LIMOUSIN TODAY February2019_LimToday_WEB | Page 31

Feature to the Angus bull SAV Platinum to increase the heterosis in the herd. The cows have been clean-upped to a son of SYES User Friendly. The AI bred heifers start calving around March 10 and the AI bred cows start about March 20. The rest of the cow herd calves for about 60 days starting April 1. Living in South Dakota they had the availability to feed what their farm produced and were able to background their calves until they weighed about 850 pounds before selling them. The calves where sold at the local sale barn and many times they were purchased by the Symens Brothers for their feedlot. Since moving to Montana in 2015, they have sold their calves at the Billings Livestock Commission’s “Best of the West” Feeder Calf Sale each November. In 2018, their heaviest calves weighted 542 lbs. and sold at the top of the market that day. “Ty Thompson and the folks at BLS have done a great job promoting the calves each year,” said Greg. To help give potential buyers more Limousin cross calves to select from at that sale, they have joined forces with fellow commercial Limousin cattlemen Joe Foran, Grass Range, Montana. Together the two operations can offer potential buyers over 200 head of Limousin sired calves. “Joe’s been great to work with and I think selling our calves in the same sale has benefitted both of us,” Greg explained. The Stamp’s Montana ranch encompasses about 4,000 acres of short grass country. While the move was a big change from their eastern South Dakota roots, the Stamps know they made the right decision to relocate to Big Sky Country. Branding day with Greg, his daughter Morgan, right, and the help of a couple local high school boys. “The cattle are our true love and we really enjoy the opportunity to concentrate strictly on them. In South Dakota it was always a battle between the farming and ranching sides of our operation. . . we have a lot less stress today,” Candi stated. The cow herd has handled the move well too. “These Limousin cows are very hardy and have adapted well to their new environment,” Greg observed. It’s a safe bet that Limousin genetics will continue to play a strong role in the Stamp’s breeding program. “Limousin bulls adds pounds through genetics, you don’t have to feed it on,” Greg concluded. I LIMOUSIN Today | 29