Kohlhaas Cattle Co., Iowa

We are excited to feature one of our recent cattle website designs, Kohlhaas Cattle Co. of Lu Verne, Iowa.

The Kohlhaas family came to us earlier in 2012 because they really liked the work we had done for lots of other Iowa club calf producers, and also the website we had just done for Cyclone Trace.

And, no surprise, when we got the design instructions for KCC, guess what their design preference was....Red and Gold, Iowa State colors.

We love working with customers of all backgrounds, but family farms are always special to us. Kohlhaas Cattle Company is a 3-generation family cattle and grain farm. Their business began in 1989, when they bought their first club calf for a 4-H project at the Kossuth County Fair.

Like many others in the business, once they had that first calf, they were hooked. The Kohlhaas's said that that first calf ignited a passion within their entire family and motivated them to work harder each year to grow their success in the show cattle industry.

I guess if you had to say what is the most unique thing about this family, it would be their niche in market heifers. They are pretty much the experts on market heifers. In fact, they have exhibited FOUR grand champion market heifers at the Iowa State Fair and also two reserve grand champion market heifers at the Iowa State Fair. So yeah, they are the people that when you see them in your class, you are silently bummed because you know they'll be so hard to beat!

Since that first calf in 1989, more than 20 years ago, KCC has developed a respected program with proven consistency in the show ring. They use their experiences from what they learned while showing all those champions to help their clients.

This really was an awesome group to work with -- and I hope you will check them out at http://kohlhaascattleco.com.

And yeah, if you are in the market for a market heifer -- you know where to go!

Sullivan Farms :: Dunlap, Iowa

I remember very clearly the first time I had spoken with John Sullivan about a website for his Shorthorn farm. It was back in the summer of 2003 and I was driving from College Station to Huntsville, Texas to watch my little cousin in a rodeo. This was at the time when I still operated RHD alone, out of my dining room in College Station. When I talked to John about his website, this was one of the largest breeder sites we would be doing at the time. I was ecstatic.

That's been nearly 10 years ago! And wow have things changed since then! It really seems hard to believe that we have been working with the Sullivan account, and many others, for 10 years!

Here at RHD we keep a list of each site, along with the date it was designed, and last updated. Then we try to periodically check with clients who have an older design and recommend we give it a little fresh look about every two years or so. We also have the "Top Ten Oldest Design" list in which we identify the oldest 10 designs currently in use. Then we really try to encourage those people to get a new look.

Well, to cut to the chase, the Sullivan Farms site was #2 on our "Oldest Design" list. We began asking John about a year or two ago if we could work on a new look. But, we got so busy working on projects for the exciting Stock Show U last year, that it seemed that the new website for the farm got put on the back burner. After a year of friendly reminding (lol) we started putting John's print designer, Arin Strasburg, in the mix of this pleading. Me, Arin, John, and Dede set a goal to have a new site up and running before August 15th of the year so that it would be up just before they began posting sale photos from their fall sale.

I have to say, this is one of my all time favorite sites. I just love it. I love the awesome photos, the colors, the logo, the style, and the great family history behind this business. Oh and it doesn't hurt that the pictures are great Shorthorns too by the way!

So, I really hope everyone will take a moment to visit www.maternallegends.com (named after their sale) and see our latest creation! We love it and hope you do too!

Top 5 Marketing Tools for Club Calf Producers

The fall season is often times the ‘make or break’ time of year for club calf producers. Since most producers use the fall to market their calves, usually the business’s entire year of cash flow can come down to a few days before, during and after the sale. Ranch House Designs, Inc. recommends the following five tools as key to finding success in marketing club calves.

Start With A Quality Product. This is the basic fundamental of success in any cattle operation. Producers must strive to raise high quality cattle that others will desire. In the club calf business, an easy way to do this is to utilize semen from the most popular sires in the busines, which are usually readily available and affordable. In order to be successful, club calf producers should buy the best breeding animals they can afford, and then breed them to the best sire they can afford. Owning quality livestock is a way to continually build and grow your cattle assets over time. Only quality reproduces quality, and as time goes by, the net worth difference between great livestock and mediocre livestock continually becomes larger and larger.

