Cattle Ranch Of The Week: Bertolino Ranch

The Bertolino Maine-Anjou Ranch is located at the base of the Beartooth Mountains near Red Lodge, Montana. Their focus has been to select genetics that reflect eye appeal, disposition, and maternal traits of the Maine-Anjou breed along with performance testing for average daily gain, feed efficiency, and carcass traits.

The Bertolino family has been raising quality hormone free cattle since the early 1950’s starting with the Hereford breed. The family switched over to Black Angus in the 1960’s which was the foundation for the Maine-Anjou business. Registered Angus females were AI’d in the spring of 1970 resulting in the first Maine-Anjou calves in the winter of 1971.

The first Maine-Anjou sires used included Iralins Pride, Capone, Cunia, Coca Cola, and Shavers Berlin. By 1974 the registered Maine-Anjou herd grew to include ½, ¾, purebred, and some fullblood females and the year culminated with receiving the Breeder of the year Award in 1974 from the Montana State Maine-Anjou Association.

Through the activity in the Montana Maine-Anjou Association grew a club calf business with show animals as well as seed stock being sold through the 1980’s. There have been many club calves produced from this Maine-Anjou herd and shown around the country. However, the 1980’s brought new bloodlines to the herd including Polled Pursuit, Ecclipse, and some Calberta bloodlines.

From the 1990’s to current the focus has been on producing animals with solid carcass traits and they are still finding ways to test their stock for efficiency and productivity. They have implemented a production testing through the Midland Bull Test locally based out of Columbus, Montana for their sale bulls and plan on entering females in the Maine-Anjou feeding trials. It is their intent to raise cattle that have eye appeal and strong maternal growth and carcass traits. Currently they have added genetics from Mankind, Rock Solid, Laredo and continue with the AI program with Prime Time and Cowans Ali.

For more information visit: http://bertolinomaineanjoucattle.com

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