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Port City Stockyards To Hold Special Ike Cattle Sale

published: September 23rd 2008
source: Port City Stockyards

Port City Stockyards announces their handling and sale of a large number of displaced cattle for several Anahuac area cowmen.  A special sale of approximately 1000 cows will be conducted Sunday, September 28 at 12 Noon at Port City’s Sealy Livestock Auction on Highway 36 north of Sealy.  The cattle will be principally those of Leroy and Norma Esar’s Canada Ranch and those of Ralph and Dee Leggett and others.
    With almost all of their country underwater for a brief time and the subsequent loss of miles of fencing, houses, barns, sheds, and water wells, this loss of infrastructure coupled with the expectation that the inundated country needs rest before supporting livestock, the gut wrenching decision was made to sell their cowherds.
    Josh Lockhart, Sealy Livestock Auction, General Manager, said the cattle are in surprisingly good condition because they were all moved to high ground before the storm and immediately re-gathered the day following the storm.  They received fresh water and hay, donated by area cow folks as soon as they were gathered.  There wasn’t a lot of rain following the storm, therefore, the cattle remained dry and well rested before being hauled to Port City’s Sealy facilities.  After arrival at the yards, the cattle were sorted into owner groups, and will be rested, Brucellosis tested, aged, palpated and sorted into sale groups.
    Calves from the cows will be sold at Sealy Livestock Auction’s regular weekly sale on Wednesday, September 24th.  They will be vaccinated with Pfizers Ultrabac 8 for Blackleg and other clostridials, with Pfizer’s CattleMaster Gold that will deliver protection for BVD Type I & II, IBR-PI3 and BRSV.  Each calf will also be given a prophylactic dose of Pfizer’s Draxxin.  All of these vaccines were generously provided free of charge as well as thousands of other doses to cattlemen in the Chambers County area.  The majority of the Canada Ranch calves will be Charolais and Brangus sired and weigh 250#-450#.  The majority of the Leggett Ranch calves will be colored up coast crossbreds weighing 225#-350#.
    The  Canada Ranch females will be mostly good aged, productive Charolais and Braford cross cows.  Their early born calves were sold in late July-August and there will be approximated 400 head that will be sold on Wednesday.  The cows will sell bred back to Charolais and Brangus bulls.  A set of 25 head of two and three year old Brangus bulls will also be sold.  Every cow is year branded and all will be Brucelloisis tested, aged, palpated and sorted into like groups.
    The Leggett Ranch cows are mostly Braford cross cows with a good many three quarter Brahman blooded cows.  They are hearty and can live and thrive anywhere.  They’ll also be tested, aged, palpated and sorted into salable groups.  
    More information and pictures of the cattle are available on the Port City Website, www.port-city.com. As the cattle are tagged, worked and sorted Port City will keep an updated list of the cattle for sale on their website.
    J. D. Sartwelle, Jr., President of Port City, said “To observe the coordinated efforts of Texans helping Texans was mind boggling.  To see the TSCRA Special Rangers at work identifying cattle and brands, to see our own Texas Dept of Agriculture coordinate the movement of tons of hay and feed to the area and to oversee the distribution effort, to Texas AgriLife Extension at work out in the counties where cowmen helped cowmen by donating feed and supplies, to the efforts of ICA, to Texas Animal Health personnel at work, to aggressive county and state law enforcement efforts, and from private industry such as Pfizer’s efforts.  It is truly heart warming and humbling to see cow people tackle a problem of this magnitude and go a long way to whip it.  Port City is proud to play a small part of the total effort.  ”