2021 Winter Cattlemen's Edition Section B

Historic site focuses on future Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory is home to a legacy of beef cattle genetic research Fort Keogh, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Livestock and Range Research Laboratory, is rich in history and famous for research on animal genetics and rangeland management. Located just outside of Miles City, Mont., Fort Keogh focuses on beef cattle genetics, reproductive physiology and nutrition.

History Before Fort Keogh was turned over to the USDA in 1924, it served as an Army Calvary post following the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

General Nelson A. Miles, whom Miles City was named after, was ordered to establish the fort in June of 1876 after the deaths of Colonel George Armstrong Custer and Colonel Myles Keogh during the battle.

Infantry troops were removed from the fort in 1907, and two years later it was designated as a Remount Station. During World War I, it is reported more horses were processed at Fort Keogh than any other Remount Station across the U.S. On April 15, 1924, Congress transferred Fort Keogh to the USDA for

agricultural research. The earliest range management research was conducted in the 1930s by the U.S. Forest Service and worked to establish stocking rates for both summer and winter grazing on the Northern Great Plains.

Fort Keogh was home to flocks of Rambouillet ewes and Bronze turkeys, herds of Belgian, Morgan and Thoroughbred horses, Milking Shorthorn and Hereford cattle and Wiltshire Side hogs. Eventually, all but cattle research was phased out, and since 1986, Fort Keogh has restricted the research herds to beef cattle.

Today, Fort Keogh utilizes 50,000 acres of native rangeland, 2,500 acres of dryland planted pasture, 1,000 acres of irrigated pasture and 700 acres of irrigated cropland. The farming operation produces alfalfa hay, corn silage, barley, sorghum sudan hay, barley straw and grass hay – all of which are produced to feed livestock at the fort.

Beef cattle research “Our overarching goal is to develop strategies and technologies for reducing costs of beef production, including enhancing effi-

ciency of nutrient utilization and improved reproductive performance,” notes the Fort Keogh Beef Cattle Research web page.

“Our approach is of necessity, long-term and multidisciplinary – involving genetics, physiology, nutrition and microbial metagenomics.”

Fort Keogh Physiologist Andrew Roberts has been working to identify feed efficiencyrelated genetic and nutritional processes. His work has also focused on developing strategies to minimize harvested feed inputs during heifer development

and winter feeding with the ultimate goal of improving lifetime production efficiency on range conditions.

Tom Geary, a reproductive physiologist at Fort Keogh, emphasizes research efforts to identify genes influencing pregnancy success as well as research studying phenotypic traits related to bull and cow fertility to understand and discover fertility markers in cattle.

Range Animal Nutritionist Richard Waterman focuses on efficient use of nutrients by beef cattle and how range livestock can retain more of the nutrients they consume.

His current work involves enhanced use of dormant winter rangeland forages on animal performance and rangeland response and the influence of nutritional quality when invasive plant

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species are disturbed.

Rangeland research The range and nutrition research section at Fort Keogh represents a wide range of disciplines, but the collective focus is on improving sustainability of rangeland production.

“Objectives are to develop strategies and decision tools to proactively manage livestock grazing, fire and drought impacts, improve animal productivity and product quality based on predicted nutrient intake, forage dynamics and diet selection and develop management strategies to restore rangelands degraded by weeds and prevent weed invasions,” says the website.

Acting Research Leader and Range Ecologist Lance Vermeire studies plant community response to summer fires,

post-fire grazing management, long-term livestock exclusion and the effect of fire on grasshoppers. Matt Rinella is the weed ecologist at the research station, and Kurt Reinhart is the soil ecologist.

“Understanding the mechanisms controlling disturbance effects on rangelands and animal responses to alterations in the plant community will promote development of proactive management strategies for improved stability in rangelands and rangeland livestock production systems,” the website continues.

For more information, visit usda.ars.gov/plainsarea/miles-city-mt/larrl/.

Averi Hales is the editor of 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

Growing well-known seedstock Arntzen Angus Ranch continues family tradition of raising esteemed Black Angus seedstock Arntzen Angus Ranch (AAR) is a multi-generational Black Angus operation located 23 miles north of Lewistown, Mont. The Arntzen’s registered herd was started in the mid 1950s when Kenneth Arntzen purchased

two bred heifers.

Today, AAR raises wheat, barley and hay, along with 750 registered cows and 200 commercial cows.

A tradition of raising high-quality bulls “Kenneth was my grand-

Multi-generational operation – Arntzen Angus started in the 1950s with two bred heifers. Today, multiple generations of the family work together to run 750 registered Angus cows and 200 commercial cows. Courtesy photo

father,” says Brad Arntzen.

“He’d raised a few other breeds, but he liked the direction Black Angus were starting to go. My grandmother Sherry was a major part of the operation as well. She was always involved with the cattle.”

Brad notes his grandfather passed away around the time AAR was about to have their first bull sale in 1977, so Brad’s dad, uncle and grandmother went through with event.

“They were raising bulls for people in this area to fit the tough environment,” states Brad. “We have harsh conditions, especially the further north we go, and cattle must be hardy to manage on their own. They must be able to travel and survive without a

lot of groceries, and they need to raise a good calf.”

With this said, Brad notes calving ease was a major factor in their operation since they didn’t have a lot of time and labor.

“My family started by selling about 40 bulls annually at various places like the Winter Fair, Midland Bull Test and Treasure Test. This gave our bulls some outside exposure and got more people interested in them,” Brad says.

AAR is probably best known as the birthplace of AAR New Trend, AAR Really Windy 1205 and AAR Ten X 7008 SA. These three bulls have had a great influence on the Angus breed and their names are found in pedigrees across the U.S. AAR New Trend is well known for daughters he has sired. AAR Really Windy 1205 was one of the most consistent calving-ease bulls the breed has ever seen, and AAR Ten X 7008 SA was a widely used sire five years ago, combining low birthweight, exceptional growth and car-

cass characteristics.

A tough, sound cowherd Registered cattle on the Arntzen Ranch are handled like a commercial herd.

“We want cattle that can take care of themselves. We haven’t fed much hay this year, and the cattle are grazing as long as possible. They also have to calve unassisted, wean off a 700-pound calf and breed back quickly. We want easy calving, maternal, easy fleshing cattle with good dispositions,” Brad says. “We also try to incorporate the best carcass traits we can. Part of the reason for our success is we still have the same philosophy this ranch had in the beginning.”

The cattle philosophy, according to Brad, is simple – easy fleshing, high maternal, easy calving cattle with genetic emphasis on performance and carcass traits.

“This is what works

for our customers,” he says.

“They want bulls that sire daughters that can stay in the herd and keep producing good calves for a long time.”

“Trouble-free cattle are a must. Poor structure, bad udders or unsatisfactory dispositions are not tolerated.

Good udders, good structure and legs are a top priority,” adds Brad. “We cull hard, because if we keep any cows that don’t quite make the cut, they seem to multiply exponentially.”

A look into EPDs Brad feels the American Angus Association (AAA) has done a great job with expected progeny differences (EPDs), including new measures, such as the pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) EPD. “One of the best bulls we ever raised was AAR Really Windy 1205. He had a great Continued on next page

Family tradition – Brothers, cousins and uncles work towards the same goals on the Arntzen Angus Ranch. Courtesy photo

Genetic progress – As expected progeny differences improve in the Angus breed, Arntzen Angus stays on top of performance trait trends. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page PAP score before there was a PAP EPD, even though we generally don’t PAP test our bulls,” notes Brad. “It’s still good to have genetics that will work anywhere in the country. As the EPD becomes more accurate, with more numbers behind it, this will be good for the breed.”

“It is interesting to see the new traits AAA is looking at. This will help make it a lot easier for many people when selecting bulls. I think the foot EPD has a ways to go, but it’s a good one too and will become very important as they get more data.

This will be very useful for bull customers and breeders alike,” he adds.

“We’ve been working hard on Maternal Plus Whole-Herd Reporting. We were doing this from the beginning, and it’s a lot of work trying to record everything happening with every animal. I think we’ve done a better job with our cattle, however, because we’ve kept

a better eye on some traits we would not have looked at otherwise. I think it will be good for people to do this, so we can hopefully get a stayability EPD or find certain lines that do better,” he continues.

“We don’t want people losing cattle to udder quality or foot structure,” Brad says.

“I think this kind of data is worth a lot to AAA, so we’ve worked very hard on this, and I think it’s something we all need to do.”

A team effort Brad notes AAR is a family operation with brothers, cousins and uncles all working together toward a common goal.

