14 Breeder Herd Sires averaged $14,196
124 Commercial Herd Sires averaged $3,207
94 Open Maine Anjou Heifers averaged $1,904
Auctioneer –Stanley Stout
By Bill Angell for Jim Gies

A cold brisk winter day greeted the large enthusiastic crowd of cattlemen, many of them repeat customers, that packed the Mitchell Livestock Auction barn here Saturday. Fred & Joan DeRouchey and their family conducted their annual Optimum Bull Sale that featured an outstanding set of bulls as well as a top offering of open females.
The DeRoucheys just came off of their most successful showing in Denver during the 100th Annual National Western Stock Show. They captured the Grand Champion Bull on the Hill, Reserve Grand Champion honors in the Yards with their Pen of Three MaineTainer Bulls and their Pen of 3 Higher Percentage Maine Anjou Bulls, as well as the Grand Champion Pen of 3 Heifers. They also exhibited the Grand Champion Gold Standard Bull and Grand Champion Gold Standard Female on the Hill.
This year’s offering, which featured the bulls from those Champion pens, represented some of the very top genetics in the Maine Anjou breed. DeRoucheys are utilizing the DNA Gene Star testing for tenderness and all of the bulls had a tenderness rating. Over 87% of the bulls tested 2 stars or more for the tenderness gene. Every bull in the sale sold with updated EPD’s from the AMAA. Also, most of the bulls are homozygous black and they were all semen tested.
Garnering top dollar was lot 27, a 3/26/05 Black, scurred PB son of DCC Playboy 9N out of a Nage Top Pick 140J daughter. DCC Fancy 96R has an adj. REA of 19.60 with an IMF score of 4.98. Mike Watson, Hitchcock, SD paid $25,500 for this growthy yearling. His EPD’s include +2.7 BW, +44.6 WW, +17.8 MM, +40.1 M&G and +84.3 YW. His GeneSTAR Tenderness was 2 stars. Watson also purchased lot 11, DCC Hard Knocks 85R, a 3-15-05 Black, Polled, PB son of CMAC Hard Core for $25,000. He had a 16.3 REA, was +2.7 BW, +45.3 WW and +88.1 YW. He has a GeneStar tenderness score of 4 stars.
 

	Garnering top dollar was lot 27, a 3/26/05 Black, scurred PB son of DCC Playboy 9N out of a Nage Top Pick 140J daughter. DCC Fancy 96R has an adj. REA of 19.60 with an IMF score of 4.98. Mike Watson, Hitchcock, SD paid $25,500 for this growthy yearling. His EPD’s include +2.7 BW, +44.6 WW, +17.8 MM, +40.1 M&G and +84.3 YW. His GeneSTAR Tenderness was 2 stars. Watson also purchased lot 11, DCC Hard Knocks 85R, a 3-15-05 Black, Polled, PB son of CMAC Hard Core for $25,000. He had a 16.3 REA, was +2.7 BW, +45.3 WW and +88.1 YW. He has a GeneStar tenderness score of 4 stars.
	OTHER TOPS:
	Lot 17 - DCC Union Power 67R, a 4-03-05 Black, horned, 3/4 son of Boss Western Union 37L to Gib Yardley, Beaver,UT, $16,500. GeneStar *
	Lot 10 - DCC Hard Drive 138R, a 4-03-05 Black, polled, PB son of CMAC Hard Core to Mike Watson, $16,000. GeneStar **
	Lot 1 - DCC Impressive 1R, a 2-07-05 Black, horned, PB son of DCC New Era 218L to Derren Kilmer, Lusk, WY & Hytrek Ranch, Lusk, WY, $15,000. GeneStar *** (He was the Grand Champion Gold Standard Bull at Denver)
	Lot 7 - DCC Sweetness 152R, a 4/11/05 Black, horned, PB son of Cowan’s Ali 4M to Chet Purvine, Fay, OK, $14,500. GeneStar **
	Lot 29 - DCC Looking Good 63R, a 4-05-05 Black, scurred, PB son of BPJV Hotline to Mike Thiebald, Bellville, WI, $13,000. GeneStar **
	Lot 3 - DCC Big Step 6R, a 2-27-05 Black, horned, PB son of BPJV Hotline to Allen Beare, Ree Heights, SD, $11,000. GeneStar ***
	Lot 19 - PTOC High Time 369R, a 3-10-05 Black, polled, 3/4 son of DJ High Definition N350 to Ryan Went, Creston, NE, $11,000. GeneStar ***
	Lot 20 - DCC Hot Pick 2R, a 2/24/05 Black, scurred, PB son of BPJV Hotline to Gib Yardley, Beaver, UT, $10,750. GeneStar **
	Lot 6 - DCC Black Oak 18R, a 2/28/05 Black, polled, PB son of BPJV Hotline to Leon Blackwell, Siebert, CO, $10,500. GeneStar ***
	Lot 4 - DCC All In One 84R, a 3-18-05 Black, polled, PB son of DCC New Era 218L to Derren Kilmer, $10,000. GeneStar **
	Lot 34 - DCC Packin Heat 167R, a 4-10-05 Black, horned, PB son of DCC New Era 218L to Mike Watson, $10,000. GeneStar **
	Lot 37 - DCC Power Up 90R, a 4-02-05 Black, polled, PB son of DCC Playboy 285N to Mike Watson, $10,000. GeneStar **
DeRouchey offered an outstanding set of elite replacement quality heifers from their herd.
	Topping the female portion of the auction was lot 141, a 3-18-05 daughter DCC New Era 218L. Rick Carlson, Plattesburg, Missouri, paid $14,000 for this tremendous Black, polled, purebred heifer with a 645 lbs. weaning weight. Her EPD’s are 56.4 WW, 22.2 MM, 50.4 M&G and 106.5 YW.
NO PHOTO AVAILABLE	Lot 147 -DCC Playmate 97R, a 4-24-05 Black, polled, PB daughter of Cowan’s Ali 4M to Vernon Bell, Dodgeville, WI, $7,000.
NO PHOTO AVAILABLE	Lot 159 - DCC Playmate 303R, a 5/10/05 Black, polled, 3/4 daughter of DJ High Definition N350 to Larry Morris, Mt. Crawford, VA, $6,700.
	Lot 149 - DCC Playmate 312R, a 4/05/05 Black, horned, ½ blood daughter of DJ High Definition N350 to Danny Gray, Russelville, OH, $5,750.
	Lot 146 - DCC Playmate 98R, a 4/03/05 Black, polled, PB daughter of CMAC Hard Core to Ben Bengtson, Paton, IA, $4,500.

Volume buyers included Mike Watson, South Dakota; Deb Hay, California; Josh Enlow, Oklahoma; Rodney Sauer, North Dakota; Mark Pesek, Minnesota; Doug DeRouchey, Wyoming; Von Bean, Idaho; Roland Glessner, Kansas; and Ryan Went, Nebraska. The cattle sold into 26 states.