2017 Seedstock Producer Nominees

The Beef Improvement Federation announces its 2017 nominees for Seedstock Producer of the Year.

Each year the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) recognizes outstanding seedstock operations during its annual symposium, crowning one overall winner as Seedstock Producer of the Year. Nominees are evaluated on criteria including short- and long-term goals, records systems and implementation, breeding systems, selection objectives/culling criteria and process, marketing practices and customer relations, carcass data collection and application, forage resources and stewardship, innovations/improvements and use of technology, contributions to community and industry, and vision of BIF's role.

Barrett Cattle, Grantville, Kansas

Owners/Managers: Gene, Anna, Payden and Ella Barrett

Barrett Cattle has been a registered Angus seedstock provider for more than 18 years, having evolved from a set of 20 commercial heifers to their current inventory of more than 200 registered

Angus females. In addition to their cow herd, they custom artificial inseminate (AI) 6,500 to 7,000 head of cattle each year. They live and winter their cattle in the same area that Anna’s family homesteaded more than 150 years ago, with their children working as the sixth generation along the banks of Prairie Creek near Grantville, KS, in southwestern Jefferson County.

The beef industry is their history and their future, with a diverse background in many aspects of the agriculture industry on both sides of the family. Gene’s grandfather and great-grandfathers were meat cutters and owned meat shops from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. Family, hard work, commitment to their trade and helping others is their foundation. They are proud to carry this forward and strive to develop their operation and their lives with respect to the hard work that has come before them. They don’t consider themselves a large operation, but their current size allows them to know every animal and appreciate the importance of the day-to-day visual knowledge of their cows.

Their 1,100 acres are spread between two counties, with their summer grass along the very edge of the Flint Hills in northern Shawnee County and their fescue-brome-based winter grass in Jefferson County. Their cows are managed as a commercial herd would be. Their bulls and replacements are better because of this management style; and their customers appreciate it, too. They begin calving in late August and, with the first calf of the season, consider this day one of their operational year.

Barrett Cattle is proudly nominated by the Kansas Livestock Association.

Gates Limousin Ranch, Roscoe, Montana

Owner: Mary Gates
Manager: Gary Gates

Gates Limousin Ranch is a family owned and operated ranch located in the shadows of the Beartooth Mountains in southern Montana. The Gates Family has run a commercial cow/calf operation in Stillwater and Sweetgrass Counties of Montana for over 50 years.

In 2002, Mary brought the first registered Limousin female home to the ranch signaling the start of the seedstock portion of the operation. Since that time Gates Limousin has put together a solid registered herd to compliment the commercial females. With a focus to add genetics that look as good on paper as they do in the pasture, the registered herd has experienced modest but guided growth. Currently, there are about 140 commercial cows and 70 registered cows roaming the ranch.

As we continue to expand the registered herd, Gates Limousin Ranch has focused on producing bulls that will work for commercial cattlemen. In attempts to better serve the commercial market, Gates Limousin Ranch has also expanded its product line to include Lim-Flex® cattle. If the bulls they raise aren’t good enough for use on their own commercial herd, they wouldn’t think about selling them to their customers. Gates Limousin Ranch is nothing without its customers, and they strive to provide the best customer service possible.

The North American Limousin Foundation is proud to nominate Gates Limousin Ranch.

Hillside Angus Farm, Albertville, Alabama

Owners/Managers: Dale and Judy Parris

Hillside Angus Farm, owned and operated by Dale and Judy Parris, is located on Sand Mountain in northeast Alabama. Hillside Angus Farm purchased their first registered Angus cows in 1982 and joined the American Angus Association and the Alabama Angus Association soon after. Performance record keeping through the Angus Herd Improvement Record (AHIR) Program began in 1986. The first calf crop resulted in an average 205-day weight for bulls of 550 pounds and for heifers an average of 472 pounds. Through dedication to genetic improvement and diligent record keeping for the past 30 years, the 2015-16 calf crop resulted in an average 205 day weight of 770 pounds for bulls and 652 pounds for heifers.

A fall calving season is planned annually beginning the first of September, to market bulls and females in spring sales. Artificial insemination with estrus synchronization is used to capture top-performing Angus genetics with a clean-up bull to complete the breeding season. Embryo transfer has also been utilized at different times in the past 25 years for genetic advancement of the herd. A long term goal of the farm is to further genetic improvement, continuing to collect complete performance data, and utilizing all available genetic selection tools, such as genomic testing, genomic-enhanced EPDs and carcass ultrasound.

Dale Parris serves in many leadership roles throughout the cattle industry. He is a past president of the Alabama Angus Association and currently serves as a director. At present, he also serves as president of the Marshall County Cattlemen’s Association. He is one of the founders and prominent leader of the Northeast Performance Breeders Angus Sale, which just completed its’ 20th anniversary event.

The Alabama Beef Cattle Improvement Association is proud to nominate Hillside Angus Farm.