Keith and Kristine have three children – Karrie, Kimberly and Kevin. Doug and Gayle have four children – Brad, Jennifer, Erik and Derik. Brad, his wife Stacie and their daughters Abbie, Ashlen and Aleia live on the ranch. Jennifer is married, and she and her husband have a ranch in Sidney, Mont.

Surviving harsh conditions – Arntzen Angus Ranch is located in a tough environment with harsh conditions so raising hardy cattle is a must. Courtesy photo

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“When I came back from college in 2001, I became part of the operation, and my brother and cousin came back to the ranch in 2008. My other brother came back in 2014, so now it’s my dad and me, my twin brothers and my uncle and cousin. It’s a team effort,” Brad says.

“I give a lot of credit to my grandma, my dad and my uncle for setting us on this path. My grandma was the glue keeping everything together and guiding my dad and Keith along the way,” Brad explains. “She did a tremendous job, and we were blessed to have her, my dad and my uncle as examples of how to treat each other and work together.”

Brad notes it isn’t always easy because everyone has different ideas and some things must be compromised, but often several heads are better than one when making decisions.

“If someone likes a certain bull and nobody else does, it’s not worth making a big stand over it. We are all

in this for the long haul, and need to get along on these things. We don’t all agree on everything, it’s always a work in progress,” he says.

Everyone brings a certain talent to the table, and as a family, the Arntzens recognize this benefit.

“Some things I’m better off having my brother work on. Being able to leave our egos at the door is usually the best thing,” Brad says.

“I get along with my brothers and cousin. We have the same philosophy about cattle and life.”

The ranch also has good employees.

“Todd and Eva Foran have worked with us more than 40 years. They have a place of their own where they keep their own registered cows and produce hay.

Tim and Mary McCallister have been working with us since 2008. Logan and Megan Tomschin have been with us for several years as well,” notes Brad. “Our employees are like family, and they all work together at

“My family started by selling about 40 bulls annually at various places like the Winter Fair, Midland Bull Test and Treasure Test. This gave our bulls some outside exposure and got more people interested in them.” – Brad Arntzen making this ranch function smoothly.”

For more information, visit arntzenangus.com.

Heather Smith Thomas

is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

Bringing talent to the table – Everyone involved in the Arntzen Angus Ranch brings talent to the table, and they believe it is critical to use these talents to work together. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

A fully integrated family operation Cross Four Ranch raises natural beef on a fully integrated family cattle operation Fred Wacker has been ranching all his life. He was the fourth generation on a ranch near Roundup, Mont., in Musselshell County, and his family still ranches there.

“I was the youngest of six kids, so I left home and came to Miles City, Mont. and

started my own ranch. The ranch name comes from our cattle brand,” Fred says.

Today, the Cross Four Ranch produces all-natural cattle and is run by Fred, his wife Gwen and their four adult children – Sara Rehm, Julie Nowicki, Karen Martin

Lifetime rancher – Fred Wacker was the fourth generation on the ranch he grew up on, and has dedicated his life to the beef industry.

Courtesy photo

and Mike Wacker – and their spouses. Every family member plays an integral part on the ranch.

A team of family members “Three of our children and their spouses are involved on a daily basis. Sara is the chief financial officer, and her husband Shane Rehm is cow boss on our outfit. They have three children. The grandkids all help too,” notes Fred.

Fred’s daughter Julie helps with buying cattle and takes care of accounts payable.

“Julie’s husband works at our feedlot, doing a lot of the processing and computer work. We use the electronic identification (EID) tags, which are now becoming popular. We’ve used them for almost 20 years,” Fred explains.

“We can track every animal, where it came from, what it has had for feed, and more. This is important in a natural program, but what we really like about the EID is when the cattle are mixed together it makes it easy to separate them when they hit the packing plant,” he adds.

“We know which ones grade, which ones are worth more and which ones we should never see again.”

“Our daughter Karen lives in Bozeman, Mont.

She and her husband Blaine are part owners in the operation, and she works for us as an auditor. She audits all the financial data,” says Fred.

“Our son Mike has a trucking company and does our freighting as well as all the farming on the ranch. He is an important part of the whole operation, helping us work cattle, and other chores.”

Fred continues, “The whole family helps with anything that needs done.

My wife Gwen keeps us all marching straight and true. It truly takes the whole family

as a team.”

A fully integrated operation Cross Four Ranch operates in Custer and Rosebud counties and is a cow/calf, yearling and finished cattle operation.

“We keep our calves over winter as yearlings,” Fred explains. “For eight years I sold them as yearlings, then we went into the natural business after I couldn’t get a bonus for our feeder cattle.”

Therefore, the Wacker family started feeding their own cattle and have been feeding all of their yearlings ever since.

“The natural market provides higher prices – sometimes as much as 20 cents per pound more. The important thing is to keep the calves

healthy since they can’t be given antibiotics and stay in the program,” says Fred. “I also buy a lot of calves for our program. I have other ranchers I work with and buy their Natural Global Animal Partnership (GAP) calves every year that go to Amazon’s Whole Foods. We buy those calves, background them and put them on grass. Then we take them from grass to the feedyard and finish them.”

The cattle Fred raises, buys and finishes are predominantly Red and Black Angus.

“My own cows are black, but I like one-quarter Limousin cattle and use half-blood Angus-Limousin cross bulls on my Angus cows,” Fred

A family affair – The whole Wacker family is involved in the Cross Four Ranch, from the financial aspect to farming and trucking, everybody plays an important role. Courtesy photo

Retaining yearlings – Cross Four Ranch retains their calves through the winter and sells them as yearlings. Courtesy photo

Continued on next page

Natural beef – The natural market provides higher premiums for cattle, but keeping calves healthy to remain in the program is critical.

Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page notes. “This makes a really nice beef animal. They grade well and perform well.”

The Cross Four Ranch also raises hay for their cattle and leases numerous acres of farmland.

“I’ve turned the farming over to my son. He raises corn and silage to feed the weaned calves in our background yard.

The natural business has been good for us and we’ve helped a lot of other people go this route,” he says.

Fred has several feedyards he works with – two in Nebraska and one in Colorado. The backgrounding yard is located at the ranch.

“There is a lot of good grass around Miles City for growing calves after they are backgrounded,” Fred explains.

“It’s high desert country, but good grass. Sometimes it’s a little dry and we have to cut back on numbers, and sometimes we might be able to run twice as many. It all depends on the weather, so we have to be flexible.”

An appreciation for yearlings Fred expresses his appreciation for yearlings because if conditions cause Cross Four Ranch to be short on grass, they can either sell cattle or

move them to a finishing lot on very short notice, which is very different from running cows and calves.

“I moved pairs during the drought of 1988, and it was a disaster,” recalls Fred. “I will never do it again. I’d rather keep them home and buy feed than haul them somewhere else. They are acclimated to where they are, and just don’t do well when they are taken somewhere else.”

Generally, Cross Four Ranch runs a large number of pairs and keeps the calves.

“For a time, I was running yearlings in Wyoming, but 2020 was the last year for the particular program. I have some new pastures in Montana so I can keep them all here within a 100-mile radius,” Fred says.

This is a much shorter transport, and some of the cattle are trailed from one pasture to another.

“This year we’re probably going to trail some of the cattle 86 miles. We often trail yearlings, and it takes two or three days to do it. Yearlings love to travel. We just need places for them to stay overnight,” he explains.

Fred continues, “We trail yearlings north to pasture 26

Flexible grazing – Fred Wacker says the high desert country Cross Four Ranch runs their cows on can be dry and short of grass. Therefore, the ranch has to stay flexible. Courtesy photo

miles every spring, and do it in one day. We pick a cool day and start early. At the start, we have to have more guys on the front end to hold them back. Yearlings want to travel too fast at the beginning, and they must be held back to pace themselves and not wear out too soon.”

“After they finally slow down, we let them string out and move along at their own speed. They march like soldiers when we let them string out single file,” adds Fred.

An advocate of ag In addition to running an integrated operation, Fred has also been involved with U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) and helped get the first beef in 13 years into China.

“I went to China, and we put together a good agreement for U.S. beef. It was slow enacting because of the trouble with COVID-19, but the first package of steaks

we smuggled into China and gave to the Chinese Premier was the start. As of last month, the U.S. has sent 13 million pounds of beef to China,” he says.

Fred has also served the Montana Stock Growers Association (MSGA) Board of Directors as first vice president in 2016 and recently finished his term as president. He served as chairman of MSGA’s Marketing Committee and is a member of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Live Cattle Marketing Committee.

