Ayres Angus to hold local production sale - By Jean Schurman
Tom and Cara Ayres of Ayres Angus will be holding their inaugural production sale, Dynamic Divas, this Saturday at Severson’s Flying E Ranch on South Burnt Fork Road in Stevensville. Just as Kevin Costner said in “Field of Dreams,” “If you build it, they will come” the Ayres believe if you breed it, the buyers will come.
The sale will begin at 2 p.m. with a lunch preceding it. Ayres Angus is offering 32 Angus females for sale. In addition, guest consignors Barragree/Johnson Angus of Columbus, Montana, Olson Cattle Company of St. Ignatius, Montana and Severson’s Flying E Ranch will have cattle for sale. The sale will also include club calves (calves that are used for 4H or FFA projects), and commercial heifers.
The auctioneer for the sale is Butch Booker. He is the 2008 International Auctioneer Champion. Joining him on the bench will be Cara who is one of the first women in Montana to do this. Most times the auctioneer provides a person who acts as the marketer for the cattle. When the bidding slows, the auctioneer asks this person what is special about the animal. Cara said she knows the animals better than anyone and felt she could do the best job.
Meanwhile, Tom will be the one making the “Divas” pretty before they come into the ring. They have been bathed and clipped and will have one last fluffing before they walk into the ring.
Both Tom and Cara are natives of Oregon and for the past few years have been guest consigners at the Ankony Angus Sale in Oregon. Ankony Angus is one of the premier breeders of Angus cattle in the world. However, they decided this year to offer their cattle for sale at their own production sale. They are confident their cattle will have the same drawing power here in the Bitterroot that they had on the West Coast.
The two both have Masters of Agriculture degrees from Oregon State University. They met there when Cara was a member of the livestock judging team and Tom was the coach. Both agree the skills learned from judging are great life skills. Because of this, they are hosting a livestock judging contest on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. The contest will include not only FFA and 4H members from here in the valley and the surrounding counties but also junior college judging teams and a team from Montana State University. The contest will feature cattle sired by Ayres Angus bulls or cattle from Ayres Angus dams. Local producers Zimmerman SimAngus (Simmental and Angus cross cattle), M Heart D Ranch which will have ‘Balancers’ or Gelbvie Angus cross cattle, and the Severson Ranch will supply the cattle for this judging contest. The winners will walk away with a $250 credit to the afternoon production sale. Second place is a $150 credit and third is a $100 credit. The judging is open to anyone and there is no cost to enter.
“We feel this is a good way to show how well our cattle do here,” said Tom. “We want to show that our Angus can do all things.”
Cara adds, “Including putting butt, body and balance on cattle.”
The two have put in their time in the show ring across the nation. Cara was Miss American Angus Queen when she was 19. She also served on the National Junior Angus Board and has judged many shows across the nation. Tom has judged national shows and large shows such as the Indiana State Fair.
Ayres Angus has been named as one of the top 10 breeders in the nation for the last 10 years. The other nine, says Tom, don’t make their living in cattle and are not family owned. They are corporations that use cattle ranching as a write off and even though they have the resources, sometimes the heart is not in the ranching. Not so with these two.
“Our management and goals haven’t wavered,” said Cara. They are committed to improving their herd using sound management practices and strong genetics. Cara’s family, Pascalar Angus, has been working with Angus cattle for years and Pascalar cattle are found on many, many bloodlines of champion cattle across the nation. And, unlike many outfits who keep the best for their own herds and sell the rest, Cara said this herd has been built by selling the best and improving the rest.
“It was a hard choice to make,” she said. But seeing their cattle taking the trophy at shows like the N.I.L.E. in Billings or the Inland Empire Show in Spokane proves they are on the right track. In fact, one local exhibitor, Tyler Tintzman of Corvallis, just won the Supreme Champion Female (overall champion) with a heifer he bought from Ayres Angus.
Tom works with many of the buyers of their cattle in the show ring, helping to fit the cow and also working with the showman. At times he has even stepped in and shown the animal for the new owner. He will continue this service for the buyers who buy cattle on Saturday and wish to show.
Although there won’t be any bulls for sale on Saturday, Ayres Angus does have bulls for sale. They are sold privately. Cara says she likes to sell the bulls but really doesn’t like selling the heifers. Tom, on the other hand, prefers selling the heifers. The bulls are performance tested right here in the valley. Bobby and Laurie Sutherland run the test which shows which bull has the best average daily gain and overall daily gain. These figures are used by cattlemen to select bulls that will complement their cowherd and increase their production.
