McDONALD RANCHES
McDonald Ranches was established by Darryl and Ann McDonald in 1966. They purchased their first Red Brangus cattle in 1969. While always maintaining a small herd of Red Brangus cattle, they, along with their son Darryl, Jr. and his wife Karen, were primarily commercial cow/calf producers, with a herd that consisted of almost 800 head. But in 2008, a phone call from Mike Levi and the lure of “the big red muley” resulted in a decision to get back in the registered cattle business.
With that decision, came a commitment to produce functional cattle that work for real ranchers. They believed in extra growth while keeping all the EPD traits balanced. This would prevent the cattle from requiring extra nutrition, or special attention to function, while performing more efficiently. They would demand that balanced genetics be above the breed average to consistently produce high performing and fast gaining cattle. Based on their commercial operation, they felt it was still important what a calf weighs at weaning or yearling age. They believed that disposition, considered by many a “convenience trait”, was, in fact, a necessity. Their target product would be the generally accepted 3/8 X 5/8 animal.
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