Ken, Cindy, Josh, & Adrienne Phares • John Barton 15840 Hwy. 67 • Clinton, LA 70722-4005 Ken Cell: 225-719-1563 • Home: 225-683-9639 Fax: 225-683-3182 • E-Mail: jwatsonecs@aol.com |
| Dear Fellow Cattlemen: KD Cattle was started in 1993 with a nucleus of 100 females purchased at the Black Bull Cattle Co. dispersal. Black Bull Cattle Co. was owned and operated by Mr. Dave Pingrey and Mr. Harris Swayze. Shortly after acquiring these cattle, Mr. Dave agreed to assist us as a consultant. His knowledge and expertise of Angus cattle, particularly on the maternal side, were well-known throughout the Angus industry. He helped us until his death in 1999. We have continued through the years to follow the tenets he set forth of moderation in trait selection and attention to detail. This is truly a closed herd. No other outside cattle have ever been added. All of the offspring trace back to the original Black Bull cattle. We have attempted through artificial insemination to use the best bulls available in the Angus breed, using the best of our own bulls on follow-up services. This is a functional set of cattle, raised under the conditions in the Southeast with no special treatment. Because all of the data taken on these cattle is performed by family members, our cattle information is extremely accurate. However, the only thing constant in life is change, and several sets of circumstances have led to our decision to disperse our registered cattle. The size of our operation has grown to the point that, without a substantial increase in labor force, it would be difficult to maintain the level of performance that we have maintained and desired. Two of my main cowboys, my son Josh and daughter Adrienne, are at the stage of life when they will be making major career moves. This, coupled with the fact that I have had a few birthdays, led us to the decision that we should downsize our operation by dispersing our registered cattle and maintain our herd of purebred Angus and Hereford females, bred to Brahman bulls, producing F1 calves. This has not been an easy decision, but it's one that we feel is in the best interest of all the people involved. I am confident that you can buy these cattle with the assurance that they will perform at a high level. There are countless people to thank, and I am sure I will miss some. Thank you to all the cattle buyers and loyal supporters over the years who have helped make KD what it is. Thank you to Ikie Roberts, Willie Johnson, Steve and Larry Gayle, and to Donald Holmes for the countless hours of unselfish help, nearly always with little or no compensation. Thank you to Nanci Gayle, Nina Gayle, and Teresa Holmes, who help each year at our annual sale. Thank you to Dale Hoover for his years of involvement with KD, and to the entire Hoover family, without whose help the fall sale might never happen. Thanks to Richard and Cody Hicks, who willingly did their jobs and all the other jobs nobody else wanted to do. Thank you to Jay Watson, Jarvene Shackelford, Richard Dyar and to Doug Slattery for their help, but most of all for their friendship throughout the years. Especially thank you to my family: to my son Josh, who can do just about anything; to my daughter Adrienne, who thinks no job is too hard; and especially to my wife Cindy, who has spent untold hours keeping records and who has provided encouragement and innumerable meals at cattle workings. And lastly, I would like to thank Mr. John Barton, a man of character and class, who has made this whole endeavor possible. During all the years, his criticisms have been few and constructive, and his praise, there when warranted. If I took nothing away from KD other than my relationship with Mr. John, it would have all been worthwhile. We look forward to seeing old customers and anticipate meeting new ones. We welcome all of you and hope that your visit with us is an enjoyable one. Sincerely, Ken Phares |
| I want to thank Ken and his family for allowing
me to assist in dispersing of his Registered Angus Herd. When I got off
the phone with Ken I thought, Man, this is going to be fun and a great
opportunity for Angus producers. The best set of Angus cows I have ever had the opportunity to work with, were at the Black Bull Cattle Dispersal 15 years ago. Mr. Dave Pingrey had worked his whole life breeding Angus cattle. He produced cattle for the real world. Ken, with the advice of Mr. Dave, bought 100 females at that sale, for fifteen years he has bred cattle the Black Bull Way. Mr. Dave followed the cattle and consulted with Ken up until his passing. Ken has kept using the beliefs of Mr. Dave, used the top AI Sires, followed by using his own KD Cattle raised bulls out of your best bloodlines to clean up the herd. Don't overlook the cattle that are not AI sired, the KD bulls have out-produced the AI sires year after year. This year, KD 2195-338-5137 out-produced them all. If a cow falls short of a 90 weaning weight ratio once, she is moved to the F-1 program. If she falls short of a 95 weaning weight ratio twice, she is moved to the F-1 program and once she puts on a little age she is moved to the F-1 program. I guess you can see why KD Cattle Co. F-1 bred heifers sell so well, they're out of Angus cows that would still be working in most registered herds. Ken has never sold an Angus female out of the herd, so all the top-producing cows and their bloodlines are here. In this day and age of paper cattle, you don't get a chance to go into an Angus herd and really study real world data and performance. Well, here's your chance to purchase cattle that you can count on, cattle that will go into the real world and pay for themselves. When Black Bull Cattle Co. dispersed, cattle went all over the country, and for the last 15 years we have watched the Black Bull bred cows rotate back through sales. State sales, production sales, and consignment sales, it did not matter, they were always the best conditioned, heaviest milking and top-selling females in the sales. When you purchase KD cows I expect the same to be true with them, they will make you money. You won't find any gimmicks here, what you see is what you get. This is a group of cattle that once they get out into other herds, they will come to the top. I hope you have as much fun as I will studying the sale book and if you need a little help, just ask. I look forward to seeing you on June 28, 2008. Thanks Jay |
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