Cattle Ranch Of The Week: Oliphant Angus

For many years Oliphant Ranch bought Angus bulls to use on its commercial cow herd. In 1990, David Oliphant purchased four registered Angus females from Fink Beef Genetics, which was the start of Oliphant Angus. He also purchased several females from Gardiners, which are the basis of the herd. An artificial insemination (AI) program has been a standard for the Oliphant Ranch and embryo transfer (ET) has allowed the herd to grow to the point it is at today.

Oliphant Ranch
David's father, Rodney, a veternarian by trade, returned to his home near Offerle, Kan., a small town approximately 30 miles east of Dodge City, in 1971 where he has been farming and ranching since leaving his vet practice in Goodland, Kan. David, manager of the ranch, graduated from Kansas State University in 1986. Upon graduation, he returned to the ranch and took on the management and day-to-day responsibilities of the operation. Today Rodney continues his vet practice.

Rodney along with David began a crossbreeding program in 1976, incorporating Simmental cattle into their Hereford herd, as well as experimenting with Salers and Gelbvieh on their 1,000 head commercial herd. Around 1981, they started crossbreeding with Angus, and liked the combination.

In 1987 the Oliphants were recognized by the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) as its Commercial Producer of the Year.

The commercial cow herd now consists of about 270 head. Oliphant Ranch backgrounds 3,500 to 5,000 head per year. Retained ownership in the cattle from birth to slaughter, and collecting carcass data on bulls and feeders has been a management tool for many years. The cattle are finished in the feedlot.

Today, Oliphant Ranch operates a no-till farming operation of about 3,000 acres and manages the cattle on around 5,000 acres of grass and improved grass systems. They raise all their own feed, growing milo, alfalfa, wheat, corn and soybeans.

Visit Oliphant Angus at www.oliphantangus.com.

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