He also served as Montana Cattle Feeders vice president during 2004-05.

“I was at the White House with the president and the Japanese when the agreement was signed,” notes Fred. “We worked hard at getting those tariffs reduced, so now we are competitive with Australia in sending beef to Japan. The

“It truly takes the whole family as a team.”

– Fred Wacker past two years have definitely been an interesting experience.”

For more information, visit crossfourranch.com.

Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

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

Agricultural advocate – Fred Wacker is a true advocate for agriculture, dedicating time to serve on several agriculture-related boards and helping secure recent trade deals. Courtesy photo

Trailing cattle – Every spring, Cross Four Ranch trails their cattle 26 miles to summer pasture. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Sound cattle, harsh environments Regency Acres Angus Ranch raises sound cattle in tough Montana environment

Regency Acres Angus Ranch is located near Lambert, Mont., on the eastern plains 30 miles from the North Dakota border.

Owned and operated by Russ and Jill Thiessen and their son Tyler, the ranch is

a diversified dry-farming operation, raising registered Black Angus, hay, wheat, barley, oats, corn, peas, lentils and canola.

Thiessen family history Part of the land was homesteaded by Russ’ great

Diversified family operation – Homesteaded in the early 1900s, the Theissen family has raised different types of crops and cattle through the years. Courtesy photo

grandparents in the early 1900s and purchased by Russ’ grandparents C.R. and Ailee Thiessen in 1944.

They had a commercial cattle operation until they purchased their first registered Angus in 1957 and acquired the Kenneth Gardner herd.

Other registered cows were added from Stevenson Angus, Harrer’s Green Meadow Angus, Shipps and Green Valley Angus.

Russ’ parents Jim and Judy took over the cattle operation when Jim returned home from college in the late 1960s. The ranch was first operated as Thiessen Angus Ranch until the name was changed to Regency Acres in the early 1980s when Russ’ father added registered Gelbvieh cattle and they had to find a

new name for their program.

The Gelbvieh were dispersed in 1989, and the focus once again returned to Angus, which they felt was a more maternal breed.

“I am the fourth generation on the ranch, and my son is the fifth,” Russ says.

“We raise all of our own feed, and our cowherd is 100 percent registered, with about 250 mother cows.

This is one of the longestrunning registered herds in the state.”

“We don’t have hired help, it’s just me and my son, Tyler. I also have a daughter, Téa. She is in her last year of college, preparing to become a math teacher.

She helps at the ranch when she’s home, but she plans to be teacher,” adds Russ.

Sound cattle in harsh environments Regency Acres strives to produce cattle that can perform well in any environment.

“Our philosophy is to have a cow that will survive anywhere. If they work

here, they will survive anywhere. This dry, arid shortgrass country demands our cattle be sound and functional. Our cattle travel a couple miles every day for food and water, so structural soundness is important,” Russ explains.

Labor-saving traits like calving ease, calf vigor at birth, sound teats and udders, sound hoof and leg structure and intelligence have always been stressed.

“Disposition is a key trait for us, considering we only have two people taking care of the cattle. We can’t afford to have either one of us get hurt by a cow.

I would rather have a whole herd of ‘welfare’ cows I can lead around with a bucket of grain, than wild, unruly cattle. With our herd, one person can go out with a pickup and a bucket of cake and

move 200 head of cattle eight miles,” he says.

Structurally sound cattle with volume and heart girth are a must because cows travel long distances for feed and water throughout the year.

Regency Acres has been performance testing since 1969 and carcass ultrasounding since 1997. Now, the operation uses DNA genomic testing to enhance and verify expected progeny differences (EPDs).

The cattle are managed the same as in any commercial operation, where cows must perform to strict standards while breeding back in a timely fashion and maintaining structural integrity.

Cows are culled on multiple traits including disposition, udder shape and soundness, performance, phenotype, Continued on next page

Docile cattle – It is important for cows at the Regency Acres Angus Ranch to have docile dispositions. This increases ease of handling when working cattle. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page calving ease, intelligence and carcass traits.

The cows calve at the home place starting in February and are generally finished by the end of March.

In May, the yearling heifers and the entire cowherd are synchronized and bred via artificial insemination (AI), then moved to pastures with the herd bulls.

A 45-day breeding season ensures only the most fertile bloodlines are retained.

In October, the calves are weaned and put in the ranch feedlot until sale day. The cows are then wintered on stubble fields until calving and only fed hay when the weather demands it.

“During any given year, the temperatures here can range from 40 below zero in winter to 105 degrees in summer. We don’t get much moisture, so it’s often dry.

We don’t get a lot of snow, but we do get major snowdrifts because of the wind,” Russ explains. “Depending on the winter, we may have to feed hay, but so far this year we don’t have very much snow. If there’s a drought, it’s nice to have snow.”

Selling bulls and females Each year Regency Acres Angus Ranch sells 70 to 100 bulls and 30 to 40 select open heifers in April.

The heifers are sold as com-

Retaining fertility – Regency Acres utilizes a 45-day breeding season to ensure only the most fertile bloodlines are retained. Courtesy photo

Pasture to plate – Bull calves that don’t make the cut to remain bulls are castrated and finished on the ranch. These cattle are sold to customers in a Pasture to Plate Program. Courtesy photo

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mercial cattle, with the buyers’ option to purchase registration papers. Bull calves that do not make the cut as bulls are castrated and finished on the ranch where they are sold to a waiting list of customers in a Pasture to Plate Program.

“It’s hard to set an exact sale date. We are either the first or second Friday in April, depending on when the Midland Bull Test Sale is held because it jumps around. They have preference for the auctioneer and the ring men we use, so we have our sale on whichever Friday they

don’t,” states Russ.

The Regency sale is held at the Sidney Livestock Market Center in Sidney, Mont., about 30 miles from the ranch.

“We used to have the sale here at the ranch, but timing was awkward because we held it in our calving barn, and we were barely done calving. We had to clean out the barn when we were still trying to use it. It just made more sense to have the sale at the stockyard. It’s also hard to line up help to put on a sale because

by April everyone around here is so busy,” Russ says.

“This dry, arid shortgrass country demands our cattle be sound and functional.” – Russ Thiessen

Most of the bulls from their sale go to customers within a 100-mile radius.

“We don’t market very many to registered breeders. The repeat commercial buyers are the ones who want our cattle. A purebred breeder might come in and buy one bull every 10 years, but it’s the commercial cattlemen who are buying

bulls from us every year,” explains Russ. “They know the cattle will work in their environment.”

For more information, visit regencyacres.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

Leland Red Angus

Keeping commercial producers at the forefront Nestled on the border of Montana and North Dakota, Leland Red Angus has operated for four generations, providing quality cattle with the commercial producer in mind.

With this, the Leland family has built a program to fit the needs of commercial cattlemen across the region with quality Red Angus genetics.

“Back in the day, we had Hereford cattle,” says Melvin Leland, co-owner of the ranch.

“We really liked the red cattle but the Herefords just weren’t doing it for us anymore, so we made the switch to Red Angus and haven’t looked back.”

The family now runs a commercial-focused registered Red Angus herd and has a production sale featuring nearly 200 bulls and 60 open heifers each year.

According to the Lelands, Leland Red Angus manages a registered cowherd of 500

plus mother cows on dryland western range, much like a commercial operation, with the exception being a strictly regulated breeding program.

“We expect our cows to breed and calve unassisted on semi-arid range and travel across rough terrain on sound feet and legs while weaning a heavy calf in the fall,” the family notes. “We do not believe in creep feeding – that’s the cow’s job. Cows winter graze

Planting the seed – Todd Leland’s four-year-old son Trey enjoys helping on the ranch. He and his pony make a great team moving cattle. Courtesy photo

as much as possible on native forage and are only supplemented as weather and conditions require.”

Commercial priority “We want cattle that work for the commercial producer above all else,” says Melvin.

“This is who is purchasing most of our cattle, and if they aren’t working for them, they aren’t working for us.”

Melvin notes they were initially drawn to Red Angus because the breed registry had performance requirements for their cattle.

“We really appreciate the breed’s calving ease and their fantastic carcass qualities,” he says.

He continues, “We like to have efficient cattle with a pleasant disposition, but we also like to have cattle who qualify for the Top Dollar Angus Program. These programs require certain performance qualities to qualify.”

The Top Dollar Angus Program is the first and only certification program for commercial feeder cattle focused exclusively on Angus and Red Angus-based cattle with top 25 percent growth and carcass traits.

