at the Lloydminster Stockade Roundup.  Personally, I thought the quality of the top 10 females was outstanding this year.

The farm has been relatively quiet besides trying to deliver sale cattle and making some winter farm visits.  Some leisure activities in January will include a trip to Dallas, TX and Cowboy Stadium to watch Kansas State University play the University of Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl on the 6th.  Later, I will drive to Denver with the heifer calves going to Iowa and Maryland and attend the National Western Stock Show.  Calving is slated to begin February 1 with nine embryo transplant calves from the same flush due immediately, along with the start of bred heifers and mature cows.

Mating plans for spring 2012 are being decided and I am planning how to approach the 2012 World Hereford Conference hosted by Canada in mid-July.

We hope your holiday season has been great so far and all the best in 2012.  As always, you are more than welcome to stop at the farm and we would enjoy showing you around.

Sincerely,

Lance Leachman

 

 

July 20, 2011

The weather has been wet and preventing haying from progressing, but as a result the pastures are in excellent shape and cattle are in great condition.

I just arrived home from a brief trip to Oklahoma for a wedding. I managed to stop at the American Junior National for a couple hours and saw the Lot 3-194X heifer, out of C PURE GOLD 1117, that sold to the Meteer family of Blue Mound, Illinois in the internet sale this past fall. Rochelle Meteer showed her and did an excellent job in preparing the heifer.

I also saw the Lot 1-511X heifer, out of PDHR 20J STANMORE
47R, at Chad Ledbetter's in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. The heifer looked great and was staying slicked out in the extreme heat of Oklahoma. At their ranch I was able to see many excellent Hereford cows and heifers, along with a commercial cowherd consisting of Brahman, Brangus, Braford and Simbrah cattle that certainly were better suited to the 102 degree F day I was there.

Later on that day I also visited Langford Herefords in Okmulgee and saw some excellent ET bull calves and mature cows at an operation
which has long utilized Canadian Hereford genetics.

I just reviewed the latest release of EPD's for the fall of 2011 and was pleased with the new progeny differences for all the sires we are utilizing. Although not comparable to the last run of EPD's, the BW figure on BIG-GULLY 611 BOUNTY 517U decreased substantially from
8.2 to 6.2 after incorporating the birth information from his first calf crop in the genetic evaluations.

We are getting ready to sort cattle for the show and sale along with pastures for the best bull and heifer calves. The remaining steers and lower quality heifer calves will be sent to the gully for the remainder of summer. Another cut on the bull calves will leave is with approximately 15 calves for the time being out of 40 initial bull calves.

I will be headed to the 2011 Canadian Junior Angus Showdown in Weyburn on Saturday and the Canadian Junior Hereford Bonanza in Saskatoon the last couple days of July. The Turtleford Fair, Northwest Hereford Field Day and Hardisty Field Day will occur in early to mid August.

As always, we would welcome your visit if in the area and look forward to taking cattle out to various functions over the next month.

Sincerely,

Lance Leachman

 

June 28, 2011

Canada Day is approaching and some sustained warm and sunny weather is here after a stretch of dearly needed rain.  We will process cattle in mid-July and create pastures for the top bull calves, the top heifer calves and send the remaining of cattle into the Gully on native pasture for the remainder of summer.

We are preparing for another fall internet sale, so settling on the heifer calves, bull calves and bred heifers to be included is the next step.  In addition cattle that will go to Agribition will start to be prepared. 

The local 4-H Achievement Days and Regional Shows wrapped up the first week of June.  Dad and I attended the Saskatchewan Hereford Association Annual General Meeting in Swift Current on June 11.  While in Swift Current we saw a small, but very functional herd at Marty Flicek’s along with a heifer calf that he purchased in the internet sale.  We then went to Doug Mann’s farm and viewed a well managed and high quality set of cattle including Hereford cows & calves, commercial Red Angus influenced recips & ET calves, bred heifers and mature bulls.   We were pleased with the “611” sired first calf heifer and her “47R” bull calf along with the “611” sired bred heifer that Doug and Wanda purchased in the internet sale.

Locally I have travelled to Larry & Rick Flicek’s at Neilburg and saw a large number of very good Angus heifer and bull calves.  Then I went to Fred Sirett’s to look at his cows that were exposed with “C NITRO 0248 ET” that we own in partnership.  I saw the yearling polled bull “Hemi” at Stephen Myer’s, along with a yearling bull purchased from Crittenden’s that were both very impressive.  Stephen also purchased a polled heifer out of “Beefman” in the internet sale that appears to be doing well.  I also went to Darren Tyler’s at Cut Knife to see a great set of Hereford X Simmental commercial cows along with a few purebred Simmentals.  Darren had purchased a yearling bull this spring that we intend to show in the fall.

Dad has been able to make some stops at Tom Hougham’s in Frenchman Butte, Jamie Lutz’s in Warner, Alberta, and Churchill Cattle Co. in Manhattan, Montana. 

