Keeping it local: Leadore Angus Ranch shares top-notch genetics with neighbors and local community
In 1967, Karl Tyler started working on a ranch in Leadore, Idaho cutting hay. Twenty-seven years later, Karl had saved up enough money to buy the ranch. Since then, he has added a plethora of neighboring acres and built a well-respected Black Angus cowherd.
Today, Karl and his wife Donna, their daughter Kristine and Charlie and Becka Stipe own and operate the Leadore Angus Ranch in Leadore, Idaho with the help of 10 employees.
Working-class cattle
When Karl first started his cowherd he bought some registered Angus cattle from his high-school friend, Roger Swanson.
Today, the ranch runs both a registered herd and a commercial herd, and the registered herd is run as similar to the commercial herd as possible.
“Our cattle are what I like to call ‘working-class cattle.’ They are out there trying to make a living,” Karl states.
“Most registered herds have their cattle on a different feeding program than the rest of their livestock, but we are trying to create a cow for the everyday rancher,” he continues. “And, in our location, we don’t really have a choice. Winters are long and tough, elevation is high, so we have to make our cows work on a minimum amount of feed while maintaining good body condition and raising a good calf.”
Karl explains they have continued running Angus cattle because they are low maintenance.
“We like the Angus breed because they seem to have the fewest problems in terms of calving ease, they don’t suffer from a lot of pinkeye, they are low maintenance and they have a high return on investment,” he says, noting this is likely due to the fact black hides are more widely accepted by customers.
“It is hard to ignore the premiums Black Angus cattle receive in the beef market,” he notes.
Raising bulls for the local community
When it comes to the seedstock aspect of the operation, Karl explains Leadore Angus Ranch feeds their own bulls in an onsite feedlot and sells their bulls locally, with the majority of those marketed within a 100-mile radius of the ranch.
He says the goal is to raise bulls that will throw low birthweight calves and produce moderate-sized daughters.
“Through artificial insemination and the herd sires we purchase, we have been able to accomplish this,” says Karl.
He notes Leadore Angus Ranch has actually owned several of the top Angus bulls in the industry, including Upward and Final Statement.
“A lot of our herd’s breeding goes back to EXT, who has given us low birthweights, good growth and milk and the phenotype we are looking for,” he explains.
Leadore Angus Ranch offers their top-notch genetics through an annual bull sale every third Friday in March. The sale takes place on the ranch in a corner of their indoor roping arena and typically markets 100 to 125 bulls.
Karl notes the Leadore Angus Ranch’s bull sale is unique in that they try to keep the event closed to their local community.
“We focus on providing genetics specifically for people in our area, which is why we don’t do a lot of outside advertising,” Karl explains. “If people from all over the country are coming in to buy our bulls, it raises the cost for our neighbors.”
“I like to raise a set of bulls with the best genetics I can possibly find, then share them with my neighbors and the local community at a reasonable price,” he adds.
For more information, visit leadoreangus.com.
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net
