2021 Winter Cattlemen's Edition Section A by Wyoming Livestock Roundup

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CATTLEMEN'S EDITION 2021

Featuring Eastern Montana

A publication of the

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Tough conditions, tough producers Eastern Montana agriculture thrives in rugged conditions The Wyoming Livestock Roundup is excited to highlight farms, ranches and agribusinesses throughout eastern Montana in this 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition. Montana became the 41st state to join the union in 1889, and during this time, the state began emerging as one of the country’s leading copper-mining and agricultural centers. Today, Montana’s agriculture and natural resources play a huge role in the state’s economy. Contrasting landscapes One of the most powerful geographic features in the state of Montana is the contrasting landscape between the east and west. In fact, the western two-fifths of Montana fall within the Rocky Mountains, where the land consists of high peaks and deep valleys. The eastern threefifths, on the other hand, lie upon the Great Plains – a vast sweep of rangelands and grain fields. Great Plains Montana is semiarid, with hot summers and cold winters. The average annual precipitation is scant and total snowfall is light, although frost or freezing occurs more than 200 days of the year. The chinook, a warm winter wind blowing through the plains near the base of the Rockies, periodically interrupts the bitter cold for which Montana is notorious. Most of the Great Plains stretches across rather rough land, including scattered hills, austere uplands and rugged badlands. Producers

here are no stranger to tough conditions, yet they continue producing some of the leading agricultural products in the nation. Agriculture and the economy Montana’s agriculture industry generates nearly $4 billion in agricultural cash receipts each year. Nearly 62.4 percent, or 58.1 million acres, make up agricultural land in the state, a number ranking second in the nation behind Texas. This land is home to 26,800 farms and ranches, averaging 2,164 acres in size. Beef cattle, sheep, grain, sugarbeets, potatoes and fruit are produced on irrigated farms in the broad, dry valleys of Rocky Mountain Montana and a few other areas scattered throughout the Great Plains. Wheat and barley are grown on large dryland grain farms throughout northeastern Montana and the Golden Triangle. The majority of the rest of the state is rangeland and used for the production of beef cattle and sheep. The value of agriculture production in Montana is $4.38 billion. The value of crop production comes in at $2,045,351, while the value of animal product production is $41,544,080. National rankings Montana’s agriculture industry boasts several national top 10 rankings. Montana is ranked number one in the nation for garbanzo beans, lentils, dry edible peas and alfalfa hay. Every year, the state harvests 5,138,000 hun-

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dredweight (cwt) of garbanzo beans, 3,354,000 cwt of lentils, 10,150,000 cwt of dry edible peas and 15,171,025 tons of alfalfa hay. Montana accounts for 41 percent of all dry peas and 35 percent of all lentils produced in the U.S. annually. The state is ranked second in the nation for barley, with 44,840,000 bushels harvested annually. This

number accounts for 23 percent of all barley produced in the U.S. Other products ranking second include canola, with 200,100,00 pounds harvested annually, flaxseed, with 1,335,000 bushels harvested annually and wheat, with 217,725,000 bushels harvested annually. Montana also comes in second for agricultural land acreage and the average size of farms. Additionally, Montana comes in fourth in honey production and fifth in all hay and sugarbeets. The state produces 14,878,000 pounds of honey, 6,225,000

tons of hay and 1,153,000 tons of sugarbeets annually. Montana also ranks in the top 10 for beef cows, breeding sheep and lambs, wool production, all sheep and lambs, cows and calf crop. Information in this article was compiled from the

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and the Montana Department of Agriculture. Hannah Bugas is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Montana’s stats Population – 967,440 Nickname – Big Sky Country State Capital – Helena State Flower – Bitterroot State Bird – Western Meadowlark

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

EASTERN MONTANA OPERATIONS FEATURED IN THIS EDITION

Agriculture featured at event

The NILE exhibits the region’s greatest livestock, horses and western culture 24

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9 16

14 5 10

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1 18 22 19

1. The NILE 2. Reisig Cattle 3. Montana Seeds 4. MJB Ranch 5. Domek Charolais 6. Stevenson’s Diamond Dot Cattle Company 7. JC Heiken Angus and Sons 8. Wayne Berry

25 2 4

9. Beery Land and Livestock 10. Big Sky Salers 11. Midland Bull Test 12. Bar JV Angus 13. Fort Keogh 14. Arntzen Angus Ranch 15. Cross Four Ranch 16. Regency Acres Angus Ranch 17. Leland Red Angus 18. Action Toys

Cover photo courtesy of Shipwheel Cattle Company

19. Basin Angus Ranch 20. Miles Community College 21. Gartner-Denowh Angus Ranch 22. Goggins family 23. Pine Coulee Angus 24. Shipwheel Cattle Company 25. Big Horn Donor Facility

From humble beginnings to prestige and merit, the Northern International Livestock Exposition (NILE) in Billings, Mont. has focused on promoting livestock, agricultural education and the western way of life. History In 1966, the idea for the NILE came out of the livestock committee of the Billings Chamber of Commerce. The first event, held in 1967 at the Public Auction Yards, gave agricultural producers the opportunity to showcase the livestock industry of the region. A full-fledged livestock show with 250 exhibitors and 600 entries was boasted in the fall of 1968, according to the NILE website. The original NILE consisted of livestock shows, horse shows and rodeos, and those traditions continue today. Livestock shows Youth with steers, lambs, hogs and goats may enter the Junior Fed Market Shows to compete for the honor of raising the grand champion market animal. Judges evaluate livestock for structural correctness, market readiness and phenotypic quality. According to the website, over 400 ani-

mals were entered in the 2019 NILE youth shows. In similar fashion, feeder steers and heifer calves compete in the Club Calf Show, and the best calves are sold in the prospect sale. The Merit Heifer Program is a unique opportunity offered to youth ages 12 to 16. Participants earn the chance to share ownership of a heifer with the NILE and are responsible for raising, recordkeeping, arranging for the heifer’s breeding and bringing her back to show at the NILE as a bred replacement heifer. After completing the program, ownership is transferred to the youth to start their own cowherd. Horse events Along with many livestock shows, the NILE is host to horse shows and futurities. The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Ranching Heritage Challenge (RHC) during the NILE is the only RHC held in Montana. The Gold Buckle Select Sale features hand-selected, top-quality horses for a wide range of buyers. The Versatility Ranch Horse Show gives the best working ranch horses an opportunity to demonstrate

their abilities through ranch riding, ranch trail, ranch reining, ranch cow work and ranch conformation classes. There are open, amateur, cowboy and youth divisions as well as AQHA and all-breed classes. New in 2020 was the NILE Colt Classic, a refresher clinic for young horses and an educational opportunity for horse owners. The NILE also hosts the Runnin’ the Rims Barrel Racing and the Equis Raffle Filly Program. Other activities On top of the livestock and horse events, the NILE is host to the NILE Ranch Rodeo Finals, as well as three performances of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) ProRodeo, including a mid-performance wild pony race. The NILE also features trade shows in the exhibit hall and expo center, as well as a market for the last three days of the event. The 2021 event is scheduled for Oct. 15-23. For more information, visit thenile.org. Averi Hales is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr. net.

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

A family of entrepreneurs

Reisig Agency and Reisig Cattle keep a family in business together Through multiple family businesses, the Reisig family works to protect other agricultural producers and raise quality Angus cattle. “In 1988 my dad started Reisig Agency, which started out as mainly crop insurance,” says Dustin Reisig. “He has expanded from insuring crops in just Montana to insuring crops in Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota also.” Dustin’s father David and his younger brother Scott also work in the business and are based in Hardin, Mont. Dustin, who joined the operation in 1996, owns and operates the Reisig Agency branch office in Lewistown, Mont. Since 1988, Reisig Agency has expanded to include farm and ranch, home, auto and business insurance. The insurance business was good, so in 2007, Dustin explains the family decided as a whole to branch out into the registered Angus cattle industry, creating Reisig Cattle. Adding registered Angus cows Since Dustin was a kid, the Reisig family ran

commercial cattle. Dustin had been raising registered Angus for about four years before Reisig Cattle entered the scene. While going to school in Oklahoma, Dustin made many contacts with Angus producers in the state. These contacts were key to finding the right genetics to influence the herd Reisig Cattle wanted to have. “In 2010, we bought Buford Elba 9000, and she is our main cow,” Dustin explains. “We built our fall-calving herd from four of her daughters. The Elba cow family has had a huge influence.” Since then, the Reisigs have rolled all of their spring-calving cows into a fall-calving herd. The Big Horn Donor Facility in Hardin, Mont. helped facilitate the transition through a lot of embryo work. Reisig Cattle has also utilized superior genetics in their cowherd through a cow called Buford Eriskay – a daughter of N Bar Emulation EXT. “The main cowherd is based off those two cows,” says Dustin. “Although, we have also added some

new cow families since then.” Development Most cattle don’t see feed other than grass or hay and are never fed silage, shares Dustin. Thanks to moving to a fall-calving herd, calves are weaned in April and are almost on grass by the time they come off of the cow. Calves might go on feed for 30 days while waiting for green grass, Dustin notes, but once the grass comes, the bull and heifer calves stay on pasture until January or about three months before the sale. The bulls are fed an AminoGain pellet, which was originally formulated for Reisig Cattle and is now bagged and produced for commercial sales. “We develop our cattle either in Lewistown at my place or at dad’s place. They aren’t at a feed bunk, and they never go to a feedlot for development,” he says. This also gives the family a chance to see them every day. “We slow-grow them, and we don’t like pushing them,” Dustin adds.

