My only complaint about our herd bull is that he keeps producing bull calves. In the past two years, only two heifer calves have hit the ground. This scenario makes for slow replenishing within a herd so Don and I made a four hour trip to a Red Angus sanctioned sale. Before considering the trip though, we combed through the shiny sale catalog, narrowed down the prospects to nineteen and contacted the sellers with our standard questions. What type of forage are the cattle on? Have they ever had creep feed, feed supplements or grain? What type of vaccinations have they had? What is their current frame score? Are the cattle on a mineral program? Based on the answers, our prospects dropped to seven.

Don and I arrived at the sale a few hours early to get up close and personal with these girls and take a good look at them – front to back and top to bottom. Our prospects then narrowed to two bred heifers which are now doing a meet and greet across the fence from the main herd.

So why did we choose these two heifers? They have moderate frames and good dispositions. We believe they have a good glandular system and will produce adequate milk for the heifer calves they are carrying. Their body and leg structure is good. They weren’t grained to reach their current potential. And, that pretty red color is a lovely compliment to our green pastures.