S i n c e 1 9 9 3

Vo l ume 2 , I s s u e 3 • Pub l i s h ed b y Town C re e k Fa rm , We s t Po i n t , M i s s i s s i p p i • B r a ngu s a nd U l t r a b l a c k

Town Creek Farm

BEEF CATTLE MARKETS HAVE RISEN to newstages in relation to prices. While everyonewho owns cattle is enjoying the good times,cattlemen who prepared themselves andtheir cattle operations are the ones who willbenefit the most.

We were all surprised as we’ve watchedU.S. cattle and beef prices climb and climb.It looks as though the future that many ageconomists predicted is sitting right in frontof us. We are witnessing world-wide foodinflation, that after several cycles is beingpassed on to primary producers. It’shappening in many countries and beganwith crop’s new price "equilibrium". Demandpressure is real and will increase with world-wide population growth and improvedwelfare of economies. We, as primaryproducers, will have to feed many people.

The time has come for cow-calfoperators. It is today! Are you prepared?What have you done, regarding your cattleoperation, to take a larger share of themarket than your neighbor? Remember thatno matter what, it is a free market outthere. We are, and will always be, marketprice takers. So, differences in maximizingincome will come through reducing costsinside the gates of our ranches.

My trip to the United States in Augustwas probably one of the most important inmy entire career. I was able to visit andwitness the success of commercial producersthat have been involved with the Cow CreekRanch and Town Creek Farm programs,some since 1988. It was very educational tosee the powerful difference our geneticshave made and the great results they’verealized for cattlemen.

It was breathtaking to see 600 poundcalves come out of "normal looking" Brangusmama cows on grass in really toughenvironments. There has to be something

inside those cows that makes them soproductive (despite their "normallook"). What is it?

Obviously, these producershave been preparing themselves.

They have made the right decisionsat the right time and are now taking alarger share of market prices. Fellowcattlemen are knocking on theirdoors every day asking to buy theirheifers. They've been able to reducecosts and add value to their calves atthe same time by following two mainstrategies they all have in common.

First, they all raise cattle on good

grass. There is no better way to reduceproduction costs than growing grass of theright quality and amount. But, you say, anycow can survive on grass. The challenge is tohave top-end, consistent, heavy calf cropsout of a cow herd just being fed on grass.How do you do it? You do it by following agenetic program; the second stategy.

These cattlemen have followed the samegenetic plan for years with a systematic anddisciplined approach. Your cows will deliverthe product for you when you have the rightgenetics and management in place. Thegenetics behind the Town Creek Farmprogram have been successfully stacked onevery animal for the past 25 years. It hasbeen done on grass. We test our bulls andfemales in the same conditions as that ofour commercial customers. We raise ourbulls to go out and hustle and breed as manyfemales they can in pastures. We encourageour customers to keep replacements heifersout of our bulls. Our bulls produceconsistent, top-end progeny in herd afterherd because we’ve diligently stacked ourgenetics for generations. Commercialproducers can make great genetic progresswith our bulls because of the large numberof consistent, efficient females from whichto choose your replacement heifers.

We have always put selection pressure onefficient females. We have stacked thosegenes in our main herd which has allowed usto apply selection pressure and strict cullingto produce sound females that adaptextremely well to many kinds ofenvironments using the cheapest resource(grass) available to us to deliver a highquality calf every year.

Through the bulls that come out of theTown Creek Program this gene pack ispassed from generation to generation tocommercial producers that have beenfollowing the program, like those I visited.

The fact is that these genetics fit everyenvironment and management situationthey were exposed to in an optimum way.Our genetics gave to each producer that wevisited a real opportunity to reduce costsand get a larger share of the market.

I have to congratulate cattlemen whohave been preparing their herds for thesetimes and have to encourage the rest tofollow the same steps...! There is greatpotential for those who recognize and seizethis opportunity. There is a geneticdifference in the Town Creek bulls.

Cheers!

The Great Potential. Are You Prepared?

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST TO RECEIVE THE MOSTUPDATED SALE INFORMATION AVAILABLE.EMAIL INFO@TOWNCREEKFARM.COM

TO JOIN OUR FOLLOWING.

FALL 2014

The Grit welcomes your inquiriesand feedback. The Grit is

published by Town Creek Farm,West Point, Mississippi.