Influence of cow families – Reisig Cattle built their herd with Buford Elba 9000 and four of her daughters. The Elba cow family, as well as a cow named Buford Eriskay, have had great influence on the success of the herd. Courtesy photo

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Selection and success “My philosophy is if the cattle look good, they eat good, and they finish good,” shares Dustin on his selection mentality. “I don’t select bulls solely based on carcass traits. I also select them phenotypically. Bulls have got to look good. They seem to do better this way.” Dustin notes Reisig Cattle focuses on meat, muscle, feet and legs and testicles, genomically and phenotypically, in their bull selection. “We are starting to get some carcass data from producers who exclusively purchase our bulls,” he says. “A

friend of mine who retains ownership of his calves went from a 40 percent Certified Angus Beef (CAB) to 83 percent CAB using our genetics.” The Reisigs are also starting to move into pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) testing bulls to continue meeting customer demand. “A couple years ago we bought a bull called Bobcat Gus, and he has a really good PAP score. His first sons will sell this year, and we look forward to a big group of them in 2022,” Dustin notes. “We are really proud to

have customers come back and say the feeders like their calves. The quality of cattle are good, and we are just trying to raise bulls for commercial producers to better their herds on both females and on the steer side,” he continues. Reisig Cattle will hold their 11th Annual Bull and Female Sale on April 3 at the ranch in Hardin. For more information, visit reisigcattle.com. Averi Hales is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

Phenotypic selection – Dustin Reisig notes he doesn’t select bulls solely based on their carcass merits. It is important bulls at Reisig Cattle look good phenotypically and perform. Courtesy photo

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Seeds of passion

Don and Kay Keil pass down family operation and passion for sainfoin production Upon graduating from Montana State University (MSU) in the early 1960s, Don and Kay Keil hand planted a small package of Remont

Sainfoin, a newly developed product from MSU. The small plot, seeded in the shelterbelt, led to bigger plots, then small fields and

eventually much larger fields, including a large crop near East Glacier, Mont. at 6,000 feet elevation. After 40 years of natural

Humble beginnings – What started as a small plot of hand-planted Remont Sainfoin in the early 1960s is now a booming operation, selling to customers across the U.S. Courtesy photo

selection and hand harvesting seed from only the hardiest and most frost-resistant plants, Don started marketing his seed as Rocky Mountain Remont, a natural selection regrowth variety of Remont Sainfoin with longevity and frost tolerance. Soon after, Montana Seeds, headquartered in Conrad, Mont. was born. The current operation Today, Don and Kay’s daughter Jennifer Schlepp and her husband Rollie Schlepp own and operate Montana Seeds, which was handed down to them following Don’s passing in 2017. “Rollie and I grew up working on our respective family farms, went to college and returned to Conrad to begin our own farming and ranching operation,” says Jennifer. “I teach school, and Rollie manages the farm, ranch and Montana Seeds, sits on the Mountain View Co-op board and is the current vice president of Montana Farmer’s Union.” Jennifer says her children are all grown and working in the medical field, but her and Rollie are anticipating the return of their youngest daughter. “Our youngest plans on returning home from Seattle, Wash. this summer. She is a doctor of pediatric nursing and will work locally, join us at Montana Seeds, as well as start farming and ranching with her husband,” says Jennifer.

As far as current operations go, Jennifer says, “We are currently working with several groups of people who are interested in developing sainfoin in a variety of ways – pelletizing for horses, participating in research for sainfoin flour to be used in consumable products, reclaiming habitat in the Bitterroot Valley and increasing honey production.” Expanding online Jennifer notes her father only dealt with bulk orders when he ran the operation, so when she created Montana Seed’s website, she also added an online store to accommodate smaller orders. “As a science teacher, I was well aware of the need to support pollinators, especially bees, as well as environmental reclamation projects for wildlife,” she says. “A 50-pound bag is much too large for people wanting to purchase seed for smaller projects, so I added the store to our website.” Through their online expansion, Jennifer says Montana Seeds has received orders from individuals across the United States who use it for small projects or just want to give it a try. “As of right now, we do not have a physical store. I wish I had the time to partner with places selling beekeeping equipment or honey,” says Jennifer, noting this might be a venture she takes up when she retires.

A passion for sainfoin There is no doubt that first package of MSU’s Remount Sainfoin planted a seed of passion in the Keil family, which has been passed down through the generations. “Sainfoin is an amazing legume,” states Jennifer. “It is non-bloating, thrives at higher elevations, is more palatable to livestock and wildlife and has high relative feed value bud through bloom.” “Sainfoin is also naturally resistant to pests such as weevils and aphids,” she continues. “Cheatgrass and other weeds are easily and cheaply managed as sainfoin is naturally tolerant to glysophosphate. Additionally, livestock will consume the entire plant including the stems, as sainfoin is higher in sugar than alfalfa and has hollow stems.” Jennifer notes sainfoin can be grown in a variety of harsh growing conditions, including high elevations, areas with short growing seasons and poor rocky soils. She encourages anyone interested in utilizing the benefits of sainfoin to call the Montana Seeds office at 406-278-9951, e-mail montanaseeds@gmail.com or check out the online store at montanaseeds.com/store. Hannah Bugas is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

Return to ranching – Following college graduation, Jennifer and Rollie Schlepp returned to Conrad, Mont. to begin their own ranching and farming operation, while simultaneously taking over Montana Seeds. Courtesy photo

Beneficial legume – Sainfoin boasts a multitude of benefits including higher palatability, higher relative feed value, pest resistance and is a non bloat crop, to name a few. Courtesy photo

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Multi-breed operation

all active in the cattle operation growing up,” Jim explains. “Sherry is my wife, and we have three sons – Curtis, Cody and Justin. Curtis is the livestock judging team coach at the University of Wyoming, and Justin is a student and member of the judging team at UW. Cody is a sales representative for Merck Animal Health based in McCook, Neb.” “Dale and his family live in Big Horn,” Jim continues. “Matt heads up the farming and haying and owns Angus, South Devon and Hereford cattle

MJB Ranch provides multiple breeds to satisfy commercial cattlemen’s crossbreeding needs In the early 1900s, the Brown family, who had been living in New Mexico, flipped a coin to decide if they would head east and go back to Texas or head north to Montana. “The coin toss dictated they would come up to Montana, so they rode the train up and got off at Sheridan, which is how they

ended up in this part of the world,” explains Jim Doubet, co-owner and operator of MJB Ranch, headquartered in Lodge Grass, Mont. Today, MJB Ranch raises four registered herds of Angus, South Devon, Hereford and Salers cattle. They also farm wheat, barley and alfalfa.

Three generations at the ranch Currently, the families involved with MJB Ranch represent the third, fourth and fifth generations of the Brown family. “The ranch is owned and operated by Jim and Mary Brown, and they have three children – Sherry, Dale and Matt – who were

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tious of this issue so we aren’t introducing feet and leg issues to our commercial customers.” Jim says MJB Ranch also believes cattle need to be efficient in both a reproductive and productive sense. “Quite a few of our cattle are feed efficiency tested because we believe cattle need to be both reproductively efficient and feed efficient,” he says. “I’m not sure how many other registered operations still have their cows out grazing, but we try to have them grazing until a few weeks before calving. There are years the snow is just too deep, and we will have to feed hay early but not if we don’t have to. We can get quite a bit of snow here.” “We start calving in a few weeks, and we try to run our cows as similarly to a commercial operation as we can in regards to feed resources,” he continues. “We want our cattle to go out, cover some country and graze. We don’t want them waiting at the gate for a handout.” Additionally, Jim notes by raising multiple breeds, MJB Ranch is able to satisfy a wide range of producers’ crossbreeding needs. “We can offer our Continued on next page

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along with Jim and Mary. His children Maddie and McCade help out on the ranch as well.” “In order for a family operation to be successful, there needs to be a tremendous amount of communication,” Jim says. “With our multiple breed operation, it is important we have similar objectives and maintain those objectives throughout our herds.” Functional, efficient, multi-breed operation As far as the different registered herds go, Jim says the goal of MJB Ranch is to provide commercial cattle producers with profitable, problem-free, functional and efficient cattle. “Our ongoing quest is to make our cattle as problem free as possible. We want our customers’ cattle to calve easy when bred to our bulls, and we want their offspring to have plenty of calf vigor and go on to be heavy at weaning,” Jim says. Jim notes in addition to working toward a problem-free herd, MJB Ranch is also focused on functionality. “There are currently some major issues in the industry with foot structure,” he states. “As a seedstock operation, we are trying to be very conscien-

