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Thomas Ranch 2011 Fall Bull Sale

Dan Piroutek

The Thomas Ranch from Harrold, SD, hosted a large crowd for their second annual fall yearling bull sale held at Philip Livestock Auction. Philip was also holding their Christmas stock cow and bred heifer sale.

The Thomas family has been selling bulls in South Dakota for a long time, and year after year, they present some of the top genetics for commercial cattlemen. They produce their entire crop of fall yearlings for this December sale, while they sell their spring yearlings at their annual bull sale held at their ranch in April.

This set of Thomas bulls were well-grown and packed full of muscle and red meat. The Charolais and Red Angus bulls were extremely well received, while there were some really good buys made during the Angus portion of the sale.



The bulls were all scanned for Ribeye and intramuscular fat (IMF) scores, and this crop of bulls posted some extremely impressive numbers.

The top-selling bull of the day was the Charolais bull, Lot 6, out of TR Mr Fire Water. Top bidder Brian Beargree from Absarokee, MT, paid $10,000 for this outstanding individual. This September 2010 bull had a high IMF score and a 15.79 square inch ribeye area. With only an 85-pound birth weight, he had EPDs of BW 1, WW 30, YW 56, Milk -2, MATL 13. He was an ET bull brother to last year’s Denver Champion.



Clift Livestock from Ellensburg, WA, chose the Lot 7 Charolais bull at $5,000. This bull was a deep-sided, easy-fleshing son of TR Mr. Fire Water 5792RET, and out of the good cow, Thomas MS Impressive 0641.

Lot 10, a Charolais bull sired by TR Mr. Fire Water 5792RET, was out of a daughter of LHD Cigar E46, and sold for $5,000 to repeat buyer, Jim Bloom from Rapid City, SD. This bull was extremely long and outstanding in many of its features. He was packed full of muscle, weaning at 760 pounds. He had a 42.5 cm scrotal measurement.

Bloom also purchased the Lot 13 Charolais bull at $4,750. He was another son of TR Mr. Fire Water, and had an 89-pound birth weight. He weaned at 675 pounds.

Setting the pace in the Red Angus offering was the top-selling Lot 70. He was a September 2010 son of Red Six Mile Sakic 832S, and had only a 76-pound birth weight, before weaning at 701 pounds. He sold for $7,750 to Lowell Jones from Ree Heights, SD.

Newt Brown from Faith, SD, bought the Lot 71 Red Angus bull at $4,250. This September 2010 son of Lman King Rob 8621 was out of a daughter of Major League. He had a 68-pound birth weight and posted a weaning weight of 746 pounds.

The Lot 26 Angus bull sold for $4,000 to Jerry Mettler from Canton, SD. A son of ALC Big Eye L22U, he had a 76-pound birth weight and a weaning weight of 748 pounds. His EPDs were BW 0.3, WW 55, YW 104, and Milk 27. He scanned a 13.6 square inch ribeye, and had a 37.5 cm scrotal measurement.

Steve Lenling from Glencross, SD, selected the Lot 55 Angus bull at $3,000. He was a big, stout son of Plainview Sun Dance G39, and out of a daughter of Bon View Bando 1406. Born at 76 pounds, he weaned at 648 pounds, and posted EPDs of BW 3.1, WW 49, YW 87 and Milk 25.

Watch for the Thomas Ranch Spring Bull Sale this spring in April.