A really nasty, rainy and windblown day certainly didn't keep the crowd away from the Spitzer's 2003 and 10th annual event. This year's sale coincided with Valentine's Day but no one minded as they gathered at Double H Livestock Barn, Pelzer, S.C. for a "sweetheart of a sale." Early birds began arriving well before 9 a.m. to get dry and warm up with coffee and snacks while previewing the offering.

When the Beef Educational Seminars began at 2 p.m. over 60 were on had to hear educational programs on Mineral Nutrition (Bartlett Milling Company) and Weed Control (Dow AgroSciences). Then Tim Caudill (River Ridge Cattle Company, Independence, Va.), James Stice (International Brangus Breeders Association Representative, Dade City, Fla.) and Wes McAllister (Blue Branch Farms, Mt. Carmel, S.C.) gave positive and enthusiastic presentations on their experiences, successes and increased profits with Brangus sired cattle.

By the time everyone finished all the Beef Brisket they could hold, auctioneer Mike Jones, West Point, Ga., assisted by G. Shirley Myers, Macon, Ga. and Steve McGill, Iva, S.C. were selling bulls. Nineteen Performance Tested Brangus Bulls sold for an overall average of $1,945.

Consistent with past sales, 11 of 19 bulls sold to repeat customers who have come to trust in the Spitzer Ranch performance program for usable, profit making genetics. Bulls sold in everyone's price range with purchases being made from $1,000 to $3,500. Every bull was sold to very progressive commercial producers who know these value added genetics can make them more profit.

Top seller at $3,500 for two thirds interest and possession was SR Wrangler Warrior M215 to Wes McAllister, Blue Branch Farms, Mt. Carmel, S.C. M215 had a powerful set of EPDs with BW=2.8, WW=39.8, YW=72.7, MK=19.3, TM=39.2 and REA .40. This son of Aces TF Wrangler 145/8 had weaned at 684 pounds (Ratio 119) out of a Cadence of Brinks 535D3 sired cow and charged on to a 1332 pound yearling weight (Ratio 124). He also had a 37.7 cm SC and ultrasound scanned a 13.8 sq. in. REA.

The next high sellers were SR Wrangler Warrior M236 who found a home with Joe Davis, Davis Farms, Westminster, S.C. at $3,200 for two thirds interest and possession and SR Wrangler Warrior M202 purchased for $3,400 by Joey and Allison Link, Bishop Branch Farms, Pendleton, S.C. Both Wrangler sons out of Cadence daughters impressed the crowd with high performance figures, great EPDs, and nice ultrasound scans with REAs over 12.5 sq. in. and %IMF in the 3% range. Rounding out the top 4 high sellers was Charles Brown's (Greenwood, SC) purchase of SR Cadence Warrior M218 for $3,000.

A feature of the Spitzer Ranch Program has always been their Customer Female Sale where buyers of their bulls have an outlet to sell their offspring. Consignors to this year's sale were Bar T Ranch (Richard Taylor, Honea Path, S.C.), Joey and Allison Link, Wes McAllister, Creamer Farms (Berry and Randy Creamer, Anderson, S.C.), Joe Davis and McNeil Farms (Todd McNeil, Abbeville, S.C.).

Graham DuBose, Rembert, S.C. bid $800 each for a powerful pen of two Black Gold Brangus open yearling heifers from Blue Branch Farms to begin the female sale. Then he did it again on the second pen; $800 each for another two Black Gold Brangus yearling heifers from Blue Branch Farms. Not to be outdone, Charles Brown from Greenwood bought the next two pens of two heifers also for $800 per head. Both of those pens were Black Gold Brangus open yearlings consigned by Richard Taylor. All told, 85 females grouped as twos and threes in 35 lots of open yearlings, bred fall calving heifers and cow calf pairs averaged $664.

Volume buyers were Graham DuBose with 2 bulls and 24 heifers and Charles Brown with 2 bulls and 4 heifers. Buying 2 bulls each were Joey and Allison Link, Wes McAllister and Tim Caudill of River Ridge Cattle Company.

We sincerely thank all of you who attended either to buy animals or to lend us moral support with your friendship. It was great to see both commercial cattlemen and our fellow Brangus Breeders. We look forward to seeing all of you next year on the third Friday in February at Double H Livestock Barn in Pelzer, S.C. Contact us at 864/972 9140 or spitzeranch@mindspring.com or write to us at 1511 Hwy. 59, Fair Play, S.C. 29643 to get on our mailing list or to let us know if we can help you in anyway.