LaDue Sunrise Angus Annual Bull Sale
Date: Apr. 25, 2016
Location: Faith Livestock Commission Co.
Auctioneer: Seth Weishaar
Reported by: Dan Piroutek
Averages:
68 yrlg and 2-yr-old AngusbBulls – $4,390
81 Open commercial Angus Heifers – $1,417
LaDue Sunrise Angus, owned by Kent and Janet LaDue, along with their son, Brian, and daughters, Brittney and Bethany, hosted a big crowd for their annual production sale held at Faith Livestock. This was a really good sale, with many repeat customers back, along with several new ones. A big rain event last week seemed to help put support to the heifer bull market.
Kent and Janet’s son, Brian, is now home from school to add more energy and enthusiasm to their marketing program. Many neighbors were on hand to pick and purchase their choices of the bulls.
The LaDue program is built around calving ease, maternal quality, disposition, and growth. These bulls are probably the calmest set of bulls, with the best dispositions, that we have seen all spring.
Some of their sires include Final Answer, Upward, Matrix, Thunder, Confidence, Long Distance, Dash, Game Day, and In Sure.
Many walked through the pens before the sale, and you could tell that this strong buyer base was in a good mood. The sale moved along at a rapid pace with eager bidders seeking out their top choices.
Top selling bull of the day honors were shared by two bulls, each at $9,000. Lot 544 was a yearling bull, sired by Sitz Upward 307R, and out of a Final Answer bred dam. This gentle bull weighed 83 pounds at birth, weaned at 694 pounds to ratio 112, and posted a yearling weight of 1,259 pounds to ratio 115. He sold to Darren Fischer from north of Midland, South Dakota.
The other $9,000 bull was Lot 501, selling to Dean LaDue, Keldron, South Dakota. Sired by SAV Final Answer, this yearling Angus bull was out of a Granger daughter, and was recommended for heifers. With a low birth weight, he had a very good weaning weight. He entered the world at 80 pounds, weaned at 748 pounds to ratio 119, and then grew to 1,244 pounds as a yearling to ratio 113.
Doug “Chick” Simons from White Owl, South Dakota, chose Lot 451 at $8,500. This big, two-year-old bull was sired by BC Matrix 4132. He was very deep-sided, and had a weaning weight of 578 pounds and a yearling weight of 1,060 pounds.
Another popular bull was Lot 480, another two-year-old bull. Ted Brockel, Bison, South Dakota, was the new owner with his final bid of $8.500. This bull was sired by GDAR Game Day 449 and out of a Matrix daughter. He had a 78 pound birth weight, a weaning weight of 731 pounds to ratio 113 and a yearling weight of 1,208 pounds to ratio 112. It was suggested that he could work on heifers.
Lot 514 sold for $7,500 to Dale Sprague from Mud Butte, South Dakota. This yearling son of SAV Final Answer 0035 was 90 pounds at birth, 718 pounds at weaning to ratio 116, and 1,272 pounds as a yearling to ratio 116.
Dean LaDue bought Lot 550, another yearling, at $8,000. With a 77 pound birth weight, he weaned at 697 pounds to ratio 112, and reached a yearling weight of 1.281 pounds to ratio 117. He was sired by Sitz Upward 307R and out of a Final Answer dam.
This was a very good day for this family, and they provided excellent hospitality, including cake and ice cream after the sale.
