Cowman’s Kind e h T
Blackwater Cattle Company
MCGP
T
Cowman’s Kind e h T
Blackwater Cattle Company
MCGP
he Coggins family has a very simple approach to their agribusiness company, “quality is mandatory, produce the best product possible, and treat people right.” That approach dictates every decision they make in their farm produce company, farm supply company, commercial cow/calf operation, and registered Brangus seedstock program. Mike Coggins, and the extended Coggins family, operates Blackwater Cattle Company, Coggins Farm Supply, and Circle C Produce in Georgia and Florida. They call Lake Park, Georgia home but are just three miles from the Florida line with about 60% of their total operation located in Florida. The cattle entity is named for the dark water found throughout this region of the country flowing in the nearby cypress swamps and abundant in this area of South Georgia. Their operation is a diverse, multi-faceted agribusiness enterprise where every segment must complement the other highlighted by utilizing their cull produce production as an important feed source for their cattle programs. Their produce business encompasses 5000 irrigated acres of tomatoes, green beans, bell peppers, cucumbers, corn, cantaloupe, blackberries, and blueberries with another 3000 acres devoted strictly to carrot production. Mike Coggins takes the lead on the cattle program and he is joined in the family enterprise with his father, Felton and brother, Kevin; uncles Edwin and Gerald; and cousins Jade and Kelsey, and Anthony. Mike is a third generation farmer and rancher. Perry Coggins, Mike’s grandfather, raised dairy cattle and tobacco starting in the 1940’s. These were sold in the ‘70’s but the family had beef cattle, corn, cotton and soybeans well into the ‘80’s. The farm supply stored opened in 1974 and still supplies local farmers today. In 1987 the Coggins family started raising vegetables and in 2000 they decided to bring cattle back into the program. Once the family made the decision to re-enter the commercial cattle business their research led them to Brangus females. They were attracted to this polled breed’s mothering ability, calf raising value, total pounds of weaned production, heat tolerance, disease resistance, longevity, maternal traits, adaptability, foraging ability, and of course their black hide. Today Blackwater Cattle Company runs close to 500 commercial Brangus and Brangus derivative females expected to calve in a very strict 60 day calving season in the fall. A big part of the commercial herd is bred A.I. at the beginning of each breeding season using the best genetics in the country from Mound Creek and Blackwater. In 2003, Mike analyzed their program’s strength and weaknesses realizing they needed to add power from the sire side. “We started looking for top quality registered Brangus bulls, and visited lots of ranches across the country. We were impressed with the power we found in Mound Creek’s offering and their willingness to share their thoughts and views on breeding cattle. We were very defined in the type of bull we wanted. We needed sound footed bulls, optimal maternal traits, strong scrotal measurements, improved carcass merit, and we wanted to add pounds to our calves at weaning and later gain in the feedlot. We demanded bulls that were the soundest we could find, complete and overall a total package. The Coggins crew looked all over the country and “the Mound Creek bulls were the best,” he describes. In 2003 they purchased a number of bulls from Mound Creek Ranch in Texas and to this day maintain a close relationship with Mound Creek.
A couple of years later one of the best seedstock herds in the country came available so the family scratched another itch and added a registered Brangus program. From this initial purchase Blackwater identified superior cows and placed them in embryo transfer. These cows included several important program Summit Cows, 4C Ms Lead Gun 192P4, 4C Ms Lead Gun 12N, and other donors representing the productive cow families numbered 487, 535, and 647. Other current Blackwater donors include MC Ms Extravagant 889P4, MC Ms Extravagant 129P12, RBM Ms Lead Gun 129S8, MC Ms Dateline 111L2, and MC Ms Dateline 111L10, collectively representing three of the most prolific and famed cow families in the entire Brangus breed. “We did not necessarily intend to jump into embryo transfer this quick, but felt if we were going to be competitive in producing the best bulls in the country then we needed to utilize our best cows to the highest degree possible in reaching this objective,” recognized Coggins. The registered cows are treated daily just like the commercial cows. Extensive weights and measures are taken on both commercial and registered production that include weaning weights, yearling weights, pelvic measures, carcass merit ultrasound measures, annual calving records, etc. “About the only thing different between our two cow herds is that we do weigh our registered calves at birth and we have a spring calving season to complement our fall calving season for our registered cows. Other than that we pretty much demand they do things alike.” Blackwater Cattle Company is a Mound Creek Genetic Partner and this Brangus Bull and Commercial Female Sale marks their third annual production marketing event. The Coggins clan believes their location straddling the Georgia/Florida line and just off Interstate 75 provides the ideal location to service the cattle producing states in the Southeastern part of the United States. Come to the Bull Sale and you will be treated right, made to feel welcome, and fed like never before. It is apparent the entire Coggins clan loves family, friends, hard work, and their Brangus cattle. When you visit Blackwater Cattle Company you are guaranteed seeing an impressive Brangus seedstock operation, but more importantly, meeting a family that truly understands the value of God, country, family, and friends. They are dedicated to treating folks right and producing a quality product at the highest level possible. Perhaps even greater than their high quality of farm produce or cattle is the quality of the Coggins family itself. They embody the spirit of the American farmer and rancher having lived solely from the land and its blessing for what will soon be four generations.
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