Rural Youth Put on Bull Sale

by Lura Roti for South Dakota Farmers Union

At 6 p.m. on March 22, 2025 four young men from Winner, South Dakota, will host the second annual 3R Cattle Co. & Milliron Angus Bull Sale at the Winner Livestock Auction.

“Many think you have to be an adult before you do something like this. But we said, ‘just because we are 19, 18, 16 and 11 doesn’t mean we can’t do something we’ve always wanted to do,’” Garret Phillips explained.

Phillips is talking about the bull sale he co-founded in 2024 with brothers Rowdy, Roper and Rider Moore. Phillips, now 19, has been best friends with the brothers since he was 12 and began working with them at their family’s auction market.

Along with working together, they all share an interest in cattle and cattle genetics, explained Cody Moore, Rowdy, Roper and Rider’s dad.

“They all grew up in the sale barn,” Cody said. “They have been loading out cattle and working the sales for more than 10 years. They look at a critter and know if it is a good one or a bad one. You learn about quality cattle and their value when week after week, you load them out and look at the sale sheet to see what they brought.”

Outside of the sale barn, the boys began testing their knowledge of cattle genetics by building up their own herds with funds from Farm Service Agency youth loans.

“I like going through sale catalogs and sire directories and seeing what works,” Roper, 17, said.

Currently a high school junior, Roper plans to pursue a degree in livestock genetics after he graduates.

“My goal is to select the best of the best and raise bulls that can improve my herd and other commercial and registered herds,” Roper said. “I want my name to be known throughout the industry as someone who can be a trusted source for quality genetics.”

Rowdy, 20, let his passion for raising cattle guide his career path as well. In 2023, just a few months after high school graduation, he bought 70 bred heifers during a bred cow sale.

“I like ranching, and I did not like school,” Rowdy explained. “Raising cattle does get stressful at times, but that is just part of it.”

First Annual 3R Cattle Co. & Milliron Angus Bull Sale

Prior to the 2024 bull sale, Phillips had started to sell a few bulls private treaty. In 2023 he sold 10 bulls. And the Moore brothers had also started selling some bulls private treaty. A good start but not enough for an official bull sale.

A September phone call changed this. “A Simmental producer from Oklahoma called and asked me if I would sell his bulls for him,” Roper explained.

A purebred producer from Oklahoma calls a 16-year-old in South Dakota and asks him to sell his bulls for him? Roper understands that this explanation sounded a little crazy, so he shared the back story.

“I had recently bought 12 registered cows from a registered producer’s Simmental dispersion sale. The operation was in Oklahoma and I had been following these genetics for a while, and finally I could afford to purchase some cows. When the producer called to discuss transportation, we got to talking and he learned that my family owned a sale barn in South Dakota. This is when he told me he had some bulls he wanted to sell and asked if we would sell them for him,” Roper explained. “So, when he asked me if I would put on a bull sale, he didn’t know what I looked like. He didn’t know my age.”

Roper agreed to sell the bulls. Roper then talked with his brothers and dad and they immediately hopped on board. Knowing that Phillips had been selling his bulls private treaty, Roper asked if he would want to sell his bulls as well.

“We knew Roper had been wanting to do this for a while, and we were on board to help,” Rowdy said. “We all agree that it is important to keep improving commercial herds through genetics. If you can help commercial producers raise bigger calves, then you help them increase their profits.”

With only six months to put on a bull sale, the boys got to work, each taking on sale responsibilities based on their skills and interests.

Ahead of the sale they invested time clipping the bulls. Roper photographed the bulls, collected their genetic information and assisted with designing the sale catalog. He also designed sale flyers and began promoting the sale on social media.

Sale day was no different. The boys did everything.

Rowdy was the auctioneer.

Roper reported on the bulls’ genetics.

Phillips was the ringman.

And Rider pushed the bulls into the ring.

“I told the boys they can hire an auctioneer, hire a ringman, hire a photographer…but does it teach you anything? Probably not,” Cody said. “And every dollar you save is a dollar you put in your pocket.”

They had some excellent help from their moms. Heather, the Moore brothers’ mom, designed the sale website. And Roni, Phillips’ mom, helped prepare the sale day meal – roast beef, cheesy hashbrowns and salads.

We want to be a trusted source for quality genetics

About 75 attended the sale. All the bulls were sold. And the profits exceeded expectations.

The boys’ responsibilities did not end once the money was in the bank. “We stand behind the genetics we sell,” Roper said. “We want to be known as a trusted source, so if something goes wrong, we will make it right.”

To ensure their customers’ satisfaction, throughout the summer months, Phillips made follow-up phone calls to check in.

“I’d make calls while I was haying just to see how the bulls were doing, and more importantly to get to know our customers and to see what we can do to better serve our customers and their herd,” Phillips said.

Based on customer feedback, the second annual 3R Cattle Co. & Milliron Angus Bull Sale is scheduled for March 22 at the Winner Livestock Auction.

To learn more, visit 3Rcattleco.com and Milliron Angus on Facebook.

“We all learned that you are never too young to chase your dream,” Phillips said. “Why not get up and do what you want now when you have support from your parents and your community because you are young? A year ago, none of us thought we’d be having a bull sale. And now we are preparing for our second sale.”