Regency Acres Angus Ranch

Located in the hills south of Lambert, MT, Regency Acres is a registered black Angus ranch owned and operated by Russ and Jill Thiessen, along with daughter Téa and son Tyler. Russ is the fourth-generation ranching and farming the land settled by his great grandfathers. Russ's grandfather, C.R. Thiessen, founded the registered herd in 1957 under the name Thiessen Angus Ranch. In the early 80s, Russ's dad, Jim, added registered Gelbvieh to the herd and the name was changed to Regency Acres. After a short learning experience, the Gelbvieh were dispersed in '89 and the Angus were again the sole focus.

Regency Acres runs around 200 mother cows and sells 70-100 bulls and 30-40 select heifers annually in a production sale that takes place in early April. The bull calves that don't make the "cut" are castrated and then finished on the ranch where they are sold to a waiting list of customers in a true "pasture to plate" business.

The cattle are run no different than any commercial operation where the cows must perform to strict standards while breeding back in a timely fashion and maintaining their structural integrity. Cattle are culled on multiple traits including disposition, udder and structural soundness, performance, phenotype, calving ease, intelligence, and carcass traits.

The cows are calved out at the home place starting in February. In May, the yearling heifers and the entire cow herd are synchronized and AI'ed, then moved out to pastures with the herd bulls. A 45 day breeding season ensures that only the most fertile bloodlines are retained. In October, the calves are weaned off and put in the feedlot until sale day. The cows are then wintered on stubble fields until calving with limited feeding only when the weather demands it.

The Thiessen's also operate a diverse dry land farm, raising spring wheat, winter wheat, barley, peas, silage and grain corn, canola, and alfalfa.

For sale information call 406-774-3702.