Our breeding philosophy is to select for the animals that thrive under a low input management system. Cattle that function under a 100% forage based production system with no grain and high energy roughages ... The cattle have to work for us and so it's important that we have the right type of cows. We relied heavy on AI when we first started ranching and were too often disappointed with the outcomes from some of the North American trait leading sires.... where the grain bucket and silage seem to be the selection tools.  We always felt that Angus cattle in North America have gone too far down the feedlot alley ... if only we could pull them back to what they once were, to their roots as grass converters.

 

In 2005 we were fortunate to find Angus breeders in New Zealand that had that vision and kept it clear without following the fads and trends that have come and gone in the breed.

 

The Angus Wai Group of New Zealand had kept a closed herd since 1967. During this time they have had a clear based objective for raising the efficiency in Angus cattle under a 100% forage based production system. After contacting them, I was given Bill Hodge's name from Sustainable Genetics in Franklin, Georgia. I knew from the first conversation that Bill and the Wai Group were on to a good thing and felt the opportunity for these genetics were also needed in Canada. In 2006 we finally had what we were searching for and today our herd is a far cry from the misguided genetics we were first using.