The Rumfelt family began their cattle operation in 1990 with a commercial herd
Growing up on the dairy farm across the road from his current home, Brad Rumfelt has always been about farming, cows and family.
Currently, he has 130 commercial cows and 20 registered female Gelbvieh and Balancers, near his home outside Phillipsburg, Mo., in rural Laclede County. This family endeavor includes his father, Dwain, otherwise known as “The Chief”; his wife, Amy; his brother, nephews Jerald, Rhett and Grant; and his daughter, Karley.
“We’ve been doing commercial beef cattle since 1990. We started with registered Gelviehs and Balancers in 2006,” Brad explained. “It’s a family deal. We do AI and embryo transplants, as well as private treaties on the bulls. I’ve been keeping back the heifers the last few years to build up our herd. Of course, one of our first years we had 15 calves born that year and 14 of them were bulls. Since then we’ve done better, more like a 60/40 split.”
To produce quality cattle, the Rumfelts focuse on not only genetics but proper nutrition for their herd.
“Good nutrition is the key to all of our production, commercial as well as registered,” Brent said. “What you feed them and your hay quality is so important. We put up all of our own hay, 700 round bales and 1,500 square bales last year.”
Brad points out those square bales are not just for horses. “The square bales are easier to handle and are easier to deal with in the show pens as well, in that they don’t make such a mess. We strive for high quality grass hay with two or three cuttings a year.”
They also keep mineral available to the cattle at all times.
“A lot of people don’t do that but your ground is always going to be missing something, so the minerals along with good forage make a real difference. Even with the commercial cows, good nutrition adds to their weight and adds to what you’ll get for them at the sale barn.”
Karley Rumfelt, Brad’s daughter, is a junior at Lebanon High School and shows their cattle on the state and national level.
“She won Supreme Champion Heifer at the Laclede County Fair earlier this summer. Last year she won her division with her heifer for the bred and own division at the Gelbvieh Nationals in Grand Isle, Neb.”
Brad works for the Missouri Department of Transportation as an assistant supervisor in highway maintenance, in addition to being a part of this three generation family farm.
“We like the Gelbvieh and Balancers, which, of course, is the Angus-Gelbvieh cross. They are good milk producers and they grow well, which goes back to their nutrition. Their docility is also a real plus as is the cleaner, trimmer look you get with the Balancers. The Gelbviehs are like a bull dozer, big powerful animals. I like that thick and broody look myself.”
The Rumfelts are currently utilizing embryo transplants as part of their breeding operation. “We do 30 to 40 embryo transplants a year with about a 50 percent success rate. Both breeds are easy calvers and we do a spring and fall calving season, with 50 to 70 pound calves,” Brad explained. “They have good bone structure, hit the ground, and as fast as they’re born, start growing. And we like it that way. We plan to keep building our herd and keep our family in agriculture. It’s what we have always done. It’s our way of life.”
