An Ocala tradition
The annual bull sale once again brought top-level livestock and consignors to Marion County.
Some 60 pre-graded bulls went on the auction block at the 69th annual Ocala Graded Bull Sale, touted as “the nation’s oldest continuous graded bull sale,” on Oct. 29 at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion.
The sale, presented by the Marion County Cattlemen’s Association, was postponed about two weeks by the effects of Hurricane Milton.
At least 200 bidders and spectators gathered for the event, which featured 10 breeds of bulls from Angus to Ultra Black, offered by consignors locally and in areas including Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri.
Sale manager Sammie Albritton stated in a text after the sale that he was pleased with the outcome.
“All in all, it was a great day. The purebred breeders were happy with the prices and the local buyers were happy with the quality of the bulls,” Albritton wrote.
Albritton said the average price per bull this year was $4,100 and that Barrett Angus Ranch of Washington, Georgia, had at least one bull that sold for $7,500. The sale catalog stated that Barrett Angus Ranch “has been producing registered Angus bulls since 1947.”
The bulls up for auction sale are graded and have EPD ratings or “expected progeny difference” or “genetic description” to compare the bull to others in its breed as far as expected calf birth weight and other factors, according to a sales catalog.
Auctioneer Cracker Johnson of Chiefland kept the bidding lively and three spotters made sure to catch all spoken bids. Dr. Hal Phillips served as the sale veterinarian.
Local rancher Julio Umpierre had a bidder number and felt the prices early in the sale were good.
Chad Carter of Rocking F Ranch had purchased two Charolais breed bulls by early in the auction. Carter said he paid $4,100 for one of the bulls, which he felt was “above average,” although he was waiting to see how the sale progressed.
Wesley Markham of Rock Star Arena also purchased a Charolais bull for what he called a “good price,” which was in the $3,000 range.
Marion County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Robert Douglas was at the sale looking for a Brangus bull to consider for use at the inmate work farm on Baseline Road.
Behind the scenes of the bidding room, workers like Brian Lewis and Bubba Hatcher, who has been with the sale for 50 years, handled the powerful bulls in a circuit by opening and closing a series of steel gates in an organized manner to keep the animals moving from the stalls to the bidding area and then back to the stalls.
Local businessman and cattleman Hugh Dailey, who has been involved in the sale for 40 years, was on hand to monitor this year’s event.
Madeline Evans with the Marion County Junior (Florida) Cattlemen’s Association was also at the sale.
Albritton said that Mike Watkins of Little W Farms, a long-time consignor, “donated the proceeds from a bull sale to the Florida Cattleman’s Foundation to help with hurricane relief efforts for Florida cattlemen suffering from hurricane damage.”
Madison Starling and Becca Falke were among those assisting with a cake auction by the Marion County Cattlewomen’s Association. The auction of several cakes raised a reported $2,850 for scholarships.
To learn more, go to fb.com/marioncountycattlemens
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