Town Creek FarmMilton Sundbeck, Owner

Office: 32476 Hwy. 50 EastWest Point, Mississippi 39773

662.494.5944www.TownCreekFarm.com

Joy Reznicek205.399.0221

Joy@TownCreekFarm.com

Tommy SandersRanch Manager662.436.6175

Tommy@TownCreekFarm.com

Ron Flake662.494.1577 office

662.509.2233 Ron@TownCreekFarm.com

South American RepresentativeIng. Agr. Federico Maisonnave

(011) 595 981 362 898Skype: federico.maisonnave

Maisonnave.Federico@gmail.com

S ince 1993

Total Commitment

BRANGUS BULL 727A2 SELLS. 4.36% year marbling. – by Federico Maisonnave, Town Creek Farm

� Entire calf crop of two-year old bulls sell. No bulls have been sold.

� Bulls developed on high roughage, forage-based lowenergy ration to ensure durablility, reliability and weight maintenance.

� Heat and humidity adapted bulls raised in southern grassenvironment.

� Large selection of user-friendly, high maternal, low birthweight bulls needed to produce valuable replacement heifers. Profit begins with a live calf.

� Bulls sell Trich tested and BVD-PI tested. Dams of bulls selling tested Johnes negative.

� Problem-free bulls guaranteed fertile and reproductively sound.

Buy On-Line with DVAuction.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2014 • 12 NOON

150 Town Creek Farm BullsBrangus and Ultrablack Bulls

INCLUDING 70 FULL 2 YEAR-OLD BULLSEntire 2 year-old calf crop sells, no bulls have been sold from this group.

Powerful, practical, functional bulls developed on a high roughage forage-based ration. Bulls guaranteed fertile and reproductively sound.

Largely Cow Creek Ranch based genetics.

at the farm’s Town Creek Pavilion near West Point, Mississippi

Town Creek Farm Sale

Ultrablack bull 145Z4 sells. 6.04% year marbling.

BRANGUS bull 5281Z sells. Yearling scrotal 39 cm.

BRANGUS bull 007z5 sells. 4.62% year marbling.

BRANGUS bull 589Z sells. 4.32% year marbling.

BRANGUS bull 145Z2 sells. 4.14% year marbling.

BRANGUS bull 145Z3 sells. 1.41 REA/CWT.

BRANGUS bull 743z sells. 4.79% year marbling.

BRANGUS bull 1503Z sells. 1.12 REA/CWT.

DVAuction.com

BRANGUS bull 86A sells. 3.14% year marbling.

BRANGUS bull 419Z sells. 4.53% year marbling.

Videos of bulls will be availableon-line at www.TownCreekFarm.com

after October 5, 2014.

S ince 1993

Total Commitment

Williamson Cattle Company, The Williamson Family, Faunsdale, Alabama, and Okeechobee, Florida – 70 Heifers17 year consignor to Town Creek Farm and Cow Creek Ranch Commercial Heifer SalesCow Creek Ranch Brangus and Ultrablack sired heifers bred back to low birthweight CowCreek Ranch Brangus and Ultrablack bulls. These heifers are ranch raised, genetically sourcedand rank in the top 20 percent of Williamson Cattle Company’s 2013 calf crop. Calving fromJanuary 8, 2015, to February 18, 2015. Heifers will calve at two-years old.

River Oaks Farm, John McKnight, Searcy, Arkansas and Black River Brangus, Lynn White,Monterey, Louisiana – 130 Heifers16 year consignor to Town Creek Farm and Cow Creek Ranch Commercial Heifer SalesGroup 1: 40 Cow Creek Sired Brangus heifers bred to low birthweight Cow Creek SiredBrangus bulls. Calving from November 1, 2014, to December 31, 2014. Heifers will calve attwo-years old. Bucket broke. Group 2: 40 Cow Creek Sired Ultrablack heifers bred to lowbirthweight Cow Creek Sired Brangus bulls. Calving from November 1, 2014, to December 31,2014. Heifers will calve at two-years old. Bucket broke. Group 3: 50 Cow Creek SiredUltrablack heifers bred to low birthweight Cow Creek Sired Brangus bulls. Calving fromFebruary 1, 2015, to March 31, 2015. Heifers will calve at two-years old. Bucket broke.

CP Bar Brangus, Paul Gray, Holcomb, Mississippi – 25 Heifers15 year consignor to Town Creek Farm and Cow Creek Ranch Commercial Heifer SalesCCR Pathfinder 44R2 and CCR Integrity 305R daughters (out of Cow Creek Ranch Thunder,Buckshot and Pathfinder granddaughters) bred to TCF Sleep Easy 87Z and CCR Thunder698S2. Calving from February 1, 2015, to April 1, 2015. Heifers are gentle, easy to handle onfoot. Bucket broke, exposed to four-wheelers and children. Heifers developed on grass.

