Dear Friends,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to our Eighth Annual Spring Bull Sale! It is an honor to have worked with so many folks previously and look forward to our continued friendship. There are numerous local producers who have entrusted our program and it now spreads through 12 different states. Our focus has remained steadfast over the last 10 years: it’s all about the cow. “Without a great foundation, it’s impossible to build a great house.” Over the course of the last couple of years, we have sat down and taken some time to explain exactly what that means to us. It all comes down to three main principles: 1) POUNDS OF PRODUCTION: Whether you are selling calves at weaning time, backgrounding, or selling on the rail, we all are getting paid on the amount of pounds. We have maintained a focus on top-performing sires from multiple sources around the country to maximize the amount of dollars to our producers on sale day. 2) FERTILITY: We run our breeding bulls for a 45-day window, which allows one time (day 1) for AI or ET work; approximately 21 days later is the first bull-bred round, and 21 days after that is the second bull-bred round. After preg check time, if the cow is open, she is culled. After 10 years of doing this, what we have found is we have less fallout – granted it still happens, but is a whole lot less painful than it would have looked at the beginning. 3) LONGEVITY: There are multiple dams in the offering over 10 years of age, the oldest of which is 15 (and still going strong). It’s not a contest to get the oldest cow but, rather, a focus to have utmost focus on foot and leg structure combined with a consistent 45-day fertility – longevity of the dam will be a direct correlation to her offspring. If you decide to keep heifers, our goal is that they stay around a long time! We are in a unique area in Kansas. We are on the west side of fescue country; however, the herd will still spend summers on native grass. Our herd gets exposed to a lot of adverse conditions: heat, humidity in the summer, fescue endophytes, insect pressure. Put all that together – I think what you will find is a strong resiliency to whatever you may throw their way. Finally, this operation has brought together many of our friends, family, and neighbors. I want to say a special “thank you” to each of you! The demands to keep everything running is daunting at times. Together, we have pooled our resources to bring, what I hope you find, are the right animals to help improve your herd.
Welcome from The Harris’! Back row: Shelby, Billy, Ben, Holly Front row: Jolea, Claire, Pam, Rod, Olivia, William
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