ABP
SPOTLIGHT
photo by Derek Sample
CROSS DIAMOND CATTLE COMPANY by Derek Sample
Derek@ABPmag.com
Bertrand, Nebraska - As we drive up the road to the Cross Diamond ranch I can feel the energy changing. It‘s subtle, but there‘s a definite calm in the air. This feeling is confirmed when we meet Kim Ford, the better half of the couple that owns this wonderful place. We stopped here on the way to McCook where we will be taking an Angus tour tomorrow. So Tim and I decided to schedule our own tours before and after in order to share some face time with customers old and new. On this beautiful morning, we find ourselves at one of the largest Seedstock operations in Nebraska. Cross Diamond has a great reputation for their focus on Red Angus Genetics along with following up with top notch customer service, and it‘s working.
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This place is huge. The pastures expand farther than you can see. Kim takes us on a personal tour and her demeanor exudes pride with every spoken word. They work hard and manage the best operation they can which provides impressive results for their customers who return year after year. They have 2 locations, their Headquarters in Bertrand and another in Elwood about 13 miles northwest. The commercial herd and yearlings are run at the Elwood location. Rotational grazing between the two locations and year round grazed forage utilization are the keys to the development of their cattle. Their cattle thrive on grazed forage. Kim tells us that their herd is bred with a focus on maternal traits first since their front line in profitability lies in fertility and American Beef Producer
calving ease to get a live calf on the ground. Then their emphasis becomes soundness, disposition and fleshing ability. In addition growth and carcass traits share their spotlight as well. Basically they strive for consistency and dependability in their breeding program and their program is defined by all of this and more. As we drive through the nooks and crannies of the buttes and stop to take photos among the large crowd of heifers grazing in Bertrand, you can experience first hand what the Fords are doing. This place is just remarkable. They are fully committed to handling cattle with respect and you can tell that they expect it in return. They handle the cattle in a variety of ways - on foot, horseback and four-wheelers – so that the cattle are accustomed to a
November 2020
