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Three Decades of
Bringing Brangus to the West
Oregon’s Tom
and Kathi Turner have built a reputation Brangus herd blending
maternal strengths with carcass quality.
By Kindra Gordon |
In
the high desert, sagebrush country of the West, many commercial
cattlemen have included some “eared-cattle” in their program to
help build better females for the harsh range country, and hot,
arid summer climate.
That’s exactly how Tom and Kathi Turner got introduced to the
Brangus breed.
Originally from Washington state, the couple ranched at
Ellensburg right after getting married and stayed for 14 years
before moving to southeastern Oregon. They then ran a commercial
ranch with 1,500 cows near the Nevada stateline, and it was here
Tom began to see the need for some genetic-influence to help
cattle better tolerate the hot, dry conditions.
He tells that his cattle experience up until that time was with
registered and commercial Herefords. He adds that he really
didn’t like the type of Angus cattle being raised in the 60s and
70s. However, with this large commercial ranch he acquired about
500 Angus and needed to do something with them.
“I felt they were the wrong kind of female, so I looked into
adding some Brangus-influence to develop a better cow for this
range country that would produce a calf with carcass quality,”
Tom says.
That was about the late 1970s when he began to cross Brangus
bulls on the commercial Hereford females and Braford bulls on
the Angus cows. He recalls that the next fall, the quality of
the calves was impressive and he couldn’t tell which calves were
from which.
That experience helped Tom and Kathi realize there was a need
for purebred Brangus genetics in the West. By 1981, they sold
the commercial ranch and moved 70 miles north to their current
ranch near Drewsey, OR (east of Burns), – they’ve been focusing
on raising purebred Brangus for the West ever since.
Brangus Benefits
Of his three decades of experience with Brangus, Tom says, “I’m
optimistic this is still a good breed – otherwise I would have
gone in another direction.” He points out that the blend of 3/8
Brahman and 5/8 Angus is the key behind the breed’s success. It
allows for maternal ability and range hardiness from the Brahman
side, along with the carcass quality from the Angus genetics
that today’s industry is seeking. Carcass traits are so strong
that many Brangus qualify for the Certified Angus Beef (CAB)
program.
Tom says, “There are Angus everywhere. I get a lot of commercial
cattlemen who’ve used Angus bulls the last 10 years and call
because they want some extra performance. They can put a Brangus
bull in their herd and the added heterosis works real well for
calves. Plus, it gives them a little better female for
range-ability and longevity of production.”
He adds, “I watch the video auction and good quality Brangus
cattle sell dollar for dollar with other black cattle.”
Genetic Goals
In developing their registered Brangus herd, the Turner’s have
focused on using the best genetics available to produce cattle
that will perform in rugged environments and at the packing
plant.
They’ve used an extensive synchronization and AI program and at
one time AI’d 750 cows annually. Today, with just Tom and Kathi
on the ranch and one hired man, they AI about 350 cows and
market about 150 bulls by private treaty each fall and winter.
Their selection focus has been on maternal traits – such as
udders – and carcass traits. They’ve also strived to keep frame
scores at about 6 with adequate muscle and have worked to take
the sheath off of progeny. Tom says they’ve used EPD’s as a
tool, but they also realize that confirmation and type of animal
need to be evaluated. “You can’t just use numbers. In the sires
we use, we also look at the mothers.”
Turner Brangus Ranch has become the largest Brangus producer in
the Northwest. Tom says that is a nice compliment, but he says
it’s the quality of cattle they’ve been able to develop that he
finds most rewarding.
“It’s satisfying to receive a call from California or somewhere
and hear them say ‘We’ve heard of you and your Brangus.’ Kathi
and I are proud to have developed cattle that have earned a
reputation in the industry,” Tom says.
Presently, two-thirds of their bull market is in California, as
well as to herds in Utah, Nevada, Washington and Idaho. Turner
Brangus have even gone as far south as Texas and east to
Wyoming.
Tom is hopeful that the future of the Brangus breed is bright.
He says the biggest challenge the breed has faced in the last 10
years is the bad wrap eared-cattle have gotten from the feedlot
and packer standpoint. But he says the Angus-influence doesn’t
make Brangus the typical “eared-cattle.” “We have the carcass
traits Angus do; we have research on Brangus’ feedlot conversion
and carcass performance; plus Brangus have the maternal traits
to work in range country.”
He adds that another misunderstanding is that many people think
because Brangus tolerate the heat, they don’t handle cold
temperatures. He says that is untrue.
Winters in the high desert country often experience temperatures
of 20 to 30 degrees below zero and Tom reports the Brangus
handle it just fine.
“The 3/8 Brangus is able to acclimate to diverse climates. They
can do well in Montana or Alberta or the Southwest. The key is
you can’t bring an animal up here from the South, you need to
work with cattle that were produced for this country.”
In looking ahead for the breed, Tom says, “Our challenge is
mostly perception. It’s a matter of just getting commercial
cattlemen to try Brangus.”
For more information visit
www.turnerbrangusranch.com.
High Desert Creations
Along with working side-by-side with Tom on the ranch, Kathi has
had a long-time hobby of creating jewelry from beadwork and
gemstones. “I’ve always loved Native American jewelry,” she
says.
She tells that she started doing beadwork when she was about 10
years old. Then, after she and Tom were first married, they
lived near the Yakama Indian Reservation in Washington and the
Native women helped her fine tune the art.
Over the years, Kathi has continued to create beaded pieces, and
a few years back with encouragement from her sister in Seattle
she decided to branch out and begin incorporating gem stones
into her designs. “I also love to take antique jewelry and work
it into my pieces,” Kathi says.
Kathi sells her wares through private home shows and by
exhibiting at several Christmas shows in the Boise, ID, area.
Three years ago she set up a website for her business called
High Desert Creations (www.highdesertcreations.com) and has
since had orders from all across the U.S. She says, “I get a lot
of orders from the East – even as far away as Florida and
Maine.”
Kathi also makes handmade cold press soaps that she offers on
the website with heavenly scents like lilac, juniper and pine,
almond and apricot, and lemon sea breeze. Additionally, High
Desert Creations offers a line of Sterling Silver produced by a
California company that Kathi is a representative for, and she
offers a variety of country and western accents as well as flint
knapping pieces of arrowheads and knives created by a friend of
hers who has learned the tradition from the Native culture.
Of her business, Kathi says she enjoys the creative outlet that
it provides. She’s also found a great way to blend it with ranch
work. She tells that when they are calving in February, she
often does the night checks – so it’s during those nights that
she finds a lot of time for creating her soaps and beadwork.
To view some of the available items, visit
www.highdesertcreations.com.
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