1. Quality Photos and Videos are a Necessity
Just as good cattle are the fundamental to having a good marketing program, good photos and video are the next step. Today’s consumers want to see a photo, and preferably a video, before making a drive to come visit your farm in person. In some cases, especially in online auctions, some buyers may even purchase cattle based on the photo and video alone. For this reason, we recommend hiring a professional photographer or video team to photograph your cattle for your sales.

2. Word of Mouth Advertising
The club calf business is a people business just as much as it is a cattle business. Word of mouth advertising is the most effective means of advertising your cattle.  Personal communication such as telephone calls, texts, a letter, an email, or most effectively a personal visit, help build relationships and strengthen a marketing program. Letting others know about your product should be your #1 job in marketing. Attend shows and talk about your cattle. Share your news with your friends and neighbors. Utilize your marketing network such as semen distributers, customers, and neighbors. Remember the old adage, No Tell = No Sell.

3. Year Round Exposure Through Your Website
By today’s standards, every club calf producer should have, at minimum, a website that can be used as the building block of their marketing program. At it’s basic level, the website is used as a constant online reference for people to find your phone number, contact information, and learn about your program. Every producer should have their own address (i.e. mattlautnercattle.com) and a stand alone site. The website should also be the go-to place that unites all of your online efforts such as social media, email blasts, and blogs. Every club calf producer should also purchase a link on www.showsteers.com that directs the viewer to back to their own site. While once thought of as a high tech marketing tool, today a website is a basic requirement for all marketing efforts in the club calf business.

4. Social Media, Blogs & Email Advertising
Once club calf producers have their own website established, it is now necessary to take your online advertising to the next level by integrating social media, blogs, and email blasts into your online mix. Online advertising is affordable, sometimes even free, and reaches the mass public instantly.

Facebook, twitter, and blogs are three very common marketing tools currently being used by club calf producers, but may be viewed as challenging by older producers. This is a great opportunity to involve wives and children in the farm’s marketing efforts.

Blogging is also a useful tool, but may not be for everyone. Even if you do not blog personally, producers should take advantage of the blogs of others in the club calf business. Many farms and bull owners have blogs where they gladly feature their clients photos free of charge. Producers should most definitely take advantage of this shared marketing exposure.

Email blasts are also crucial in promoting club calf sales. Generally email blasts costs less than $300 and reach tens of thousands of producers. The ideal email blast strategy should include 2 email blasts. The first should go out approximately 2 weeks before the sale, or as soon as photos of the sale offering are posted on your website. The second blast serves as a reminder of the sale and should go out approximately 3-5 days prior to the event. If a producer uses online sales, a third blast should be sent the day that the online auction closes as a final reminder.

5. Print Advertising During Key Times of the Year
Print advertising, though expensive, is still considered a marketing must due to the exposure given during select times of year. RHD recommends advertising during key times of year in relation to your marketing schedule. For example, if you host a fall sale, you must advertise in the August show publications of your choice. If you sell semen on club calf bulls, spring advertising is a necessity.

Good print ads include excellent photos, usually taken by a professional, and pertinent information such as sires represented and sale information. When there are 300 other ads in a magazine, you must do an excellent job of convincing the reader why they should pick your farm above the other 299 ads in the magazine.

Most club calf producers will find that 1-2 ads per year will give them the exposure needed. However, simply running an ad alone won’t get the job done. The print advertising should be one part of the total marketing efforts. Producers should have their website in place prior to running a print ad so that the website URL can be boldly referenced in the ad for readers to access for more information. The print ad should also be email blasted as the sale date approaches.

Putting it All Together
A good rule of thumb is that a club calf producer should prepare to spend 1 to 5% of their gross annual sales in advertising, with the website being the most important tool in the marketing mix. Successful marketing involves planning, implementing, maintaining, and evaluating. For more on marketing, we recommend purchasing the Livestock Merchandising book, available at www.ranchhousedesigns.com > Shop.

