At the 2023 Cattlemen’s Conference, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays talked with Jirl Buck of Buck Cattle Co. about integrity in the beef industry and positive growth due to new technologies.
Buck grew up on a small cow-calf operation, mainly producing Limousin cattle, and running yearlings on grass in the summer. His family showed steers and heifers. Buck attended Murray State College and Oklahoma State University, and during that time, he worked for several top cattle producers, including McKown Limousin, Magness Land & Cattle Co., American Cattle Services, Hal Courtney, and Ferris Ranch.
In 1987, Buck began buying and selling show steers and heifers and began to build his own breeding program. His goal was to produce cattle that have the style, balance, and power to compete in the show ring but also be able to perform in the real world of beef production, and that is still the goal today.
Today, Buck operates Buck Cattle Company alongside his wife, Brenda, and his daughter, Bailey. Buck Cattle Company runs 450 cows and produces Maine-Anjou, Hereford, and bucking bulls. They host two annual production sales in March and October and have several online sales throughout the year. Their bulls and groups of bred females are marketed through private treaty.
During the conference, Buck had the chance to discuss ethics in business when it comes to communicating with customers and other cattle producers.
“Integrity was a big word that came out today, and I think that fortunately, in our industry, there is a lot of integrity,” Buck said.
Ethical communication is critical with customers, Buck said, as many times, cattle may be purchased without an in-person evaluation. Video footage has become increasingly popular in the cattle business, Buck added.
“In all parts of the beef industry, the quality has gotten so good,” Buck said. “From the show cattle side, it is so highly competitive nowadays, and there are a lot of good cattle.”
Because of this quality and competitiveness, Buck said that communication plays a critical role.
“I feel like the future is bright,” Buck said. “I think it really is for a seed stock business, I think we are just going to see technology take more effect, and a lot of the stuff we have visited about in the last two days- I think that is what we are going to see change. The cattle are going to have to have the genomics behind them, and the EPDs are so much more valuable.”
The industry continues to head in the right direction, Buck said, but it takes time to see those big changes.
