Town Creek Farm Since 1993

FALL 2018

Volume 6, Issue 3 • Published by Town Creek Farm, West Point, Mississippi • Brangus and Ultrablack

Breeding Principles BY JOY REZNICEK

OCTOBER 20TH SALE INCLUDES 50 FULL 2-YEAR OLDS.

The Grit welcomes your inquiries and feedback. The Grit is published by Town Creek Farm, West Point, Mississippi.

Town Creek Farm Milton Sundbeck, Owner Office: 32476 Hwy. 50 East West Point, Mississippi 39773-5207 662.494.5944 www.TownCreekFarm.com Joy Reznicek, President 205.399.0221 Joy@TownCreekFarm.com Clint Ladner 662.812.8370 CLadner@TownCreekFarm.com South American Representative Ing. Agr. Federico Maisonnave (011) 595 981 362 898 Skype: federico.maisonnave Maisonnave.Federico@gmail.com TOTAL COMMITMENT

25TH ANNIVERSARY

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST TO RECEIVE THE MOST UPDATED SALE INFORMATION AVAILABLE. EMAIL INFO@TOWNCREEKFARM.COM TO JOIN OUR FOLLOWING. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK.

Lot 131. TCF Rapid Reward 145Z3 son.

The cornerstone of our breeding principles is three decades of continuous improvement and concentration of maternal development. FERTILITY Fertility is our single most important breeding principle and first priority. It is our obligation to our customers to prove fertility in genetics. Our foundation-weaned heifers are developed on grass with minimal supplementation. At 14 to 16 months of age, heifers are A.I.’d and then pasture bred for total exposure of 55 days. Heifers not conceiving are culled. From there forward, open cows and cows who do not bring a calf to weaning pens are culled. Cows with udders that do not meet standards are also culled. Seventy percent of cow fertility is accounted for by her age at her first and second calving dates. The most fertile cows give birth to their first and second calves earliest in calving seasons. These females stay in our herd longer and have longer lifetime productions. Cowherds built with females that deliver their second calves at three-years of age provide 20% more annual gross income than cowherds developed with females that bear their second calf one year later. Disciplined culling and tight no exception breeding seasons ensures that we are maintaining the most profitable cows who produce fertile bulls with superior scrotal circumferences and strong libido. ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTABILITY Environmental pressure helps prove cattle that adapt, perform and deliver a consistent product. Our cowherd is environmentally adapted to our management system and produces three to five calves more than the average set of cows. Cowherds in the South, Southeast and Southwest need Brangus genetics (Brahman influence) for heat resilience. Brahman cattle have remarkable adaptations for survival and sweat more freely than their Bos Tarus counterparts. Breeds of cattle that are not heat tolerant or do not carry enough Brahman influence cannot perform at optimum levels in hot and humid climates. Longevity and fertility are sacrificed if daughters are retained from those breedings. LONGEVITY Longevity has been a key principle in our breeding system for 30 years. We feel strongly that longevity evolves from disciplined fertility selection and environmental adaptation. Longevity is determined by fertility, and fertility is determined by how well a cow fits her environment. Cow longevity can mean differences in positive and negative margins in commercial cattle operations. For example, by extending the productive life

