Cow Camp Ranch Named BIF Seedstock Producer of Year
BIF honors Kansas Sim-Angus operation.
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Cow Camp Ranch, Lost Springs, Kan., was named the 2021 BIF Seedstock Producer of the Year during an awards ceremony June 24 in Des Moines, Iowa. Pictured are (from left) Greg Henderson, Drovers, award sponsor; Kent and Jean Brunner, Cow Camp Ranch; and Joe Mushrush, 2020-2021 BIF president. |
MANHATTAN, Kan. (June 24, 2021) — The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) recognized Cow Camp Ranch, Lost Springs, Kan., as the 2021 BIF Seedstock Producer of the Year June 24 during the group’s annual symposium and convention in Des Moines, Iowa. This national award is presented annually to a producer to recognize their dedication to improving the beef industry at the seedstock level.
Cow Camp Ranch is located on the western edge of the Flint Hills near Lost Springs, Kan., just off the old Santa Fe Trail. The Brunner family has been farming and ranching since the early 1890s and now is in its fifth generation of operation on some of the same land.
The registered cow herd was founded in 1969 by Kent Brunner using some of the original Simmental genetics that were imported into the United States. Soon after, Cow Camp Ranch became an early member of the American Simmental Association (ASA). Today, the ranch is managed by Kent and his son, Nolan.
The cow herd consists of 800 registered Simmental, Sim-Angus and Angus cows that are managed on native Flint Hills grass year-round. Crossbreeding is utilized to maximize the genetic potential of both the Simmental and Angus breeds. About 300 embryos are transferred every year, with the balance of the cow herd and replacement heifers artificially inseminated.
The Brunner family markets about 250 bulls each year, with the majority being sold through an annual spring bull sale the first Friday in February. A select group of females are marketed at the time, with the balance sold private treaty.
In addition to the seedstock operation, the Brunner family owns and operates a 9,000-head commercial feedyard managed by Kent’s brothers, Mark and Tracy Brunner. The entire Brunner family operation consists of 15,000 owned and leased acres, a large portion of which is native Flint Hills grazing lands. The remaining acres are devoted to hay and crop production.
Cow Camp Ranch was nominated by the Kansas Livestock Association.
More than 400 beef producers, academia and industry representatives attended the organization’s 53rd Annual Research Symposium & Convention in Des Moines, Iowa, and another 250 registered to participate online. BIF’s mission is to help improve the industry by promoting greater acceptance of beef cattle performance evaluation.
For more information about this year’s symposium, including additional award winners, Angus Media coverage of the symposium and an archive to coverage of past conferences, go to BIFconference.com.
Editor’s Note: This news release was provided by the Beef Improvement Federation and can thus be reproduced without further permissions. For additional information, contact Angie Stump Denton, BIF communication coordinator, at angiedenton@ksu.edu or 785-562-6197.
BIFconference.com is a meeting coverage site provided by Angus Media. For questions about this site, or to notify us of broken links, click here. Look for additional coverage in the Angus Journal, the Angus Beef Bulletin, the AJ Daily, and the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA.
