Most people are a little wary when approaching a large group of cattle, as they should be. But that fear is unwarranted at the Crockett Rose Branch Farm near Lamar, Mo. The Crocketts fullblood Limousin cattle make people feel like part of the herd. It is no surprise that docility is one of the traits that Danny and Connie Crockett select for.
Danny has raised Limousin cattle since 1976, when he first started putting percentage Limousin bulls on his Shorthorn cows. After seeing the results, he transitioned to purebred Limousin. In 1996, he and Connie made another switch, to Fullblood Limousin. Though the inexperienced observer might not think a mixed parentage several generations back would make an appreciable difference in the performance of an animal, that person would learn exactly what a few percentage points make when they see the cattle on the Crockett Rose Branch Farm.
The distinction is clear to the Crocketts and to the other members of the Fullblood Limousin Alliance. Danny pointed out that Limousin cattle are generally known for their feed efficiency, a belief that he proved by running several bulls through the Green Springs testing facility near Nevada, Mo. But Danny and Connie both love the amount of muscling and the high growth rate they see in their fullblood cattle.
They also look for animals that will have good milk production. Though the 50 or so cows on the Crockett farm are very docile, Danny said, “We grade on cows who can do it own their own, who can raise a calf and take good care of it without needing much extra food.”
Danny and Connie prefer to sell their cattle to other breeders via private treaty; they only want to sell the best animals. They sell their cull animals at the stockyards and butcher one every year. Because they only sell the best, they often have repeat customers. A heifer they sold was shown at the All-American Futurity Limousin show in Amarillo, Texas, and took Grand Champion awards there. Her owners came back to Lamar to buy another.
Danny said, “Our aim is to produce animals that give the commercial cattleman what he wants, even though we sell good quality breeding stock.”
Though Danny and Connie do not show their animals, they are always proud of the achievements of cattle they raised, like the Grand Champion heifer in Amarillo. They also are very involved in the CODY Program started by David Vote in 2000. The purpose of this program is summed up by the meaning of its acronym, “Creating the Opportunity for the Development of Youth.”
Through this program, youth are given the opportunity to take care of and show a high quality animal without the initial expense of purchase. When the animal is sold at the end of the year, a portion of the sale price goes back to the youth, so participating kids have a financial gain as well as the intrinsic lessons they learn from caring for and showing an animal.
The Crocketts have been involved with CODY for 6 to 7 years now, and enjoy the experience immensely. Last year, their bull was shown by Kyla Linder, from Wheaton, Mo., and they were nearly as proud as she was when the bull brought home top honors at almost all of the eight shows Kyla took it to. In fact, the Crocketts bought it back at the final CODY show, and it is now one of their herd bulls.
Danny and Connie don’t plan to expand their operation or have more cattle, just better ones. They are working hard to raise animals that have the feed efficiency, high growth rate, muscling and easy maintenance Limousins are known for, but also good milk production and docility. They are also working towards having more polled cattle. “We are chasing the polled gene, but we don’t want to lose muscle or milk to do it,” Danny said.
