WILEY RANCH FINDS BRANGUS CATTLE A STRONG HERD ADD

Photo above: Mia, Erik and Keri Wiley, Abby West (girlfriend of Ethan) Ethan Wiley, Kim and Karen Wiley. Photo right: Wiley Ranch might be new to the Brangus scene, but they have jumped in with both feet with the joint purchase of the Blackwater and Salacoa Valley Farms herds with Quail Valley Farms.

Fourth generation row crop farmer, Erik Wiley, from Deville, Louisiana, always wanted to raise cattle, so in 2009, he and his father Kim purchased two Santa Gertrudis heifers from Wendt Ranch. Those two heifers have now grown to a herd of 600 registered cattle. The family operation is now the largest Santa Gertrudis breeder in Louisiana. They are committed to improving their cattle with every breeding decision made and the herd traits reflect the ever-emerging market.

The family in addition to raising cattle also farm 6,000 acres of row crops and own and operate two successful Purina dealerships, which have provided the opportunity to build relationships with other cattlemen in the region. These connections helped them see the market trends and the popularity of Brangus cattle in Louisiana.

“Brangus bulls are a hot item and we saw the opportunity to capture the Brangus bull market in our region. We had the opportunity to buy into a local herd that was already established, and we purchased the Blackwater herd in partnership with Quail Valley Farms about six months ago,” Erik Wiley said.

Ricky Cleveland of Quail Valley Farms had originally gone to look at the Blackwater yearling heifers believing that the others were sold. But he soon learned that the sale of the entire herd had fallen through and they were all available. “I knew I didn’t have enough room for all of them and I knew there was only one person I wanted to partner with, and that was the Wileys,” says Cleveland. “Initially they said no, but after a few days, they changed their minds and we went back. We made an offer and bought everything. The Wileys bought a couple Brangus females from me at my spring sale and had wanted to start small but everything speeded up a little bit. We already had a lot in common and have very similar cattle interests.”

Part of the Blackwater herd was relocated from Georgia with about 270 fall calving cows joining the Louisiana operation, while the rest of the herd is at Quail Valley Farms. The Wileys have recently finished their first calving season. “The cattle have adapted well, just as well as the Santa Gertrudis. Calving was a great experience and we haven’t had any trouble,” Wiley said.

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“THERE ARE THREE WORDS THAT COME TO MY MIND WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE WILEYS: HONESTY, INTEGRITY, AND FAMILY.”

-RICKY CLEVELAND, QUAIL VALLEY FARM

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The Wiley’s raises all their own feed and the cattle are pastured on dry land pasture ground. Kim and Erik, along with Erik’s son Ethan do all the day-to-day work, while Kim’s wife Karen and Erik’s wife Keri do the bookwork. Keri is also a nurse and they have a daughter Mia who helps too.

The Wiley Ranch crew has also recently partnered with Quail Valley Farms to purchase the entire Salacoa Valley registered herd of almost 1,400 head of cattle from the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Inc.

Currently the cattle are still in Georgia with the partners traveling back and forth. They do have two trusted managers, Todd Harvey and Josh Brooks overseeing the daily cattle care in Fairmount, Georgia. “I had looked into purchasing the Salacoa Valley herd a year ago but now the tribe asked if we were interested. The herd was much bigger number wise than we were expecting. We were able to absorb the land lease and hired the employees,” Cleveland said. “We have the land leased through 2023 with the option to renew the lease. We really value the employees and them taking care of things over there.”

The Salacoa Valley herd is both a spring and fall calving herd, so the Wileys are looking forward to providing both yearling and 18-month-old bulls for their customers.

“Our goal is to be the top seedstock producer for Brangus cattle in the nation, selling around 750 bulls a year,” Wiley said.

“We aren’t the only Brangus in the region but we will have a lot of bulls to sell. Since Quail Valley Farms and Wiley Ranch raise both Santa Gertrudis and Brangus, we formed American Cattle Enterprises (ACE) and hope to reach all over the United States with our genetics,” Cleveland said. “There are three words that come to my mind when I think about the Wileys: honesty, integrity, and family. That’s what lead me to wanting to partner with them. I’m very excited to be partners with them. We are also very family oriented here at Quail Valley and labor is hard to find especially good ones and we value our families and all they give.”

The Wileys AI 100% of the herd and all the work is done themselves, in addition to raising all their own feed. “We AI to industry leading bulls, with balanced EPDs that will enhance our own EPDs with a strong focus on carcass traits and phenotype,” Wiley said.

The replacement heifers and bulls will be backgrounded and fed on the place with the steers and non-replacement heifers going to a feedyard where the family retains ownership all the way through the finishing process.

The first annual bull sale is scheduled for April 2022 with around 350 bulls in the offering. Half will be Brangus and the remainder Santa Gertrudis. They are also planning on holding a fall sale with Quail Valley to sell over 300 bred replacement heifers.

“We cull our sale bulls pretty deep and the cull rate in the Brangus is a lot less than the Santa Gertrudis. I really like the quality of the bulls and the breed works really well with our climate,” Wiley said.

“We value everyone of our customers and every individual who has ever done business with us. We don’t care if you spend a thousand dollars or a hundred thousand, everyone will be treated the same. We will never be to big for everyone to get a fair shake. It’s an exciting time in the business and Quail Valley Farms and Wiley Ranch will be around for a long time,” Cleveland said.

The Wiley’s are active supporters of the local young people in the 4-H club in Avoyelles Parish. They promote the Santa Gertrudis, and soon Brangus, breed by donating cattle for youth to show in 4-H. They are also very supportive of other youth and community activities knowing that the best investment is in the young people.