Harlan Ritchie's Brief History of Cattle Type

Earlier this summer while I was in Michigan I had the opportunity to visit with two of my mentors, Dr. Harlan Ritchie and his wife Dr. Leah Ritchie. A few days later Matt Lautner emailed me and asked if I could help him find something really cool to publish in his online handbook for 2012. I immediately thought of a presentation by Dr. Harlan Ritchie that he developed at Michigan State University. I asked Leah if she would mind if we adapted it for this publication and she said go for it! If you missed it in the Matt Lautner online handbook, here is the presentation again.

A History of Types of Show Steers
Adapted from Dr. Harlan Ritchie’s “Historical Review of Cattle Type” presentation,
Distinguished Professor of Animal Science, Michigan State University

Purple banners are the goal of every person in the club calf business. Every young showman dreams of claiming their spot at the backdrop. Every breeder spends thousands of ours contemplating mating decisions to produce that perfect show steer. Every judge studies and rationalizes each decision in order to select winners that best fit the beef industry.

Since early cattle show competitions of the 1700s, these dreams and visions of purple banners have not changed. However, the cattle being bred to win these banners have drastically changed, evolved, and improved to meet the visual and conformations standards set by both breeders, judges, and the beef industry.

Early History of Cattle Breeding
Early cattle in the United States and Europe were used primarily for draft and milk. They were extremely large framed, late maturing, light muscled, and slow to finish. They were only used for meat consumption purposes when they were too old to work or produce milk.

During the mid 1800s, most cattle in the western U.S. were native cattle that were primarily Longhorn type. After the Civil War, dual purpose Shorthorn bulls were introduced out West and began crossbreeding with the native cattle to improve milk and meat production. Hereford bulls took over in the late 1870s. Angus came later. The Shorthorn, Hereford, and Angus breed associations were formed during 1881-1883 and Polled Hereford in 1900. The British breeds had found their place in the U.S. beef industry.

1867. “Black Prince.” Angus steer. Champion at prestigious Smithfield show at four years of age. Weighed 2200 lb. It was said,“a short man would need a ladder to see his back.”

1900. “Advance.” Grand Champion Steer at the 1st International Livestock Exposition in Chicago. He was 25 mos. old and weighed 1430 lb. The International began in 1900 and ended in 1975. The steer winners were very influential in setting type standards for beef cattle throughout this 76-year period.

1915-16. “Nebraska.” The only record of a male winning as a bull and later as a steer. In 1915, this Angus bull was Champion at Smithfield. He was then castrated and came back to win the Smithfield steer show in 1916. Note that they were starting to put some straw underneath the cattle in photos to make them appear smaller-framed.

20th Century Cattle Breeding
Beginning in the early 1900s through the 1930s, cattle breeders gradually began moving towards breeding smaller framed cattle that were earlier maturing and thicker, in hopes that these cattle would be able to finish at a younger age and lighter weight.

1932. “Campus Model.” Grand Champion Steer, 1932 Michigan State Fair.
He weighed 1150 lbs

1932. “Texas Special.” Grand Champion Steer, International, 1932. He weighed 1240 lbs. at 19 mos.

From the mid-1930s to the mid 1950s, this trend greatly intensified, with breeders, judges, and packers putting a large amount of selection pressure towards producing the earlier maturing, smaller framed cattle. During this time, terms like “baby beef,” “compact cattle” and “comprest cattle” came into use. Show winners across the country were small in frame, usually only reaching the belt buckle of the exhibitor. Advertisements of the early 1950s featured small, “belt buckle cattle” that would classify by today’s standards of less than a frame score 1. One advertisement from 1949 advertised a certain animals as the “biggest bull at the show”…however he was only a frame score 2.0.

1945. “TO Model.” Grand Champion Steer, Denver, 1945.
He weighed 965 lbs. The TO cattle were cextremely small framed and early maturing, and became popular during the early 1940s and 50s.

Beef cattle historians know all too well how this trend ended: dwarfism.  Breed associations and breeders took extraordinary steps to deal with and eventually eradicate dwarfism. Cattle size and type tended to stabilize from 1955 to 1960. During the 1960s, breeders began to select for increased size, but were not able to make much progress with the bloodlines they were using at the time.

