9 minute read
The Right Stuff
THE RIGHT STUFF
by Melissa McGee Buehler
Photos courtesy Jeffries Land & Cattle Co
After nearly 30 years, Jerry Jeffries remains a self-proclaimed student of the beef industry.
Checotah, Oklahoma, was the sight of one of the most significant battles in the Civil War west of the Mississippi River. The battle of “Honey Springs” or “Elk Creek” which occurred on July 17, 1863, was fought between forces of the Confederates and Federals. Factions of the Creek Tribe fought with each respective army. The battle site is located approximately four and a half miles northeast of Checotah, near the Jeffries Land & Cattle operation. Checotah was named after the Principal Chief of the Creek Tribe at the time, Samuel Checote, who had served the Confederacy as a lieutenant colonel in the First Creek Regiment.
Following the Civil War, re-establishment of tribal boundaries greatly reduced the Creek Nation land area and the railroad began building across the countryside throughout Indian Territory. Railroads provided transportation for cattle and agricultural products to major markets and distribution centers. The eventual extension of rail facilities in the area helped commerce to flourish. Large scale cattle ranches and cotton farms were abundant. The native grasses in that area of Oklahoma are Bermuda, Fescue and Dallas grass that are nutritious for cattle.
Red Angus heifers on the Jeffries homestead in Checotah, OK.
In 1917, Jerry Jeffries’ grandfather, James, founded the ranch, and staked claim to what is now the home place of the ranch. Currently, the 6th generation is living on that ranch. Jeffries takes great pride in the heritage of the land on which Jeffries Land & Cattle is located. Jerry states, “I grew up right here where I live today.” Originally purchased by his grandfather, Jeffries expanded the original property within four miles from the home place when he split off into his own operation the 1980s. Jerry is the third generation in the Jeffries family that has raised cattle and is the only generation involved in the operation currently.
Jerry Jeffries takes great pride in the heritage of the land that has raised six generations in Checotah, OK.
According to Jerry, several employees have been instrumental in the growth and success of the operation. Kirk Breed has been the Operations Manager for almost 30 years, and J.C. Andras has been the Herdsman for almost 10 years. There are other part-time folks that work on the ranch seasonally who are managed by Deryk Bollinger. In the summer there are local FFA students who come out to do seasonal work, and Deryk oversees that project. “Without these guys, our operation wouldn’t be where it is today,” commented Jerry. The operation also relies on Massey Land and Cattle in Cabool, Missouri to raise calves in a cooperator herd capacity.
Jeffries Land & Cattle Operations Manager, Kirk Breed, takes a weight on a newborn calf.
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After experimenting with other beef breeds, Jerry Jeffries chose to raise Red Angus cattle on his Oklahoma ranch.
Giving back to the local FFA chapters and community colleges in the area has been important to the Jeffries family. They support the local FFA chapters any way they can. The FFA kids come out in the summer for part-time work by assisting in taming down the sale bulls by walking through the pastures and sitting with the bulls to get them used to people. Jeffries has been known to loan animals to kids that wouldn’t otherwise have the means to buy a heifer to show, and then the kids have the option to buy the calf later or bring her back to put back into the herd. The ranch also hosts many college judging teams and FFA groups that come to work out to prepare for judging contests. Jerry feels strongly about giving back to the youth programs that are developing the next generation of agriculture producers. Jeffries granddaughter, Marcela Wilmoth, has been showing Red Angus for three years through the local 4-H program.
Deryk Bollinger pushes bulls up an alley on picture day.
Jeffries is a surveyor by trade and founded Jeffries & Associates, Inc. in 1976. The office was headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with nationwide operations in pipeline, gas transmissions, and the telecommunications fields. In 1984, Jeffries sold the business but continued to serve as President of the company until 1994. In 1997, a new civil engineering firm, Golden Field Services, Inc., was formed to furnish coordinated survey, mapping, inspection, rights-of-way, and construction management services to the pipeline, power, and telecommunications industries. Jerry still goes into the office and bids jobs and works closely with his project managers and staff. He also serves as the Vice President of the Oklahoma Land Surveyors Association.
When asked why Jerry chose the Red Angus breed in the 1990s, he said with a chuckle, “It seemed the thing to do at the time.” Jerry grew up milking Jersey cows, and when he left home to pursue his career, his father dispersed the dairy cattle and acquired Angus. After being gone for 20 years, Jeffries returned to the operation to try his hand at raising his own herd of beef cows. The first breed that Jerry experimented with was Blonde d’Aquitaine, a French breed developed to be a draught breed for work, and then in the last 50 years, they are strictly bred for beef production. Next, Jerry tried Gelbvieh but didn’t like some of their characteristics. After selling the Gelbvieh he started looking for foundation Red Angus females to build his herd. He went to Leachmans in Montana and Biebers in South Dakota to purchase some of the foundation females.