Tom and Cara came to the Bitterroot to manage the Wheelbarrow Ranch. Their daughter, Jonwyn, was just two when they moved here. Jonwyn is now seven. As with many other businesses in these troubled times, the Wheelbarrow Ranch had to disperse and that left Tom without a job. They decided they wanted to stay in the valley and raise their family here.
They purchased their first place, after 13 years of marriage, and set out to continue their dream of raising superior Angus cattle. They had the 50 head of momma cows they ran on the Wheelbarrow Ranch, plus another 30 surrogate mother cows they could implant embryos into in Oregon. They felt they were ready to go it alone. As Cara said, “One door shut, but we had the know how to open another.”
Saturday will be the test. They have marketed their cattle using the tried and true method of sending catalogs in the mail. But they have also put their catalog on their website and even on YouTube. All they need now are bidders and more bidders. Stop in, take a look at the Divas, listen to a world-class auctioneer and see what the excitement is all about.
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Athman of Hamilton Named to Dean's List at Washington University in St. Louis
Jaffre Athman of Hamilton was named to the Dean's List for the spring 2009 semester at Washington University in St. Louis. Athman is a graduate of Hamilton High School and is enrolled in the university's College of Arts & Sciences. To qualify for the Dean's List in Arts & Sciences, students must earn a semester grade point average of 3.5 or above and be enrolled in at least 14 graded units.
Jessop selected for reACT Core Team
Victor High School student, Kirtlin Jessop, was chosen as a 2009-2010 member of the reACT Against Corporate Tobacco Core Team, Montana’s youth-led anti-tobacco movement’s youth advisory board.
“We believe Kirtlin will be a valuable asset to the program this year as we strive to expose the deceptive ways corporate tobacco companies market their products to teens,” said reACT Program Coordinator, Paula Wood. Kirtlin was chosen among teens across the state for this position due to her passion for educating her peers about corporate tobacco’s strategies, empowering other teens to take action and using creativity to express her message.
Fifteen students from across Montana were chosen to serve on the reACT Core Team through a thorough application process where students showcased their creativity and outlined their motivation for fighting corporate tobacco through the reACT program. As a member of the reACT Core Team, students attend three educational meetings, take part in bi-monthly conference calls and assist with planning and coordinating the 2010 reACT Teen Summit, which will be held in June.
“I’m so excited to be chosen for this position,” said Kirtlin . “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work with my fellow youth leaders to encourage teens to take action and education Montanans about corporate tobacco’s deceptive tactics.”
This year reACT groups across the state are focusing on exposing the deceptive ways corporate tobacco companies create new products that appeal to kids and market them aggressively to teens. In Montana alone, the tobacco industry spends an estimated $42 million each year to advertise and promote its products, including spit tobacco.
reACT Against Corporate Tobacco is Montana’s youth-led movement dedicated to exposing and opposing the tobacco industry. Its mission is to spread the knowledge that teens are being targeted by corporate tobacco companies and encourage teens to take action against it. For more information on reACT visit www.reactmt.com.
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Exalted Ruler, Dave Fannin, announced The Elks National Foundation, along with the Hamilton Elks Lodge #1651 and the Montana State Elks Association, will again sponsor the "Most Valuable Student" Scholarship Awards. In addition to the local and state awards, there are 982 national 4-year scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 per year for 4 years. Last year, $2,296,000 was awarded throughout the United States. Three local students received awards from the state last year and two received awards from the Hamilton Elks Lodge.
Applications are available from the high school student guidance counselors, on line at www.elks.org/enf/scholars or the Hamilton Elks Lodge. The deadline for application submission is November 2, 2009, at 8 pm. Students are advised to have their SATS and ACTS taken by October 15th so they can meet the application deadline. This allows students to know if they have been awarded a scholarship prior to committing to a college or university.
Bobbie June Mitchell, 77, former Florence resident, passed away peacefully at her Florida home on August 20, 2009.
She was the daughter of Ozelle and Robert Mitchell and stepdaughter of Art Mitila of Florence. She was born on November 11, 1931 at Fort Worth, Texas.
Bobbie served in the Air Force during the Korean War conflict. She was a graduate of the University of Miami. She taught school in Miami, but later in 1980 took a medically required retirement.
She continued to be a positive influence, mentor and educator to many throughout her life. Bobbie was a lifetime learner, avid reader and nature enthusiast. She spent her retirement years between Florida and the Bitter Root Valley.
She leaves behind a family of friends who loved her dearly.
In lieu of services, donations can be made to Pantry Partners, PO Box 806, Stevensville or Hospice. Bobbie always believed in “paying it forward.”
Condolences may be sent to the Whitesitt Funeral Home, PO Box 12, Stevensville or to whf@bridgeband.com.