The remainder of July is busy as I hope to attend the American Junior National Hereford Show and see a “PURE GOLD 1117” daughter show that was purchased by the Meteer family of Blue Mound, Illinois show.  Late in July, Saskatoon hosts the Canadian Junior Hereford Association Bonanza.  The North-West Hereford zone will also have their annual field day on August 11.

As always if in the area, you are welcome to stop and view that cow herd and the calves from both proven and new sires.

Sincerely,

Lance Leachman

 

April 28, 2011

We kicked out yearling heifers with their respective sires on April 24th and have been AI’ing the cowherd during the same time period.  A green tinge is appearing in the pastures finally and with some sustained heat the grass will progress rapidly.

This spring we flushed the dam of our 2010 Agribition Horned Champion bull calf, BIG-GULLY 611 BOUNTY 131X owned by Darren Tyler, to BIG-GULLY 611 BOUNTY 517U.  Those frozen embryos will be implanted on May 2.

We recently purchased TRIPLE-A 1T CHROME 66X from Murray and Bridget Andrews.  CHROME is an April born calf whose substantial mass, base width and soundness coincides with our breeding objectives.  Moreover his projected calving ease and udder quality will compliment our maternal base.  His pedigree includes the three most influential bulls at TRIPLE-A in the last decade.  We are excited for him to see use on a group of heifers this spring.

We have also acquired C NITRO 0248 ET from Sirett Family Stock Farms.  0248 was bred by Colyer Herefords and is another April calf with unparalleled power and shape in a moderate and structurally correct phenotype.  Just as importantly he comes from a highly regarded line of maternal females.  He will be utilized on a select group of females during the early portion of breeding season.

We brought BIG-GULLY 611 BOUNTY 517U home from Alta-Genetics and semen is priced at $40/unit on less than 20 and $35/unit on orders over 20 with availability in Canada, United States and South America.  Australian rights were recently sold to Peter Sykes of Mawarra Herefords in Victoria, Australia.

If you have time this summer we would certainly welcome your visit.  We also plan to see a good number of cattle this summer across Canada and the United States.

Sincerely,
Lance Leachman

 

January 20, 2011


I arrived home from the National Western Stock Show this past week and was pleased with the quality and number of Hereford cattle in the female and pen/carload shows.  The polled champion female exhibited by Star Lake was particularly impressive and the number of carloads and pens of heifers and bulls was up substantially.  The Mile High Nights sale went very well with a large number of new buyers indicating that enthusiasm and cash is being injected into the breed at levels not seen in many years.  This year I was disappointed in both the quality and number of bulls exhibited in both the horned and polled shows at Denver, relative to the past. 

Nominations of judges for the 2012 World Hereford Conference Show are being invited by the Canadian Hereford Association until the end of February.  I would encourage everyone to submit their choice of judges that would make the show memorable, enjoyable and successful.

Our first calves should begin arriving February 1 and will feature progeny of KSU BOUNTY HUNTER 611, BIG-GULLY 611 BOUNTY 517U, PDHR 20J STANMORE 47R, MH MONUMENT 8151, C PURE GOLD 1117, C 4006 DOMINO 6029, and CRR ABOUT TIME 743.  We still have yearling and two-year old bulls available that would suit the needs of most purebred and commercial cattleman.

Sincerely,

Lance Leachman

BIG-GULLY 611 BOUNTY 131X - National Horned Champion Bull Calf

January 7, 2011

            It was a very busy fall here at Big Gully Farm.  We have nearly completed delivery of cattle from our fall internet sale.  Thank-you very much to all those who registered, viewed, bid and purchased during this inaugural event.  We were extremely pleased with the internet format and the participation it allowed.

Lloydminster Stockade Roundup was the first week in November and we exhibited three head at the local show.  BIG-GULLY 611 BOUNTY 517U was named Grand Champion and half-brother BIG-GULLY 611 BOUNTY 131X was Calf Champion

The 2010 Canadian Western Agribition ended up being the highlight of our lives in cattle production.  We exhibited 7 head at Agribition this year, with a senior bull, bred heifer, three bull calves and two heifer calves.  It was the 150th Anniversary show of Herefords in Canada, along with the 40th Anniversary of Agribition itself.  BIG-GULLY 611 BOUNTY 517U was Grand Champion Horned Hereford and received a Bronze Bull sculpture, awarded by the American Hereford Association, which is typically given to only National Western Stock Show Champions in Denver.  Moreover, BIG-GULLY 611 BOUNTY 131X was the Bull Calf Champion.

Agribition concluded with the RBC Supreme Beef Challenge.  517U qualified to participate through Stockade Roundup and Agribition.  A total of 43 bulls from 13 breeds and 10 shows comprised the Supreme bull show.  A panel of 5 judges evaluated the entries and then designated a top 10.  The event concluded with 517U being Supreme Champion for 2010.   It was the biggest highlight we have experienced and are very thankful to the producers from all breeds who expressed their congratulations to us.  We had excellent help from Cory and Kristi Blaser of North Dakota and J.D. Morris of Indiana in getting the cattle ready.  Currently, 517U is in stud at Alta-Genetics to draw semen for domestic and international use.   