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Covering country – MJB Ranch strives for cattle that can cover country to graze. Therefore, they raise their registered herds similar to the way commercial cattle producers raise theirs. Courtesy photo

Satisfying crossbreeding needs – MJB Ranch raises four registered breeds of cattle – Salers, Hereford, Angus and South Devon – to satisfy all of their customers’ crossbreeding needs. Courtesy photo

Functional and efficient – The goal at MJB Ranch is to provide commercial cattlemen with profitable, problem-free, functional and efficient cattle. Courtesy photo

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page customers the longevity, superior maternal traits and good carcass quality of Salers cattle as well as the hardiness of the Hereford,” says Jim. “We also offer the good maternal characteristics, efficiency and carcass quality of South Devon cattle and the excellent marbling characteristics and maternal traits of Angus cattle.” Marketing bulls, satisfied customers With multiple different herds comes multiple calving seasons. In fact, Jim notes MJB Ranch calves some of their Angus and South Devon cows in the fall, and they are currently gearing up to start calving their spring calvers. Jim notes their heifers will begin calving in February. “We calve during fall and spring because we have some demand for the older fall-calved bulls,” Jim says. “We don’t push our bulls as hard as some seedstock producers, so having a little extra age on them is an advantage.” MJB Ranch sells nearly 200 bulls a year through annual production sales and private treaty. “The Angus bulls are

either sold through Midland Bull Test or the Beef Country Sale held at Midland in the fall, and the South Devon bulls are sold at the Midland Bull Test as well,” explains Jim, noting the Hereford and Saler bulls are all sold private treaty. “We pride ourselves specifically on our sight unseen private treaty purchases,” he says. “We have a customer who bought from us for 10 years, and his son has continued buying from us for another five. They have never been in our bull pen or on our property. They just tell us what they need and want, and we pick bulls out for them that will fit their needs.” Jim continues, “We have a very high return customer rate, and we stand behind our cattle. Bulls are bulls and things happen, but we are always willing to work with our clientele so we have satisfied customers.” For more information, visit mjbcattle.com. Hannah Bugas is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

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ASR H013 Ranch owners – MJB Ranch is owned and operated by Jim and Mary Brown, in addition to their children Matt and Sherry and their respective families. Courtesy photo

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Marketing bulls – MJB Ranch markets nearly 200 bulls a year through production sales and private treaty. Courtesy photo

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Willie and Sharon Altenburg Successful Salers – Salers are one of the four registered breeds produced at MJB Ranch. This particular heifer was the $10,000 high-selling purebred Salers heifer at the 2019 National Western Stock Show. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Esteemed Charolais genetics

Domek family stumbles upon purebred operation, now boasts top Charolais genetics Raising purebred Charolais bulls in eastern Montana wasn’t Duane Domek’s original plan. But, after stumbling upon

an operation in need of an owner while visiting his brother, Duane and following generations of the Domek family have pro-

Across state lines – While most of the Domek family’s operations take place at their headquarters in Wibaux, Mont., they also utilize ground in Ypsilanti, N.D. to summer their heifer calf pairs. Courtesy photo

duced some of the top Charolais seedstock and genetics in the nation, including the notable herd sires LT Authority 7229 PLD, LT Affinity 6221 PLD and LT Ledger 0332 P, to name a few. “I started ranching and farming in North Dakota back in 1978,” says Duane. “We had predominately Hereford and black baldy cows, and we used Charolais bulls to increase the weaning weights of our calves.” Duane explains although he liked raising his three-way crossed cattle, he was getting tired of the low grain prices and high cost of machinery to keep farming. “I went to visit my

brother in Helena, Mont., and we started looking at some property,” he says. “I happened to come across a purebred Charolais operation owned by a guy who was ready to retire but his children didn’t want anything to do with the ranch, and he had no one to take it over.” Excited about the opportunity, Duane purchased the operation in the fall of 1990, and the Domek family has been raising purebred Charolais ever since. Domek family history and Box P brand Today, Duane and his wife Jill and their two sons Seth and Austin (AJ) are involved in the operation. “My oldest son Seth is married to Sarah, and they have three children – Ethan, Madeline and Hannah,” Duane says. “Seth ranches with me under the name Domek Charolais.” Duane explains AJ, who is a large animal vet,

Durbin Creek Ranch Annual Bull Sale

along with his wife Jennie and their children Hallie, Si and Thor operate Blue Mountain Veterinary Service and run around 40 commercial Red Angus cattle. “We are separate entities, but we own everything together as a family,” Duane says. Duane further notes the Domek family brands all of their registered Charolais with the Box P. “The Box P was handed down to me from my grandfather, Harry Parfit, who bought the rights back in the 1930s,” says Duane. “It’s an old family brand from my mother’s side, and we’re glad we’ve been able to keep it in the family.” Running cattle in two states While the main operation is headquartered in the rolling hills of Wibaux, Mont., the Domek family also utilizes a second location in Ypsilanti, N.D. “All of our bull calves are raised here in Montana, and we summer our heifer calf pairs in North Dakota,” Duane explains. “We like to think of it as our drought protection

plan, because usually if one of our locations is dry, the other is getting some moisture.” “We do not winter any cattle in North Dakota,” he adds. “We keep everything in Montana from the first of November to the first of June.” Duane further explains the Domek family begins calving their heifers, nearly 40 to 50 head, around Feb. 22. “We synchronize and breed all of our heifers via artificial insemination (AI). They are then turned out with bulls through the first of July,” Duane says. “We also AI about 100 head of our cows in two groups a week apart.” Duane says the first bunch of cows is AI’d the first three days in June and the second bunch is AI’d a week later. This is done to lessen the workload of the Domeks bulls if some of the cows don’t catch with AI. For cows not bred AI, Duane says Domek Charolais utilizes multiple sire pastures, a different breeding strategy than most purebred operations. “We run our cows in Continued on next page

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 Worland, Wyoming 1:00 PM MST Selling 100 Range Ready, PAP Tested, Hereford bulls & 300 F1 Baldy Females

Upholding a reputation – Duane Domek says it is important for Domek Charolais to uphold their reputation of raising moderate, sound, easy-handling cattle. Courtesy photo

Greg and Karen Hertel

calved on the range, 100% Managers unassisted, with no losses. Ishawooa Mesa Ranch, LLC Comparing steers out of Cody, WY 82414 the same cows, Manhattan 6007 yearling steers in mid “We have used the DCR November, weigh 10-16% 428B Manhattan 6007 bull more. Yearlings from this since the fall of 2018. We bull are also at the top 10% calve in the summer so he in weight coming off sumhas produced two crops of mer range in October and calves for us. He has bred keep gaining on fall and most of our replacement winter pasture. This is the heifers and they have all time of year when a

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yearling that can keep gaining at a rate over 1.5lbs a day on fall and early winter grass, lowers feed costs but will not lose quality in the final product. Bulls like these are what make our operation profitable, more pounds of beef at a lower cost of production, without a loss in quality.”

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The Box P – All of Domek Charolais’ registered cattle are branded with their Box P brand, handed down from Duane Domek’s mother’s family. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page multiple pastures with about three bulls per pasture,” he explains. “We DNA test all of our calves so we know who they are sired by. This strategy has shortened our calving intervals, and we don’t have to deal with the headache of keeping track of which bulls are breeding which cows.” In the spring, Duane says Domek Charolais practices intensive rotational grazing by using high-tensile crossfencing around 160 to 200 acre pastures. “We will hit a pasture for a certain period of time, then move out in an effort to improve our grass,” says Duane. “We like to give our pastures rest so we don’t do any season-long grazing. We have found with rotational grazing we can run a lot more cattle on the same amount of land, all while keeping our pastures in much better condition.” Sound, moderate, easy-handling cattle According to Duane,

the breeding philosophy at Domek Charolais is focused on moderateframed, docile animals with sound feet and legs. “The average cow size on our ranch is a moderate 1,250 to 1,350 pounds,” Duane says. “We also stress conformation and sound feet and legs. In fact, we guarantee the feet and legs of our bulls from yearlings to three years of age.” Additionally, Duane says docility and easy handling are an emphasis at Domek Charolais. “We have a reputation for easy-handling cattle. We get them used to being handled on foot, with horses, with fourwheelers and with dogs because we have a variety of customers,” he explains. “If an animal is huffy or high headed, they don’t stay at our ranch. We want all of our cows and bulls to be very docile.” Unique “cowboy” auction The Domek family markets their esteemed Cha-

