GBT Angus Bull Sale
March 13-15, 2019

Welcome cattlemen,
Boy how time goes by. Last year marked our 25th Anniversary of Angus seed stock production and this year will tally 24 different calf crops marketed to our industry peers. We sold private treaty in the beginning then sold many years through live auction before finding an online bidding format in 2013. This being our seventh year offering our bulls in an online format has worked better than we had anticipated. It's a cherry pick of the best of both worlds. The relaxed atmosphere that comes with private treaty, with the fairness of bidding so that everyone has equal opportunity on all bulls offered. Add to that the flexibility of online bidding, so no matter where you are, you can keep watch on your bids and keep up to date on information as it's added! It's also very affordable and transparent. The buyers are not charged a bidder fee and the auction company does not charge or collect any commission. GBT Angus pays an up front set fee for the use of Edjeauction's online bidding website - that's it, that's all. No third parties involved.

So please be our guest anytime it's most convenient for you to come and see the bulls in their natural environment and even peruse through the dams and sisters to these bulls if you so desire. Everything is on display all year round.

Sincerely, Trevor Cheryl Brett and Carter Branvold

A little about our program:
My mom, step father and I started this venture when I was 15. So it goes without saying, I’ve seen my share of the coming and goings of the seed stock business - whether its management strategies, marketing or genetics. Like any producer, when you start a new enterprise, a goal is always needed so as to have a sort of end point or vision of what things need to look like. Unlike those who followed the bell curve of taking Angus to the extremes of the 80's and 90's, I always appreciated the more moderate kind. This was favourable for me as I bought into some real good cattle at discounted prices. Thankfully the bell curve has, for the most part, come full circle. Today, good research is available on how moderate framed cattle tend to be more efficient and profitable. Today's savvy cattlemen know that forever adding more growth and/or inputs (feed, labour, energy,etc.) can actually be antagonistic to profit. Controlling inputs with good grazing management and utilizing genetics adapted to your given environment tends to have more impact towards profitability. What really sets our program apart from those who followed the curve is that our genetic base was never drug through all the complications that ensue when chasing shifting fads. We believe our genetics offer less variation and are more predictable for calving ease, proper maternal function, optimal milk, growth and fertility for their given environment. The unique aspect of developing cattle this way is that they are flexible in that they will convert both high and low quality feed to pounds more efficiently than their more pampered, high input designed counterparts.

Creating In Herd Efficiency:
Quite a simple approach really. Rather than manipulating a preconceived phenotype or pounds, we set goals within our environment which our cows must attain. Since labour and inputs largely determine profit, we implement a hands off approach and let the cows sort themselves out.

Fertility-
Without it, nothing else in a cow calf operation matters. No pregnancy equals no calf, therefore no pounds to sell – so without question, performance and carcass takes a back seat to fertility. But fertility is lowly heritable you say? That's an even better reason to push for it! Cows who settle in a short breeding window indicate proper hormone function and adaptivity to a given environment. Culling opens reduces unadapted genetics entering the herd. This being said, culling only indicates a problem at the back end. Utilizing suitable genetics addresses the problem at the front end. This is the quickest path to change.

Function-
A cow must be sound and stay sound. This is largely directed towards foot and udder structure. The longer a cow can stay in production the more dollars she can generate. With the high cost of developing replacements into cows (most cows don't break-even until their several years into production) - this still trumps pounds weaned and carcass value.

Maternal-
It's more than just milk! The cow must calve and nurse unassisted and wean a healthy calf. Manipulating pounds weaned distorts the ability for genetics to be built suited to the environment and the resources at a profitable level. More pounds weaned generally requires more milk, requiring added inputs to sustain each pound of production. It doesn't stop there either. Pushing performance ultimately alters cow size, inevitably coming full circle towards efficiency of production and adaptability. Do pounds matter? I'd say yes, but only to a certain end point. Finding the thresh hold is the key.

About the Bulls: As outlined in this catalogue, the cow herd is the proving ground behind the bulls on offer. There is more value for our customers in creating many bulls who are genetically similar than there is marketing a one off individual. Consistency is the goal. Bulls are developed pre weaning on mothers milk, green grass and good quality free choice mineral.. They were weaned February of 2018 onto a hay/straw ration, mineral and pellets for concentrate. Come spring, they are sent out to pasture until October when they are once again introduced to dry forage and pellets with a chelated mineral pack. Proper development is more important to us than superficial gains. A tell tale indicator of bulls not pushed is the hair coats they have. I think you'll agree, these bulls are beautifully haired up – especially for two's. Once again, in keeping with the value of showcasing the bulls in their natural state, their hair and feet have never been timed.

All bulls offered will pass a semen evaluation prior to the sale. We guarantee all bulls to be sound breeders on paper and in pasture.

* Please note there are some bulls in the offering we are waiting on parentage results. All bulls are of purebred, registered stock. We just haven't received all testing back at time of cataloguing.

The Star System:(back by popular demand)

Calving Ease:
5 star- (< 70 lbs) Heifer bull candidate
4 star- (70-80lbs) Possible heifer bull on low birth genetics
3 star- (80- 90lbs) Cows only. Heifers may require assistance
2 star- (90-100lb) Strictly cow bull
1 star- (100lb+) Culled

Disposition:
5 star- Exceptionally docile.
4 star- Slightly agitated in chute or slight nervousness when separated or cornered.
3 star- Fights chute but will calm. Acts threatened when separated or cornered but flights rather than fight.
2 star- Fights chute continuously. Dangerous when cornered. Fights rather than flight -cull.
1 star- Extremely dangerous and wild -cull.

Dam's Udder: 5 star- Perfect quality
4 star- Very good. Well above average.
3 star- Average but degrading. Looser suspension, somewhat larger teats or teat placement issues.
2 star- Nursing assistance not required but poor – cull.
1 star- May require assistance nursing. Very poor – cull.

Sinclair Plains Boss 5BO2
5BO2 is the result of persistent, methodical breeding efforts of the historic NBAR program of Montana and Sinclair Cattle Company of Wyoming. Tracing an impressive 45 times to the 1968 born legendary maternal giant; Emulation 31, 5BO2 is bred to exclude variation, improve predictability, fertility, and udder quality. Icing added to the cake is that he is exceptionally docile with excellent scrotal. We are very eager to get his first daughters into production this spring.

MH Winner 932
When your breeding focus is centred on cows being long lived, functional and efficient, it doesn't take long to take someone up on an offer of a perfect footed, well papered 7 year old herd bull. That's exactly what we did when approached by Gary Richards to come see a bull he thought might have value in a seed stock operation. With this being his first proof of offspring here, MH Winner is making us excited to see what his daughters can do when they come into production.  

1736
Calving ease: 5/5 Disposition: 4/5 Dams udder: 4/5

• From a productive Grassmaster daughter and Ruby Belle cow family.
• Dam has all three sons making the sale selling to D+R Livestock, Triple V Ranch and now this guy. One daughter retained in herd.
• Expect volume, udder quality and easy fleshing genetics here.