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Wyoming Livestock Roundup
Whitehall, Mont. – Managing a cattle herd at a high elevation can be a challenge, but one registered Angus breeder looks at it as a way for Mother Nature to have her hand in cattle selection. David Van Dyke of Wheeler Mountain Ranch near Whitehall, Mont. says the ranch began at Highline Angus, which was started by his grandfather, Ray Van Dyke. “My dad, Ron Van Dyke, got his start in the cattle business when grandpa gave him his first registered cow as a gift for his eighth
grade graduation,” David recalls. “From that point on, my dad started to build his herd.” “He was part of Highline for quite a few years, but an opportunity came up for him to step out on his own, and that’s how Wheeler Mountain Ranch started,” he explains. A look at the ranch The home base of the registered Angus operation is at almost 5,000 feet elevation. David says they winter the cowherd there, but just behind the property is some rough, rugged terrain that is
dry, rocky and steep. “Everything we do out there, we have to do on horseback. It is the only way we can get around or access the cattle. It is pretty remote,” he says. When the cattle make their 26-mile trek to the mountains for the summer, they go over a high point that is 8,000 feet elevation, before dropping into a basin that is about 7,600 feet. “It is a tough trip to get the cows up there. There is a lot of shale rock and decomposed granite they have to walk on. It’s really hard
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on their feet,” Van Dyke explains. However, the Van Dyke’s see the terrain as just one more way to better manage their herd. “When we moved to Whitehall, we were looking for a place to challenge our cattle. Our philosophy is Mother Nature is the best sorting stick we have available to identify the superior genetics in our herd, and she helps us determine what we should move forward with,” he explains. Because of the challenging environment, they have been able to make positive improvements over the years in the quality of cattle they produce. “We try to manage them as close as we can to the way our customer base would. We have a very loyal local customer base. If our cattle can hold up and perform at the top level, with the rough conditions that commercial buyers who are buying our bulls have, then we expect them to hold up for us since the terrain is similar,” he states. Selection strategy “We try to monitor the cattle for traits that show performance in the dry terrain,” David explains. The cows average 1,200 to 1,250 pounds and wean calves that weigh at least 50 percent of the cow’s body weight. “Our cattle have proven themselves to do better than that. We make no exceptions,” David comments. “When we trail them back to the home place, it is a 25-mile trek, which is a lot of shrinkage.” “We collect weaning weight data on the calves right when we get them home, so they don’t have the opportunity to rebound or put on weight. We won’t put anything in our bull development program that weighs less than 700 pounds
Raising bulls – Wheeler Mountain Angus focuses on cattle that survive in their harsh environment, selecting based on weaning weight data collected after the cattle have been tested, as well as feet and leg structure, early breed up and fleshing ability. Courtesy photo
at weaning,” he explains. Feet and leg structure Feet and leg structure is a primary selection criteria. “We don’t have a choice but to be extremely particular about feet,” David explains. “We have to produce cattle that are structurally sound. Feet and leg structure are evaluated constantly and at every level of bull and heifer development.” In addition, the family also selects based on disposition, bone structure and calving ease. “When the bull calves are weaned, we evaluate them for structure. If they don’t meet our criteria,
they are culled. While they are developing, we keep a close eye on their structure and that they are developing correctly. We don’t want to sell a bull to our customers that we aren’t proud of or wouldn’t use ourselves,” he explains. Early breed-up Flesh-ability is also key, David says. Since the grass on their lower range dries up really early, they have to rely on grazing Forest Service land for several months of the year. Because of that, they select for cattle that flesh easily in the harsh environment. It is no small order. “The cows have to calve easily and be able to take care of themselves in the harsh environment, while maintaining growth and performance,” David says. The breeding program The cows are synchronized in April. A couple weeks later, the front draft of the cows are selectively artificially inseminated. About 60 percent of the cows are bred naturally using their own bulls. “We raise our own herd bulls, but we do our homework to find the next bull or the next direction that we feel will complement our program,” he explains. “We need to make sure our program is working, and the best way to do that is to use our own bulls,” he continues. “A lot of the top bulls we use here come out of our own program. However, it is hard to know if you are making progress without using some outside bulls to compare them to. We are always looking for new genetics that will compliment our herd and fit our criteria as far as pedigree, EPDs and structural correctContinued on next page