Family heirloom – Duane Domek’s grandfather purchased rights for the Box P brand in the 30s. The family is grateful the brand still remains in their family today. Courtesy photo

Working together – Together, Duane and Jill Domek with their sons Seth and AJ and their respective families run Domek Charolais and Blue Mountain Veterinary Service. Courtesy photo

rolais genetics every third Saturday in February at the ranch through what they call a “cowboy” auction. “It’s different than a regular auction,” Duane says. “We set a base price on our bulls and open them up through a silent auction until 1:30 p.m. We then open the sale up for inperson and over the phone bidding in $100 increments. It’s a low-pressure

system, and it doesn’t take long. Our customers really seem to like it.” Duane notes through the sale Domek Charolais bulls are sold to a wide variety of customers hailing from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. However, Domek Charolais bulls have also been sent as far east as North Carolina, as far west as Utah and as far

Multi-generational operation – Today, several generations of the Domek family are involved with the operation. Courtesy photo

“I happened to come across a purebred Charolais operation owned by a guy who was ready to retire but his children didn’t want anything to do with the ranch, and he had no one to take it over.” – Duane Domek south as Texas. For more information, visit domekcharolais.com. Hannah Bugas is the

editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Rotational grazing – Domek Charolais uses high-tensile crossfencing to rotational graze their pastures. After a certain period of time, the cattle are moved to a new location. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

A focus on the commercial cattleman Stevenson’s Diamond Dot Cattle Company runs large operation focused on pleasing commercial customers around the U.S. The Stevenson family has been in the ranching business for many generations and has raised registered Angus cattle for a long time, marketing bulls in over 60 sales. Clint Stevenson and his wife Adana own Stevenson’s Diamond Dot Cattle Company in Judith Basin, Mont. “I owe a lot to the generations who came before me, like my father who made it possible for me to buy our ranch in 1992 when we graduated from college and started a program of our own,” Clint says. Focusing on the commercial cattlemen Clint, Adana and their ranch crew strive to pro-

vide high-quality registered Black Angus cattle for the livestock industry, with a focus on the commercial cattle breeder. The cattle they produce are expected to perform exceptionally well in a harsh environment. The ranch also grows some grain to sell, but mainly raises hay and forage for the cattle. “Some of our customers have been buying bulls from our family for more than 50 years, longer than I have been alive,” notes Clint. “When we first bought our own place, we ran yearlings, then started a small group of registered cows and gradually

Commercially run registered herd – The registered Angus cattle on Stevenson’s Diamond Dot Ranch are expected to run in harsh conditions and still perform well, just like a commercial cowherd. Courtesy photo

Six locations across Wyoming

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expanded our herd. We sold our bulls with the rest of the family – three ranches under the name of Stevenson Basin Angus – until 12 years ago when we started having a sale of our own.” A large family operation Today, the ranch has 1,500 cows but only registers about 800 to 1,000 calves each year. “One year we registered more than 2,000 calves, but 15 years ago we backed off a little on the size of the registered herd because good help was hard to find. We got out of some leases and put commercial cattle on some. The past several years we’ve had a great ranch crew, including

one employee who started working with my dad the year I was born. He has been helping for 50-plus years. Several of our employees have been here since the mid-1990s and are very dependable help,” Clint says. He explains there are two brothers who have worked for Stevenson’s Diamond Dot Cattle Company for many years. “I joke and say we have a family operation, but it’s not necessarily our family,” Clint laughs. “Our crew has become just like a family. Several of the guys have been here more than 20 years. It’s a great team.” Clint and Adana have five children, four of which are very involved with the ranch. “Our oldest daughter Faith didn’t go to college, instead she worked for several notable horse trainers. She’s back here now and has her own horse training

Early weaning – The Stevenson family weans earlier than most cattle producers. This is done so mother cows have a chance to get back into shape before the next calving season. Courtesy photo

business, but also helps on the ranch by doing most of our advertising. She gives riding lessons and brings in horses to train, but spends half her time working on the ranch,” Clint says. “Our other daughters Abby and Rachael are both in college. One is studying to be a veterinarian and the other plans to go to law school. Our youngest child, Carson, is a senior in high school and plans to carry on the family tradition of ranching. He is a big help already when he’s not busy with school activities,” says Clint. “It’s rewarding to have the kids involved with the ranch. When they take an interest, it is fun doing it together,” he continues. Hosting a unique sale Stevenson’s Diamond Dot Cattle Company has a sale every year on the first Monday after Thanksgiving and a spring private treaty sale in March. “In our fall bull sale we also sell commercial cattle raised by some of our customers,” Clint says, noting many ranchers around the area utilize their genetics. “We start calving in mid-January. Some of the bulls we sell in November are 10-month-old calves. People buy them and grow them out the way they want. Calving in January is tough in our part of the country but calving later would not

give those calves time to mature, and they wouldn’t look much like a bull at sale time,” Clint explains. “Some people don’t like to buy bulls so young, but others do because they can compare them to their own calves and put them into their own feeding program.” Of the 240 bulls sold, Clint notes Stevenson’s Diamond Dot Cattle Company winters around 160 bulls until March or later. “Some customers don’t want to get a bull until the day they turn them out, and other buyers like to get them quicker and get them adapted to their new environment,” Clint says. Bull calves at Stevenson’s Diamond Dot Cattle Company are weaned a little earlier than most, so the cows can get back in shape before the next calving season. “We usually still have good grazing weather September through October, and if those cows don’t have a calf on them they do well. We sometimes even have a little trouble with them getting too fat before calving,” he says. “Our breeding program has evolved,” Clint states. “We run our cows like commercial breeders do, and we’ve never gone for extremes. We try to have easy-fleshing genetics Continued on next page

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Region I

(Albany, Goshen, Laramie, Platte)

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(Carbon, Converse, Natrona, Niobrara)

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Region III

(Campbell, Crook, Johnson, Sheridan, Weston)

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(Big Horn, Fremont, Hot Springs, Park, Washakie)

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page because many of our bulls go to areas with pretty rough terrain. Some years we sell a lot of bulls to New Mexico, Texas and Arizona, because people know they will hold up. There are so many bulls raised in our area a lot of them have to leave Montana,” he says. “Our customers want bulls that look like they can do the job. Expected progeny differences (EPDs) are important, but most of our customers want the bull to look good when they get him, and still look good after the first breeding season without falling apart,” Clint explains. One of the things unique to the Diamond Dot program is half of the bulls sell to repeat buyers who don’t attend the sale. “They just give us orders and have us select bulls for them. We have several good salesmen who have been with us for years, helping sell bulls. Some customers have never been to our ranch. They just call and tell us to send them a certain number of bulls and tell us what they want and what’s important to them,” Clint says. “We were probably one of the first ranches to use video sales. When we had our first sale on our own, about 12 years ago, we weren’t set up to run

bulls through a ring,” Clint explains. “During the sale, our bulls are all outside the barn door, but pre-videoed with Superior.” “We deliver bulls all over the country, free of charge. Some breeders

charge for this service or only deliver within a certain number of miles, but we’d rather see them spend more on the bull and have it delivered to them for nothing,” he adds. “We also sell bred cattle for about a dozen people through our sale. We’ve

done this for years. We also help market feeder cattle for people. We rep and sell some of the best sets of feeder cattle in this area, a lot of which are sired by our bulls,” Clint continues. “When we have our sale in the fall, it’s a community event because so many of

our neighbors are selling bred heifers or calves at the sale. Some think this could have a negative effect on what our own commercial heifers sell for, but it gets more customers coming to the sale and in the long run, we feel it is beneficial to our whole community,”

he says. For more information, visit stevensonsdiamonddot.com. Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Durable cattle

JC Heiken Angus and Sons produces durable bulls and females to last customers a long time Joe Heiken and his sons John, Brian and Ben run a family ranch near Broadview, Mont. “Back in the 1990s we bought some embryos from Van Dyke Angus, and our registered cowherd originated from those first embryos purchased in 1992. Before this, our family ran commercial cattle for nearly 100 years,” John says. From the beginning, all breeding decisions were

made using highly proven, nationally-known herd sires to develop the optimal cow for the eastern Montana environment. Fertility, thickness, depth and efficiency have been a focus of the breeding philosophy from the beginning. “In order to continue improving our herd and ensuring we are providing the best genetics, we listen to our customers’ needs,” John explains.