“We want highly maternal cattle to breed up with good udders and try to keep the commercial man in mind,” Melvin says. “We want cattle that go and work for the commercial man, because this is who we sell most of our cattle to in our sale.”

To ensure their cattle are

top quality, the Lelands ultrasound their cattle to increase selection pressure on carcass traits.

“We utilize the breed’s top genetics, whether from within our own herd or outside sources,” the family notes. “We endorse sciencebased technology using artificial insemination (AI), DNA and ultrasound to identify superior genetics.”

They continue, “While measured data and expected progeny differences (EPDs) are used, we also select for economic traits beyond the numbers such as disposition, fertility, foot and udder structure, survivability, fleshing ability and type.”

Family affair The Leland Ranch was originally homesteaded by Melvin’s father Tony in 1911 on the edge of the western North Dakota Badlands and bordering the Montana state line. The ranch remains a family operation with Melvin and Luella, together with son Todd and his wife Carla and their sons Trey and Tripp.

“In those days, people ran multiple breeds of cattle at a time, really just whatever worked best for them,” Melvin says. “My dad died when I was really young, and I took over in 1966 after graduating college.”

Melvin notes Luella has been instrumental in the founding and development of Leland Ranch and the high caliber cattle they offer.

Melvin and Luella’s son Todd is also heavily involved in the ranch.

Todd and Melvin have both been heavily involved in the Red Angus Association in a variety of capacities including serving as state presidents, as well as Melvin serving as the Red Angus Association of America president.

“The family has really been the bread and butter of it all,” Todd says. “I spent all my summers in high school and college working the ranch and really never wanted to do anything else.”

He continues, “My mother used to do all of our records and data entry, and now my wife Carla has begun taking it over as well as most of the photography and social media.”

While Todd’s own children are young, aged four and one, he notes he enjoys seeing them live the ranching lifestyle.

“My four-year-old, Trey, really enjoys helping out at the ranch,” he says. “He is always wanting to go with me and really seems like a natural. Although it may take a little longer when he wants to help move cows on his pony, he is learning to make a hand.”

For more information visit lelandredangus.com.

Callie Hanson is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

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

Family operation – Melvin Leland took over the ranch in 1966. He and his wife Luella have welcomed help from their son Todd and his wife Carla. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Large passion for little products

Action Toys grows out of passion for collecting, sells to customers worldwide Since 1986, the Pippin family has been the go-to store for just about any agriculture-related implement or accessory one might need – tractors, combines, balers, harvesters, beet pickers, fuel tanks, calf shelters, chute systems, feed wagons and plows, just to name a few.

While these 1/16th, 1/32nd, 1/43rd, 1/50th, 1/64th and 1/87th scaled implements may not be helpful on a lifesized operation, they have become incredibly popular for children and collectors all over the world.

In fact, what started as

a small window display in downtown Billings, Mont., the Pippins’ business, Action Toys, has grown into a large enterprise, occupying 9,000 square feet in two warehouses, a retail store and a strong online presence.

Born out of passion According to Lisa Pippin, Action Toys was born out of the Pippin family’s passion of farm toy collecting.

“Our business got its start in 1986, and it grew out of our own love for toy collecting,” says Lisa.

Lisa notes when she and

her siblings were young, their parents Donna and Gary Pippin would buy them replica John Deere tractors and tiny Ford trucks.

A few years into Donna’s first business, Action Type – a print shop in downtown Billings – she bought a shipment of new toys, which she displayed in the window of her store.

In 1986, Donna decided to display the collection at the Northern International Livestock Exposition in Billings, and the toys were a hit.

This prompted the purchase of a new storefront

where Donna jointly operated Action Type and Action Toys. At this time, she began dealing for Ertl Toy Company, one of the largest ag toy makers.

According to Lisa, it didn’t take long for the toy company to outpace the typesetting business so the family added a storefront to a warehouse Donna and Gary had already built. In 1998, after 12 years in their downtown location, the Pippins moved Action Toys to a bigger, better location.

Continuing the toy collectiing tradition Today, Action Toys is

one of the largest independent farm toy dealers in the U.S. With two warehouses, a retail store and an online shop, the family business has sold to children and collectors from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, Norway, Israel, Egypt, Singapore, Argentina, England and Uruguay, among many other places.

“My mother Donna owns the store, and she, my father Gary and myself operate it,” Lisa explains. “We specialize in dealing farm tractors and implements,

farm animals and construction toys from various companies around the world.”

In addition to selling toys, Lisa notes the Pippin family still carries on their long-standing tradition of collecting toys as well. In fact, to date, the Pippins have nearly 4,000 different farm and construction toys in their own collection, most of which are on display in the store.

For more information, visit actionfarmtoys.com.

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

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Toy collecting tradition – In addition to selling toys, the Pippin family has continued their tradition of collecting. Today, their collection consists of nearly 4,000 toys, which are displayed in their store.

Courtesy photo

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Reg# 18952013 CED: +8, BW: +2.0, WW: +73 Top 10%, YW: +133 Top 10%, $C: +286 Top 5%, Marb: +.95 Top 10%, RE: +.62 He covers all the bases being in Top 10% or above for $F, $B, $G. Most important 789 is in Top 15% for Heifer Preg rate and Top 4% +289 for $C. He excels at all the economic traits important to ranchers.

When efficiency tested head-to-head against bulls sired by proven feed efficient bull 789 excelled and easily made the top cut. Gaining 4.14 lbs./day – eating 20.64 lbs. of feed – converting to 4.99 lbs. feed to 1 lb. of gain resulting a -3.57 RFI (Residual Feed Intake) top proven efficiency.

Tiny farm implements – From tractors and plows to calf shelters and chute systems, Action Toys has almost everything one needs for a small-scale agriculture operation. Courtesy photo

BAR Cash 707

Reg# 18956511 CED: +5, BW: +1.5, WW: +72 Top 15%, YW: +133 Top 10% He packs punch for improving REA Top 20% +.76.

707 also powers up muscle Top 15% CW +57 adds more pounds for $W +70 is in top 20% This guy adds plenty of Feedlot performance at +97 in top 20% $F Cash 707 Was lot 547 at the 2018 Midland Bull Test. Against 600+ Angus Bulls he made the top cut. Gaining 3.97 lbs./day – eating 22 lbs. of feed – converting to 3.34 lbs. feed to 1 lb. of gain resulting a -5.00 RFI (Residual Feed Intake) top proven efficiency. This bull is a curve bender with maternal pathfinder cow family.

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P.O. Box 848 • Lusk, Wyoming 82225 • Home (307) 334-3006 Button’s Cell (307) 216-0090 • Odessa’s Cell (307) 340-1182 • Elly’s Cell (307) 340-1499

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Putting it all together

Basin Angus Ranch markets total package bulls to fit every customer’s needs Doug Stevenson, his youngest daughter Nicole and his son-in-law Trevor Berg are producing outstanding Angus cattle in Montana. The ranch’s breeding program, which

includes registered cattle, was started by Doug’s grandparents Jeanette and Jamie Stevenson more than 60 years ago.

At first, the Stevenson family ran sheep and a

Long-time involvement – The Stevenson family was part of a group of breeders who formed the Montana Angus Association. In 1947, the family purchased registered Angus heifers from one of the first Angus herds in the state. Courtesy photo

herd of Shorthorn and Hereford cattle. Then in 1947, they bought four registered Angus heifers from a dispersal sale of one of Montana’s first Angus herds.

In 1951, they were part of the group of breeders who formed the Montana Angus Association.

Jeannette and Jamie had several sons who were involved with the ranch, and whose families continue to be involved in raising registered Angus.

In 1972, Doug’s parents Wayne and Marian founded their own operation called Basin Angus Ranch.

The two ranches operated separately but shared some of the herd sires.

In 1982, the joint marketing efforts were formalized by the creation of Ste-

venson Basin, Inc. For the next 26 years, the family marketed cattle through Stevenson Basin, Inc., providing the largest single source of seedstock in the U.S. The last joint offering took place in 2008, after which the various family members moved forward independently with their own ranches and goals.

Taking over Basin Angus Ranch Wayne Stevenson passed in 1994, and his son Doug took over the Basin Angus Ranch. Later, in 2009, Doug and his wife Sharon sold their ranch at Hobson, Mont. and most of their cows. They spent a few years semi-retired caring after a few cows.

However, retirement didn’t last long, and Doug decided he wanted to do more with the cattle again.

The couple bought a ranch near Reed Point, Mont., a small town along the Yellowstone River.

“This is where we are

ranching now,” says Trevor, Doug’s son-in-law. “I married into the family with Doug and Sharon’s oldest daughter Brittany. This is my fifth year on the Reed Point ranch.”

