Talkington Angus Ranch is owned and operated by Shane and Amanda Talkington and their children Abby, Hadley and Cade. Shane is the fourth generation to ranch on the edge of the badlands in southwest North Dakota between Belfield and Medora where his great grandfather settled in 1906. Shane added the first registered cattle to the operation in 1998, and that portion of the herd has steadily grown since then.
Our cow herd is run in rugged terrain on a year-round forage-based diet. The cattle must be easy fleshing, fertile, and structurally sound with good udders and good dispositions. Our registered herd is managed exactly like our commercial herd and very similarly to our customers’ herds. This leads us to approach our breeding program with a balanced trait, maternal philosophy. It is becoming more common for individuals and groups within the industry and breed to advocate for selection for extremes in growth and carcass traits, we believe our years of data and real-life experience suggest that is not optimal for our environment. We feel the unquestioned, number one factor for profitability in a cow herd is fertility. We feel intense selection pressure is the best way to make progress, that is why we practice a 45-day breeding season here, no excuses, no second chances. Cows that last and get pregnant early every year is what will keep commercial cattlemen in business, and that is the kind of genetics we strive to produce!
We welcome you to stop by for a visit anytime!