Separate herds, one family unit Family is the basis of the operation and something the Heiken family is very proud of. John, his brothers and their father each have their own land, but the ranch runs as one whole unit. “We work together very well as a family,” says John. “We each have our own land and cattle, so if we ever want to separate

from the family operation, we can. We are more flexible this way, and it allows us to be responsible for our own breeding decisions.” “However, we are stronger together,” he adds. John explains the family registers their cattle under their own prefix, which is why some of their cattle have different prefixes in front of their names. “When we sell bulls through our annual sale, we each get money from our own bulls. We don’t average it,” he says. Each individual in the Heiken family has a different idea of what they want their cattle to do, and since

they each make their own breeding decisions, no one has to compromise to come up with a certain program – they can each follow their own goals. “My brothers’ cattle and my cattle will never be exactly the same because we breed them a little bit differently. But, we do it similarly enough we can run them together and sell them together,” he says. This enables them to have a wider offering, in case a customer wants something a bit different. “It works really well for us this way,” notes John. “We calve in February and March and have our bull sale in February of the fol-

lowing year. Calving and caring for the herd together helps maximize our labor and facilities.” Last spring the Heiken family had a lot of help during calving season because kids and spouses were home from school due to COVID-19. “Our kids are old enough to be a lot of help when they are not in school. It made a big difference having them home. Calving and branding was a lot easier with their help. Usually we have to work around school and track meets,” John says. A herd built to last For years, the breeding Continued on next page

Same family, different cattle – Each individual family within JC Heiken Angus and Sons makes their own breeding decisions, creating different cattle to meet different customer needs. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page focus at JC Heiken Angus and Sons has been on maternal qualities. This has created a cowherd strong in maternal traits. “We have some of the top bulls in the breed for a few of the new expected progeny differences (EPDs) – the heifer pregnancy EPD and maternal EPDs,” states John. “Our goal is to have the best females we can, raise good bulls that will sire the best daughters and produce good replacement heifers for our customers.” “We try to make the best cows we can with a

focus on fertility and good feet and legs. Structural soundness is very important to us. Eastern Montana is big country, and cattle must be able to travel,” adds John. John notes durability and hardiness are also very important at JC Heiken Angus and Sons. “It’s expensive to develop heifers, have them wash out at age three or four and then replace them,” John states. “Therefore, we try to raise bulls with females in mind.” He explains whenever

they select a new bull, they pay special attention to bloodlines and background. “When looking at a bull the first question we ask is if we’d want 100 daughters from him. If we do, we try to buy him, but if we don’t, we move on to the next one,” John says. “Cows are the foundation of a herd, and it’s crucial to know we are producing good females.” “My dad always said a producer only lives with a steer calf for about nine months, but they want their cows and bulls to last 10 years or more,” he adds. “So, we really strive to pro-

Durable cattle – When it comes to their cowherd, JC Heiken Angus and Sons places an emphasis on durability and longevity. Courtesy photo

duce durable cattle that will last a long time.” Fit and durable bulls As far as the bulls go, John explains the Heiken operation develops young bulls in big pens where they can get a lot of exercise and develop good muscle, instead of just getting fat. “When our customers turn them out with cows they don’t melt as badly because they are fit and ready to go to work,” John says. “Too many young bulls are overly fat and don’t hold up when they have to go out and travel.” The top 130 bulls from JC Heiken Angus and Sons

“My dad always said a producer only lives with a steer calf for about nine months, but they want their cows and bulls to last 10 years or more. So, we really strive to produce durable cattle that will last a long time.” – John Heiken are sold each year through an annual production sale, while another 150 bulls are sold private treaty. “This works well because we have customers who prefer both – some like to come to our sale and buy bulls here at the ranch and some who don’t want to pay as much at the sale but are

willing to buy them private treaty.” For more information, visit jcheikenangusandsons. com. Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net

Family unit – Although the Heiken family runs separate herds, they function as one family unit. Courtesy photo

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Ready to work – JC Heiken Angus and Sons develops their bulls in big pens so they get exercise and build muscle. This way, when they are sold to a customer, they are ready to go to work. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

A lifetime of holistic management Wayne Berry expands and improves operation using natural techniques Wayne Berry and his wife Sharon have a ranch in Willingston, N.D and a ranch in Fairview, Mont., near the North Dakota border. At age 78, after a long career as a teacher and mentor, Wayne is now retired, though he still enjoys helping people with questions about soil and forage. As an innovative “grass farmer” Wayne has experimented with a wide variety of strategies to convert a traditional farming and ranching operation to a holistic, selfsustaining “grass farm” and livestock operation. Early years Wayne was born in 1942 on the family ranch in eastern Montana, which was homesteaded in 1907 by his grandfather.

“My grandfather was from Scotland, which may be where my interest in stockmanship came from. My grandfather was a great stockman, raised horses and only farmed because he had to,” Wayne says. Wayne went to Montana State College/University of Bozeman for undergraduate work and then earned a master’s degree in resource economics. “By 1980, I was bouncing around the edges of holistic management. I had heard a few really interesting things,” Wayne says. By this time, Wayne was taking care of his mother’s farm. The first few years were so wet it was difficult to till the fields, and then came the drought of the early 1980s.

“I started to think about drought management and heard about Allan Savory’s school,” notes Wayne. “At this time, we had about 100 cows.” His family farm had 2,800 acres. Anything that could be farmed was farmed but there was still some native pasture. “We had three pastures, and they were all pretty beat up. Eventually, we started seeding everything back to grass. It seems like farming takes all the money, so the cattle have to pay the bills,” Wayne says. Wayne notes he is not very handy with machinery. “As a kid, if something broke while I was driving the tractor or working with machinery, they would just put me on a tractor that would run, and the men would fix what-

2021 Crawford Livestock Market Winter and Spring Lineup Can BID*BUY*VIEW online on

cattleusa.com

*Must be pre-approved before sale day* Friday, January 29 – NO SALE Friday, February 5 - Regular Cattle Sale & Special Feeder Sale Friday, February 12 – NO SALE Friday, February 19 – Regular Cattle Sale & Special Bred Heifer & Cow Sale Friday, February 26 – NO SALE Friday, March 5 - Regular Cattle Sale & Special Feeder Sale Friday, March 12 – Regular Cattle Sale & Special Bred Heifer & Cow Sale Friday, March 19 – Regular Cattle Sale Friday, March 26 – Regular Cattle Sale & Federle Angus Bull Sale Friday, April 2 – Regular Cattle Sale & Oetken Angus Bull Sale Friday, April 9 – Regular Cattle Sale & Sellman Angus Bull Sale Friday, April 16 – Regular Cattle Sale & Back to Grass Feeder Sale Friday, April 23 – Regular Cattle Sale & Bred Cow & Pair Special Friday, April 30 – Special Dry Cow Sale Friday, May 7 – Regular Cattle Sale & Special Feeder Sale Friday, May 14 - Regular Cattle Sale & Special Bred Cow & Pair Sale Friday, May 21 – Special Dry Cow Sale Friday, May 28 – NO SALE – Happy Memorial Day! Friday, June 4 – Special Dry Cow Sale Friday, June 11 – Special Dry Cow Sale Friday, June 18 – NO SALE Friday, June 25 – Special Dry Cow Sale & Legend Buttes Catalog Horse Sale Friday, July 2 – NO SALE – Happy Independence Day! Friday, July 9 – NO SALE Friday, July 16 – Regular Cattle Sale & Special Feeder Sale Friday, July 23 – NO SALE Friday, July 30 –Regular Cattle Sale & Special Feeder Sale Friday, August 6 – NO SALE – Enjoy your County Fairs! Friday, August 13 – Regular Cattle Sale & Special Feeder Sale Friday, August 20 – Special Dry Cow Sale Friday, August 27 – Regular Cattle Sale & Special Feeder Sale Friday, September 3 – NO SALE – Happy Labor Day! Friday, September 10 – Regular Cattle Sale & Special Feeder Sale Friday, September 17 – Regular Cattle Sale & Special Fall Calf & Yearling Sale Friday, September 24 - Regular Cattle Sale & Special Fall Calf & Yearling Sale Thursday, September 30 – Special Weighup Sale Friday, October 1 – Special Calf Sale Thursday, October 7 - Special Weighup Sale Friday, October 8 – Special Anniversary Calf Sale Thursday, October 14 - Special Weighup Sale Friday, October 15 – Special Calf Sale - Featuring Red Angus Thursday, October 21 - Special Weighup Sale Friday, October 22 – Special Calf Sale Thursday, October 28 - Special Weighup Sale Friday, October 29 – Special Calf Sale Thursday, November 4 – Special Weighup Sale Friday, November 5 – Special Calf Sale Thursday, November 11 – Special Weighup Sale Friday, November 12 – Special Tri-State Bred Heifer & Cow Sale Thursday, November 18 - Special Weighup Sale Friday, November 19 – Special Calf Sale Sunday, November 21 – Ft. Robinson & Guest Consignor Buffalo & Longhorn Sale Thursday, November 25 & Friday, November 26 – NO SALES – Happy Thanksgiving! Thursday, December 2 - Special Weighup Sale Friday, December 3 – Special Calf Sale Thursday, December 9 - Special Weighup Sale Friday, December 10 – Special Bred Heifer & Cow Sale Friday, December 17 – Regular Cattle Sale – LAST Sale of 2021!