of a cow three years with 95 percent calf crop, she’ll raise an additional 2.85 calves. On a 100head cowherd that totals 28.5 calves; 14 additional replacement heifers or 14 heifers more to market at a premium as opens or breds. Plus an extra 14 steer calves. Town Creek Farm Brangus, Ultrablack and VigorMax™ Half-Blood bulls are environmentally adapted and were selected through a multi-trait selection process. Use of proven environmentally adapted bulls provides our customers with an opportunity to produce longer-lasting fertile females, feedlot steers that excel in feed efficiency, and carcasses that will provide consumers with a high quality product. FORAGE CATTLE Our cowherd has performed in simple forage environments for many generations. Genetics are proven on both native and improved pasture with minimal delivered winter supplement. Cows that don’t shed hair, breed back or maintain body condition are culled from the herd. Forage efficiency and cow maintenance are essential principles to our breeding systems. Both express themselves under normal conditions, but when stress from cold, wet winters or hot, dry summers occurs, the value of our genetics comes through. Same principles apply to our bull sale offering. Our sale bulls are developed at a slow pace in a forage-based environment on a foragebased haylage ration. They mature in 40 to 50 acre traps so grazing habits are never broken. The forage environment promotes rumen function, long-term feet and leg soundness, longevity, and slower and permanent weight gain. GROWTH AND CARCASS Key to our breeding principles is balance in selection for all traits that affect profitability. Growth and carcass traits are no exceptions. We use and embrace DNA, genomics and other relevant technology available to advance our genetic program. We extract as much growth as our environment allows without negative effects on maternal traits and calving ease. We never want to be at war with nature and we’re certain our customers don’t either. Nearly every customer who buys our bulls does so with the intent of retaining replacement heifers or to market as open or bred heifers at a premium to the market. TRUSTED SOURCES It took years of precise work and selection pressure to develop the Town Creek Farm cowherd. Our driving force is not necessarily to be the largest bull supplier, rather one in which cattlemen can believe in and trust, and with whom they have similar objectives and understanding of purpose.

300 black brangus commercial bred heifers SELLING SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2018 AT 12 NOON Commercial bred heifers are brought to you by Town Creek Farm customers. Heifers are ranch-raised, sourceverified, uniform and genetically tracked. They are sired by Town Creek Farm bulls and bred back to Town Creek Farm bulls. Heifers selling comply with the following guidelines: aHeifers are second (2nd) generation or more Town Creek Farm genetics. aHeifers are bred to a Town Creek Farm bull suitable calving ease for heifers. aHeifers are bred to calve at 32 months of age or younger. aHeifers have been certified palpated safe in calf by a veterinarian or ultrasound technician within 30 days of sale (certification is mailed to buyers after completion of sale). aHeifers are calfhood vaccinated. Heifers can be viewed live at Town Creek Farm Thursday through Saturday, October 18-20, 2018. Heifers will not travel through sale ring. They will sell on video in groups of five (±) by consignor. Heifers will be video recorded in groups in which they will be sold. Buyers have an option to roll two pens of heifers at the established price as long as the heifers are from the same consignor. After three pens, the price is reestablished through the bidding process.

■ LOTS 200-279 - Williamson Cattle Company, Faunsdale, Alabama, and Okeechobee, Florida 21-Year Sale Consignor

Reputation Brangus and Ultrablack sired heifers bred back to low birth weight Town Creek Farm and Cow Creek Ranch Brangus and Ultrablack bulls. Heifers are ranch raised, genetically sourced and selected out of 9000 heifer calves. Calving from 11/17/18 to 1/1/19. Heifers will calve as two-year-olds.

■ LOTS 280-324 – River Oaks Farm, John McKnight, Searcy, Arkansas 20-Year Sale Consignor

Group 1: 30 Brangus and Ultrablack heifers out of Cow Creek Ranch cows bred to low birthweight Town Creek Farm Brangus bulls. Calving from 11/1/18 to 12/30/18. Heifers will calve as two-year-olds. Group 2: 15 Brangus and Ultrablack heifers out of Cow Creek Ranch cows bred to low birthweight Town Creek Farm Brangus bulls. Calving from 2/1/19 to 3/30/19. Heifers will calve as two-year-olds.

■ LOTS 325- 374 – CP Bar Brangus, Paul Gray, Holcomb, Mississippi 19-Year Sale Consignor

Heifers bred to TCF Sleep Easy 1144C3. This gentle set of Brangus heifers is stacked Town Creek/Cow Creek genetics representing Pathfinder, Thunder, Sleep Easy, Buckshot, and Integrity on their dam side and Pathfinder and Sleep Easy on sire side. Heifers are bred to TCF Rapid Reward 5D3 and TCF Rapid Reward 14D4. Heifers will calve from 2/5/19 to 4/7/19.