Megehee Cattle Company, Jacob Megehee, Macon, Mississippi – 45 Heifers10 year consignor to Town Creek Farm and Cow Creek Ranch Commercial Heifer SalesCCR Sleep Easy 9L2, CCR Integrity 355S4, CCR Thunder 641R4, and CCR Integrity 036P9daughters and granddaughters bred to low calving ease Cow Creek Ranch bulls. All heiferssired by and bred back to “User Friendly”, low birthweight bulls. 37 Brangus and 8Ultrablacks. 38 heifers are bred to calve November 1, 2014 to January 6, 2015. 7 youngerheifers will calve April 15, 2015, to May 31, 2015. Heifers will calve at 28 to 33 months of age.User friendly. 15 years using Cow Creek Ranch bulls.

Montgomery Farms, Mark Montgomery, Moulton, Alabama – 15 Heifers6 year consignor in Town Creek Farm and Cow Creek Ranch Commercial Heifer SalesCCR Integrity 386R4 daughters bred back to CCR Sleep Easy 317U2. Calving from November15, 2014, to February 10, 2015. User friendly.

B&B Farm, Gerome Burrell, Linden, Alabama – 12 Head2 year consignor to Town Creek Farm Commercial Heifer SaleCCR Rocky 1000L and CCR Integrity 198U2 daughters bred back to CCR Ultrablack 1749Y5.Calving from December 10, 2014, to March 10, 2015. Bucket broke.

Gunsmoke Ranch and Lazy MM Bar Farm, Charlie Whetzel and Doug McLaughlin – 20 Heifers4 year consignor to Cow Creek Ranch Commercial Heifer SalesCCR Sleep Easy 460Y, CCR Ultrablack 128T and CCR Sleep Easy 1540S7 daughters A.I.’d tocalving ease sire, CCR Integrity 355S4. Expected calving date February 15, 2015. Heiferspasture bred to CCR Integrity 355S4 son. Calving from February 25, 2015, to April 25, 2015.Heifers are very gentle.

300 Commercial brangus Bred heifersThe commercial Brangus bred heifers selling Saturday, October 18, at 12 noon, are brought to you by reputation

ranchers using Town Creek Farm and Cow Creek Ranch genetics. This is a continuation of the 19-year running CowCreek Ranch Commercial Bred Heifer Sale held in Aliceville, Alabama, and now at Town Creek Farm. These heifers aremulti-generation, genetically-tracked heifers sired by Cow Creek Ranch bulls and bred back to Cow Creek Ranch andTown Creek Farm bulls. Heifers are source and ranch verified and were palpated safe in calf prior to the sale. Heifers

will sell in groups of five. These are authentic ranch-raised heifers that will take your program to the next level.

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Sale Information� For a sale catalog go the web at

TownCreekFarm.com and complete the sale catalog request form or call Joy at 205.399.0221 or Ron Flake at 662.509.2233. Catalogs will be mailed September 25, 2014,by request.

� For additional sale information call Joy at 205.399.0221 or Ron at 662.509.2233.

� MOTEL ACCOMMODATIONSHampton Inn & Suites281 Highway 45 Alternate SouthWest Point, Mississippi 39773662.494.7802 (ask for Town Creek Farm block)

Holiday Inn Express190 Highway 45 Alt.SouthWest Point, Mississippi 39773662.494.7090 (ask for Town Creek Farm block)

� SCHEDULE OF EVENTSFriday, October 17, 2014

6 pm – Boot Scootin’ BBQ PartyLive music by Wil Gravatt Band

Saturday, October 18, 201411:30 am – Lunch Available12 noon – Town Creek Farm Commercial Brangus Bred Heifer Sale followed by Town Creek Farm Bull Sale

these heifers sell from megehee cattle company.

this heifer sells right alongwith her contemporaries.

BRANGUS bull 89Z4 sells. 4.40% year marbling.BRANGUS bull 101Z5 sells. 1.21 REA/cwt. Ultrablack bull 384Z sells. 4.10% year marbling.

TOWN CREEK FARM SUMMER INTERNS – Town Creek Farm had the privilegeof having two young cattlemen working along side our regular crew thissummer. Joining the Town Creek team were Cara and Colby Sanders.Their hands-on working experience was an opportunity to stairstep theirexisting ranching knowledge to a broader ranching environment.

