LIVING
THE
LEGACY
By Bailey K. Herrin
E
very cattle producer dreams that the legacy of their farm or ranch will live on for future generations. Running M Ranch will do just that when Payne Midyette’s grandson, Will Moncrief, takes the reins this fall. Payne Midyette, 93, has had a passion for cattle for most of his life. Midyette first shared this passion with his father, Payne Midyette Sr. In the 1930s and 1940s, his family had Hereford cattle that they eventually crossed with Brahmans. The Midyettes were producing Brafords prior to them becoming a nationally recognized breed. In 1977, Midyette bought 391 acres in Madison County as an investment opportunity. He had all intentions of reselling the property; instead, he ended up running cattle on it. By the early 1980s, Payne had purchased three Braford bulls along with 125 Braford heifers from Bud Adams, his lifelong friend. Midyette fondly reminisces: “Bud Adams and I were good friends; we grew up together. As high school boys, we both worked for one of the top cattlemen of the time. He’s the reason I got hooked on Braford cattle.” By 1991, the ranch and Braford herd had grown large 10 BRAFORD NEWS l FALL 2020
enough that a ranch manager was necessary. “For nearly 30 years, Kit Storey has been the ranch manager at Running M,” Midyette notes. “Kit is a good cowman, good planner, very dedicated to his job, but most of all he has a big heart. We seem to complement each other. I’m thankful for all he has done for us over the years.” In 1992, Midyette retired from Midyette-Moor Insurance Agency to focus on, and expand, Running M Ranch. He was able to grow the ranch to almost 500 brood cows, with most of them being registered Brafords. At one point, the farm was up to 2,580 acres, with the bulk of it being owned property. To reduce their workload as their age increased, Midyette and Storey opted to reduce the cattle numbers and plant pines in some of the cattle pastures. The herd at Running M Ranch is down to about 300 brood cows and replacement heifers. A large part of the herd still consists of Braford cows, but the ranch has expanded its Braford Plus program. “We’ve been running Red Angus bulls on some of our Braford cows,” Moncrief explains. “The Braford females make good mommas and the Red Angus adds a little extra
