A START FOR MAINE-ANJOU
IN THE DAIRY-BEEF SECTOR BY JOSH CRIBBS, AMAA COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR In the cattle industry as an association – regardless of breed beliefs or alliances to certain breed agendas – all we can ever hope for the breed we provide service for is the cattle find versatility and profit to sustain the operation in which they are used. Knowing that not all breeds are suited for different environments, it’s tough to be everything to everyone. To be honest it’s naive to think that any cattle breed can cover all facets of the beef industry! There are sectors, however, that MaineAnjou genetics can make a sizable impact and be a strong benefit to the bottom line for those who want to add power and balance on the fat cattle grid. This is never more obvious than with a group and operation settled west of Lubbock, Texas in the little town of JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
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Muleshoe. The only town in the county of Bailey, with a population of 5,082 – in an area where the Friday Night Lights of high school football are king – sits a family operation built from scratch into a business that makes a sizable impact in the dairy industry and has started to create a niche market in the dairy beef industry using Maine-Anjou genetics. Although the story of Boehning Dairy starts with Brian, the patriarch and founder of the family owned and operated farm, it’s entrance into the dairy beef industry began around 2014 when Brian hired Chief Financial Officer and Maine-Anjou enthusiast, Jimmy Black. Jimmy grew up in Clovis, New Mexico on his family farm and attended Colorado State University where he received a degree in animal
science before starting his career in the financial sector and Ag lending business that spanned a 37-year career near Bakersfield, California. Upon retirement and moving back to Clovis, he went to work for a company that handled organic grain and started to sell Ag commodities to a growing west Texas population of dairy farms that were carving out their market share and helping to build consistency in a product that was filling the shelf at your local grocery store. After a few years, he transitioned to becoming part of the team at Boehning Group, and that is where our story of how Maine-Anjou genetics and them becoming apart of the business begins. Jimmy, a Maine-Anjou breeder himself in past years and knowing the beef
