ABP Feature -Topp Herefords, More than Just Good Genetics

by Tim McCray Tim@ABPmag.com

Much More Than Just Good Genetics

Ryan Topp told me as we were interviewing for this article, “You can go anywhere in this country and find good genetics.” True, there are many in the cattle industry that provide just that. Topp Herefords of Grace City, North Dakota produces deep, uniform, dependable genetics that excel. But, their program is so much more than just modern, powerful, Hereford seedstock. Through visits to Topp Herefords and lengthy phone conversations with several of their partners and buyers, I can’t help but feel like I’m on a visionary sort of journey. This is more than just good genetics.

Entrepreneur, Visionary, Committed, Consistent, Predictable, Quality, Progressive...

have all been used to describe Ryan & Prairie Topp and the team at Topp Herefords. After conversations with friends, relatives and business associates, I’ve added humble, integrity, values, spiritual and focused. I could stop right there, but if there is anything I want you to understand about Topp Herefords it is those words. All of those work into a great description of anyone to do business with, and even better words for a friendship.

As I’m walking around the ranch with Prairie on a warm day in October discussing their lives, their program, their livelihood, I’m honestly a little nervous about committing to something that I’m not entirely comfortable with (writing). But there’s also a calmness that surrounds our conversation. It’s her composure. She’s very confident in her words, but also humble. She assures me it’s not her, but all Ryan behind what is Topp Herefords. I got the exact same feeling in talking with Ryan the other day on the phone. Ryan’s voice is also fearless, but not overconfident. He’s got a strong set of values. He’s extremely visionary in his endeavors. Almost like an artist approaches a piece of music, or a sculpture – in the sense they are taking away the things that don’t belong. He tells me how much Prairie and the rest of the team do for Topp Herefords.

It’s a little strange to me that each of them credit the other with the force behind the drive. They’re both quick to point out that this is a team effort. Aside from Ryan and Prairie, there are also their 3 kids: Lauren, Mariah & Logan. Plus three full time employees on the ranch: Keith Herberg, Riley Ehlers, and their newest addition Cord Laplant. Herberg started out as an intern at Topp Herefords and hasn’t left. Riley came a couple years later, and Cord just started this summer. Besides promoting a strong team environment where each employee is responsible for key areas of ranch management and is groomed for growth, Topp Herefords provides a system where the employees can have their own cattle on the ranch and utilize the same bulls, breeding systems, facilities, land and equipment.

In addition to the ranch crew, there are 3 remote team members that help manage cattle procurement and customer service. Their goal is to visit the ranches of each bull customer, old and new. In fact, as I was speaking with Ryan the other day just before noon, he was traveling and had visited 4 of his customers so far that morning and was in the process of heading to another.

Ryan and the contract employees are busy this time of year seeing old, new and potential customers. Ryan explains, “Our goal is to physically see their cow herd. We find out what their goals are. We find out where they want to be in a year or two with their cow herd. We find out what their needs are for marketing their cattle, and then we offer them options that we feel are the best fit for their marketing equation.” He also adds “I think it should be mandatory if you are a bull provider that you get off your ranch, go to the producers’ places, see their cattle, and let them tell you what their needs are. Listen to your producers, then you form your business model as a seedstock provider.”

A business model that has proven itself to be successful. That has put Topp Herefords where they are today, amongst the elite in their sector. I’ll point out here, that the previous paragraph was pretty much verbatim. The only point where Ryan talked about himself was an opinion, other than that it was WE as referring to the entire team that make up Topp Herefords. At this point I disagree with Ryan. “What do you mean?” he said. “I don’t believe Topp Herefords is you, or your team. Topp Herefords was, and will surely continue to be, built by its clients.”

Customers who are growing in numbers are also quick to offer their perspectives. Scott Ruland of New Town, N.D., who has been a TH customer for about 15 years says, “I’ve never known a bull seller to stand behind his bulls as well as Ryan does. We’ve been a repeat customer because I believe in the programs he has put together.”

Scott raises nothing but baldy cattle from Angus cows, but that hasn’t always been the case. “When we started putting Hereford bulls on our Angus cows, one of them was from Topp Herefords,” he explained. “Ryan stopped by our place and he didn’t like how the bull had matured. He wanted us to cut his head off, so he could replace him. That’s how our relationship started.” Scott continued, “We kept going with baldy cattle because they were growing better, and I get a health kick with the F1 cross. I don’t have to doctor them as much.”

Then, Scott said, he started doing the math. “We can survive on that black calf, but I would be giving up pounds and a premium. The heifer bonus I get when I’m selling them back to Topp Herefords for the same price or even a little better than the steers is what makes a difference to my bottom line. If I wasn’t making money at it, I wouldn’t be back.”

So, Scott and Ryan sat down to determine how Scott could keep going in the program as efficiently as possible. Enter Ellingson Angus. “That’s why it works for me. I can source good cows from Ellingson Angus genetics to keep my black herd going. When Topp Herefords comes in and sorts through our baldy calves for the feeder program, we have a uniform, high-quality herd, so almost all of our calves go. We don’t have a hodgepodge herd. That’s the reason it works.”

Ryan values the benefit of Heterosis. “If you’re not taking advantage of cross breeding, you can’t complain about the price of feeder cattle. Because it must be enough if you’re willing to leave 30 or more pounds off your calf by not cross breeding.”

Another operation that has found value in working with Topp Herefords is the Diamond Cross Ranch in Montana. Managers, David and Tracie Budd, commented “We used to have the lowest calf weights on the ranch, and ever since we started using the Hereford bulls, our weights have been above everyone else.” But it’s not just the genetics. “Ryan is the only producer that has come to look at our cattle, look at our grass, and look at what we have for an environment. Topp Herefords is interested in making people successful.”