Following World War II, consumers began demanding grain-fed beef, thus starting the commercial feedlot industry. However, commercial feed yards were having trouble feeding cattle to an acceptable slaughter weight to grade choice without getting them overly fat. To address this issue, U.S.D.A. initiated yield grading in 1965, and the industry began searching for cattle that could be carried to desired slaughter weights without getting too fat. Enter the Charolais cross steer, who became very popular with breeders, feeders and packers for their rapid gains and high cutability.

1969: A Pivotal Year for The Show Steer Business
The cattle industry was forever changed in 1969. The Hereford, Angus, and Charolais associations began sponsoring type conferences in 1969 to evaluate the performance of cattle that varied in frame size within their respective breeds. These type conferences eventually led to the development of the new U.S. feeder cattle grades, adopted in 1979, which identify visual standards for small, medium, and large frame cattle. Many breed associations also revised their ‘ideal standards’ for frame size to update their standards from the smaller framed models of the 1960s.

At the 1969 International Show in Chicago, Dr. Don Good of Kansas State University selected Conoco, a Charolais x Angus steer, as the grand champion steer of the show. This made Conoco the first crossbred winner of a major steer show of modern times. He weighed 1250 pounds, quality graded Choice, and yield graded 2, and would still be considered outstanding today.

1969. “Conoco.” Grand Champion Steer, International. A Charolais-Angus crossbred steer, the first crossbred winner of a modern major shows.

That same year, Dr. Robert Totusek of Oklahoma State University selected “Great Northern” as the Grand Champion Angus bull of the International Show. Great Northern was a Canadian bull that was larger framed, trimmer, and heavier muscled than any Angus bull of the time.  The selection of these two winners at the biggest show in the nation helped set the new trend in cattle breeding.

Upward Trends in Frame Size Spread like Wildfire
In the early to mid 1970s, there were a number of outstanding champion steers exhibited at the major shows that produced great carcasses on the rail, aligning the show ring with the beef industry. However, size was beginning to get out of control at many steer shows.

1973. Champion Crossbred Steer, International. One of the largest champion steers of that era was this 1460-lb crossbred. Packers began to raise their voices against excessively heavy carcasses coming from cattle of this size.

Some steers of this time were exceptional in their cutability but were too lean and lacked body capacity. By the early 1980s, some show steers were taller than their exhibitors. Many champions at Denver and Louisville during the late 1980s were frame score 10.0 or higher.

1984. Grand Champion Steer, Houston. By the early 1980’s, some champion steers were taller than their exhibitors.

Selection for increased size spread like wildfire from 1960 to 1988. However, four significant events of this time led to the next type change, towards more moderate framed steers, which we still see today.

In January 1986, the National Consumer Retail Beef Study shows that consumers wanted beef that was leaner and lower in fat. In April 1987, Excel meat packers announced new specifications for buying cattle that put more emphasis on muscle thickness. Excel’s specs presented a 1,270 pound steer as being near ideal in his muscle thickness along with enough finish to grade low Choice. In May 1988, the National Beef Conference established recommendations for moderating frame size and increasing muscle thickness in beef cattle. In December 1991, the National Beef Quality Audit revealed numerous shortfalls in the U.S. beef carcasses.

1988. Grand Champion Steer, Denver

Following these recommendations from the industry, steer shows began to also reflect a change in their cattle type. In 1988, the Denver champion steer weighed 1,272 pounds and had an outstanding carcass with .35 inch back fat, a 15.0 square inch rib eye, U.S.D.A. Choice quality grade, and yield grade of 1.8. In 1993, the Houston Livestock Show implemented a slick shear steer show in which cattle could not have more than ¼ inch of hair. Other major shows, especially in the south, followed suit. By 1994, breed champions at Denver had down-sized from frame scores of 10.0 in the late 1980s to frame scores of 6.0 and 7.0.

2012. Grand Champion Steer, Houston  

Today’s Ideal Show Steer
Since 1988, the show steer industry and the entire beef industry has placed increased emphasis on carcass traits and structural soundness. Judges continue to select for cattle that are moderate framed and will finish at an acceptable weight with a high quality carcass. In 2012, the Grand Champion Steer at  Houston had a live weight of 1,288 pounds, graded U.S.D.A. Choice with a yield grade of 2. Though the industry has experienced its ups and downs (no pun intended), it appears that for the last 20 years, cattle type has stabilized with a common goal of  increased emphasis on optimal frame, optimal muscle, and high quality carcasses to meet the demands of the feedlot, packer, and consumer.