“We now have about 1,000 cows in Montana and calve about 400 of them here at Reed Point. We also have some fantastic cooperating ranches around the state we calve with. The cows are all registered except for some commercial cows we use as recipients for embryos,” says Trevor.

Marketing bulls Trevor says Basin Angus Ranch markets their bulls at an annual bull sale every third Friday in March, while also selling bulls private treaty in the spring.

“We sell about 250

bulls altogether. We don’t do a female sale, but do sell some females private treaty or take a select few to other elite female sales around the country,” he says. “Our main focus is on carcass, but it’s not our primary goal. We don’t chase extremes.”

It’s important to have bulls to fit every customer’s needs, and Basin Angus Ranch has repeat customers all over the U.S., especially in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Missouri and Nebraska. Some of their customers have been buying bulls for 20 years.

“Our goal is to have bulls that will sire daughters that make good, solid cows. We realize the end user is always the consumer, so we are producing Continued on next page

Generational ranch – Doug Stevenson took over the ranch from his parents, who took over from Doug’s father’s parents. Today, Doug, his daughter Nicole and son-in-law Trevor run Basin Angus Ranch.

Courtesy photo

29TH ANNUAL BULL SALE Selling 95 Angus Bulls TUESDAY, FEB. 16, 2021

Torrington Livestock Market • Torrington, WY • Lunch: 11:30 • Sale: 1 p.m. MST

DB Stunner H49 • AAA# 19924211 BW: 78 Adj WW: 692 WR: 102

DOB: 2/10/20 • Musgrave 316 Stunner x Connealy Forward CED: +11 BW: +.3 WW: +69 YW: +122 Milk: +24 Marb: +.34 RE: +.50 $C: +244

DDB Treasure H124 • AAA# 19920058 BW: 79 Adj WW: 695 WR: 104 DOB: 2/21/20 • MGR Treasure x Styles Cash R400 CED: +4 BW: +1.9 WW: +74 YW: +139 Milk: +25 Marb: +.92 RE: +.49 $C: +232

Carcass Data Available Delivery Available Performance Data Available Volume of Heifer Bulls Free Wintering Available Negative for PI-BVD Genetic Defect Tested Sight Unseen Guarantee Phone Bids Welcome DOUG & CAROLYN BOOTH 7618 Road 41, Torrington, WY 82240 (307) 532-5830 www.BoothFamilyAngus.com

DB Ashland H51 • AAA# 19924147 BW: 84 Adj WW: 727 WR: 108 DOB: 2/11/120 • GAR Ashland x S A V Pioneer CED: +10 BW: +.8 WW: +84 YW: +143 Milk: +23 Marb: +.94 RE: +.72 $C: +261

DDB Treasure H140 • AAA# 19920118 BW: 76 Adj WW: 739 WR: 110 DOB: 2/23/20 • MGR Treasure x PA Power Tool CED: +15 BW: -1.1 WW: +84 YW: +158 Milk: +28 Marb: +.93 RE: +.59 $C: +287

DB Stunner H155 • AAA# 19913810 BW: 70 Adj WW: 720 WR: 107

DOB: 2/28/20 • Musgrave 316 Stunner x V A R Discovery CED: +14 BW: -1.4 WW: +78 YW: +128 Milk: +30 Marb: +.83 RE: +.76 $C: +278

DB Ashland H121 • AAA# 19924142 BW: 95 Adj WW: 744 WR: 111 DOB: 2/20/20• GAR Ashland x Musgrave Big Sky CED: +6 BW: +4.4 WW: +93 YW: +158 Milk: +27 Marb: +.83 RE: +.70 $C: +288

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All Angus Bulls Have Been Tested

Meeting customer needs – The Basin Angus Ranch raises cattle to meet a wide variety of customer needs. Repeat bull customers come from New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and even Missouri and Nebraska. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page excellent meat. But, we are also producing cows that will last a long time in the herd,” Trevor explains.

Shane Whiteman is in charge of marketing for the Basin Angus Ranch.

He travels around and visits with customers to learn more about their operations and their needs.

“Shane recently visited with one customer who was finally shipping an 18-yearold cow. This speaks volumes to our bloodlines in terms of longevity. The particular ranch runs cattle in rough country, and they have to be hardy,” Trevor says. “We accomplish this kind of durability through a moderate-framed cow. We don’t like a lot of size and bone but we also know if they have too frail of bones they won’t hold up either.”

“There are many purebred operations where one can get either a maternal bred bull or a terminal bred bull, but there isn’t many

where one can get both.

It’s a challenge to have it all in one package,” Trevor continues. “I believe we are one of few who have it all put together, and we produce many bulls that are both maternal and terminal.”

The ranch uses a lot of their own sires, breeding them to the cows they raise.

“We typically don’t use much outside semen for artificial insemination (AI). In terms of maternal lines, we know exactly where the bulls we raise are,” Trevor explains.

“Every now and then we will use an outside bloodline in our embryo transfer (ET) program, to see what might work for us,” he continues. “If we get some ET calves we really like, we might go back and use some of the semen to breed our cows.

Normally the semen we use is either from a bull we

bought matching what we are doing or from one of our own bulls.”

Using EPDs Trevor points out Doug is very numbers-oriented and is always keeping an eye on the expected progeny difference (EPDs), including new EPDs. “We want good EPDs, and we are also very hard on anything that isn’t functional. Our cows must have good feet and udders, body composition and disposition,” says Trevor. “They must be docile and easy to handle. We do not tolerate cows that might hurt someone. We are trying to be a good-sized operation with as few people as possible. Like most ranches, if we have a cow causing any problems, she has to leave.”

Protective mother cows with respect for humans get to stay at Basin Angus Ranch.

“If mama wants to stand right over top of me and bawl while I am tag-

ging her calf, it’s OK as long as she’s not coming after me. She’s just doing her job,” Trevor says. “We have people who come out sometimes to help us work cattle, and I get in the bad habit of not using a sorting stick anymore. The cows know me and respect me, and I might walk up behind one and tap her with my hand. A lot of people keep telling me I’m going to get kicked, but I’ve worked here for five years and haven’t been kicked by a cow yet.”

“We want our cattle to be easy to handle. We always have the end user in mind – whether it’s the rancher, the feeder or the consumer. We want to sell cattle that will work for everybody,” Trevor says.

For more information, visit basinangus.com.

Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

“There are many purebred operations where one can get either a maternal bred bull or a terminal bred bull, but there isn’t many where one can get both. It’s a challenge to have it all in one package. I believe we are one of few who have it all put together, and we produce many bulls that are both maternal and terminal.”

– Trevor Berg

An eye on EPDs – Doug Stevenson utilizes EPDs when selecting for functionality. Courtesy photo

CA LV I N G E AS E | H I G H -A LT I T U D E | PA P T ES T E D

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Durable, moderate cows – Since Basin Angus runs cattle in rough country, their cows must be durable and moderate-framed. Courtesy photo

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LOMA, COLORADO | SATURDAY, MARCH 27TH 2021 Offering 120 2 Year-old + 80 Yearling Angus • SimAngus Bulls 1 PM LOMA LIVESTOCK Broadcast on DVAuction

DIAMOND PEAK CATTLE COMPANY Office: 970-824-5750 John 970-326-8620 George 970-326-8621 Angelo 970-756-8600

DIAMONDPEAKCATTLE.COM Lifetime of ranching – Doug and Sharon Stevenson have spent a lifetime of ranching together. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Securing working knowledge

Miles Community College agriculture program focuses on outstanding student success Founded in 1939, Miles Community College (MCC) in Miles City, Mont. has a rich history, enriching and intertwining with the surrounding com-

munity. In the beginning, MCC, which was then known as Custer County Junior College, educated students out of a few rooms in the Miles City Public

Professional involvement – Agriculture Instructor Kimberly Gibbs believes student involvement in professional organizations helps to prepare them for community involvement in their future. Courtesy photo

High School for almost 20 years.

Today, MCC has been recognized as one of the top 150 community colleges in the nation and continues to focus on student success. Agriculture Instructor Kimberly Gibbs explains the school is host to around 500 to 600 students on and around campus and offers nine agriculture-related degrees.

Equine and agriculture programs “I started at MCC almost nine years ago, and the agriculture department was small,” says Kimberly, noting 15 to 20 students were a part of the agriculture and equine programs when she began teaching.

“Now, we have 45 to 60 students in the program.”

