Michigan Angus Association

Michigan Angus Association Black Bonus Sale and Program A Success

A large and enthusiastic crowd was on hand for the Michigan Angus Association Black Bonus Sale held at the Omega Farms Sale Facility in Williamston on October 1st. Fifty-one lots sold for a total of $118,100 to average $2,316. The sixty-four head of Angus sold to twenty-eight buyers from Michigan, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Ohio and Virginia. The top lots:

Lot 35A - 2/3 interest in this January 2011 bull calf sold for $10,000 by RPS Enterprises in Mason, MI and was purchased by Anne Patton Schubert of Taylorsville, KY and Jessie & Lisa Donaldson of Hennessy, OK.

Lot 35 - This powerful daughter of the show ring sire, G13 Steel, sold for $3,750 by RPS Enterprises of Mason, MI selling to Wayne Bleyenberg of Grand Rapids, MI.

Lot 20 - This exciting brood cow prospect sold by Blue Water Angus Farm in Deckerville, MI was purchased by Wayne Bleyenberg of Grand Rapids, MI for $3,100.

Lot 22 - This attractive daughter out of the Omega resident herd sire Fat Boy, was sold to Serenity Hills Farm of Milford, MI for $3,000. Sold by Omega Farms.

Lot 33 - RPS Enterprises of Mason, MI sold this young bred cow, sired by the performance sire Net Worth to Kent & Shelley Nickolaus of Addison, MI for $3,000.

Lot 38 - This powerful daughter of the foundation Roxy female, AHA Roxy 403, from Apple Hill Angus of Harrisville, MI was purchased by Kent & Shelley Nickolaus of Addison, MI for $2,700.

Many thanks to Clifford Simmons and Omega Farms for hosting the Black Bonus Sale and to Merle Boehmer for chairing the sale. Many buyers and Angus breeders also enjoyed a wonderful dinner and barn dance provided by Omega Farms the evening before the sale. The Omega show barn was the setting and the barn is truly deserving of the barn renovation awards it has received.

The Michigan Angus Association Educational Program kicked off activities on sale day. MSU researchers and MSU Extension staff and the Michigan Beef Industry Commission presented an overview of the MSU Local Beef Pilot Project and a hands-on cut out demonstration of the beef chuck shoulder clod. Dr. Jason Rowntree from MSU explained the local beef project being used to demonstrate a local supply system for MSU and Dr. Dan Buskirk showed examples of how the pilot program will begin putting the pieces in place to track beef from the farm to the consumer. Dr. Jeannine Schweihofer from MSU and George Quackenbush from the Michigan Beef Industry Commission gave a cutting demonstration of the shoulder clod and explained how the beef value cuts impact the industry and how the beef check-off dollars help promote beef for the producer. Utilizing more parts of the beef carcass is also very important for the MSU pilot project. Michigan Angus Association President Monte Bordner also served as chef and grilled the flat iron and shoulder center ranch steak cuts from the shoulder clod so all participants could sample the delicious beef and then view the sale offering.

Photo Highlights of the Day




The educational program held on Saturday afternoon proir to the sale was well attended. Participants enjoyed hearing about the Michigan “Local Beef” Project by Jason Rowntree, MSU and Dan Buskirk, MSU.		"Meat Your Dinner” demonstration by Jeannine Schweihofer, MSU and George Quackenbush, MBIC showed the beef value cuts and how they impact the industry. The cutting demo of the shoulder clod yeilded flat iron and shoulder center ranch steaks which were grilled and passed among audience for tasting.