Hunt Limousin Ranch, Oxford, Nebraska

Owners: Charles and Nancy Hunt
Managers: Charles Hunt and son Daniel Hunt

“Conserve the land for the future generations, keep current and knowledgeable on the leading cattle issues, high quality cattle for a fair price, and treat people with honesty and integrity.” The Charles Hunt Family operation began in the 1960s after Charlie attended the University of Nebraska. With a love for God, family, the land, and cattle Charlie and Nancy were ready for the opportunity to do then what they still enjoy doing today, over 56 years later, raising cattle.

Currently, the 6,500 acre diversified operation consists of dryland and irrigated corn, soybeans, alfalfa, wheat and grass land which supports 300 cows, private treaty bulls, and replacement females. Genetics have been placed all over the globe, including Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. Bulls have been on display at the National Western Stock Show for the past 32 years and the Hunts have attended many BIF, NCBA, and numerous other Ag conferences. Charlie has been the recipient of many awards including the first ever Commercial Marketing Supporter Award from the North American Limousin Foundation. One of their most prestigious awards was being inducted into the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Hall of Fame.

The customers and acquaintances the Hunts have met in the beef industry have become some of their best friends. Hunt Limousin Ranch has hosted tour groups and individuals from foreign countries who want to learn the “Hunt Way”. All visitors are welcomed with a homemade meal and hot cup of coffee. Hunts take pride in making bull selection a relaxed, low-stress experience.

Charlie and Nancy have four children; David, Susan, Sally and Daniel and nine grandchildren. Their family is always ready to offer a helping hand on the ranch. One of their greatest honors is to have Dan, his wife Melinda, and their children Jenna, Adeline, and Houston living and working beside them, benefiting Hunt Limousin Ranch and the beef industry.

Hunt Limousin Ranch is proudly nominated by the Nebraska Cattlemen.

Suhn Cattle Company, Eureka, Kansas

Owners/Managers: Vernon and Vicki Suhn

Vernon Suhn was raised on a large commercial operation in South Dakota where they incorporated some of the first large scale use of AI and utilized several of the continental breeds upon their introductions in the 70s. From there they went on to manage purebred Angus operations for Ankony Shadow Isle in California and Loos Angus in Nebraska. In 1980, Vicki and Vernon moved to Texas and went to work as operation manager for Brinks Brangus. While at Brinks Brangus, Vernon was instrumental in establishing a bull development program from which he started marketing bulls at 12 months of age and worked with Glenn Brinkman and K-State in developing ultrasound technology.

In 1990, Vernon and Vicki purchased their own place in the Flint Hills of Kansas near Eureka. What began with 15 head of Brangus and Angus females has grown to 350 Brangus and Ultrablack females. The majority of their growth has been through the genetics of six cow families and utilizing an extensive AI and embryo transplant program. They employ both a spring- and fall-calving season to best utilize their combination of native bluestem and fescue grasses.

From their beginning, they established a bull development facility where they developed and merchandized not only their own bulls but also those of a select group of other smaller breeders. All bulls and females are ultrasound scanned as yearlings and in the past several years they have also incorporated parent verification and DNA technology in their evaluation process. 2017 will be their 24th bull sale and their eighth sale under the GENETRUST Marketing Alliance, which they helped form in 2009 and Vernon served as president of and has grown to currently rank number fifteen in Beef Magazine’s top 100 seedstock producers.

The International Brangus Breeders Association is proud to nominate Suhn Cattle Company.

Waukaru Farms, Rensselaer, Indiana

Owners: Barry & Anita, Mark & Heidi, and Toby & Jodi Jordan
Manager: Toby Jordan

Waukaru Farms Inc., a diversified family farming operation in Northwest Indiana, began using registered Shorthorn bulls in 1902. From the early 1900s–1940s three breeds of cattle (Angus, Hereford, and Shorthorn) grazed the sandhills and marsh ground at Waukaru. Today our Waukaru herd consists of 200 Shorthorn females calving in the spring, another 50 in the fall, and 1,300 acres of corn. The top 50% of the bulls sell through the annual bull sale in March; ownership is retained on steers and carcass data collected. In September, Waukaru holds the longest running female sale in the breed.

Waukaru, a Shorthorn breed leader in data submission, began performance testing and collecting carcass data in 1960. The 1970s brought wide use of artificial insemination and then non-surgical embryo transfer. Data from a multitude of environments across the US and Australia is used in structured progeny tests since the 1980s. Waukaru was involved in the discovery and validation of tests for genetic defects, de-worming products, fescue tolerance, Johne’s disease eradication programs, timed AI systems, and carcass tenderness, in cooperation with MARC, Purdue University, Oklahoma State University, University of Illinois, Iowa State University, and Kansas State University among others. Performance and carcass data collected at Waukaru since the 1960s was important in the development of the breed’s first sire summary. Today Waukaru includes DNA submission for GE-EPDs as vital technologies. Waukaru genetics can be found in 40 of the 50 U.S. states, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, South Africa, and China.

Waukaru Farms is proudly nominated by the American Shorthorn Association.

Editor’s Note: Biographies are provided courtesy of the Beef Improvement Federation.