The Herd Bulls : Predominately raised in our registered herd. Black Angus and Black Simmentals are featured.
The Cows & Replacements: We consider functional cows to be the success of any working cattle ranch. Our cows are here to produce beef, either directly, or indirectly through their daughters. The first black cows were purchased by Connie's Grandfather in 1948. 65 years and four generations later, the cow herd is straightbred black angus and producing a top quality product.
The Steers: This healthy group of calves are available for the stocker and grasser market. Persued by repeat buyers!
The Heifers: We select 20 to 30 straight-breds for our own herd and another small group from the Simm sired group to sell as Breds. Heifers are offered as open replacements, in drafts of 10 head or larger and sorted as straight-bred or F1 crosses.
The commercial straight bred black angus cow herd consists of the ranch holdings of Don and Connie, Darby and Sarah, and Connie's parents; Alfred and Josephine Wardberg.
Three generations working together to continue the angus tradition which was established in 1948 by Connie's Grandparents.
Breeding . . . Calving
The cow herd remains to be 100% straight bred black Angus. The 2009 breeding season marked the beginning of our crossbred program in which one-half of the cow herd is covered with Black Simmental bulls ~ all our replacements are selected from the Black Angus sired heifers.
The sort on the cow herd is done by Mother Nature as per sex of calf. With a split by the calf's sex, either Black Angus or Black Simmental Herd Sires are turned out with the cow herd for a middle of April calving season. The Angus bulls are raised in our purebred program and the Black Simmental sires are purchased from Boundary Ranch.
Spring and Summer Management
Depending on spring conditions, winter feeding is continued until the pasture can offer green grass or carry over of last year's growth. The commercial herd is pasture calved. Calves are branded, vaccinated and castrated early June.
Pairs are sorted - cows with steer calves go to different pasture than those with heifer calves. Our land base is spread out so weaning the feeder steer calves in the fall, is economically more efficient if the calves are all loaded at the same time and place. It also allows us to select the breed sires on a random group of cows each year.
Left: Feeder steers with mother cows, sell in the Fall.
The Angus sired calves carry the Canadian Angus Associations CACP (RFID) tags. Age verification available.
Fall and Winter Management ______
The steer and heifer calves are weaned onto a tubground bunk ration of silage, dryland hay & green feed bales with free-choice dryland hay, salt & mineral. Booster vaccinations are given. Bred heifers and the cowherd fall graze the stubble until conditions warrant ther winter ration of baled greenfeed and dryland hay/grass. Salt and mineral is offered free-choice, year a round.
Three generations working together to continue the angus tradition which was established in 1948 by Connie's Grandparents.