ever broke. Therefore, I never learned how to fix anything,” he explains. “I probably spent every penny we made farming into upgrading machinery, and the John Deere dealer was advising me this was the right thing to do.” “When I met Allan Savory, I started to look at things differently,” Wayne continues. “I was recently acquainted with a neighbor who was a great farmer. I asked him if he would custom farm for us if I sold my machinery, and he was happy to do it. So, we sold our farm equipment.” Expanding the operation Shortly before this, the 1,000-acre farm next door became available. “We’d been renting their pasture, and we were given first chance to buy it. The money from selling our machinery wasn’t enough to purchase the place, but it went a long way toward getting us out of farming and into more land for cattle,” says Wayne. “Our first summer we built one-quarter mile of fence, and I realized I needed to learn more about grass.” Wayne notes he started buying a little more land here and there, expanding his operation of 2,800 acres to about 4,400 acres. “As we went to plannedrecovery grazing, we started seeing a lot more diversity including forbs and warm season grasses. There is now some big bluestem,” he says. Wayne continues, “At first, our farm was primarily crops

with livestock. We were busy farming and didn’t have a lot of time to build fences. Now, 31 years later, we have 110 grazing paddocks, about 40 acres each, and 14 water points. People look at what I’ve done and say, ‘Boy, that’s a lot of work.’ But it just takes time. We only built one-quarter mile of fence the first year.” Comparing soil health A few years ago, a piece of land across the fence came back to the farm after a survey put the fences back on line. The piece across the fence had been in spring wheat and summer fallow for a long time. “We built new border fences, and I checked the soil on both sides. We did the standard simple soil test. I buried two pairs of shorts, one in each area, then dug them up to look at them 60 days later. The one in the old wheat ground had a couple little pin holes eaten through them. I could have dusted them off and worn them again. By contrast, the ones where we’d seeded farm ground back to grass had been eaten up by microbes in the soil,” explains Wayne, noting he then looked at the soil samples, which indicated the wheat ground had 1.4 percent carbon, and the carbon on his side of the fence was 4.6 percent. “The things I always monitored were soil surface conditions and bare ground, which are indicators of soil health,” notes Wayne. “I now use a step-in post. Where the soil is healthier, containing more organic matter, it’s rela-

tively easy to push those posts into the ground even when it’s dry.” Wayne says he also looks at soil surface condition. He wants the soil covered with good plant density. Unique grazing system Additionally, Wayne developed a bale grazing system allowing him to keep cattle out on pasture through winter, which fertilizes the soil for the following spring. “During the winter of 2010 and 2011, we had over 100 inches of snow. We normally get about 30 to 40 inches,” says Wayne. “This particular winter we had most of the hay in a paddock where the cows could come to water, and we never had to start a tractor to move snow.” Wayne has a cousin with 1,600 acres in native pasture and land enrolled in the Farm Service Agency’s Conservation Reserve Program. When she was widowed, Wayne rented her place and grazed it. “Now my neighbor has her place leased, so with everything together they have about 20,000 acres in one block. They are practicing rotational grazing with yearlings and some cow/calf pairs. The beauty of having the yearlings is flexibility. When grass gets short, a person can always sell yearlings to make sure there will be enough grass for the cowherd,” says Wayne. Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Recovery grazing – Through planned grazing, Wayne Berry increased the diversity of forage plants in his pastures including forbs and warm season grasses. Courtesy photo

Mon, Jul 12, 2021 - Wed, Jul 14, 2021 Reno, NV Mon, Aug 16, 2021 - Tue, Aug 17, 2021 Little America, Cheyenne, WY Tue, Sep 14, 2021 Haythorn Ranch, Ogallala, NE

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE SALES CALL: Office – 308-665-2220 • Toll Free – 1-866-665-2220 Jack & Laurel Hunter - 308-430-9108 • Rich & Alicia Robertson: 307-340-1165

www.crawfordlivestock.com

Like us on Facebook! E-Mail: Clm@Crawfordlivestock.com

Expansion for cattle – Over the years, Wayne and Sharon Berry were able to purchase more land to expand their cattle herd and farm less. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Built to last

Beery Land and Livestock builds longevity into their cattle and in relationships with customers sis in the commercial herd. We thought if we ran our own registered Herefords, we might as well raise our own registered Red Angus also,” says Matt. “The Hereford breed has been really tough, and through the years there have been a lot of true breeders and good genetics lost.” Adding Red Angus to the operation might have been one of the best decisions they have made, notes Matt. By comparing two different breeds raised on the same place, the Beerys are able to pick out strengths and weaknesses in both herds and find ways to improve both. “Each breed has its strong points,” Matt adds. “Bringing another breed in and comparing the breeds to each other has really helped us as registered breeders.” Longevity from the Hereford cattle and a couple more pounds of beef per head from the Red Angus cattle are two traits the Beerys appreciate from their herd. “As breeders, the goal is to make our calf crop better each year,” says Matt. Joanne Beery, Matt’s mother, adds the Beerys have a custom feeding part

Hereford heritage – The Beery family has been raising Hereford Cattle since 1937. Today, the fifth generation is on the ranch. Courtesy photo

of their operation where they mostly develop heifers. This helps them to understand what’s going on with cattle from other places. Putting genetics to the test “Everything is done in balance,” says Matt, noting for every heifer calf born on their place, there will also be a steer made and in the end, feedlot owners need to have sellable a carcass on the rack. “We know our end product is raising a pound of beef, but we know we also have to raise a female that will be productive and last as long as they can in our environment.” Because annual rainfall for the region is only 12 to 13 inches each year, the Beerys have to raise cattle that are able to work, as well as produce genetics to work in tough environments. “We try to test these genetics and practice what we preach,” he continues. Matt shares they cull very strictly on maternal

tered bulls on the commercial herd.” “There isn’t one bull we raise here we wouldn’t use in our own program,” he adds. “This sets the bar when we market our bulls.” Selling private treaty Bulls from Beery Land and Livestock have been sold off the ranch private treaty since 2004. Although the discussion of holding a live bull sale comes about each year, the Beerys appreciate the relationships they’ve been able to build with their customers and work to match their customers with bulls to meet their needs. “When we put a group of bulls in the pen, we have to have the first bull sell just as well as the last bull in the pen,” shares Matt. “Bulls really have to be fairly uniform and sorted into sets that fit well together.” Matt believes each customer who comes to the ranch leaves with the genetics to work for their opera-

tion. Beery Land and Livestock raises a large selection of bulls that are half brothers and three-quarters brothers to make feeder cattle with consistent performance. “We can look at bulls, then drive down the road and look at the bulls’ mothers,” he adds. “The conversation along the way helps us focus on our customers and what their needs are.” The relationship built between the Beerys and their bull customers through private treaty is valued higher than the extra money they might have made by selling in an auction. Meeting their customers’ needs and running quality cattle is important to their family and ranching goals. For more information, visit beeryherefords.com. Averi Hales is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Tuesday, February 9, 2021 1 p.m. • Torrington Livestock • Torrington, WY Selling Angus Bulls sired by the best bulls in the breed for Calving Ease, Performance and Carcass Quality. SELLING 65 YEARLING ANGUS BULLS

A March 13th son of MGR Treasure, out of a super Sisco Daughter A February 25th son calving ease son of J & J Weigh Up

Lot 1

Early-maturing cattle – At Beery Land and Livestock, yearling heifers are expected to breed and yearling bulls sell. Therefore, early growth is important for calves’ performance. Courtesy photo

“We know our end product is raising a pound of beef, but we know we also have to raise a female that will be productive and last as long as they can in our environment.” – Matt Beery

The Tradition Continues

G BAR H GENETICS ANGUS BULL SALE

Beery Land and Livestock was established in the Vida, Mont. area in 1937. Today, the fourth generation on the place, Matt Beery and his wife Krista run the operation. Matt’s son Ethan and daughter Leah are the fifth generation. “My grandpa’s uncle started in 1937 with some registered Hereford and grew from there,” Matt explains. “My dad and grandpa were always passionate about raising good, honest horned Hereford cattle and they liked the hardiness of the Hereford breed.” Herd evolution The Beery’s made a mark in the 1950s and 1960s with horned Herefords, says Matt, and as their customer base became more interested in polled Herefords, they began using more polled Hereford genetics. In the last four or five years the Beerys have used more proven polled Hereford bulls to move their herd in the direction of what their customers were looking for. They also began running more commercial cows than they had previously. “We introduced registered Red Angus into the operation about 15 years ago to take advantage of hetero-

traits, and they like to see bulls sire calves with explosive growth after birth. Calving ease is also very important on their operation, and when combined with growth, gives calves the chance to develop on milk and prairie grass. “A lot of our customers are larger commercial outfits, and while they are selling pounds of beef come fall, it all starts with a live calf,” he continues. “We don’t single-select traits, but it is really important. We sell bulls as yearlings, and we’re expecting heifers to breed as yearlings, so we want earlier-maturing cattle.” The Beery’s run their registered herds just as they run their commercial herd. All of the replacement heifers in their commercial herd come from the registered herd, and if those heifers perform better than their contemporaries, they return to the registered herd. “Everything in the commercial herd is entered into a crossbreeding system because this is what most of our commercial customers do,” shares Matt. “To see our registered genetics work on the commercial side, we use our own regis-

