KEEPING THE CUSTOMER IN MIND.

by Colton Pratz

What began as a search for what would be more economically viable for the family ranch has now turned into a multi-generational family ranch. Curtiss and Brenda Nipp never thought the combination of their youngest son’s FFA project and a need to make their small commercial cattle operation sustainable would develop into what is has today. Curtiss is a third-generation cattleman, raising cattle on the same piece of property his great-grandfather did in Southern Oklahoma. Growing up, Curtiss’s family didn’t have a large cow herd. Their small family farm consisted of a dairy cow, 20 commercial beef cows, and around 50 acres of cropland the 17 brothers and sisters harvested by hand.

“I saw some of my neighbors and good friends using Charolais bulls on their herds and thought to myself if those bulls are working for them, they surely will work for us.” said Curtiss. Shortly after that he found an unregistered Charolais bull from a local order buyer and quickly got him out with some cows to test his theory. At this time his cowherd was mostly Brahman influenced cattle. “We had your run of the mill cow herd for those days. Some with horns, very few black, and most of them weren’t easy going,” said Curtiss. Nine months later his first calves hit the ground and he knew there was no turning back. Curtiss remembers thinking “If the calves were that good out of an unregistered bull, what could they be if I had a registered bull?” It was just a few short months later and two more Charolais bulls were on the Nipp homestead.

After several years of using Charolais bulls on commercial cows, Curtiss wanted to purchase a few Charolais females. At the time Curtiss’s youngest son Travis, was in high school, “I thought it would be a great opportunity for him to add to his FFA project.” Four Charolais females joined the herd that spring. The next year Curtiss added 20 more purebred Charolais females, and the year after that an additional 10. This was the start to a dwindling brahman influenced crossbred cowherd and the start to a purebred seedstock operation. “I saw the demand for good Charolais bulls coming into place and decided to act on it,” said Curtiss.

Curtiss strives to produce a variety of bulls that meet the demands of his customers. “I know, no two cow herds are the same. So I try to offer bulls that will work on every cowherd phenotypically but really maximize your profits when you match your cowherd with the proper EPD profile,” said Curtiss.

As Curtiss was getting his feet wet in the purebred industry, a life changing event occurred. “I was diagnosed with breast cancer in the fall of 1995,” said Brenda. Life suddenly became much different for the family as Brenda was taking radiation treatments to battle her cancer. Oldest son Justin was in college and recalls “I would come home from school and drive mom to the city so to be with her for her treatments.” While Brenda was battling cancer, the family juggled their cattle, Curtiss’s water well service business, the boys’ school, but also Brenda’s flower shop. “I remember making flower deliveries in dirty work clothes after work,” said Curtiss.

Twenty- seven, two-hour one-way trips to Oklahoma City for treatments was what it took for Brenda to ring the bell.

In 2000, Curtiss dispersed the last of his commercial cows. Curtiss said, “It wasn’t always easy. We had a couple bulls that were the type that gave Charolais bulls a terrible reputation, we paid attention to those genetics and quickly altered our program.” He knew the Charolais breed had its flaws but was willing to figure out what worked within those cattle. “I knew the Charolais bulls I wanted to market had to be something I would use on my cowherd, so I paid close attention to performance early on.”

“I think the way I got into the breed is the reason I focus on the success of our customers,” said Curtiss. Curtiss understands the importance of needing bulls that can endure harsh environmental condition during the breeding season and a need for calves that are going to maximize profits. “Knowing the cattle we are producing must first be functional and profitable is something I like to keep in mind when I am making breeding decisions,” said Curtiss. “I’ll never make a breeding decision that could result in a failure just because of a calf’s sex. If I use a bull, he better have the ability to produce not only quality bulls but also productive females,” said Curtiss.

Understanding his customers’ needs is what his operation is structured around. “We build cattle from the ground up,” said Curtiss. He said, “Our cattle must be a complete animal, consisting of good structure, appropriate phenotype and EPD’s that indicate they will add value to their offspring.” Knowing the Charolais breed is already known for their high growth performance, Curtiss likes to keep in mind the end value is on the rail. “We have started ultrasounding our bulls to get an indication of how well these cattle can truly perform for our customers,” he said. “I think it is important to look at the carcass traits as a group and not just one specific trait as cattle are graded off both quality and yield,” said Curtiss. He then said, “We have been told our bulls have some of the best ultrasound data for Charolais bulls and could even compete against other breeds, and that means we must be doing something right.”

Curtiss strives to produce a variety of bulls that meet the demands of his customers. “I know, no two cow herds are the same. So, I try to offer bulls that will work on every cowherd phenotypically but really maximize your profits when you match your cowherd with the proper EPD profile,” said Curtiss. “Our customer’s operations are all different, while most sell their calves between weaning and yearling age, we do have several that sell them on the grid. Therefore, we must produce bulls that not only add pounds but add them at a higher quality end product,” he said.

July 31–August 3, 2023

ARRIVE DEPART

Monday, July 31, 2023

3-4 PM Conference Registration in Stillwater, Oklahoma

Thursday, August 3, 2023 9:30 AM Departures begin from Stillwater, Oklahoma

Registration Fee includes event t-shirt, goodie bag, lodging at hotel, meals and travel during the conference.

Airline travel should be booked into Oklahoma City – Will Rogers World Airport (OKC). Complimentary shuttle service from Oklahoma City to Stillwater will be arranged on Monday prior to registration.

Registration forms and complete schedule online at www.CharolaisUSA.com!

Conference Highlights Include Oklahoma State University

Ranch Visits • Ag Business Tours

Leadership Development Opportunities

MEMBER FEE: $250 Includes all expenses except travel to Conference

NON-MEMBER FEE: $300

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: JULY 10, 2023

Upcoming Events

Charolais Sale Results

Sales are listed in sale date order. A list of sales in this issue is provided below.

Romans Ranches Charolais Production Sale

Wagonhammer Ranches Total Performance Production Sale

Bradley Cattle Spring Bull & Female Sale

Full Circle Cattle Co. 3rd Annual Bull Sale

T and S Strnad Charolais and Friends 9th Annual Production Sale

Wild Indian Acres Spring Charolais Bull Sale

Lundgren Charolais 10th Annual Bull Sale

Schrader Ranch 21st Annual Charolais & Simmental Bull Sale

Great Northern 4th Annual Bull and Female Sale

8 Story Farms 5th Annual Production Sale

44th Annual Southwest Virginia Performance Tested Bull Sale

Geyer Cattle Company Annual Production Sale

Valley View Charolais Ranch 55th Annual Bull Sale

Wake eld Farms Performance Tested Bull Sale

Zehnder Waage Partnership Annual Charolais & Red Angus Bull Sale

C-B Charolais 37th Annual Production Sale

Schmidt Cattle Company 35th Annual Bull Sale 2023 Debruycker Charolais Bull Sale

Wagner Charolais 12th Annual Bull Sale

Hassebrook Charolais Farms 7th Annual Production Sale

Weber Charolais and Red Angus Farm Annual Production Sale

Hubert Charolais Ranch 44th Annual Bull Sale

Fink Beef Genetics Spring 2023 Bull & Female Sale

Hebbert Charolais 41st Annual Bull Sale

Prairie Valley Farm Charolais Bull Sale

Rambur Charolais 45th Annual Bull Sale

The Renaissance 31st Anniversary Edition Sale

Eggleston Charolais Performance = Pro tability Bull Sale

Thomas Ranch 51st Annual Bull Sale