Sarratt Farms cattle auction draws lots of interest - and that's no bull

Ledger photo / TIM GULLA Unlike many of the bulls that were put up for auction on Saturday at Sarratt Farms' first-ever auction of purebred Angus bulls, most of the bidders were subtle. Some bids came in the form of head nods, while others came in the form of a small wave of the hand. Auction workers wearing blat hats kept a close eye on the crowd to recognize bids while auctioneer Mike Jones kept the action moving at a swift pace. Sarratt Farms plans to make its purebred auctions an annual event. Saturday's auction brought in roughly $76,000. In many ways, the timing for Sarratt Farms' firstever auction of purebread Angus bulls wasn't particularly great.

Those who earn their livings raising livestock and cultivating the earth always find themselves at the mercy of nature's vagaries. But drought conditions along with rising fuel and oil prices have made everything more expensive of late, from running tractors to the cost of fertilizer.

"We had the driest year ever last year," farm owner Bill Sarratt said. "A lot of people sold cattle last year just because they didn't have feed."

From the outset of Saturday's auction, however, Sarratt was able to smile as he looked around a bustling barn full of friends, neighbors and farmers from across the Upstate. More than 75 people, many from farms in Cherokee and adjacent counties, signed up for a chance to bid on Sarratt's bulls and a smaller number of heifers.

With auctioneer Mike Jones working the crowd at a feverish pace, the 35 purebred Angus bulls Sarratt put up for sale generated almost $50,000 in bids, selling for an average price of $1,415 apiece.

The apparent king of the cowpen, a massive bull designated SAR Traveler 004 6819, brought in $2,400 alone.

The 24 heifers put up for sale brought in an additional $26,375, with purebred Angus heifers bringing in about $1,170 each and the heifers from the farm's open herd, many of which had a high percentage of Angus blood, bringing in $1,000 each.

"All things considered, we were very pleased," Sarratt said.

Most of the bulls sold on Saturday won't have far to travel to their new homes. Cody Bright, the manager of Sarratt Farms, estimated most will go to farms within a 50-mile radius.

"The coolest thing about today was all the local traffic," he said.

Jim Parris, of Parris Farm in Gaffney, was one of the successful bidders, driving home with a bull that generated the second-highest level of interest among bidders.

"I think it (the auction) went really smooth for a first time," he said of the event while waiting to load his new bull into his trailer.

Each of Sarratt's bulls was "performance tested" and was backed with a guarantee. None of them were sold for consumption, but for the genetics they will pass along to their offspring.

Provided they're properly cared for, Sarratt guaranteed each of his bulls would complete a successful breeding season.

The heifers sold at auction, likewise, were guaranteed to be breeders.

Bright said he could have spent days talking about the particularly genetic traits of each bull, as well as how bidders could evaluate them. The glossy sales brochure for the auction contained at least 21 statistics or measurements on each bill that allowed bidders to compare and value them based on factors such as birth weights and growth rates and scientific estimates on how each bull would pass along genetic traits such as the size of their ribeye areas and fat thickness.

While Sarratt has been raising livestock for about six years, it's only been in the last four years that he brought in Bright to manage the breeding program and his farm made a deliberate effort to focus on purebred Angus cattle.

Sarratt expects the auction prices of his bulls will rise over time as his farm's reputation grows.

Bright said the Sarratt Farm herd is about 300 at the moment. Only a small portion will be put up for commercial sale.

Going forward, Sarratt and Bright said the bull auction will be an annual spring event, along with a fall auction of heifers. Their ultimate goal is to have about 80 bulls ready for auction each spring, Bright said.

Part auction, part celebration and get together, Sarratt invited people to come to Saturday's auction even if they weren't yet ready to buy.

All of the guests and bidders were treated to lunch and there was no question about what would be served. With a cold wind howling outside the auction barn, guests were able to warm up with a piping-hot bowl of beef stew.