Other sire groups: Deer Valley Growth Fund, BUBS Southern Chaim AA31, MOGEK Entice

View and Bid on dvauction.com

A February 12th ET son of SAV Sensation 5616

G BAR H GENETICS Pat & Marilyn Herrring 307-837-2540 307-532-6170 (cell)

Kevin & Jackie Nickel 307-837-2279 • 307-575-0373 (cell)

3146 State Hwy 154 • Veteran, WY 82243

Bill & Dana Haas 307-837-2925 307-575-0294 (cell)

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Reaping the benefits of Salers

Big Sky Salers brings maternal, intelligent and hardy cattle to eastern Montana Big Sky Salers sits 35 miles north of Angela, Mont. in eastern Garfield County. Bill and Floreta Helm, the working hands behind Big Sky Salers, have been raising Salers cattle for almost 40 years. Bill and Floreta’s three sons, Isaiah, Andrew and Sam, are all involved also. “In 1980, I bought my

father’s Charolais-Hereford cowherd,” Bill explains. “His cowherd had come from my grandfather who homesteaded here in about 1911.” “At this point, our herd had gone through a lot of generations without introducing new genetics, and we had been keeping our own replacement heifers,” he continues. “I was

Purebred herd – Although the cowherd at Big Sky Salers is red and black, the herd is purebred Salers so Bill amd Floreta’s commercial producers can reap the benefits of heterosis. Courtesy photo

trying to find another cross to see what would maintain similar weaning weights and other things my father and grandfather had accomplished with the herd.” Interest in Salers Bill recalls he saw promotions for the Salers breed, which explained the benefits of the breed. Salers were promoted as a very maternal breed, especially known for calving ease. “I noticed some Salers entered into carcass contests, and I was really impressed when a Salers won the National Western Stock Show Fed Beef Contest, while the breed was promoted as a maternal breed,” he shares. Using artificial insemination, Bill introduced Salers

BOOTH’S

genetics to his herd in 1981. He and Floreta were married in 1982, the same year as their first Salers calf crop. “In 1982, the calves were born, and it was all very easy calving. By breeding season, the calves showed enough growth for me to try them again and I have been breeding Salers every year since then,” he continues. Word traveled around the county, and by the fall of 1982 some of Bill and Floreta’s neighbors became interested in what they were doing. A few neighbors asked them to keep some bulls, which were purchased at weaning time. “We decided to become members of the American Salers Association, and this is when we became Big Sky Salers. We bred the herd up to purebreds, which are 15/16 Salers blood or higher,” Bill explains. Benefits of Salers Today, the entire cowherd is purebred Salers, which is important to the Helm family. “As Salers seedstock providers, we raise and sell only

48THANNUAL

Cherry Creek

ANGUS

Progress Through Performance Bull Sale

Sale Date: Thursday, February 11, 2021 At the ranch in Veteran, WY • Lunch: Noon • Sale Time: 1 p.m. 12 Select Yearling Bulls • 140 Pap tested Fall Bulls 10 Pap tested Two-Year-Old Bulls

THE BULLS HAVE BEEN PAP TESTED AFTER SPENDING THE SUMMER AT 8,000’ IN WALDEN, CO

LOT 2

LOT 1

PAP 37

AAA# 19799376

CHERRY CRK ADVANCE G248 S

CED BW WW YW Milk CW Marb RE $M $W $B $C 11 1.3 77 136 25 62 .86 .89 72 79 171 294 Actual BW Adj 205 83 lbs 840 lbs

LOT 3

AAA# 19822281

CHERRY CRK LOGO G140 M

PAP 41

AAA# 19800737

CHERRY CRK TIMBERLINE G313 S

CED BW WW YW Milk CW Marb RE $M $W $B $C 10 -0.2 65 119 25 66 1.17 .87 53 67 199 311 Actual BW Adj 205 76 lbs 806 lbs

LOT 21

LOT 15

CHERRY CRK ASSERTIVE G205 S

Hardy breed – Salers cattle originated in the mountains of France, where they were expected to be hardy travelers with sound feet and leg structure. Courtesy photo

PAP 36

AAA# 19859303

AAA# 19800423

CED BW WW YW Milk CW Marb RE $M $W $B $C 12 -.7 65 115 37 44 .82 .68 83 87 147 274 Actual BW Adj 205 73 lbs 775 lbs

ers is red and black, but predominately black, and all cattle are polled. The full bloods from France were mostly all horned and red, shares Bill, but the breed has been bred through selection to be black and polled. Salers Focus Bull Sale In 1984, the Salers Focus Bull Sale started with around a dozen consigners, including Big Sky Salers. Gradually, some consignors dropped out, says Bill, and the last few years it has been just the Helm family. The 37th Salers Focus Bull Sale will be held Feb. 15 in Dickinson, N.D. “Big Sky Salers has sold Salers genetics to 16 states and Canada,” says Bill proudly. The ranch is not located along any river, nor is it close to mountains or many trees so the cattle are expected to be hardy. Bill shares the cattle are raised like a commercial outfit, braving the environment until weaning. After weaning, bulls will be pampered with nicer feed and sometimes straw to bed in before the sale. “Whether going to a purebred or commercial operation, the cheapest bull we sell is just as important to us as the high seller,” he notes. “Repeat customers are a sign of success to me.” For more information, visit bigskysalers.com. Averi Hales is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

LOT 8

PAP 41

CHERRY CRK PATRIARCH G275 S

purebreds,” says Bill. “Most ranchers have fairly straightbred and predominantly Angus herds, especially nowadays. I like to see my customers get the benefits of heterosis from crossbreeding and as a seedstock producer, I think the greatest benefit of heterosis should go to our customers, rather than us selling crossbred bulls.” Bill explains calving ease is one of the greatest benefits of his Salers cows, stating he very rarely has to pull anything. “The biggest reason Salers are easy-calvers is the calves have smaller heads and longer bodies. Producers can still see a decent birthweight because calves are longer, but they come out easier,” he says. Salers have a larger pelvic area in general, as has been documented by studies, including a study from Montana State University. The calves are vigorous at birth, get up quick and start nursing, according to Bill. “Salers have a good hair coat, which is wonderful for where we are,” he notes. “They make excellent mother cows, they breed back well and have good fertility.” “Salers were originally imported from the mountainous regions of France, and were bred to be good travelers so they have good leg and foot structure. They marble well and have big ribeyes. They also seem to be more intelligent, and they’re really easy to work with,” he continues. The herd at Big Sky Sal-

CED BW WW YW Milk CW Marb RE $M $W $B $C 9 0 88 144 21 62 .68 .67 96 92 139 276 Actual BW Adj 205 62 lbs 810 lbs

AAA# 19800734

CED BW WW YW Milk CW Marb RE $M $W $B $C 12 -1.0 80 147 16 54 .86 1.19 60 72 167 277 Actual BW Adj 205 80 lbs 790 lbs

“I like to see my customers get the benefits of heterosis from crossbreeding and as a seedstock producer, I think the greatest benefit of heterosis should go to our customers, rather than us selling crossbred bulls.” – Bill Helm

CHERRY CRK CROSSBOW G580

CED BW WW YW Milk CW Marb RE $M $W $B $C 17 -.9 68 113 21 48 .72 .58 65 69 142 249 Actual BW Adj 205 70 lbs 786 lbs

Shawn & Diane 307-534-5865 • boothangus@scottsbluff.net Michael & Lindsy 307-532-1805 • Kacey 307-532-1532

boothscherrycreekranch.com

All bulls have been tested

Family operated – Bill and Floreta’s three sons graduated with engineering degrees from Montana State University. The cattle business brings the Helm boys and their families back to the ranch. Courtesy photo

A19

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

The granddaddy of performance testing Midland Bull Test boasts the largest feed efficiency testing program in North America, consistently tops sales in the U.S. Every year, nearly 1,100 purebred bulls from 145 consigners across 24 states are consigned in the fall to Midland Bull Test – a 120-day performance test measuring average daily gain (ADG), weight per day of age, ultrasound, feed efficiency and breeding soundness. The top 80 percent of bulls in the program are then sold in the Final Sort Sale in April. Today, the Midland Bull Test, located in Columbus, Mont., is home to the largest feed efficiency testing program in North America, consistently tops sales across the U.S. and boasts a large number of loyal repeat buyers. “The greatest opportunity ranchers have is the ability to maximize profits found in incremental efficiency gains as cattle convert roughage to pounds on the scale, but without measuring efficiency, one is only guessing,” reads Midland Bull Test’s website. “Midland Bull Test uses the GrowSafe System to simultaneously measure feed efficiency while capturing all other data.” Emphasis on balanced performance “The goal of Midland Bull Test is to identify individual bulls excelling across a number of traits, which have a lasting economic impact for the commercial cattleman,” explains Steve Williams, owner and operator of Midland Bull Test. According to the website, the program also places an emphasis on balanced performance, which includes sensible birthweights, early maturity, functional maternal traits, economical weights, compatible carcass merits and a phenotype which enhances all economic traits. “Considering yearling bulls bought in the spring won’t sire a weaned calf until the next fall and daughters of these bulls won’t go into production for two years, it is no light matter,” reads the website. “There is no other sale offering buyers as strong an offering as the composite maternal growth bulls at Midland Bull Test.” Program advantages Williams notes Midland Bull Test offers a wide array of advantages for producers who take advantage of the program. “Producers are able to learn more about how their herd measures up in terms of performance and efficiency,” he says. “They are also able to use this as a marketing tool for their own herd. Producers who do not have the herd size to host a production sale can also utilize Midland Bull Test to provide services.

