2013 Brush Country Bull Sale – 27
For Ford’s Double S Ranch at Thrall, Texas a positive change came
in the late 90’s when Tom and Sandy Ford made the move to black
Simmental genetics in response to a changing beef business. With
the return to the ranch of Dustin Ford and his wife Heidi after graduating
from Tarleton State University, infusions of new cattle and ideas
came together to help shape the operation that is today. According
to Dustin, “Since that time, we’ve added SimAngus to our purebred
program and have set significant genetic focus on carcass value
traits in addition to providing the problem free maternal genetics
that our customer’s need to be successful.” Dustin and Heidi
have two sons Justin and Cameron.
The ranch is owned by Tom and Sandy Ford. With more than 30
years experience in the restaurant industry in addition to the seed-
stock business, The Ford’s bring a wealth of understanding as to how the beef supply chain functions and how
crucial starting with high value genetics is to the profitability of the entire system. Tom started his career with Sirloin
Stockade corp. and is now the owner/C.E.O. of the company. Sirloin Stockade owns/operates three different
restaurant concepts, Sirloin Stockade, Montana Mike's and Coyote Canyon.
Filegonia Cattle Co. is located in central Texas near Troy. Owned and operated
by Joe and Beth Mercer, the operation strives to breed and improve a heat
adapted combination of Simmental with Red Angus genetics, for more than 20
years. “This combination really works for our customers. Whether it is in the
traditional 5/8, 3/8 combination of purebred Simbrah, of an updated percentage
based on functionality and value, these cattle now offer a great combination of
maternal, longevity traits and terminal value,” says Beth.
The Dusty Ford Family of Ford’s Double S Ranch
DA Cattle is committed to producing Angus cattle that are proven performers
for cattlemen in Texas. DA Cattle is owned by Charlie Murray and Paul
Aelvoet and located in D'Hanis, Texas. DA Cattle's Angus herd is raised and
developed under the harsh conditions associated with south Texas. Breed
leading Angus genetics are selected to produce cattle for top performance
and eye appeal, not just EPDs. DA Cattle's goal is to produce cattle that are
uniform, fertile, and loaded with economically important production traits.
The 2nd Annual Brush Country Bull Sale is scheduled for December 14, 2013. Every one of the participants has
been in the seedstock business for more than 20 years. “Together we think we can provide the genetics people
need regardless of the part of the country these bulls end up”, says Brad Leen of Premier Genetics.
According to Beth Mercer, “The bulk of the bulls we offer will feature a percentage of Brahman genetics to fit the
maternal needs of the region, but our SimAngus bull offering is designed to add value to the heat adapted genetics
that already dominate the cow herd in this region”.