 -Adapted by Rachel Cutrer

Vansickle Cattle Co :: Indiana

One of our newest websites to go up is Vansickle Cattle Co., a cattle operation in Fortville, Indiana. We began working with the Vansickle's last year by helping them create custom graphics for their blog. They had previously had a website done elsewhere, and when their contract was up with that designer they wanted to switch to RHD because they were so pleased with the service we had offered on the blog design. 

 Working with Dave Vansickle is a joy. We had known of him through social media contacts because we followed him on twitter. We always enjoyed reading his thought-provoking posts and also his humorous posts too! Definiely check out @VCC_Cattle on twitter. 

Just like so many of our customers in the show cattle sector, the Vansickles are a family owned business that works together in everything they do. Dave began the business in 1999. While he was going after the club calf market, Dave is one of those smart cattlemen who also understands there is a material side to this business too. So yes, he works hard to raise high caliber show steers, but he also is just as concerned about the females. Because of this, VCC has become known as a great place to buy show steers and replacement females that can raise those clubby show steers too. 

The folks at VCC aren't 'cattle traders.' They know the business and they put their hearts into everything they do on the farm. Selection, high standards, and planned matings go into the success of VCC. They also match their cattle with a great program of customer service and integrity. Dave loves helping young folks and is happy to help every step along the way. That is one of the reasons we are so proud to work with this new client. 

Check them out at http://vansicklecattleco.com/. If you are in the market for a club calf or a club calf momma, VCC is a place to go!

Baughman Show Cattle :: Ohio

At RHD, we take extreme pride in developing long term relationships with our clients, and in many cases we have clients we have handled the advertising accounts of for 10 years or more.

We began working with Baughman Show Cattle about 5 years ago, and the only project we did for them was to design their August ads every August. So once a year, we would hear from the Baughmans, and design their ad, and each time was a great experience.

The Baughman operation started out in 1982 with Jim and Amber Baughman, a brother and sister team that showed in 4-H and FFA. In 1997, Jim started selling cattle and helping other families with their calves. After a few years, in 2000, the younger Jim and his wife Nancy teamed up with Jim, Sr. to start selling cattle on a much larger scale. Things grew even further in 2004 and the Baughmans have continually been selling high quality cattle every year since.

This year, when the Baughmans contacted us again to do their ad, they also asked about a website and a blog. They were currently working with another design firm for their website but inquired about moving everything over to us. We were honored.

The Baughman team already had a blog set up, which they were updating themselves. All they needed was for RHD to do some matching graphics and spruce up the design, so they didn't just have the same old template everyone else did. We were able to do this in a day.

Next, we went to work on their new website, which is now up at http://www.baughmanshowcattle.com. Their annual sale will be held September 11 and will be an online sale this year. We hope you will visit this new site for a great cattle family!

Bonham Show Cattle :: Newcastle, OK

One of our newest sites to go up is a new website for Bonham Show Cattle of Newcastle, OK and Hempstead, TX, www.bonhamshowcattle.com.

Bonham Show Cattle is actually a firm that began as a client of RHD in 2003. Through the years, the firm decide  to work with other individuals or firms for various reasons or another. Earlier in the year, the firm began visiting with RHD again and realized that they wanted to bring their business back to Ranch House Designs, Inc.

Now we have to be honest, sometimes when this happens, we tell people to go take a hike. But in most cases, we find all of our clients to be pleasant to work with and we were happy and excited to begin working with the Bonham team once again.

One of the nice things about their website was the decision to separate their winners pages into two groups: Slick winners and haired winners. This was Steve's suggestion personally...not that he knows anything about marketing cattle ha ha! :) He pointed out that slick steer winners are different than haired winners, and that it made better since to have them displayed separately. We totally agreed, and honestly thought why hadn't we thought of that before! So we thought it will be interesting now to see how many other firms began to separate out their website pages to have separate pages for haired and slick cattle. Great idea there Steve!

So we invite you to check out the new site, and to always keep Bonham in mind for your show steer and club calf needs.