Begger's Diamond V Ranch

Begger’s Diamond V Ranch is a family owned ranch that has its fourth generation living on it. The ranch is a diversified outfit that has been in the seedstock business for 42 years; in 1975 they calved their first Simmental cattle. Bill and Bob were young and ambitious, just out of school, and looking to improve their ranch income. They decided that in order for the ranch to be able to support three families, they needed to put more value in their operation. They saw right away the value of black solid patterned Simmental cattle, so they began building a herd of solid colored black and polled Simmental.

Today their herd of 600 registered cows is all solid black and polled. Most are homozygous black and polled. The cattle operation today is run by Bill and his son John, along with the help of Bob, and some summer help by Harry, now 86 years old, and still very mindful of what is going on.

Their seedstock operation markets over 180 black bulls a year, consisting of purebred Black Simmental, Sim-Angus, and purebred Angus bulls. The program that the Beggers’ run is based off of their motto, “The cow/calf man comes first.” They know that they must provide a solid, well-thought-out seedstock program that is profitable for their customers. Then and only then do they consider the other perks of the cattle industry.

Today Begger’s Diamond V Ranch breeds cattle that calve easily, wean heavy, and perform well in the feedlot and on the rail, therefore providing an enjoyable eating experience for the consumer. Begger’s Diamond V Ranch’s breeding programs rival some of the best and most uniform cowherds in the nation. Rather than blindly following the latest EPD trends, the Begger’s review actual data, which provides concrete facts on what their cattle produce. So many times breeders, breed associations, and AI studs get caught up on the numbers because they are so easy to promote, and they fail to recognize traits such as feet and legs, udder quality, mothering ability, phenotype, fleshing ability, inadequate performance, and disposition.

The goal at Begger’s Diamond V Ranch is to produce low maintenance, easy fleshing cattle that can maintain their fleshing ability without extra inputs. They desire adequate EPDs but demand that their cattle be useful in a real world setting. This is why they design their cattle to work for the cow/calf man before any other traits are considered. EPDs and dollar indexes are a valuable tool, but should never be used as the sole reason for using or buying your next bull. In many cases, the largest EPD and dollar index will lead you to an extreme that is undesirable. Remember, balance is the key.

For a commercial operation to maintain a high level of cost-efficient productivity, one must maintain a cowherd that will withstand fluctuating nutritional conditions and still be productive without requiring high levels of supplemental feeds. A low maintenance, productive cowherd that can efficiently utilize available resources is essential. This is a function of body type and not EPDs or other numbers.

The cattle that Begger’s Diamond V Ranch produces and sells is the result of a cowherd whose breeding, culling and management are focused on creating exceptional cows, not just adequate. The bulls are from mothers that are deep bodied, easy fleshing, and structurally correct with exceptional udders. Their cows are quiet, easy to handle, and possess excellent maternal instincts, thus producing calves with excellent calving ease, weaning weights, feed lot performance, and carcass quality.

The Begger’s Diamond V Ranch will hold their 42nd annual sale at the ranch where they will offer 180 black Simmental, Sim-Angus and Angus Bulls. Sale day is February 1 at 12:30 p.m. MDT. They will have lunch, so come hungry. They invite you to come take a look whether you need a bull or not; they welcome you to come analyze their program. You will not be disappointed. They feed the bulls until April 1 and also semen test and deliver them all free of charge. Begger’s Diamond V Ranch stands behind their bulls with a guarantee second to none.

Call Bill 406-796-2326, John 406-795-9914, Email [email protected] or check out their Facebook page.