■ LOTS 375-408 – Megehee Cattle Company, Jacob Megehee, Macon, Mississippi 15-Year Sale Consignor

Group 1: 20 Brangus heifers out of CCR Sleep Easy 9L2, CCR Integrity 355S4, CCR Thunder 641R4, and CCR Integrity 036P9 daughters and granddaughters bred to low birthweight Town Creek Farm Integrity and Rapid Reward bulls. Calving from 11/1/18 to 12/12/18. Calving at 30-months of age. Group 2: 14 Brangus heifers out of CCR Sleep Easy 9L2, CCR Integrity 355S4, CCR Thunder 641R4, and CCR Integrity 036P9 daughters and granddaughters bred to low birthweight Town Creek Farm Integrity and Rapid Reward bulls. Calving from 2/10/19 to 4/24/19. Calving as two-year olds.

■ LOTS 423-428 – Montgomery Farms, Mark Montgomery, Moulton, Alabama

SALE INFORMATION ■ DROUGHT EFFECTS ON WEIGHTS

Drought severely limited forage growth in Fall 2016 and Spring 2017. Fall 2016-born calves were early weaned. Wean weights of fall and spring calves were impacted. Please keep this in mind as you appraise catalog. Bulls are in excellent shape and ready to go.

■ SALE CATALOGS

Sale catalogs were mailed September 19, 2018. If you have not received a catalog, you likely are not on our catalog list or it is lost in mail. To request a catalog go on-line to www.TownCreekFarm.com or call Town Creek at (662)494-5944.

■ SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, October 19, 2018 All Day – Cattle available for viewing. 6 pm – Boot Scootin’ BBQ Party Social, Dinner and Dancing Live music by Blue Denim, Atlanta, Georgia Join us for an evening of good food, fun and dancing as we celebrate the 25 years of ranching on Town Creek Farm. Saturday, October 20, 2018 11 am – Lunch featuring Town Creek Farm Beef Burgers 12 noon – Town Creek Farm Brangus Commercial Bred Heifer Sale followed by Town Creek Farm Bull Sale

■ HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS

The Hyatt Place.............................(662)370-1800 101 Hospital Drive Extended, Columbus, Mississippi 39701 Hampton Inn & Suites .............(662)494-7802 1281 Highway 45 Alternate South West Point, Mississippi 39773 See sale catalog for additional hotel accommodations. Call Town Creek Farm at (662)494-5944 for assistance.

10-Year Sale Consignor

TCF Rockstar 546Z2 daughters bred back to CCR Pathfinder 70Z2. Calving from 11/15/18 to 1/12/19.

■ LOTS 429-457 – B&B Farm, Gerome Burrell, Linden, Alabama 6-Year Sale Consignor

TCF Sleep Easy 067Z5 and CCR Ultrablack 1749Y5 daughters bred back to TCF Ultrablack 59B2. Calving from 11/11/18 to 2/15/19

■ LOTS 409-422 – Longino Ranch, Cliff Coddington, Sidell, Florida 4-Year Sale Consignor

■ LOTS 458-492– Lowell Dollar Farms, Lowell Dollar, Bainbridge, Georgia 3-Year Sale Consignor

Brangus and Ultrablack heifers bred back to low birth weight bulls TCF Sleep Easy 024C4; TCF Sleep Easy 211B5; TCF Pathfinder 518B4; and TCF Integrity 788B4. Group 1: 8 heifers A.I.’d to TCF Integrity 13C. ECD: 1/28/19. Group 2: 10 heifers. Calving from 1/15/19 to 2/15/19. Group 3: 17 heifers. Calving from 2/15/19 to 3/31/19.

■ LOTS 493-509 – Drawdy Brothers, Troy and Phil Drawdy, Ft. Pierce, Florida First Year Sale Consignor

Town Creek Farm and Cow Creek Ranch Brangus and Ultrablack sired heifers bred back to low birth weight bulls. Heifers were A.I.’d to CCR Integrity 355S4. ECD: 12/26/18. Pasture bred to two of the top selling bulls in the 2015 Town Creek Farm Sale TCF Integrity 20A9 and TCF Integrity 190A. Calving from 12/28/18 to 2/22/19. Heifers were developed, A.I.’d and pasture bred at Cow Creek Ranch, Aliceville, Alabama, from weaning to sale day. Heifers will calve as two-year-olds.

