Glendenning J Bar J
Coming Full Circle
by Megan Silveira
Simply put , four generations of the Glendenning family have come to love the Limousin breed .
From the first duo of Jack and Jane , to the current gang of boys under the age of three that wander the land in Lebanon , Missouri , four generations of the Glendenning family have called J Bar J Ranch home .
“ I was raised on a cow-calf operation ,” said Jack Glendenning , Jack and Jane ’ s son and the second generation to run the operation . “ The neat part about it is I was born and raised on the farm my parents have right now . They own it and will own it forever .”
Since the beginning , cattle have been a part of the family on the ranch . While Herefords and black Angus were the first breeds to join the ranch , Glendenning said he became hooked on the Limousin breed in 1984 , when he and his father purchased their first fullblood bull .
“ I never switched back ,” Glendenning explains , describing how he slowly infused Limousin genetics by breeding up those 50 % females before committing to a registered herd .
Nowadays , with the help of his children and young grandchildren , Glendenning runs 120 registered and commercial cow-calf pairs , a combination of registered Limousin and red Angus . The ranch operates on a 60-day calving period in both the fall and spring with extensive embryo transfer ( ET ) and artificial insemination ( AI ) programs .
When the ranch first shifted to the Limousin breed , Glendenning said the weaning weight of their herd almost doubled .
“ We liked the extra muscle involved when we put Limousin on English cattle ,” he said . “ The main reason we stuck with them all these years was performance .”
As J Bar J Ranch became more engrossed in the breed , Glendenning said he had the unique opportunity of watching his children grow up as a part of the Limousin industry . Glendenning and his wife , Vicky ’ s , three children — Josh , Jace and Jayme — all expressed an eagerness to be involved in the breed .
“ I didn ’ t make them do any of it ,” Glendenning said . “ They love the cattle business .”
From working on the operation as they grew up to showing livestock at county fairs , all three of the Glendenning siblings were involved in the ranch until they reached college .
“ The way my parents raised us really effected our whole lives ,” Josh says . “ We couldn ’ t be any more blessed to have the parents we do .”
Josh reflects on childhood memories of attending cattle sales and hours spent feeding cows as a family . He said from the moment he was first allowed out in the pasture , he had no doubts about his passion for the cattle industry . continued on page 68
Top : While separate entities , often times the lines blur between Jack and Vicki ’ s “ day job ”— Sand Spring Resort — and their cattle operation . Not only is their beef served at their Gravel Bar restaurant , many Limousin meetings and sales have taken place on the Sand Spring property .
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Bottom : It takes between 15 and 20 head to supply the Gravel Bar with the Glendennings home-raised beef .
• JULY 2021