We still have a variety of yearling bulls and small group of two year olds still available for sale at the farm.  Visits are always appreciated.

I will be heading out this week to the National Western Hereford Show in Denver.  Hereford shows are the 13th, 14th and 15th of January.  Besides The American Junior National, Denver is easily the largest, deepest and highest quality Hereford show available to attend and evaluate cattle.  Several Canadians are taking cattle and will surely fair well.

Best of luck with the beginning of calving and enjoy 2011.

Sincerely,
Lance Leachman

 

April 6, 2010

Calving is near complete with excellent results to this point. We now have “MH MONUMENT 8151”, purchased from Mrnak Herefords, at the farm for spring breeding.  We are impressed by his structural integrity, center body dimension and performance.  He also meets our genetic profile needs for growth, milk and ribeye area. 

Thanks to the follow bull buyers this spring:

Lloydminster Bull Sale
River Bridge Ranch, Maidstone: Big-Gully 47R Stanmore 753W
Poplar Dell Hereford Ranch, Edam: Big-Gully 611 Bullion 178U
Jamie Flicek, Neilburg: Big-Gully 611 Bountiful 580U

Private Treaty
Darcy Frankl- Bar D Farm, Raymore: Big-Gully 611 Gold Bounty 70W
Calla Frankl, Raymore: Big-Gully 47R Stanmore 111W

I would also encourage you to access a blog that entails current agriculture issues every day across Canada and the United States.  The blog is maintained by Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN and can be accessed at:  http://purduephil.wordpress.com/

As always, we would welcome your visit to see the newest set of calves, herd sires and yearling bulls for sale.

Sincerely,
Buddy, Frances, Lance & Tyler

 

 

February 15, 2010

We are excited to have recently purchased a coming two-year old bull from Mrnak Herefords in Bowman, ND.  “MH MONUMENT 8151” was a member of the 2009 and 2010 Denver Reserve Champion Hereford Carloads.  He ranks in the top 1% of the breed for weaning, yearling, M&G and $CHB.  He is also in the top 3% for REA and top 5% for milk.  His sire, “MH MONUMENT 3147”, was the natural calf of a Denver Champion female and has been highly influential in the Mrnak production sale offerings.  The mother of “8151” is a Dam of Distinction sired by the renowned OXH MARK DOMINO 8020.  We feel that “8151” should transmit tremendous weaning pay-weight, while maintaining the carcass merit, skeletal integrity and udder quality our current sires are contributing.  Additionally, his pedigree is somewhat of an outcross, but one we have been interested in for several years.

As a reminder, the 91st annual Pride of the Prairies Lloydminster Bull Sale is approaching and we hope you considering attending to bolster your spring sire inventory.  The show is held at 12:00 Noon on Sunday, March 7th at the Lloydminster Exhibition Grounds.  The sale begins at 11:00 am on Monday, March 8th.  We are consigning three excellent sons of KSU Bounty Hunter 611.  Of the three two-year olds, one was 2008 Agribition Calf Champion and another is among the highest-quality we have produced.  The trio is featured on the sales page with more information.

You are welcome to stop anytime to look at our consignment bulls along with our yearling heifers, bull calves and heifer calves.

Sincerely,
Buddy Frances, Lance, Tyler and Pam

 

 

January 26, 2010
             
            We hope everyone has had a positive start to the New Year and calving season so far!

We recently attended the National Western Stock Show in Denver to take in the Junior, Carload/Pen, Bull and Heifer shows, along with the Mile High Nights Sale.  The Hereford events were very impressive with regard to both livestock quality and attendee enthusiasm.  A tremendous set of cattle were displayed by other Hereford breeders from across Canada.  Of the bull and heifer shows, the females were particularly strong in both the Polled and Horned Divisions.  The Horned Reserve Champion female (Reserve Champion Spring Yearling), Champion Spring Heifer and Reserve Champion Spring Heifer were all paternal half-sibs to KSU Bounty Hunter 611. 

The 91st annual Pride of the Prairies Lloydminster Bull Sale is approaching and we encourage you to consider attending this event to complete your bull inventory.  The show begins at 12:00 Noon on Sunday, March 7th at the Lloydminster Exhibition Grounds.  The sale commences at 11:00 am on Monday, March 8th.  We are consigning three excellent sons of KSU Bounty Hunter 611 to the sale.  One two-year old was 2008 Agribition Calf Champion and another is among the highest-quality bulls we have raised.  The trio is featured on the sales page with more information.

As always, your visit to our operation would be greatly appreciated.  We have many bull calves, bred heifers and heifer calves available for purchase.

 

 

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