Monte and Ashley Shockley and Monte’s parents, Monte Sr. and Rita Shockley, run a registered Hereford Ranch and Shockley’s Auto Sales, both in Poteau, Okla. Monte smiled and said,” We do well together. We both know our parts. We think alike, and on those rare occasions when we disagree, he wins.”
Monte, awarded the title of Master Cattleman by the Oklahoma Extension Service, and his father started the Hereford operation in 1997 with 10 mommas using AI. They bred 100 percent of the herd with AI for three years before purchasing a bull. They now run 105 mommas and six ranch-based cleanup bulls on 450 acres.
The Hereford operation shows just what patience and commitment to detail can produce. The entire cowherd comes from the original 10 cows with detailed records of breeding and performance on each animal since the operation began. That depth of information combined with a constantly updated three-year breeding plan and meticulous culling has produced award-winning cattle. Monte said, “Our goal is to have the country’s best Hereford herd, and we’re getting there.”
The Shockley’s AI every cow with semen coming from their own bulls, which include five they own in partnership off the farm. One bull in Tennessee was awarded Show Bull of 2012 by the American Hereford Association. Monte said, “The key to being good at AI is high quality training combined with commitment. Precise timing is the most critical aspect of commitment, and that means day and night observation of heat cycles, the point where most people fall short.” Part of Monte’s observation process includes using a teaser bull.
The advantage of AI is more precise control in achieving the desired qualities. Semen from the selected bulls comes from bulls with high EPDs and is used on mommas with well documented and proven data thereby taking the guesswork out of genetic transfer. The Shockleys’ breed for calving ease, disposition, growth and structural soundness and work toward a ratio of the calves’ weaning weight to the mothers’ weight being at least 50 percent. They sell 50 bulls annually across 9 states using the Internet as the main advertising mechanism. They retain most heifers with major determining factors being the quality of the mother, her mothering ability and the quality of calves she has produced in the past. Monte said, “I have finally reached the point where personal attachment to the animals has given way to a desire for better genetics. The truth is I’ve got more memories of good old cows than old girlfriends.”
Another part of the Shockley operation is the feed quality. They use a custom-made grain supplement, which allows bull calves the best growth without detrimental weight loss after being sold and put to pasture. The Shockleys also lease another 600 acres for Bermudagrass/Rye hay. Monte said, “We were lucky during the drought. We still had 400 large round bales to sell after feeding our own cattle. However, our ponds did go dry and we had to put in rural water.”
The Shockley ranching and auto businesses have one thing in common. Customers are treated to personal follow-up. Those who purchase bulls receive calls two to three times a year just to see how things are going, and 80 percent of the auto sales are from repeat or referral customers.
Monte’s wife, Ashley, is a mental health counselor. The couple met on a blind date arranged by Ashley’s sister. Monte said, “I knew the first day we met I was going to marry that girl. I just didn’t know when.” Four years later he did.
Now the couple has two girls. They wanted to raise their children in the country so they would have chores, learn responsibility and observe the cycle of life. With all of that in mind, the young family has a small garden for daily use, 17 laying hens and daily chores performed together. Monte said, “When I leave the auto business in town, I put on dirty cowboy boots and gather up my daughters and wife for chores.” Those chores include distributing minerals, filling stock tanks and checking the cows. According to Monte, 3-year-old Morgin is just about old enough to open gates and 1-year-old Annie likes to ride in the Ranger.
In the back of their six person all-terrain vehicle are a couple of fishing poles that Monte wisely uses in ponds stocked with bass, catfish and perch when Morgin begins to get bored.
Monte shook his head and said, “The only way a life like this works is if you can get by on five hours sleep.” Then he added, “However, my dad always said that if you find something you love, you never work a day in your life, and he was right.”
