[fusion_dropcap boxed=”no” boxed_radius=”” class=”” id=”” color=”#6c0a00″ text_color=””]T[/fusion_dropcap]he Adams Ranch Field Day and Annual Bull and Heifer Auction was an exciting couple of days in early November. With Tropical storm Eta kicking up some wind, both days were actually pleasant.
The Field Day focus was on the future of cattle ranching and the environment. Dr. Betsey Boughton and Benita Whalen covered topics from carbon sequestration to dispersed water storage.
Dr. Boughton, from the Archebold Center, detailed her research on the Buck Island Ranch measuring methane releases and storage of soil carbon. The biggest source of methane on the ranch was from wetland and soil bacteria. “That was kind of a big surprise to us,” she said. Cattle grazing the pastures help reduce carbon by simulating the grass and recycling the nutrients into the soil and into the grassroots.
Benita Whalen, representing Dispersed H20, detailed her work to store water on agricultural lands as a form of payment for environmental services. South Florida Water Management currently has an active program to pay private landowners to store water on their lands. This can be a way to create an additional income source for the ranching operation.
The 42nd Annual Bull and Heifer Auction was kicked off by Cracker Johnson at high noon with a fundraiser for the benefit of the St. Lucie County Cattlewomen raising $4,850. This was followed by the auctioning of two Braford heifers from the University of Florida raised at the Ona Research Center. Matthew Ehrhard of Blue Water LLC was the high bidder at $2,600. This will be matched by Adams Ranch, so a total of $5,200 will be added to the endowment for the benefit of the center.
After some spirited bidding, the high-selling bull sold was for $6,400 to Green Ranch and Grove. Overall, the bulls averaged $4,192/hd. Also in high demand were the bred heifers, they averaged $1882/hd, and yearling open heifers averaged $900. The volume buyer was RWF Legacy Ranch with 60 heads. Attendees at the auction came from 7 different states.
With this year’s challenges, the Adams Family was thankful to see everyone and hope you enjoyed your auction experience. Over the past few years, we are pleased to have been able to host bidders to our auction from 10 different states. We hope you will join us again at our 2021 Annual Bull and Heifer Auction either in person at Fort Pierce or online. Watch for details in the coming year.