Jerry felt like the Red Angus would be a good fit for his Oklahoma ranch because it seemed that they could withstand the heat better than most breeds. He was also impressed with the crossbreeding opportunities that Red Angus provide for commercial cattlemen who want to add some color to a black cow base while adding maternal and carcass traits that are second to none. Jerry commented, “We are trying to put more emphasis on the carcass in our cattle. We work hard to meet the demands of consumers and the feedlots by providing a product that has higher cutability and tenderness." We are trying to put more emphasis on the carcass in our cattle. We work hard to meet the demands of consumers and the feedlots by providing a product that has higher cutability and tenderness.”
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The herd consists of purebred cows and a substantial commercial cow herd. The commercial cows are used as recipients for the embryo transfer program and are also crossed with Speckled Parks if they don’t settle with an embryo. The herd is culled hard for fertility after pregnancy checking occurs in the fall. The Speckle Park cross works well on the commercial cows because the cross provides extra marbling and tenderness to carcass. Jeffries have a market for the Speckle Park cross calves with a buyer in Kansas City. He will buy all the Speckle Park cattle that he can get from the ranch. Besides the purebred and commercial herds, Jeffries Land & Cattle Co. puts up about 4,000 grass hay bales every year to supply supplemental feed for the winter months.
Jerry & Patricia Jeffries, owners/operators of Jeffries Land & Cattle Co.
When selecting A.I. bulls to use, Jeffries does not put too much emphasis on the low birth weights but would trend towards a more average birth weight bull. He feels that the industry is starting to see some negative impacts from continuously selecting for calving ease for the last 10-15 years. Jeffries strives to use the freshest genetics that the Red Angus breed has to offer.
When preparing for the first bull sale Jeffries hosted, Jerry hired a caterer with an old covered wagon that was scheduled to cook up an old-time beef dinner. The day before the sale, Jerry hadn’t heard from the caterer, so he called the guy to make sure he was coming. Wires had gotten crossed, and unfortunately, the caterer was in Pennsylvania and wasn’t going to make the sale the next day. Jerry sat Patricia down and told her about the problematic situation at hand, so they decided to order fried chicken from the famous chicken place in town, Junes. It wasn’t ideal to serve chicken at a bull sale, but folks still ask when they are going to have fried chicken at the sale again.
Jeffries Red Angus will be holding their 10th Annual Production Sale on the last Friday in September at the ranch. The sale is managed by Seth Leachman with Legacy Genetics. Selling will be Age-Advantaged bulls, heifer calves and all of the five-year-old Red Angus cows in the herd are sold bred. Most of the bulls sold go to commercial cattlemen in the Southeastern United States to work in their crossbreeding programs. Catering to the commercial customer’s needs is the priority in the breeding program.
Kirk and Deryk discuss their ‘to do’ lists in preparation for the 10th Annual Production Sale.
Proven herd sires that have had an impact on the Jeffries herd include VGW Oly 903, HXC Conquest 4405P, Messmer Packer S008, Bieber Rollin Deep Y118, Bieber Spartacus A193 and Andras New Direction R240. A few of the notable bulls they have produced include Jeffries Checotah 817C high selling bull in the 2016 Mile-High Classic Sale going to ABS Global and the second high selling bull in the same sale, Jeffries Reddington 865C, going to Pieper Red Angus of Nebraska and McEntire Red Angus of Oklahoma. The top selling bull in the 2017 Jeffries sale was Jeffries Gladiator 24C going to Genex, and the top selling bull in the 2014 sale was Jeffries Blueprint 258Z going to Accelerated Genetics, now Select Sires.
Picture day on the ranch.
Jeffries is a student of the beef industry and a life-long learner. He holds memberships with the National Red Angus, Oklahoma Red Angus, Georgia Cattlemen, Oklahoma Cattlemen, Florida Cattlemen, Arkansas Cattlemen, and the American Shorthorn Associations. Jerry likes to keep up on the beef industry in other parts of the country to stay current in his breeding program. He also subscribes to “The Green Sheet” Farm Forum paper out of Aberdeen, SD. Jerry has served on the Oklahoma Red Angus board for over 20 years and served as the secretary for 15 years and now serves as a director for the southeast area.
The Jeffries breeding program prioritizes the needs of their commercial customers.
Heifers at Jeffries Red Angus make their way across the pasture in Checotah, OK.
When asked about the future of the operation, Jerry said, “As the genetics evolve and types may change, we will continue to place emphasis on the traits that have carried our herd to success – fertility, soundness, muscle, and style. We believe in the Red Angus breed and its place in the global beef industry and work hard to make sure our cattle meet the criteria and characteristics that help to feed the growing population.”
Jeffries bulls in the feedlot.
Learn more jeffriescattle.com
Jeffries Red Angus will hold its Annual Bull & Female Sale on Friday, September 27, 2019 at the ranch in Checotah, OK. Turn to page 16 for additional sale information or contact Jerry at 918.638.3317.
September 2019
THE STOCKMAN | stockmanmag.com
