Welcome!
We would like to welcome you all to our 28th Annual Production Sale. This year we were blessed with another addition to our herd, Jaysa Mae. She made her appearance on October 28th just after harvest wrapped up. Time will tell if she is as excited to be around the cattle as her brother is. Krew is 18 months now and loves every minute he gets to spend outside. In March we had to fire up the generator for a few days when high winds and snow took out hundreds of powerlines across the county. And again, just before the crops dried down for harvest another high wind storm hit the area. It knocked off the top end potential for our crops and took out a building at the farm and a grain bin at our place. Aside from the major storms, we did have timely rain allowing for green pastures and great growing conditions. The cattle market is setting record after record high. Last year in our welcome letter we said that 900 lb steers were worth just shy of $2400, and I thought that was crazy. This week, as I am typing this, the weekly weighted average on 900 lb steers was $3100. Every time we think this market can’t go any higher, it proves us wrong. Hopefully it stays strong for the cow-calf producer! We have always taken great pride in the productivity of our cows and this year was no different, as we were 10th in the nation in Dams of Dominance. We treat our cows as if they were a commercial herd and they don’t get any special treatment. Of the 33,352 cows assessed, only 5.38% were honored with the title of Dam of Merit and only 1.06% qualified for Dam of Distinction. We had 35 total cows qualifying out of 60 eligible cows, with 28 as Dams of Merit and 7 as Dams of Distinction. In our herd, we had 58.33% of our eligible cows qualify. The majority of the bulls in the sale offering are out of these Dams of Dominance. Our main focus since we took over the MLM brand has been making really good, hardy cows. This starts with the AI selection of the bulls we use. We aren’t trying to chase the crazy EPD numbered bulls. We have been using highly maternal bulls that will produce good mothers. The second step is running our replacement heifers on corn stalks until March 1st. By forcing them to go find their food all winter, they learn to fend for themselves. We don’t like cows that hang out by the gate as soon as the wind starts blowing and it's below freezing. We have found that this keeps our cows much more moderate framed and forces them to work for us, and you. We leave our cows out on stalks as long as weather allows. Last year we were able to calve half of our herd out on 80 acres of corn stalks before weather forced us to bring them in. As long as we strive to produce great cows, great bulls will be the byproduct of that. The bulls were weaned in September and fed a ration that was designed for a 2.75 lb / day gain. They ran out on 50 acres of pasture while being supplemented feed up until the first of the year. We did this to keep their feet in good shape and keep them athletic and not lazy. You will notice that our weaning and yearling weights may not be equivalent to other bull catalogs in your mail, but we truly try to give you a product that is going to last. We don’t want to sell you a flashy bull that looks awesome for the first few months. We want to sell you a bull that you only have to sell because you have too many of his daughters in your herd. They have been grown slow to ensure longevity on your ranch. All of the bulls have been DNA tested, have a negative BVD PI3 test, and semen tested by Dr. Cade Moses of South Central Veterinary Hospital. We will again be using the Auction format this year so we can have live bidding on DV Auction. We invite you to join us on Sunday, March 1st. We will have lunch available, so come enjoy a meal on us. If you have any questions, be sure and get ahold of Cole (402-621-0359) or Amber (402-984-3655). Thank you for your continuing interest and trust in our program.
Welcome to the herd, Jaysa Mae!
GELBVIEHBULLS.COM
SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2026 2:00 PM CST Cole and Amber
AT EPLEY CATTLE NELSON, NEBRASKA
3
2
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online