Ratcliff Ranch Combines Production & Customer Appreciation Sale

Ratcliff Ranch has combined its annual Fall Production & Customer Appreciation Sale this year. The sale
will be held Saturday, November 12, 2011 at the Ranch headquarters in Vinita, Okla. The sale will
feature 110 Angus and SimAngus bulls that are Ranch Ready.

In addition, the sale will feature nearly 1,000 females consisting of Ratcliff Ranch females and Ratcliff
Ranch Customers’ females. Fall pairs, spring bred heifers and cows will also be available for purchase.
“This is by far one of the stoutest bull offerings we have ever auctioned,” said Ratcliff Ranch Manager
Heath Kohler. “We are also selling a significant number of A.I. bred cattle and some Steel Force
daughters during the sale.”

Individual videos of the bulls will be available around October 20th along with a select number of female
videos. More videos will be added every few days after. Opportunities to see the bulls in person will be
available at both the OCA Fall Gathering and the SW Missouri Cattlemen’s events on October 20 and
October 27th.

A more detailed listing of the offering is available on our sale page.
For more information, please contact the office at 918-256-5561 or Heath Kohler at 918-244-8025.

Ratcliff Ranch Hosts Record Crowds and Boasts Record Sales

The field was full of trailers and vehicles as prospective buyers pulled up the flag-lined drive. Although the wind was sharp, it didn’t deter people from getting out in the pens and inspecting the offering of bulls and females.

The stands were full as Mr. Ratcliff introduced the color guard and the national anthem and the prayer were given. Shortly after introductions, the sale began with Matt Sims opening with the Angus bulls. A total of 55 Angus bulls sold for an average of a little over $4,700/head. A few shy of 30 SimAngus bulls sold next and averaged a little over $3,600/head.

Auctioneer Ronn Cunningham co-sold the bulls and the females with Matt Sims. A total of 638 females, with a little over 170 fall calving pairs. The averages for the females ranged from $1730 for fall pairs to a little over $1400 for spring calving cows. A set of fancy spring 11 females were offered and averaged nearly $1400/head.

Genetics that were highlighted in this offering ranged from Grass Master, Anticipation, Final Answer, Steel Force and Upgrade in the bulls. Females were mainly Angus genetics with some Steel Force daughters and Emulation Granddaughters, mainly A.I. serviced to leading breed sires.

For more information or to find out about the next Ratcliff Ranch sale offering, please contact the office at 918-256-5561. Bulls are available by private treaty year round, or as long as they last.

Long-time Customer Feature: Larry Skeets – Branch, Ark.

Larry Skeets, Age 70 Skeets Ranch, Branch, AR

Background: Larry and his wife, Linda, have been in the cattle business on a full-time basis for nearly 25 years and prior to that on a part-time basis. Larry and his son, Mac, also operate 10 poultry houses in addition to 200 head of cows. Their commercial cow-calf operation is located in the Arkansas River Valley, 10 miles off the river in the Ozarks. The grass is 75% Bermuda and 25% fescue. The Skeets utilize all the litter from their poultry houses to fertilize their pastures.

What made you decide to become a commercial cattleman? We were in the crossbred cattle business, raising Brahman/Hereford cross cattle. We found they were ineffective to market. We had excellent quality cattle, but couldn’t get what we deserved for the quality, so we sold out.

We were going to replace them with Angus cattle, and we had the idea that we could just go out and replace them with a 100 Angus cattle and be back in business the next day. It wasn’t that easy.

How did you become a customer of Ratcliff Ranches? I had several bulls go bad at the same time and it was about to be a train wreck. We were right in the middle of breeding season. I kept seeing ads for Ratcliff Ranches and so I called Billy Hall one day right in before a sale. We purchased several bulls in 1999 and have been a repeat customer ever since.

Do you purchase just bulls? No, we have a 60-day calving window in the spring and fall. We buy the majority of our replacement heifers through Ratcliff Ranch and their sales, mostly bred heifers. Since we have good grass, we can develop a heifer pretty good and put her into our breeding program.

How have you got along with Ratcliff Ranch cattle? Great, fantastic, like I said we have two calving seasons, spring and fall, and I can’t remember when Ratcliff Ranch didn’t buy my calves since 2001. In addition, I asked Billy about marketing some of his bulls in my area, to develop a local market. It’s been successful for both parties. Some are repeat customers; others will buy a bull and then purchase a bull or females direct from Ratcliff Ranch the next time. It has gotten the Ratcliff Ranch name out in my area and we have served a multitude of people, probably 50 or 60. It’s been very good.

Do you have any support on the ranch? My son, Mac, is an integral part of our operation. He handles the majority of the day-to-day operations. He has two boys Tyler and Slade. He is a full-time Dad, full-time rancher and a full-time chicken grower.

How important is it to have a program that you market to? It’s imperative; you just have to do it. You can move from one program to another, but you need to find your niche and stay with it. It just takes out some of the responsibility, burden and doubt. Marketing calves through Ratcliff Ranch just eliminates the hassle. If you have a relationship with someone and you buy your bulls from one place and three of them wreck, you simply get in your truck drive there load it up and then your back in business. Having a program, gets me back to doing the things that I do better.

Do you follow you calves through the feedlot? Yes, our calves are fed mainly through Chappell Feedlot and Tom Williams. Our calves grade, we very seldom have a select calf and when we do we will go out and take a look at the cow. When we have looked at the cow, it is amazing to us how nobody noticed she wasn’t giving enough milk or that she didn’t have that great of a calf. It is important for us to realize this also, as it is how we get better.