Kimberly teaches a variety of classes including natural resources, ecology, soils, general agriculture and an introduction to ag and natural resources course. Another instructor at MCC, Kristin Buck, teaches animal science classes.

MCC offers degree programs in equine management, livestock management, agriculture and natural resources, agribusiness, natural resource and range management, preveterinary animal science, wildlife and fisheries biology, agriculture production and general agriculture.

“Just this year, because of COVID-19, MCC has been looking at adding a meat processing degree program on campus. We now have a oneyear professional certificate for meat processing to offer students starting this spring,” Kimberly adds.

Student success Some students return to their family’s farm

Pilakowski angus

Annual Performance Tested Bull Sale

Monday, F e b r u a r y

8 , 2021

1:00 pm MST at Lightning Valley Ranch • 5 miles east of Arthur, NE on Hwy 92

INVESTING IN YOUR LEGACY

or ranch after attending MCC, while other students transfer to a four-year university. Either way, Kimberly looks to prepare students for success after their time at MCC. “I try to give students the experience they would get at a four-year college at a two-year college,” she shares. “I am preparing them for the transition to the four-year school if they choose to transfer and engage critical thinking skills for their futures.”

In her labs, Kimberly teaches water sampling, soil sampling, plant identification and range monitoring. She even has students submit a ranch management plan in their classes.

“Students compile data on a monitoring site and learn about it,” she explains. “When students move on, even if they don’t transfer, they need to understand the reason behind a grazing plan or a crop rotation and think through the process of making things work.”

Kimberly also encourages her students to seek internships related to fields of work they have interests in. Students have worked at Fort Keogh and other agricultural research service stations, Natural Resources and Conservation Service, Bureau of Land Management, the Miles City Livestock Commission and others.

Professional involvement Along with internships, Kimberly encourages involvement with professional organizations such as the Society for Range Management (SRM) and Young Farmers & Ranchers with the Montana Farm Bureau.

She has taken a few teams of students to the annual SRM meeting to compete in the Range Cup, where students apply a working knowledge of land and livestock management to address certain natural resources issues. Her teams have placed in the top of the competition multiple times, and the team from MCC won the contest in 2019.

“When they leave here, they leave well-trained and informed with connections to continue into their careers or further their education,” says Kimberly.

“Providing education to show students they need to be informed leaders and community members and showing them how to get involved is really important in rural states,” she continues. “At some point, these students are going to serve on school boards, run for county commissioner and be leaders in their trade.”

For more information, visit milescc.edu.

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

Selling 34 Bulls designed to meet the demands of all segments of the cattle industry

25 Bulls Top 10% for Weaning • 24 Bulls Top 10% for Yearling 21 Bulls Top 10% for $Weaning

MMP Renown H04

BW 3.0 • WW 79 • YW 144 • Milk 18 $W 64 • $B 126 Lot 1

MMP Blackhawk H42

BW 0.9 • WW 80 • YW 149 • Milk 34 $W 90 • $B 151 Lot 6

MMP Stellar H11

BW 1.3 • WW 92 • YW 164 • Milk 22 $W 89 • $B 158 Lot 2

MMP Southern Charm H63

BW 0.3 • WW 70 • YW 128 • Milk 32 $W 86 • $B 162 Lot 13

Sale will be broadcast at www.dvauction.com

Bulls have been Angus GS tested

MMP Blackout H73

BW 1.9 • WW 67 • YW 129 • Milk 30 $W 70 • $B 150 Lot 5

Hands-on learning – Students at MCC compile range monitoring data to put together their own ranch management and grazing plans. Courtesy photo

MMP Bextor H24

BW 0.9 • WW 63 • YW 103 • Milk 33 $W 80 • $B 116 Lot 18

Also selling sons of:

Sitz Stellar 726D, Connealy Dry Valley, Deer Valley Unique, SAV Renown, Bubs Southern Charm, SAV Quarterback

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Agriculture program – MCC offers nine different agriculturerelated degrees and programs, ranging from equine science to preveterinary science and agriculture business. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Functionality and profitability Gartner-Denowh Angus Ranch raises functional and profitable Angus cattle, tough enough to hold up in harsh conditions The Gartner-Denowh Angus Ranch (GDAR) near Sidney, Mont. has been raising Angus cattle for more than 60 years. It all began in 1950 when Russell Denowh married Patricia Gartner, the oldest daughter of Joe Gartner.

The young couple moved to Sidney in 1951 to work in partnership with Joe on his ranch.

“Joe was my great-grandfather,” says Chad Denowh, who is now part of the current generation on the ranch. “My great-grandpa had 10 daughters, and my grandpa Russell married the oldest one. They formed a great partnership, and grandpa wanted to raise functional cattle that would work well in our environment.

He and great-grandpa Joe bought their first Angus bull in 1953.”

GDAR was created in 1957 when Joe and Russell bought 20 head of registered Angus cows from a dispersion sale in Montana.

“This was back when Angus cattle were really small.

Grandpa bucked the trends of the day and tried to make them bigger in an effort to raise performance cattle,” says Chad.

Russell wanted to raise bulls for commercial operations in his area, so he selected genetics based on what he thought would create the most profit for ranchers in the harsh eastern Montana environment.

He realized the extremely short, small-framed Angus popular at the time were not high performers and decided to select for bigger, lengthier cattle with volume. He wanted cattle that performed better and were more realistic for the commercial operations of his area.

GDAR family history Since then, Montana has become well-known as the birthplace of performance testing and making progress

toward selecting high-performance cattle.

“Grandpa was on the forefront of the movement, and performance testing is still a big part of our program today,” Chad says.

In fact, Joe and Russell started their program with the goal of developing highly maternal and structurally sound performance cattle.

“Grandpa Russell always said it was most important to breed for the cow, and the rest would fall into place. A herd foundation is always built on good cows, and we still strive for good maternal traits in our cattle, including good mothering ability, milk, fertility, etc.

We also work very hard on structure,” explains Chad.

Russell was a strong advocate of performance testing and joined the Montana Beef Improvement Federation in 1957. GDAR later started participating in Angus Herd Improvement Records.

Their bulls were sold private treaty until their first sale, which was held at the ranch in 1968. GDAR was one of the first Angus ranches in Montana to offer yearling Angus bulls by auction.

Current family involvement In 1974, Russell and his son Mick, Chad’s father, bought Joe’s herd, but kept the ranch name. By this time, GDAR was calving nearly 150 cows and selling 60 bulls per year.

Russell’s other son Paul joined the operation in 1984, and GDAR expanded in 1990 with the purchase of the Blue Mountain Ranch, which consisted of 13,000 acres of native range to use for summer grazing. With this addition, GDAR expanded the herd to 800 cows.

The ranch has continued to steadily grow over the years.

In 2001, Chad graduated

Breed for the cow – Russell Denowh believed it was most important to breed for the cow and the rest would fall into place. GDAR continues to strive for good, maternal cattle. Courtesy photo

from college and moved home to the ranch. He started his own Angus operation in 2005, which he runs in conjunction with the GDAR herd.

In 2014, Chad and his wife Jennifer rented a ranch close to the Blue Mountain Ranch and now run commercial cows along with his registered herd. Paul’s son Casey, Chad’s cousin, joined the ranch in 2014.

Chad is in charge of the genetics and the cow side of the operation.

“My uncle and cousin are more in charge of the farming side and the mechanics of keeping the farm going. Dad and I take care of the cattle and make the breeding decisions,” he says. “It’s a great team effort.”

“We do a lot of artificial insemination (AI). We pretty

much do AI or embryo work with all the registered cows and AI most of the commercial cows as well,” Chad says.

Functional and profitable cattle Today, the ranch consists of three different locations, spread out over roughly 40 miles.

“We are currently running about 850 registered cows and 700 commercial cows. We have a lot of native range, and the cows are out in big pastures until late fall or early winter, usually until the grass snows under,” explains Chad.

“We pay attention to carcass traits, and we ultrasound our cattle and do carcass testing. We try for a good allaround package without sacrificing maternal qualities,” he continues. “This is the challenge – to have balanced traits which can improve our customers’ herds and calf crops.”

Chad notes GDAR tries to run their registered cows in the same manner as the commercial cattle, except they calve a little earlier – starting in late January – to have the bulls old

enough for their sale.

“We cull hard on the cows and pick bulls we think have good structure. We’ve added many things to our selection criteria along the way, but basically are still trying to create more functional and profitable cattle that will hold up in rough conditions for our commercial customers,” Chad says.

The GDAR annual bull sale is always the fourth Thursday in March, and this year’s sale will be held at the ranch on March 25.

