Our Donor Herd

Most of the registered Angus cattle produced on the Legacy Ranch are from embryo transfer. We maintain an impressive herd of donor females. Our donors are either ranch-raised, or purchased from some of the most experienced and progressive programs in the country. We all know that the female makes up 50% of their progeny characteristics. Therefore, our donors must meet strict requirements for several qualities that we want passed on to her calves. Our donors are then flushed to only the top, proven bulls in the Angus breed today to produce offspring that will meet the beef demands of today and the future. These heritable qualities of our donors are:

FERTILITY
Our donors must cycle regularly and be able to reproduce or she has no value. She must be able to be successfully flushed to obtain and multiply her genetics, and she must breed easily when appropriate.

MOTHERING ABILITY
She must have excellent udder conformation and be able to provide ample milk when bred to raise a calf, and she must "take care" of that calf from birth to weaning.

SOUNDNESS
Our donors must be structurally sound in order to produce and do her job.

DOCILE
We work with these cows often. They must have "good attitudes".

PHENOTYPE
We like pretty cows. Our donors must be long and deep with proper muscling. We like moderate framed cows that are feminine.

GENETICS
The pedigree of our donors is something we put a lot of emphasis on. Over time, many traits in Angus cattle families have been well documented. We look strongly at the sires, dams and grandams of our donors, because these are the ancestors that have been proven and have advanced the Angus breed. In addition to pedigrees, EPDS are a tremendous aid in the overall selection of our cattle. Our donors must be "balanced" in all measurable traits. They must be able to pass on proper growth for efficiency and have carcass qualities to produce a tender, "tasty" beef product.

As all progressive cattle producers know, our business is multi-faceted and constantly changing. We consult often with many beef industry leaders to make sure our program and product is the best possible. We especially owe a great deal of gratitude to Mr. Parker Friedrich - Parker Friedrich Marketing and Consulting for his invaluable input in our program.

We are perfectionists and will never compromise our values and goals, which is to always produce a "Legacy of Superior Angus Genetics".