Topp Herefords goal for the past 20 years has been to provide a return on investment for their buyers. “We’ve refined that process for years to create a system that helps improve the profitability of our customers’ operations. We really want to create options that help impact their bottom line.”

Marketing Programs

The first opportunities for TH bull-buyers to choose from are the feeder calf marketing options off the ranch. These help capture the added value of your TH-sired calf crop through a variety of feeder programs. They’re working with 4 feedlots at the moment, and soon will be adding a fifth.

The second marketing option for TH-sired cattle is the Baldy Heifer buyback program. In conjunction with Pitz Farms in Iowa, Topp Herefords buys back about 1500 head annually of first cut, replacement-quality open heifers from their bull clients to breed. And the baldy heifer program is expanding.

Ryan Topp

The most recent development is a retained ownership option new in 2020. Ryan says that some of their clients were “leaving money on the table by not retaining ownership to the kill floor.” So Topp Herefords is working to introduce their bull customers to the option of retaining ownership further down the food chain. Ryan adds, “We will do whatever it takes to makes sure that our customers have the best options available.”

Another TH Customer for 15+ years, Augie Williams of Rushford, MN, said he was referred from fellow cattlemen to check into the Topp Herefords program when he was looking at getting some good breeding stock for his own herd. He made an inquiry, received the TH sale catalog for that year, and had circled a few bulls and heifers he was interested in. When Ryan and Augie ended up speaking over the phone, Ryan suggested Augie not purchase a few on his list as they may not be the best fit for his objectives. Augie admits that in the years of his own production sales, he never suggested someone not bid on an animal. He ended up attending the sale that year and purchasing 15R - the high selling bull that year. That turned out to be a really good investment. Shortly thereafter a company in Australia inquired about semen availability. Ryan sent them to Augie, and through the sales of semen Augie had already made his investment back, yet not one prodigy had hit the ground. Topp Herefords wouldn’t accept any return on that either. “He’s your Bull, you bought him.” was what Ryan responded with. And that’s exactly what Topp Herefords wants: to know that while nothing is perfect, at the end of the day they did everything in their power to bring you more value. “Everything is justified by return on investment” Ryan explains. “When you’re looking at where you are buying your seedstock, where you can get that best return on your calves should lead you to where to buy your bulls.”

Cord Laplant

Evolution of a Program

The operation has evolved over multiple generations. As you pull into Topp Herefords, the first thing you notice is the red barn that dwarfs all other buildings on the property. That barn is one of the few buildings that remain from when Ryan’s grandfather, Woodrow, first established Topp Herefords in 1945. Ryan’s father, Merlin, managed the operation until he died when Ryan was only 7. The registered herd was dispersed. However Ryan’s mother, Kathy, kept the ranch and the commercial herd going. When Ryan was still in High School he began slowly purchasing registered Herefords, primarily out of Canada, to start his own herd. “I had a personal desire to expose and promote the benefits of Hereford genetics in the beef industry. I committed to that goal when I was about 16. I focused on really culling hard and scaling everything back until only the superior genetics were left standing. I gutted out anything that didn’t serve or benefit.”

Off in the distance behind the big red barn you can see the sale facility. After years of hauling bulls to Bismarck and renting a sale facility, Topp Herefords made the decision to build closer to home. Directly behind me is a working facility that they describe as a difficult decision to make because it wasn’t going to provide a return on their investment. This is one of those cases where they wouldn’t fully realize the return until it was built. Winter can easily bring temperatures into the negative double digits and with a wind chill factor of -60 and even below. Then there is the rain, mud, wind and snow. I can recall one trip where I experienced a good 4” snowfall with temps in the high 20‘s, and that was early October. The new working facility neutralized conditions, so weather was no longer a factor. It made a huge difference for the employees, for the vets and the embryologist during breeding. Ryan also pointed out that their team became much more efficient. “It‘s been one of the best investments we‘ve ever made. When you take good care of your crew and your your cattle, it affects the quality of your program.”

Keith Herberg

The future of Topp Herefords is looking bright as well. The strong work ethic and commitment to excellence is transferring over to their children. Their oldest, Lauren, is currently enrolled as a senior at UND preparing for PA school. Mariah, a freshman at NDSU, is going to their educational leadership program, as she‘s looking at being a superintendent. They both have their own cattle at the ranch and come home to work as much as possible as it‘s their cattle paying for their education.

Logan is 16, a junior in High School and, like his Dad at this age, has started focusing on the future. He has recently expanded his inventory with a herd from Augie Williams. Augie stressed that as they spent the entire day looking at cattle in his pastures it was Logan he was dealing with, as Ryan quitely stood on the side and observed. Augie did most of the phone conversations and final arrangements with Logan as well. Logan explained to me that his parents tell him he can pick any future he wants. He is only expected to learn the business now so that he can choose to come back if he decides to. “Buying my own cattle has taught me a lot about financial responsibility and organization and has given me an understanding of ownership.” From working with cattle to visiting bull customers, he values all that goes into being a rancher and seedstock producer. “There are countless jobs on the ranch that I enjoy doing such as vaccinating cattle, putting up hay, and doing chores. Although those are critical jobs on the ranch, the thing I enjoy doing most is delivering cattle, where I get the chance to visit our customers and get to know them and their cattle.” One thing is certain, Logan is certainly carrying on his family values. He already credits his parents for everything he‘s accomplished with his parents and understands the value of the team at Topp Herefords.

Riley Ehlers

Topp Herefords is in good hands, now and for the future.

Mariah

Lauren

Logan and Shannon (Hoyt Trucking)