Chad notes many GDARraised bulls have played important roles in the Angus breed, and several of them have been leased to bull studs.

All of these great bulls are a testament to the GDAR program of balanced trait selection for economically important traits.

For more information, visit gdar-angus.com.

Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.

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

Team effort – Today, GDAR is operated through a team effort of Denowh family members. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Family legacy

Goggins family continues operations built by family visions “My dad was very smart in diversifying operations,” says Joe Goggins on the many ventures the Goggins family partakes in – many initiated by his father, Pat Goggins.

The Vermilion Ranch, Diamond Ring Ranch, South Pryor Development Center and a few livestock marketing venues just touch the surface of what keeps the Goggins family busy and active in the cattle business.

Vermilion and Diamond Ring Ranches “The mother ship

really is the Vermilion Ranch,” says Joe. “The ranch is what started all of it and where all six of us kids grew up.”

The Vermilion Ranch, located outside Billings, Mont., is home to the Goggins family’s purebred registered Angus cowherd. Around 2,000 registered females are bred each year at the Vermilion Ranch, producing around 1,400 spring calves and 600 fall calves.

Spring bull calves are sold as yearlings the fol-

lowing spring, and fall bull calves are sold in the fall sale, according to Joe. “We have been very fortunate to have some bulls that we’ve had the ability to sell quite a bit of semen from,” he adds.

“We’ve always tried to keep our bulls looking like bulls and our cows looking like cows.”

“We really believe in performance, and we believe in keeping our seedstock herd close to the middle of the road, leaning a bit on the heavy

side,” Joe explains. “For the amount of cattle we feed, we don’t want one too big but we definitely don’t want one too small.

This is our philosophy as far as cattle go.”

Over the last few years, the Goggins family has set up to develop bulls in higher elevation to get pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) tested.

They place emphasis on addressing some of the issues of their customers.

The Vermilion Ranch Spring Performance Sale is March 25-26.

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businesses fall under the same umbrella and feed off of each other, says Joe. At the Diamond Ring Ranch, just outside of Miles City, Mont., the Goggins family backgrounds 5,000 to 5,500 steers from their bull customers. The Diamond Ring Ranch also hosts the Diamond Ring Ranch Black Angus Feeder Cattle Sale – the largest feeder sale in America featuring Angus feeder cattle.

Registered Angus cows and yearlings are run on Pryor Creek also.

South Pryor feedyards “At South Pryor we will develop between 10,000 and 11,000 replacement heifers and will background 3,000 to 4,000 head of steers at Pryor Creek,” Joe explains. “The heifers are tagged from the ranches they come from, and we sell 4,500 to 6,000 as commercial replacement heifers in the spring bull sale depending on the year.”

The lighter end of the heifers are run as yearlings.

“It’s really unique to see so many black heifers in one spot sorted to a ‘T’ in their pens. They get sorted often, and by the time they hit the bull sale, they’ve been sorted three to five times for quality and disposition,” Joe continues.

The Goggins’ operations also put up 15,000 to 20,000 tons of haylage and another 40,000 tons of corn silage for feed.

Auctions “My dad was the very first guy to ever have a video sale,” Joe shares.

“He had the very first video sale in the world back in the late 70s.”

Joe notes the video livestock market is something the family is very proud of, explaining the ability of his father to think ahead.

“The second video auction he ever had sold 19,000 cattle in one day, and he made the Guinness Book of World Records.

But, back in the 70s, video sales were not very fashionable. A lot of people thought he was crazy,” Joe continues.

Pat Goggins also had the very first weight scale in the sale ring so buyers and sellers could see what cattle weighed at Public Auction Yards (PAYS) in Billings.

“He built a lot of stuff and had a lot of vision. We are just trying to hold it together,” adds Joe. In addition to the ranches, the family has three livestock markets – PAYS and Billings Livestock in Billings, Mont. and Western Livestock Auction in Great Falls, Mont. as well as Northern Livestock Video Auction.

Family focus “We have a big family and it’s a good place to raise kids, which is all part of what we are doing,” shares Joe. “It’s a big outfit, but it keeps all the family members involved.

There are a lot of employees who have worked for us for 30 or 40 years.”

The Goggins family feeds a lot of cattle, breeds a lot of cattle and merchandises a lot of cattle, but they always believe in calves with performance.

“My father always told us there are five things we have to discuss in our family meetings for the organizations or we would not make it – faith, communication, work ethic, fairness and forgiveness.

Those would be the pillars of what we base everything around,” says Joe. For more information, visit vermilionangus.com.

Averi Hales is the editor of 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

Quality over quantity

Pine Coulee Angus produces esteemed seedstock, while striving for quality over quantity With nearly 45 years of experience in the industry, Jim Stampfel is no stranger to raising cattle in Montana. After growing up on a cattle operation, Jim spent some time off the ranch and eventually started Pine Coulee Angus.

According to Jim, Pine Coulee Angus is a familyfocused business owned and operated by Jim and Andrea Stampfel, along with their three sons – Colton, Ryland and Trey.

The majority of the registered cowherd is north of Red Lodge, Mont. on a place adjacent to the original Stampfel Ranch.

History Jim notes he began purchasing registered Angus cows when he was still in high school and has built his herd from there.

“When I was growing up, we raised Hereford cattle and eventually bought some Angus bulls.

We really liked what they did for our herd,” Jim says.

“When I started focus-

ing on registered cattle, Angus was a no-brainer for me due to the maternal qualities they bring to the table.”

“I always knew I wanted to be a rancher,” Jim says. “My older brother took over the original place and I went and worked off the ranch for about 10 years before coming back and purchasing my own place.”

Operation goals According to Jim, Pine Coulee Angus sells mostly to commercial breeders.

“I try to build around the cow, so phenotype is important,” he says. “I want them to have good udders and feet and an all-around solid maternal base.”

Jim adds, “I think a good cow raises good bulls and calves, so we really try to build around the cow.”

He continues, “Our herd is run like a commercial herd, we feed hay in the winter to the cows near Red Lodge due to the snow.

They are pastured on some rough, big country in the summer where they are forced to travel. We do not supplement other than hay in the winter, and we do not creep feed.”

“We raise our bulls like our customers will raise their calves, and it seems to work out really

well for everyone,” Jim says.

Quality over quantity Jim says he is very pleased with the size of their operation and the direction their sales are going. He notes they host an annual bull sale in March, where they sell around 150 bulls, as well as a female sale in conjunction with the Northern International Livestock Exposition (NILE) in October.

“I want to continue to get better. I am not expecting a lot of growth, and we like selling where we are

“We strive to keep a quality over quantity mindset.” – Jim Stampfel now. We want to continue to improve the herd,” he says.

Jim continues, “The last couple of years we started putting in 200 or so embryos a year with a lot of conventional and IVF embryos.”

Jim notes he has been doing embryo work for 15 years now.

“We started doing embryo work to improve

our herd. We would take our best cows and the best bulls in the breed to build our herd,” he says. “We strive to keep a quality over quantity mindset.”

For more information, visit pinecoulee.com.

Callie Hanson is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

Return to his roots – After spending time away from the ranch he was raised on, Jim Stampfel returned to his cattle ranching roots.

Courtesy photo

Big country – Cows at Pine Coulee Angus are summered on rough, big country, requiring the ability to move and travel. Courtesy photo

Building around the cow – Because cows are the foundation of an operation, Pine Coulee Angus builds their herd around the cow.

Courtesy photo

Solid maternal base – Cows at Pine Coulee Angus are selected for having a strong maternal base with good feet and udders. Courtesy photo

Family focused – Pine Coulee Angus is a family focused operation, owned and operated by Jim, Andrea, Colton, Ryland and Trey Stampfel. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Retaining famous Black Angus qualities Shipwheel Cattle Company works to preserve and provide historic Angus genetics Shipwheel Cattle Company, a family operation run by Klint and Lori Swanson with their children Austin and Bree, is a tale of two intertwining stories with roots spanning generations deep into Angus history.

Deep family roots “My family homesteaded in 1896, west of Valier, Mont., and raised Herefords in a predominately Hereford area for most of the early 1900s,”

explains Klint. “In 1945, my granddad was one of the first cowmen to bring Black Angus cattle to northern Montana.”

Klint notes his grandfather made the switch to Angus cattle after getting tired of dealing with some of the problems plaguing the Hereford breed. Nearly 15 years later, in the 1960s, Klint’s parents founded Apex Angus, where they began raising and marketing bulls from a herd of

registered cows they purchased.

