SBRA PROGRAM
MacDonald Ranch has been breeding and raising cattle to preform on the Eastern Montana prairie for decades. Smokey Butte Red Angus continues to operate with that same philosophy. Our registered herd and commercial herds are managed together, performing under the same extreme conditions. Our registered cows are required to raise a high quality calf without any additional resources.
Our cows graze approximately 9 months of the year, with supplemental feeding during periods of snowfall and chill. Full forage feeding is required in the winter to sustain the herd during snow cover and extremely cold temperatures. It is typical to have below zero termerpatures, dropping as low as -30 to -40 degrees, with even lower wind-chill. The cows are wintered out in the pastures and must utilize the range's natural shelters for protection from the elements.
The registered cows begin calving March 1st with the commercial herd following mid-March. Although the registered herd calves in the corral, we expect them to give birth without assistance and mother their calves without issue. We synchronize and artificially inseminate the registered herd 60 days from calving, herd bulls are turned out in the end of May. The commercial cows are bred mid-June. Our calves receive their first vaccinations at branding and are vaccinated again at pre-weaning in August. The registered calves have creap-feed available for 45 days prior to weaning.
Many believe that you must sacrifice either maternal characteristics or performance. Here at Smokey Butte Red Angus we believe in breeding for a balance of both. Our seedstock program is geared toward bringing us the most profit from our steer calves while also retaining the maternal traits and good disposition for our replacement heifers.
Our business is primarily a commercial cow-calf operation, which gives us the intamate knowledge of what genetic qualities serve us best in this environment. We select for females that can maintain their condition through the winter and thrive with a calf on side through the summer. Strong maternal instint is critical for a successful calving season on the praire, as well as good udder structure and milk. Our cows travel miles in the summer from grass to water, we prioritize sound structure, particularely hoof and leg structure.
Always keeping profitability in mind, we are selecting for the best performance traits as well. We are selecting for deep, large capacity cattle that convert feed efficiently, with high carcass quality. We believe in cattle that work for you.
