Mark and Nikki Rau and their family breed Red Angus cows to Charolais bulls for a terminal cross that does well in their backgrounding feedlot.
Red Angus Females Anchor Crossbreeding Operation by Tracey Koester, Red Angus Magazine Editorial Coordinator
In ranching, there isn’t a one-sizefits-all management system, but Mark and Nikki Rau have found a formula that works well for their family operation in south-central North Dakota, with Red Angus females anchoring their crossbreeding program. Red Angus cows, with buckskin-colored Charolais-cross calves at side, 26 Red Angus Magazine n July/August 2020
graze the rolling prairie north of Napoleon where Mark’s family has lived for generations. Mark, Nikki and their four children manage the cattle while Mark’s father, Darryl, spearheads the crops.
system. “I want my heifers to look like cows. They have to be deep bodied with sufficient muscle and have good feet and clean udders. I want their hind end to look like a horse’s rear quarter,” he smiled.
Hybrid Punch Each year, Mark purchases open Red Angus commercial heifers as replacements for the terminal-cross
“I also don’t like high-tail-headed cattle as I think that factors into calving problems.” He buys his heifers from ranchers that raise the kind of