“I was born in 1975, and when I turned nine in 1984, my parents let me pick two heifers out of the registered herd, which is how I personally got started in the cattle business,” says Klint. “In 1998, I married Lori. We stayed in Valier with my family

for a few years, and then we had an opportunity to lease Lori’s folks’ place on Clear Creek, south of Chinook, Mont. and 150 miles east of Valier.”

Klint notes he and Lori continued to market bulls with Apex Angus until 2009 when they got big enough to venture out on their own.

“We formed Shipwheel Cattle Company – the name of which comes from our shipwheel brand, given to me by my grandmother,” explains Klint, noting during their first year the operation sold 23

bulls in a small silent auction sale in a chute house.

Since then, Shipwheel Cattle Company has flourished into a much larger, esteemed operation, marketing 100 coming twoyear-old bulls and 150 to 200 bred females every December in addition to 60 bulls private treaty in the spring.

Keeping Angus cattle great Today, the Swanson family runs nearly 1,200 mother cows, 500 of which are registered Black Angus.

“We have continued to

raise Black Angus cattle because Black Angus cows are the envy of every other breed,” Klint states. “They have a multitude of desirable traits, serving several different purposes including strong maternal and growth traits. Black Angus cattle can do everything needed to be done to keep ranchers profitable.”

With this said, Klint notes Shipwheel Cattle Company’s number one philosophy is to keep the Black Angus cow great.

“Lori and I and the kids, in addition to a partContinued on next page

Family tradition – Klint’s grandfather was one of the first cowmen to bring Angus genetics to northern Montana. Today, Klint, Lori, Austin and Bree Swanson continue the family tradition of raising quality Angus cattle. Courtesy photo

Envy of other breeds – Klint Swanson says Black Angus cattle’s multitude of desirable traits makes them the envy of every other breed. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page time hand, are running our 1,200 cows, so they need to be able to do the work,” he says. “With limited feed and labor resources, our cows have to run in a true commercial environment – range calving on their own and grazing winter pastures after weaning until the snow gets too deep.”

“We don’t run a typical registered outfit,” Klint adds. “We don’t calve in January and February.

Instead, we are calving in late April, May and June.

Our cows calve out on their own. We ride through them and tag, but our cows are not pampered. They graze native short and tall grasses and travel in steep terrain. Our climate can be extreme, with temperatures ranging from negative 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.”

Klint continues, “I think it is so important to remember if a registered cow is a role model for a commercial cow, she needs to be treated like one.”

Avoiding extremes In regards to Shipwheel Cattle Company’s breeding program, Klint notes every one of the registered cows is bred via artificial insemination (AI) once and then put with

clean-up bulls.

They also flush five to 10 of their best cows and transplant nearly 100 embryos into their own recipient cows every year.

“A cow here has to prove herself before being flushed here,” states Klint.

“Many of the cows we flush are in their teens.”

Additionally, Klint notes the Shipwheel Cattle Company cowherd is not bred for extremes.

“There are getting to be some extremes in the Angus breed nowadays with growth and carcass traits, but those kinds of cattle don’t work here,” Klint says. “In my opinion, the Angus breed has seen a push for low birthweights for too long, and in doing so, survivability has been sacrificed.”

Klint also believes trimming feet and throwing bad foot genetics back into the breeding pool is another problem seen in the industry. Therefore, he notes Shipwheel Cattle Company never trims feet on any of their animals and culls very hard on their cowherd.

“Our main focus is breeding sound, problemfree cattle with longevity and fertility,” he adds.

“A medium, easy fleshing,

1,350-pound cow is ideal here, and retaining the qualities the Black Angus cow is famous for is one of our top priorities.”

Providing profitable genetics Ultimately, Shipwheel Cattle Company is a seedstock business, and providing customers with quality genetics is a top priority for the operation as well.

“Every bull we sell is bred, born and raised on our ranch,” states Klint.

“We run our own feedlot, so our bulls are also fed out on our place. They aren’t pushed. We grow

them out slowly in the lot and then kick them out for grass in the summer.

Everything happens right here.”

The Shipwheel Cattle Company’s annual production sale is also held on the ranch every December in the Swanson family’s sale barn. This past year, on Dec. 9, the operation sold 100 coming two-year-old bulls and 200 breeding females.

“We take the seedstock business very seriously and consider it our responsibility to provide our customers with genet-

“Our main focus is breeding sound, problemfree cattle with longevity and fertility. A medium, easy fleshing, 1,350-pound cow is ideal here, and retaining the qualities the Black Angus cow is famous for is one of our top priorities.”

– Klint Swanson ics that are going to keep them profitable,” Klint states. “We are so thankful for our many customers who have supported us along the way because without them we wouldn’t be where we are today. We are also always looking

forward to making new friendships in the future.”

For more information, visit shipwheelcattle.com.

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

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Getting started – Klint Swanson started his cattle business at the age of nine after picking two heifers out of his parents’ registered herd. Now, he raises some of the finest Angus genetics in eastern Montana. Courtesy photo

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Profitable genetics – As a seedstock business, Shipwheel Cattle Company considers it their responsibility to provide customers with profitable genetics. Courtesy photo

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Late-spring calving – Shipwheel Cattle Company doesn’t calve in early spring like many registered operations. Instead, they calve in late April, May and June. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Jenna explains the property on which the Big Horn Donor Facility sits was purchased around five years ago by Dave and Wanda.

“Three years ago, my husband and I approached the Reisig family about starting a donor facility,” states Jenna. “Originally, there wasn’t a lot of infrastructure on the place. The skeleton was there, but we had to piece it together.”

She notes this skeleton included several buildings

A helping hand

Big Horn Donor Facility offers a helping hand in the care and preparation of donor cows In the short course of three years, Dave and Wanda Reisig in partnership with Jenna and Taylor Sidwell, have created a high-quality donor facility to help cattlemen with preparations and care

through the process of embryo transfer (ET).

“There are quite a few producers who have one or two cows they like to flush, but spring is such a busy time on a ranch, and they don’t have time

to deal with donor cows,” explains Jenna. “Big Horn Donor Facility gives these producers the opportunity to drop off their donor cows, and we take care of them from there.”

Building the facility

with horse stalls and a riding area, originally built as a horse facility. However, there were no corrals or sturdy fences.

“We spent the first year building infrastructure and pens,” she says. “We also

put a chute and alley in one of the original buildings to convert it into a working facility. We can now easily house up to 100 donors.”

Today, the majority of the Big Horn Donor Continued on next page

Infrastructure improvements – The Reisig and Sidwell families spent their first year at the Big Horn Donor Facility building and improving the infrastructure. Today, the facility can easily house up to 100 donor cows. Courtesy photo

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition

Continued from previous page Facility’s customer base hails from Montana, although Jenna says their reach extends into Wyoming, Colorado and North Dakota.

Caring for donors Although the operation is in the midst of a small seasonal lull, Jenna says the donor facility is anticipating a large uptick in activity in the next few months.

“We provide care for donor cattle during breeding season,” she explains.

“Most producers don’t have time in the spring to care for their donor cows so they drop them off at our facility, and we take care of the pre-flush set up, shots, flushing and getting

in contact with an embryologist who will come in and do the ET work.”

Jenna says customers have the option of utilizing an embryologist already scheduled with the Big Horn Donor Facility or using one they have an established relationship with.

“We really just leave it up to our customers,” says Jenna. “If there is an embryologist they typically work with, we will line the cows up for them so the customer can keep a strong relationship with their embryologist.”

Jenna explains cows are blood tested upon arrival and placed in a quarantine pen until test results

come back. This ensures each cow is healthy before they are turned out with the rest of the donors.

Once a clean blood test comes back, Jenna says cows are turned out on a pivot of 60 acres, where they have plenty of room to get out and graze.

For cows needing special attention, Jenna says the facility houses open pens large enough for animals to move around and get a fair amount of exercise.

YOUR FORAGE

“We spend a lot of our time makings sure donors are properly cared for,” Jenna notes. “Our biggest goal is to run cows like cows. We don’t like to return an overconditioned donor back to its owner.

We want to keep them in moderate, working shape while providing them with a proper plane of nutrition and mineral program so they can go home, get out and graze and be productive.”

“Most producers don’t have time in the spring to care for their donor cows so they drop them off at our facility, and we take care of the preflush set up, shots, flushing and getting in contact with an embryologist who will come in and do the ET work.” – Jenna Sidwell For more information, visit the Big Horn Facility’s Facebook page or call Jenna at 307-200-1193 or Taylor at 406-425-2636.

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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • 2021 Winter Cattlemen’s Edition