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• Hurting Hooves

• Just 5 Questions

• Keeping It Together

• The World According
  To Hooter McCormick

EDITORIALS

• TRAILS
• RIDING THE GAP

Today, the Stevenson family continues the legacy initiated by Jamie and Jeanette and has grown to become North America’s largest Angus herd. The multi-family entity, which operates under the name Stevenson Basin Inc., maintains almost 4,000 cows on the home ranches near Hobson, MT, with an additional 1,000 cows in out-of-state herds in Oklahoma, Nebraska and Missouri.

Among the next generation of Stevenson’s is Darrell who returned to the ranch in 1994 after graduating from Oklahoma State University. He and wife Sara are actively involved in the ranch operation and Angus activities, and have two children, C.J. and Claire. Here, Darrell shares his role and vision for the future of Stevenson Basin Angus.

1. Who is all involved in Stevenson Basin and what makes it successful?
   With multiple families, the ranch operation is divided into three separate entities, but herd sire ownership and marketing efforts are shared. Stevenson Angus Ranch is operated by Keith Stevenson and his wife Roberta, along with two of their four sons, Darrell and Bob. Basin Angus was founded by Keith’s brother Wayne and his wife Marian in 1972, and today is operated by their children Doug and Valerie and their families. Wayne and Marian’s son Clint and his wife and five children operate Stevenson’s Diamond Dot, the third and most recent addition to the Stevenson Basin corporation.
   
   Darrell explains that there are no specific job titles. Instead he says “Working as a team, everyone is accountable for the effort as a whole; however we try to specialize in our particular areas and segregate the work accordingly.”
   
   His focus is on the breeding program including sire selection, mating decisions, donor selections as well as daily herd management from calving to weaning. He also coordinates advertising and special publications and assists with sale catalog production, along with communicating with customers, new and old, to actively assist in their genetic selection and marketing programs.
   
   Stevenson attributes the ranch’s success to working together as a family. He says, “Like many other generational ranchers, I am proud to speak about my mentors. My father, Keith Stevenson, my uncle, Wayne Stevenson and before them my grandfather Jamie Stevenson instilled much resolve, aggression and optimism among myself, brothers and cousins. Their fortitude built a foundation, now we are committed to expanding that endeavor.”
    
2. How is Stevenson Basin striving for progress?
   “What probably sets Stevenson Basin apart from other breeders is our undivided passion for genetic improvement within our cattle and constant pursuance of customer service,” says Darrell. He explains that Stevenson Basin’s aim for the future is to continually strive for a more consistent and balanced genetic evolution within their herd sires and ultimately their cow base.
   
   To achieve that, he credits the Angus cow as an “excellent commodity to deal with,” because she covers all of the basic functionalities necessary for cost effective production.
    
   Darrell says, “With the basic essentials of calving ease, fertility, maternal, carcass merit, mothering ability, fleshing ability and longevity typical of the breed, we are able to mold and tweak (without disregard to the essentials) to create more progressive genetics in terms of more particular traits; possibly growth, possibly ribeye area, etc. Balance is priority, however if properly used, outliers for certain traits can be progressive.”
   
   Additionally, utilization of the American Angus Association EPD system is a luxury many take for granted, according to Darrell. “You can damn near put all of the rest of the breeds together and they still don’t equate the Angus breed’s database. Today, we are dealing in an era of information; our information is accurate, very accurate. Our product has progressed. Instead of just looking at black animals, we are accurately offering lower birth, higher growth, more milk, and better carcass traits. Our direct customers are buying predictability, they are buying a program,” he says.
    
3. What changes have been implemented to make your program better?
   Darrell says Stevenson Basin had two primary concerns in the early 1990’s: 1) their average selling bull price continued to rise, and 2) they needed to make room for the next generation of family to come home. The solution to both concerns was expansion.
   
   Darrell explains that they put their focus on more quantity with better quality. He says the increase in volume without sacrifice to quality has led their sales to be more affordable, which matches their philosophy that no potential buyer should leave Stevenson Basin without a high caliber bull in his price range. And, if the sale atmosphere is slightly overwhelming, they have a large offering of private treaty bulls as well. He says it has been a win-win and concludes, “This expansion has solved the logistics to more affordable purchases for long-time repeat customers while also making room for continued generational involvement.”
   
   Another expansion effort by Stevenson-Basin occurred in 2004 when they combined efforts with a few other industry-leading breeders with the investment of a cooperatively owned “breeder-to-breeder” genetic service company named ORIgen. The venture includes a “state of the art” bull housing and collection facility south of Billings, MT, along with a joint marketing system with ABS Global. Additionally, the ORIgen partnership has aligned with the world’s largest cattle feeding company, Five Rivers Cattle Feeding LLC, and National Beef.
   
   Darrell believes through these alliances the ORIgen partners and Stevenson Basin and its customers will be on the forefront of issues such as animal identification and source verification, as well as in a position to supply the highest valued branded beef programs both domestically and internationally.
    
4. In your view, what does the beef industry need to do a better job of?
   Looking ahead, he anticipates that the world population will continue to require an ever-improving source of high protein. Because of his belief in America’s deliciously safe and healthy beef, he says, “I am overly optimistic that our future for beef production as an industry is brighter today than ever before.”
   
   But that said, Darrell emphasizes that America’s beef producers need to continue to make the dilemma of consistency a top priority. He recognizes that beef sold through branded programs is helping reduce inconsistency, but says, “The commissary of our product is still all-over-the-board…We still need more consistency, consistently good or consistently bad. That level of predictability will be parlayed into a more reliable consumption level, possibly nullifying the volatile ebbs and flows of our existing marketplace.”
   
   And, it’s a challenge Darrell takes personally. He says, “This level of greatness starts at my level, the seedstock provider. If properly administered from my level, it should be transmitted through the cow/calf producer clear through to the consumer.”
   He adds, “Ultimately, the consuming society has the decisive judgment as to our product’s success. I realize we are but one and that someone’s dining experience, tough steak, and tasteless burger are not my battle. However, it’s got to start somewhere and we are taking the responsibility personally.”
   
   To that end, as seedstock providers Stevenson Basin is avidly assisting customers with breeding decisions and possible market exposures. They regularly communicate with the feeding sector by sourcing calves and monitoring feedlot performance. And, they interact with the packer level collecting carcass data and pursuing participation in the high-end branded beef programs that fit their customer’s programs.
   Furthermore, Stevenson Basin has first-hand insight with consumers through their family-owned restaurant The Black Bull Steakhouse and Saloon which serves Certified Angus Beef in their hometown of Hobson. Darrell says, “We are able to experience the pleasure and discomforts of a good steak vs. a poor dining experience.” Fortunately most of the reviews have been favorable and the restaurant was recently ranked among the top three steakhouses in Montana.
    
   But Darrell says, “This local venture has certainly broadened our mindset. We aren’t just raising cattle; we are providing a tastefully safe and healthy meat product.”
    
5. Any advice for others?
   While he is well-spoken when it comes to cattle and the beef industry, at thirty-something, Darrell says he doesn’t feel “seasoned” enough to offer good advice to others. However, in his own life he has a few rules he tries to live by. Topping the list is to “be passionate for your work.” Darrell says, “Your best will never come out if your heart is not in it.”
   
   Along with that he’s learned it is important to be adaptable, be prepared for change and be proactive. He concludes, “Be observant; absorb all that you can, never quit learning and read, read, read. Expose yourself, to different mindsets, management styles and cultures – travel. Listen to your elders, listen to the successful. Invest wisely, throw away your credit cards. Hydrate, drink lots of water. And, most importantly, manage your time – for your sake, your family’s sake and then your ranch.”