The brother and sister team are the daughter and son of Town CreekFarm’s Ranch Manager, Tommy Sanders, and his wife, Sharon. Cara is ajunior at Mississippi State University majoring in nutrition. Colby isa sophomore at Hamilton High School.

Mississippi Commissioner ofAgriculture and CommerceVisits Town Creek Farm

Town Creek Farm to Provide HerdIndexes on Bull Sale Offering

TOWN CREEK FARM, IN CONJUNCTION WITH DIGITAL BEEF, HAS COMPILED AUNIQUE SET OF IN-HERD SELECTION INDEXES to assist bull buyers with theselection process of the 2014 Town Creek Farm bull sale offering. Selectionindexes are used by cattlemen who want to simultaneously select forserveral traits at one time. As cattlemen are aware, selection of breedingstock based on individual trait evaluation is a challenging task. Thetendency always trends toward singling out the traits that are “favored” atany particular time. This creates a multitude of selection problems for long-term progress. Optimal selection indexes utilize all information availablefrom an individual’s breeding value, combined into an index of merit. “We want to provide to our customers an accurate set of real economic

numbers. These indexes reflect exactly what’s happening in ourherd in a format that is clear and expressed in optimums,” saysTown Creek Farm’s Joy Reznicek.

TOWN CREEK FARM EXTENDS A HEARTY THANK YOU TO THE SEMINOLETRIDE OF FLORIDA, Okeechobee, for purchasing our bull sale creditauctioned at the recent Florida Cattlemen’s Association Convention.

CINDY HYDE-SMITH, MISSISSIPPI COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE ANDCOMMERCE, CENTER, TOURED TOWN CREEK FARM’S TEMPLE GRANDIN DESIGNEDWORKING FACILITY AND SALE PAVILION. HYDE-SMITH WAS THE GUEST OF TOWNCREEK’S CHRISSY HEARD, RIGHT, AND WELCOMED BY JOY REZNICEK, LEFT, ANDMILTON SUNDBECK.

NATIONAL CATTLEMEN’S BEEF ASSOCIATION (NCBA) PRESIDENT, BOB MCCAN,VICTORIA, TEXAS, LEFT, SPOKE AT THE 2014 MISSISSIPPI CATTLEMEN’S COLLEGEHOSTED BY TOWN CREEK FARM. MILTON SUNBECK, TOWN CREEK FARM OWNER,RIGHT, IS PICTURED WITH MCCAN.

TOWN CREEK FARM WELCOMED HIGH-PROFILE VISITOR, CINDY HYDE-SMITH ,Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, whotook time from her demanding responsibilities to tour TownCreek Farm facilities. Hyde-Smith was the guest of Town CreekFarm employee, Chrissy Heard and her husband Keith. MiltonSundbeck was on hand to visit with Hyde-Smith.

Hyde-Smith has deep roots in agriculture, in particularly,the cattle business. As a fourth generation cattle operator, sheand her husband, Mike, are partners in Lincoln CountyLivestock, the local stockyard auction market in Brookhaven,which has held a live cattle auction every Tuesday since 1942.

Hyde-Smith has led Mississippi agriculture since 2011 andis known for her spunk and influential, “get it done” energy.She has a clear understanding of production agriculture and itsprofound function in our country. During her visit, Hyd-Smithused the term “rattle paddle” when speaking of prodinglawmakers to act and said she was most comfortable ina cow pasture in boots and jeans.

TOWN CREEK FARM JOINED FORCES WITH MISSISSIPPI CATTLEMEN’SASSOCIATION, to host the 2014 Mississippi Cattlemen’s College,August 27, at Town Creek Farm. e day-long educationalevents focused on progressive ranching practices, grazingstrategies that influence profit, forage and weed control testplots, herd health and value-added management practices. Inaddition, a feeder calf demonstration was given by veterancattle buyers. Speakers included world renowned foragespecialist Dr. Don Ball; Mississippi forage specialist Dr. RockyLemus; and Zoietis veterinarian, Dr. Dan Scruggs.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) presidentand fifth generation rancher, Bob McCan of Victoria, Texas,challenged cattlemen to “be in charge of your destiny as acattle producer.” He said NCBA was focused on boostingexport trade market, which currently adds $307 to every calfsold, and to stopping legislation introducing “e CleanWater Act” that will regulate every body of water in theU.S. on both private and public lands.

National Cattlemen’s BeefAssociation President

Speaks at Town Creek Farm

SUMMER INTERNS – Cara sanders, left, with her brother, colby.