Ocala cattle legacy continues with historic bull sale

Jason Conrad looks for a higher bid on a bull during the Ocala Bull Sale at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion in Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. About 110 bulls were auctioned off during the 66th annual Ocala Bull Sale on Tuesday. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2021.

For 66 years, Ocala/Marion County has worked to enhance, promote, and continue as a leader in the beef industry.

The 66th Annual Ocala Bull Sale, held Oct. 19 at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, drew in consignors from throughout the southeast who presented professionally graded, registered bulls for sale to help continually enhance cattle herds in north central Florida and beyond.

Dubbed “The Nation’s Oldest and Continuous Graded Bull Sale,” the live auction, which began at 1 p.m., featured Angus, Ultrablack, Braford, Brahman, Brangus, Charolais, Hereford, and Santa Gertrudis bulls, ages 15-48 months. Consignors entered 111 bulls; after review, 84 were approved for sale by a committee of commercial cattlemen and University of Florida beef cattle specialist, Todd Thrift, Ph.D.

This was the first year the auction was held simultaneously with an online option, via cattleinmotion.com, which provided more opportunities for buyers to bid from distant locations.

The onsite sale was run by more than 30 volunteers, primarily with ties to the Marion County Cattlemen’s Association. Any proceeds from commissions on the event were earmarked to benefit future youth judging teams and related not-for-profit cattle programs.

“The whole reason to begin this sale 66 years ago was to bring quality, purebred cattle into this area, so people (cattle ranchers large and small) in north central Florida can buy a purebred, graded bull that was raised in Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and so forth, and buyers would not have to travel so far to access genetics from a diversity of registered, graded bulls,” said Hugh Dailey, past president of the Marion County Cattlemen’s Association, which manages the event.

Prospective buyers were offered opportunities to visit with bull owners and consignors, discussing disposition, pedigrees, qualities, and other features before the sale.

This year’s president of the association, and the organization’s first female president, Joy Papi, said the success and heritage of the event is thanks to all the volunteers who help promote, set up, administrate, and orchestrate throughout the year and during the sale.

“It’s all about the good gentlemen and volunteers that make this all come together,” Papi said. “I just like to stay on the ranch most of the time, if you want to know the truth,” she continued. “We have so many good volunteers, consignors, everyone. There’s a lot of paperwork, the catalogue, the panel work, volunteers setting up panels, arriving as early as Saturday evening, as we checked everyone in. It’s just a great group for great causes.”

Bull sale prices finalized with a range from $1,500-$6,000 each for the 84 approved bulls, with an average of $3,022, according to David Stephens, also a past president of the Marion Cattlemen’s Association. The overall gross from the auction was $253,900.

“It was a good sale,” Stephens said. “Community support is always so strong here in Ocala and Marion County, and even our consignors, new and old, from out-of-state always step up and champion things like the cake auction when they are here. We look forward to the 2022 sale and continuing the tradition.”

The long-established cake sale Stephens noted was hosted by the Marion Cattlewomen’s Association, which featured homemade cakes and pies easily exceeding the $100 mark each on the auction arena floor. Proceeds were earmarked to benefit scholarship programs.

For more information on next year’s Ocala Bull Sale, the Marion County Cattlemen’s Association, and its efforts to promote beef, land management, and environmental stewardship, resources are available at ocalabullsale.com and at facebook.com/marioncountycattlemens.