A Good Ride
With a childhood spent around registered Brown Swiss dairy
cattle and hours upon hours in the milk parlor , one would not have expected Robert “ Bob ” Stone to have spent the last 20-plus years making a name for himself in the beef industry .
Bob and his sister , Karen , spent their childhood exhibiting their dairy cattle across the country , but it wasn ’ t until years after their days in the show ring that they dove into the Limousin breed . Since purchasing the first foundation females with his sister Karen in 1994 , Stone Valley Limousin in Cashion , Oklahoma , has been breeding some of the best fullblood genetics in the business .
“ I knew we wanted to go back into the cattle business ,” Bob said . “ We weren ’ t in the dairy industry anymore , so we made the choice to go with fullblood Limousin .”
The siblings knew they wanted a solid breed to start their farm on and were drawn to the looks of Limousin cattle . Bob said the breed had the basic traits both he and Karen appreciated in livestock but still offered enough room in the industry for them to grow .
The presence of horns on cattle , for example , was one area Bob and Karen were eager to focus on in their herd .
“ Our foundation cattle were all horned cattle , but we made the decision that the polled route was where we wanted to go ,” Bob explains . For convenience and to meet the demands of both their seedstock and commercial producers , this was a decision that certainly paid off for the duo and their operation .
After Karen left the operation in 2013 due to health reasons , Bob started his own herd . After purchasing a new set of 20 foundation females , Stone Valley Limousin continued building on their legacy within the cattle industry . Genetics from those females are still the main set of genetics within the herd today .
While Bob said he has a few Lim-Flex and black purebreds , the vast majority of his operation is built on the backs of the original red hides of the Limousin cattle originating from France .
Bob manages today ’ s herd of close to 50 cow / calf pairs with the help of his three children Amy , Brad and Coni ; their spouses ; and his 10 grandchildren .
“ All three of my children have full time jobs , but all , in one way or another , are involved , part time , on the farm ,” he said . “ It ’ s a change of pace for them to help their dad , and I appreciate that very much .”
42 • JANUARY 2021