KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Hereford breed garnered attention this year at the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver at the Mile High Night Hereford Sale. An estimated 5,000 attended the sale Jan. 13 on the stadium floor.

“The Mile High Night and Mile High Eve sales both showed a strong demand for Hereford genetics this year at the National Western Stock Show,” Joe Rickabaugh, AHA director of seedstock marketing, said. “Both were solid sales for the Hereford breed which again presented a stellar set of cattle both on the hill and in the yards in Denver.”

The elite 30-lot Hereford offering brought forth prominent genetics from established operations across the country. When auctioneers James M. Birdwell and Cody Lowderman lowered the gavel for the final time, the 30 lots grossed $548,750 with an average of $18,292. The six and one-half bull lots grossed $131,00 and averaged $22,545. Twenty-three and one-half females grossed $417,750 and averaged $17,777.

The high-selling Lot 4, a pick of the 2017 NJW Polled Herefords, Sheridan, Wyo., spring heifer calves commanded $110,000 and was purchased by Pablo Martin Herra, Argentina.

The second high-seller was Lot X, semen shares in B&C Stockman 6026D ET consigned by Austin Breeding, Miami, Texas; DelHawk Cattle Company, Earlville, Ill.; Lowderman Cattle Company, Macomb, Ill.; Foggy Bottom Farm, Taneytown, M.D.; Ole McDonald Farm, Byron Center, Mich.; and Express Ranches, Yukon, Okla., sold for $85,000. Semen package buyers included MCS Cattle Company, Elgin, Okla.; Bull Creek Farm, Butler, Pa.; Hoffman Ranch, Thedford, Neb.; Jones Show Cattle, Harrod, Ohio; T/R Cattle Co., Glencoe, Okla.; Jensen Bros., Courtland, Kan.; Boyd Beef Cattle, Mayslick, Ky.; Kolt Cattle Co., Garland, Neb.; and Justin Beckstrand, Warwick, N.D.

The sale remained strong with four third high high-selling lots. Lot 17A, a pick of the Krebs Ranch two fall yearling heifers consigned by Ty and Sage Krebs in Gordon, Neb. Saige Ward of Laramie, Wyo., paid $30,000 for the opportunity. Lot 26, consigned by Brumley Farms, Orovada, Nev., demanded $30,000 for one-half interest in one of their elite donor females. The top bidder on the offering was E.C. Rosson of Milford, Texas. Also commanding $30,000 was Lot 33. Hogbach Farm of Landrum, South Carolina took home the right to pick the 2016 fall heifer calves from Hoffman Ranch, Thedford, Neb. Lot XX, a full sibling pregnancy to BR Bell Air 6011, consigned by the Barber Ranch of Channing, Texas, was purchased for $30,000 by Rosebrook Angus, of Dexter, Ore.

Rounding out the top lots at $25,000 was Lot 7 from Jensen Bros., of Courtland, Kan. The pick of the Jensen Bros., bulls, either in the yards or on the hill, was purchased by Harvie Ranch and RSK Ranch, Olds, Alberta, Canada. Lot 3, one-half interest in Churchill Gunpowder 657D ET, consigned by Churchill Cattle Co. of Manhattan, Mont., also brought $25,000. The one-half interest buyers included P.W. Gillibrand Cattle, Simi Valley, Calif., and Scott and Pip Hann, Truro Whiteface, Australia. The consigners also offered semen packages which were purchased by Phillips-Renner Farm and Roth Hereford Farm, Richmond, Mo.; Southern State Herefords, Tenn.; and R&R Family Farms, Willmar, Minn.

For more information about the sale, contact Joe Rickabaugh at 816-842-3757 or jrick@hereford.org.

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The American Hereford Association, with headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., is one of the largest U.S. beef breed associations. The not-for-profit organization along with its subsidiaries, Certified Hereford Beef (CHB) LLC, Hereford Publications Inc. (HPI), and American Beef Records Association (ABRA), provide programs and services for its members and their customers, while promoting the Hereford breed and supporting education, youth and research. For more information about the Association, visit Hereford.org.

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