April Production Sale to Be Held April 7th

Ratcliff Ranch will be holding its annual spring production sale Saturday, April 7th at noon in Vinita, Okla.

This sale will feature some of the best and in-demand genetics anyone in the four-state area has to offer. If you desire ranch-ready bulls and functional females then you won’t want to miss out. The Ranch will be offering 65 service-age Angus and SimAngus bulls, featuring Grass Master, Steel Force and Upgrade genetics among other leading sires.

In addition, the ranch will also be offering 200 spring pairs, 300 fall-bred heifers and one load of open heifers ready to breed. Bred females have had A.I. service to bulls like Right Answer, Dakota Gold and Bismarck. These functional females will lay down and have a calf that will put money in your pocket every time!

“Ratcliff Ranch not only produces cattle for our customers, but also for our self. We demand genetics that are not only phenotypically correct, but also demand premiums for their high grading capability.” Ratcliff Ranch Manager Heath Kohler said.

“Utilizing our generations of proven genetics and constantly testing for traits that are desirable not only in the production side but also the meat side helps the Ranch and our customers stay in the genetic forefront of competitors.”

Catalogs with bull information and pedigrees will be mailed the middle of March. DVAuction videos of both the bull and female offerings will be posted online at www.ratcliffranches.com approximately the same time.

Cattle will be available for viewing all-day Friday prior to the sale. Donuts and coffee will be served sale morning and a lunch will be served prior to the auction start at noon.

To request a sale catalog or to join the mailing list, please contact Kim Kohler by phone at 918.256.5561 or 918.244.8025 or e-mail her at kim@ratcliffranch.com. For more information on the bulls or females in the sale, please contact Heath Kohler at 918.244.8025 or e-mail heath@ratcliffranch.com.

Does Ft. Worth Ever Cross Your Mind?

This time of the year, it seems too at Ratcliff Ranch. As we finish the final details for our trip south to the Ft. Worth Stock Show and Rodeo Commercial Heifer Show & Sale, Ft. Worth seems to be top of the mind. We finished clipping everything out last week, took videos this week and are currently getting out all the tack to load in the trailer.

With two pens, 20 Angus and SimAngus heifers bred to Dakota Gold, and a crew of three we will head south on Wednesday. Our Angus entry is a very nice, moderate set of big-bellied females that are all granddaughters of the famous Angus great EXT. The SimAngus entry is just as equally nice. These Steel Force Daughters have the look for club-calf production or the front pasture. Both entries were A.I.’d to Dakota Gold, a curve-bending herd sire with a -1.9 for birth EPD all the way to 102 for yearling EPD. These ladies have already began calving and if you have checked out the prices for weaned calves, you know that you already have a nice pocket full of cash with each live baby you get at side! We hope to see you at the Ft. Worth Stock Show and at the Auction on Saturday, February 4th at 3:30 p.m. in the West Sales Arena.

For more information or to meet up with the Ratcliff Ranch crew at Ft. Worth, please contact 918.244.8025 or e-mail heath@ratcliffranch.com.

Females to Sell in Ft. Worth in Conjuction with the FWSS

In addition, Ratcliff Ranch will be participating in the Ft. Worth Stock Show & Rodeo Commercial Heifer Show and Sale the first weekend in February. The Ranch will be entering at least one pen of pairs and one set close to becoming pairs from high-demand genetics like Steel Force. These females are A.I. safe to Dakota Gold. Ratcliff Ranches has been one of the premier exhibitors and high sellers in this program for a number of years. Unfortunately, due to the extreme blizzard that occurred in February 2011, the Ranch was unable to compete and sell.

The Ranch is looking forward to taking a great offering of females to the 2012 event. For more information, please contact the office at 918-256-5561 or Heath Kohler at 918-244-8025.

Bulls Still Available Private Treaty

Although you might not have had the opportunity to make it to our bull sale, don’t be concerned that you have missed out on the opportunity to purchase Ratcliff Ranch bulls for this breeding season or next. The Ranch has a select group of private treaty bulls that are currently available to the public. These bulls are from popular and desirable blood lines and both Angus and SimAngus breeding age bulls are available.
All bulls are sold with a one (1) breeding season guarantee. For more information on the bulls that are available or to schedule a visit to pick out a bull, please contact Ratcliff Ranch Manager Heath Kohler at 918-244-8025. E-mail inquiries are also welcome at heath@ratcliffranch.com.

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.