As we kickstart 2023, we want to highlight some new sires who recently joined the ABS bull pen. This group of bulls add power, productivity, and elite genetics to an already strong lineup of sires. Most would say that our sire acquisition manager, Ben Lohmann, has one of the toughest jobs in the world. And, we’d have to agree!
Paging sale catalogs, creating database searches, meeting with team members, and putting rubber to the road across the U.S. fills Ben’s time. Luckily, we have a talented team that helps Ben see sires coast to coast. While it can be stressful, bringing in new star sires like these make it all worth it!
So, who are the new kids on the block?
Our first fall acquisition was Angus sire Smith Valley CURRENT 1104, who goes back to the famous Blackbird cow family on the bottom side of his pedigree. He is a direct son of the Blackbird 8557 female whose flush sister is the mother of another ABS stud, GUNNER. The Blackbird cow family is not new to us as CURRENT stems from the same cow family as RESERVE and GRATITUDE.
CURRENT is a true ABS pedigree as his sire is none other than CENTERFIRE whose stacks strong maternal traits and profitability as well as any bull in the barn. This new sire is a curve bender for calving ease, growth, and mature size with an extra helping of maternal and marbling. He is big bodied, has extra muscle and shape, and is correct on his feet and legs. Get powerful pedigree performance and center mass with CURRENT.
Bridging the gaps of cattle with value on the rail, maintain cow traits, and yield profit for commercial customers led us to H P C A VISION. He is the Home Town son we’ve been looking for that fits our kind. He is the big picture vision. Vision’s foot, structure, confirmation, and red meat shape caught Ben’s keen eye. That’s without his EPD (Expected Progeny Differences) profile, and he does not disappoint you there. Vision offers top one percent breed ranks for 13 different EPDs and indexes.
We think a lot about cow families because we believe a strong maternal base is necessary for a sustainable beef production system. His grandam, the famous Sunrise 2172 cow, is a true foundation donor. She has over 70 progeny records for both birth and weaning. Data creates accuracy and confidence. Vision’s mother was selected by Pollard Farms where she is continuing to write her own story and has earned donor status. See the VISION and chart your direction.
Today, the highest $Maternal sire in the Angus breed, BJ SURPASS, calls ABS home and is backed by a level of accuracy across production traits. His combination of pedigree, growth spread, $Maternal, and $Combined is nearly untouchable. SURPASS stakes his claim as a calving ease and growth spread specialist who keeps mature size in check, emphasizes maternal traits, and excels at end-product merit.
You can see that he possesses a moderate frame with balance, body, and thickness in a shapely, yet soft package. Progeny are in high demand and have topped production sales across the country because they are consistent, deep ribbed, and stand on correct feet and legs that cattle producers demand. Transcend your breeding program limits with SURPASS.
Ecstatic would describe us when the opportunity to bring Angus sire HCC WHITEWATER into the ABS lineup presented itself. Spring 2021 could go down in the history books as one of the greatest classes of bulls to ever sell, and WHITEWATER is on that list. His combination of show ring phenotype and elite EPDs elevate him to a class of his own. Study his data profile. You will appreciate his progeny proven double digit Calving Ease EPD and his top five percent rank for MARB, REA, $G, $B, and $C.
Phenotypically, he is one of the stoutest and most attractive sires in the business. You will love his length of body and how long fronted and well-balanced he appears. When you circle around behind, you’ll find a big square hip and read him to be dense and stout. He is transmitting his expectational length of body, attractiveness, and added stoutness to his progeny. Calm the rapids and take control downstream with WHITEWATER.
2BARC CROSSFIRE enters the scene just as his sire, FIREBALL, was knocking it out of the park when his latest round of progeny carcasses hit the American Angus database. CROSSFIRE was our selection as the absolute best FIREBALL son as we study the data and look to the next generation. He is a calving ease bull that delivers big time growth, end-product, and index value. Also, he is one of the exceedingly rare individuals to have been tested on intake bunks in a sizable contemporary group and posted a negative RFI.
CROSSFIRE ranks in the top one percent of the breed for eight different traits and indexes. You can add another five more if you look at traits where he ranks in the top five percent of the population. The data is impressive, but he is no slouch for look. CROSSFIRE, the apparent heir for FIREBALL, is super well-balance, possesses a fault free phenotype, is deep ribbed, and sound at the ground. CROSSFIRE is genetically superior from multiple directions.
Last, but certainly not least, the lone Red Angus sire of the group is Bieber EMPOWER. The next generation of the coveted ENERGIZE sire is shall we say, COOL! Cool is the exact word Ben used to describe this young herd sire. Why is he so cool you might ask? It is because he stacks both the pedigree credentials and individual performance to match his pops stride for stride when you look at CED, WW, MARB, and REA.
We would be remise if we failed to mention that his dam stems back to the Basin Primrose tribe that has been a proven producer of herd sires and foundation donors alike. His donor dam, Bieber Primrose 497B has produced 24 calves for the Bieber program to date! EMPOWER joins an elite Red Angus lineup including ENGERGIZE, SPARTAN, and PLAYMAKER. The next generation is EMPOWER.
These new star sires join an already elite group of bulls marketed under the ABS shield. Good news for you is that you have direct access once these sires are available. ABS Global sires go through rigorous CSS testing and must meet several requirements, so you can rest assured that you are using quality products. This just means that once a bull is acquired, it can take some time for him to arrive at stud, complete the testing, and come available to purchase.
While not quite available yet, do not fall asleep on these new star sires.
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