BULL POWER
Meyer Ranch uses all Limousin bulls on commercial Angus females to get better performance and more opportunities to market their calves for premiums .
by Sharla Ishmael
Keeping the next generation a part of a family ranching operation is no easy feat , but Dave and Brenda Meyer of Flasher , North Dakota , have figured out how to make room for all five sons in the family business .
In the beautiful , rolling hills southwest of Bismarck , each of the Meyers ’ sons have their own ranch and cattle herd within about 35 miles of the home place . While each makes his own decisions , they all help each other with labor and equipment .
“ It really is a true , family working relationship ,” explains Dave . “ The daughters-in-law all work on the farm doing the same things the guys do , cutting hay and whatever needs done . Nobody works off the farm .”
Changing the herd bull battery over to Limousin back in the late ’ 90s proved a pivotal decision that helped diversify and expand the family ’ s operations . Utilizing a terminal crossbreeding program that
produces halfblood Limousin calves has given Meyer Ranch more pounds to sell due to better yield grades . As well , it opened a whole world of opportunities in the natural product and age- and sourceverified niche markets . It also gave them access to a veal market where the buyer specifically wants to buy half blood Limousin calves and a grass-fed market , too .
“ The majority of our cows , probably 80 percent , are commercial Angus cows ,” Dave says . “ We bought about 90 Limousin bulls last year ; 95 % of those come from Wulf Cattle . We bought about half at their sale and the other half private treaty . We calve year-round , so we use our bulls more than once a year ; we breed them in the spring and fall . Our bulls probably end up breeding almost twice as many cows as other folks .
Because they all work their ranches together , the Meyer family also share the bulls and can rotate them among themselves as needed . The
50 • OCTOBER 2021