Some folks continue to test bulls here even after they get to the point where they have their own production sale.” The website also states, “Midland Bull Test consigners reap the benefits of total performance bull development. There is no such thing as a gain race here at Midland. We set the bulls up on a level playing field and let the bulls walk the walk. Our facilities and program are designed and built to emphasize the development of calves into sound, functional bulls that are ready to go to work.” Overcoming adversity Although Midland Bull Test is one of the most wellrenowned sales in the U.S. today, the program wasn’t always so popular. In fact, according to the website, when Midland Bull Test was started in 1962 by Leo McDonnell and a small group of purebred breeders, the concept of weighing and measuring cattle and publishing the resulting data as far as birthweights, weaning weights, gainability, dam’s production and yearling weights was not met favorably by most of the national purebred industry. “However, under this constant pressure from opponents of performance, Midland Bull Test, the Montana Beef Performance Association and several staunch seedstock producers continued to define, refine and promote performance as a primary tool in managing the profitability of a cowherd,” reads the website. “Those who have stayed with those initial concepts and philosophies have gone on to be national and international sources of breeding stock,” the website continues. “We’re proud to be one of those who didn’t compromise our beliefs system.” 2021 Midland Bull Test Currently, according to Williams, the team at Midland Bull Test is in the process of getting out the intermediate report, which will be followed by determining class splits – white tag versus green tag – for Angus and ultrasounding the older bulls. “Weigh group one will go off the test in February, and group two is currently on the GrowSafe efficiency trial,” Williams explains. “In early February, group two will get a 90-day weight measure and then come off the test in March.” He continues, “After each group comes off trial, they are given a breeding soundness exam, clipped and videoed. We also make the final cuts based on ADG ratio and ADG 365 day ratio, in addition to dis-

position, structure and feet screenings.” This year, the sale at Midland Bull Test will take place April 1-2. Salers, Simmental, Gelbvieh, Charolais, South Devon, Hereford and Red Angus bulls will be sold Thursday, April 1, while Angus bulls will sell on Friday, April 2.

Williams says all bulls selling April 1 will be available for viewing in sale pens the day before – Wednesday, March 31. “During the first day of the sale, Angus bulls will be yarded in sale pens for viewing,” says Williams. “Bulls are also available for viewing anytime at Midland.” “The evening before each sale, we will host a steak fry with entertainment,” he adds. “This is a great time to socialize and visit with fellow consignors and buyers.” For more information,

visit midlandbulltest.com. Hannah Bugas is the editor of the Wyoming Live-

stock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Successful sale – The Midland Bull Test’s Final Sort Sale held annually in April is one of the largest, high-selling bull sales in the U.S. Midland also boats the largest feed efficiency testing program in North America and draws a slew of loyal, repeat buyers every year. Courtesy photo

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A20

Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Focusing on a foundation of females Bar JV Angus provides quality genetics with a focus on outstanding females Located in Sioux Pass between Sidney and Culbertson, Mont., the Vitt family has focused on building a cowherd with a foundation of fundamental females for 45 years. The operation, Bar JV Angus, got its start in 1975 when Jim Vitt married Loretta Denowh of Gartner-Denowh Angus Ranch. “My mom brought one of her 4-H cows and a heifer calf with her when she married my dad, and they built the herd up from there,” explains Dale Vitt, co-owner and operator of Bar JV Angus. “Today, we run about 400 registered cows and 180 commercial cows. We

also put up spring wheat, oats, millet and grass hay to feed our cattle.” A foundation of females In order to achieve such a well-respected seedstock program, Dale notes Bar JV Angus has focused on producing a foundation of females. In fact, he explains the overall goal of the operation is to breed elite Angus females that will produce high performance bulls for the profitability of commercial cattlemen. “We breed for the mother cow,” says Dale. “We want highly maternal cattle with a lot of length and capacity. We want them to be heavy boned

in order to produce a lot of pounds. We feel if we breed for the outstanding female, everything else will fall into place.” Because Angus cattle excel in maternal traits, Dale says the breed was a perfect fit for the operation. “We think Angus cattle are the ultimate mother cows. They cover all of the bases as far as good mothering ability and raising good calves with heavy weaning weights,” he states. “They also have good carcass traits, good growth, and they are really adaptable to a lot of different environments.” Dale continues, “While

the American Angus Association has provided us with a great set of selection tools, there are some traits we require beyond expected progeny differences (EPDs).” He notes sound structure, good feet and good udders are essential for the longevity of their herd, and disposition is also an important requirement at Bar JV Angus. “Breeding bone into our cattle to enable them to handle the amount of growth found in today’s genetics is fundamental,” explains Dale. “We also breed for long necks and smooth shoulders, which ensures calving ease.” Marketing quality genetics Currently, Bar JV Angus markets these quality genetics at an annual production sale on their ranch every fourth Tuesday in March. This year, the sale will be held on March 23, offering

100 yearling bulls and approximately 120 to 150 Angus and black baldy heifer calves. With the sale date quickly approaching, Dale notes the Vitt family has been busy. “We just finished freeze branding our bulls and heifers, and we will continue getting our bulls ready for the sale,” says Dale, noting Bar JV Angus feeds out their own bulls on a feedlot located at the ranch. “Our bulls are fed a highroughage ration of alfalfa, grass hay, silage, whole oats and cracked corn. We also feed them Flax-Lic tubs to improve semen quality,” explains Dale. “We choose not to push our bulls too hard on feed to make sure they last longer for our customers.” The sixth generation In addition to raising excellent Angus seedstock and females, the Vitt family is also

NEIMAN CATTLE COMPANY

raising Bar JV Angus’ sixth generation of cattlemen. “Bar JV Angus is entirely family run,” notes Dale. “The ranch is owned and operated by my parents Jim and Loretta as well as myself and my wife Jill. Jill and I have three children – Cody, Emily and Kendal.” “In 2017, Cody and his wife Sierra moved back to join us on the ranch, and their two boys, Owen and Brooks, are the sixth generation of our family to live on this ranch,” Dale adds. “We are so thankful to have had the same ranch for this many generations, and we’re pretty excited to keep passing it down.” For more information, visit barjvangus.com. Hannah Bugas is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr. net.

FEATURING SONS OF

ALVA, WY

Annual Bull Sale • February 18, 2021 | Belle Fourche Livestock SELLING 70 TWO-YEAR-OLD BULLS We Market Bulls, Females, Embryos and Semen Year-Round by Private Treaty in Addition to our Annual Spring Bull Sale!

www.neimancattle.com For more information, please contact: Sonnie Neiman • (307) 259-6810 • neimancattle@gmail.com

HAYNES OUTRIGHT 452

AAA# 17925323 • K C F Bennett Absolute x B/R New Day 454

MARCH

2021 • 1

★★★★★

110 Angus BullS

U-2 COALITION 206C AAA# 1862681

Over 50 Bulls Suitable for Use on first-calf heifers All bulls PAP Tested for use on high-altitude ranches

FEATURING SONS OF THESE GREAT HERD SIRES:

U-2 COALITION • S CORNERSTONE 607 S SUMMIT 4604 • MARCY’S SCALE BREAKER N PLUS KG JUSTIFIED 3023 • CIRCLE L LANDMARK

50 Females LOCATION: M DIAMOND ANGUS RANCH GLENROCK, Wyoming | Visit www.mdiamondangus.com

U2 ERELITE 109Z

CED: +7 BW: +1 WW: +62 YW: +118 M: +19 $M: +57 DAM OF U-2 COALITION 206C

Sale broadcast live Via internet on

FEATURING PROGENY BY THIS OUTSTANDING SIRE U-2 COALITION 206C! Dick Lisco

(307) 359-0167

liscoangus@vcn.com

Brad Boner

(307) 359-1162 brad@mdiamondangus.com