Strang Herefords & Black Angus, Meeker, Colorado, is located in the mountains of northwestern Colorado. This purebred cattle operation is based at an elevation of 6,400 feet, and the rigors of the winters require that the livestock be hardy and easy fleshing. Our Hereford and Angus cattle have this sort of resiliency and, therefore, will thrive in a wide variety of environments. Not all herds have such a good test environment. Our cattle have been successfully tested in Alberta, Canada; Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Wyoming – as well as all parts of Colorado.

Family

Ours is a family enterprise and we have been in the Hereford business for 45 years. 15 years ago we added a registered Black Angus program. Our four daughters, Mary, Ellen, Lisa and Sarah were pivotal to the ranch growing up and through their college years. Today, two of them and their families are directly involved. Lisa and Tom Walsh are part of the ranch in Meeker and Mary and Greg Cunningham run and manage part of our Hereford herd in Kaycee, Wyoming, along with their own herd of Registered Herefords.

Program Goals

Genetic Improvement

Genetic improvement is our focus. The bottom line requires that we produce functional cattle that will perform efficiently in the many climates and under the varying management practices of our diverse group of buyers. To this end we’ve built our breeding programs on cattle with a balance of traits to facilitate both calving ease and performance.

Cow Herds

Both cow herds are long, easy keeping individuals who are reproductively superior. Fertility in bulls and the ability of cows to conceive easily is our #1 priority because it is fundamental to profitability. They must milk and have neat udders with small teats in order to stay in either herd. Neither the Hereford nor the Black Angus programs chase frame – as such single trait selection usually means a sacrifice of fertility and/or structural correctness.

Pulmonary Arterial Pressure

Acceptable Pulmonary Arterial Pressure for high altitudes is another focus of our breeding programs. This is important to our many commercial customers who summer their cattle at/above 8-9,000 feet above sea level. PAP, as it is known, is not an exact science, but it is the only tool the industry has in trying to avoid brisket disease at high altitudes. An animal’s PAP is significantly affected by his/her genetics, environment and, to a lesser degree, nutrition.

Calving Ease

There is no room in either breeding program for herd bulls who sire outsized calves with undesirable dimension. Calving ease is pivotal to the reproductive cycle and we feel that the dimension of the calf is critical. It is something we carefully scrutinize and any genetics we bring into the herd must fit these optimal parameters. Birth weight is a factor, too, but must be considered with perspective because of its direct relationship to management practices and environmental conditions. Our cowherds are fed for 5 ½ months each winter and therefore we'll experience larger birth weights than producers whose cows run out on range all winter.