These heifers sell.

“

This heifer sells from Williamson Cattle Company.

Five or six years ago we phased

Brangus bulls back into our program. We

are a big believer that you need some ear

in your cattle to perform here in our part

of the country. We are refocused on

Brahman influence in replacements. True Brangus™ Lot 3. Year REA/CWT: 1.21. Full 2-yr. old.

“

Town Creek Farm and Cow Creek Ranch Brangus and Ultrablack sired heifers bred back to low birth weight bulls. Heifers were A.I.’d to CCR Integrity 355S4. ECD: 12/26/18. Pasture bred to TCF Sleep Easy 788D3 and TCF Integrity 5D4. Calving from 12/28/18 to 2/22/19. Heifers were developed, A.I.’d and pasture bred at Cow Creek Ranch, Aliceville, Alabama, from weaning to sale day. Heifers will calve as two-year-olds.

■ JIM LEWEY, ALABAMA

3-YEAR TOWN CREEk FARM BULL CUSTOMER

TOTAL COMMITMENT

3 Quality Assurance always comes first.

Town Creek Farm Sale SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2018 • 12 NOON at the Town Creek Pavilion near West Point, Mississippi Lot 27. Ultrablack. Year Marbling 4.42%. Full 2-yr-old.

150 Town Creek Farm Bulls Brangus, Ultrablack, VigorMax™Half-Blood Bulls INCLUDING 50 FULL 2 YEAR-OLD BULLS (DOB: Fall 2016) AND 20 VIGORMAX™ HALF-BLOOD BULLS. GUARANTEED JOHNES-FREE, TRICH AND BVD TESTED.

Lot 19. True Brangus (62.5% Angus). Full 2-yr.-old.

Practical, functional bulls developed on high roughage, forage-based ration. Cow Creek Ranch based genetics. Large selection User-Friendly bulls, Maternal Bulls and Calving Ease bulls. Videos of bulls will be available on-line at www.TownCreekFarm.com October 8, 2018. Heifer videos will be on-line in selling groups on October 19, 2018. Bulls may be viewed at the ranch between now and sale day. Please call Joy at 205.399.0221 or Clint at 662.812.8370 for showings. ■ One-third of bull offering are full

Lot 52. VigorMax™Half-Blood bull. Yearling REA/CWT 1.23 sq. in.

Lot 3. Heifer Bull. True Brangus. Full 2-yr.-old.

2-year old bulls (DOB: Fall 2017).

■ Bulls developed slowly on high

roughage, grass silage-based ration to ensure durability, soundness and weight maintenance.

■ Bulls reproductively sound. We are

committed to proving highly fertile genetics that are functional. Every heifer calves as a two-year old.

■ Heat and humidity tolerant bulls.

Percent Angus stated on each lot.

Lot 46. True Brangus (62.50% Angus). Full 2-yr. old.

Lot 113. True Brangus. Yearling Marbling 4.73%.

■ Large selection of user-friendly,

high maternal and calving ease bulls needed to produce valuable replacement heifers. Profit begins with a live calf.

■ Expansive herd health program.

Annual whole herd Johnes testing. Bulls sell guaranteed Johnes-free, Trich and BVD tested. .

OBTAIN BUYER NUMBER ON-LINE Lot 14. True Brangus. Full 2-yr-old. 678 lbs. Weaning Weight.

ABSENTEE BIDDING

Lot 51. Full 2-yr.-old. True Brangus. 4.08% Yearling Marbling.

Bidding options for buyers unable to attend the sale include On-Line bidding. Contact DV Auctions at 402.316.5460 or go to DVAuction.com. Or, by contacting Joy or Clint and allowing us to work with you on cattle needs and budget. Lot 32. True Brangus (62.5% Angus). Full 2-yr.-old.

Lot 22. True Brangus. Full 2-yr-old,

Go to www.TownCreekFarm.com to sign up for a buyer number. On-line bidding requires buyer number to be obtained from DVAuction.com.

TCF PENNY LANE AT WORK. CENTER – CARRYING WEEK-OLD CALF; RIGHT – DOCTORING CALF.

TCF Penny Lane – 2015 Bay Filly – AQHA 5716281 PENNY LANE IS A VERY PRETTY BAY FILLY. WE HAVE USED HER ALL OVER THE RANCH. Penny Lane has extensive time under saddle gathering and sorting cattle, and she has been roped on. She is smooth and easy-going. At only three-years-old, she is already gentle enough for most anybody to ride. She will

make someone a nice ranch and family horse. Penny Lane will be working and available for viewing at our October 20th sale. Please contact Anne Sutherland at (662)295-6144 with questions or for additional information.

Town Creek Farm Donates Heifer Raising Commercial Cattleman Weans 900-Pound Record $21,300 for Junior Brangus Calves With Town Creek Farm Bulls THIS YEAR TOWN CREEK FARM PROUDLY DONATED TCF SUGAR ESTO 518F. SOUTHEAST JUNIOR BRANGUS BREEDERS SOLD 188 CHANCES AT $100 EACH. THE EFFORTS RAISED $18,800. Eddie Roberts of Florida was the winner of the chance drawing. Roberts donated the heifer back to the juniors to auction to the highest bidder. When the gavel fell, TCF Sugar Esto 518F raised another $2,500 for a grand total of $21,300, a record amount for the fundraising project. TCF Sugar Esto 518F was sired by breed powerhouse, TCF Rapid Reward 145Z3. Her dam, 518Y2, has a perfect calving record. She calved at 23 months of age; then on 2/19/2013; 2/10/2014; 4/3/2015; 3/2/2016; 2/2/2017; and 2/6/2018. 518F’s grandam is both a Summit cow and first generation female. ` The Southeast Junior Brangus Breeders Association continues to exceed challenges of raising money for youth activities and shows through the generous support of Brangus breeders, friends, families and local businesses. Congratulations to the great group of youth leaders and future Brangus breeders.

WES WILLIAMSON AND HIS FAMILY OF FLORIDA BOUGHT COW CREEK RANCH GENETICS FOR THE FIRST TIME 22 YEARS AGO. They’ve built one of the most powerful, environmentally adapted cowherds in the country since then. Wes shared his news that Williamson Cattle Co. weaned their first ever 900-pound calves sired by Town Creek Farm bulls and out of commercial Brangus dams sired by Town Creek Farm bulls. These results demonstrate the true power of Town Creek Farm genetics to grow and convert and leave you with a superior, environmentally-adapted and long-lived replacement heifer. .

WILLIAMSON CATTLE CO. WEANS FIRST EVER 900-POUND CALVES.

RECORD SETTING DONATION HEIFER, TCF SUGAR ESTO 518F. TOWN CREEK FARM HOSTED A GATHERING THAT ATTRACTED AREA CATTLEMEN EAGER TO EXPAND THEIR KNOWLEDGE BASE. The event featured Dr. John Blanton, Mississippi State University Head of Animal and Dairy Sciences who spoke of future challenges in animal agriculture; Mississippi Cattlemen's executive leader, Andy Berry, who expounded on issues facing animal production; and Andy Gipson, Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce.

MILTON SUNDBECK HAS FUNDED A NEW PROFESSORSHIP AT MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY (MSU) THAT FOCUSES ON ADVANCING BEEF CATTLE PRODUCTION IN THE SOUTHEAST. Sundbeck collaborated with MSU Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences to create the Milton Sundbeck Endowed Professorship in Southeastern Cattle Management. “After 25 years in the cattle business, I have an absolute understanding that cattle must match environments to perform at their optimums. Mississippi and Southeastern environments are hot and humid. Heat stress affects daily functions of cattle, many aspects of reproduction including embryo development and survival, pregnancy rate and sperm quality, along with feed efficiency and conversion,” says Sundbeck. The position will facilitate further exploration and research of effective management of cowherds in Southeastern United States. Scientist Dr. Brandi Karisch is the first professor to occupy the position. Karisch earned a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and master and doctoral degrees from Texas A&M University.