Page 20 - MWC 8-11-2022s
P. 20

The Midwest Cattleman · August 11, 2022 · P20
      All in the Family with Overmiller Gelbvieh


                                                                    By Brenda Black
                                                   At nine years of age,  born three weeks later.”            and composites.
                                                Reid Overmiller is al-        111Y has raised two more           “We had Gelbvieh so long,
                                                ready in the cattle busi- sons that sold as sires, and the  that our cow herd was basical-
                                                ness. In fact, he owned  Overmillers have flushed one  ly purebred Gelbvieh,” Kelly
                                                his    first   registered of her daughters.                   said. “I was at the Universi-
                                                Gelbvieh heifer before        “We never flush after just  ty of Nebraska at a judging
                                                he was born! Overmill- one calf,” Kelly said, “but we  practice where they used Red
                                                er Gelbvieh and Red  have six embryos out of 81F.”  Angus and Gelbvieh cross.”
                                                Angus, Smith Center,          As for that little bred heifer     Kelly went home and
                                                Ks., is a three-gener- bought for the baby nearly a  shared with his dad and broth-
                                                ational family ranch  decade ago... Kelly said, “she  er how impressed he was with
                                                currently, where young  has the biggest bull calf on her  the combination. They bought
                                                Reid and his cousins  right now at 11 years of age.”          one Red  Angus bull and 13
                                                are    7th    generation      Legacies and lineage like  cows with the original plan to
                                                Overmiller’s ranching.  that are the direct result of a  make Balancers. “Some of our
                                                They are blessed with a  decision Reid's Grandpa and  customers wanted some Red
                                                great foundation in his  Grandma, Roger & Norma  Angus too,” Kelly said.  “But
                                                family line, as well as  Overmiller, made 45 years  we still think the best for the
                                                those Gelbvieh genetics  ago.  With two young daugh- commercial cow guy is a cross-
                                                that launched his grow- ters in tow, they traveled  bred.”
                                                ing herd.                   to the Nebraska Sandhills            Balancers run with Gel-
                                                   “My son had co-high  where they bought their first  bviehs and the Overmillers
                                                selling bull this year  papered cattle. Two sons and  hustle to meet a variety of
                                                that went for $12,000,”  many  more Gelbvieh  would  customer demands. Some only
                                                Reid's dad, Kelly, said.  follow, producing a family her- want Balancers, and some
                                                “The high selling ani- itage of caring for the land  want Gelbviehs to make their
                                                mal off this place was  and the cattle. Kelly and wife  own F1s.
                                                his when he was four  Risa, and Brent and his wife               “It kind of becomes a game
                                                years old.”                 Brittany, and their  children  of breeding up and down,”
                                                   Kelly    jokes    that run the ranch, with Dad still  Kelly said.  “Sometimes we'll
                                                this is more than he's  anchoring the ship. Kelly  take a Balancer and breed to a
                                                ever gotten.  “We want  and Risa are parents to Reid  Gelbvieh to get a high percent-
                                                what's best for our kids,  and his seven-year-old sister,  age, and then next year breed
                                                so, when we buy one or  Krisa. Brent's eldest, Hudson,  to lower percentage. It's a jug-
                                                give them one, we don't  is only 18 hours older than  gling act to have the blend of
                                                want it to be a bad  Krisa. And he has a four-year- what a customer wants. Our
                                                one.” The dam to Reid's  old little brother, Cooper.          bulls are pretty uniform, but
                                                high seller is by a bull      The Overmiller's daugh- there are differences within
                                                named Zipline from 3G  ters, who were there at the  them.  That's why we do red
                                                Ranch that  Kelly  and  beginning with Gelbvieh, are  and black too. Angus around
                                                Brent bought as a year- still involved with their fam- here are only used to create
                                                ling. He was a National  ilies in beef production, utiliz- Balancers, because every-
                                                Champion Gelbvieh at  ing genetics that originated  body knows that the only free
                                                two. But it's the mater- from their parent's herd. But,  lunch in the cattle business is
                                                nal side that makes the  it's the boys that continue  hybrid vigor.”
                                                story even richer.          daily operations at Overmiller       With so many moving
                                                   “We     bought     the Gelbvieh and Red Angus, liv- parts at Overmiller Gelbvieh
                                                granddam       of    that ing only 1.5 miles from each  and Red Angus, “some people
                                                $12,000 bull for $1500,”  other and their father, and  think  we're  nuts  running  so
                                                           Kelly     said. running merged herds with  many different groups,” Kelly
                                                           “My       wife Dad on owned and leased pas- said.  “Truth be told, it feels
                                                           and I were  tures that sprawl 10 miles  like we calve year 'round. Yes,
                                                           in     Colora- from ranch headquarters.            it creates more work, but it
                                                           do at a sale,      “Dad always let us have  also spreads the work out. If
                                                           and Risa was  cows when we were growing  we calved all of our cows in one
                                                           eight and a  up,” Kelly said, “and our herds  time frame and got hit with a
                                                           half months  just kept growing too. Dad still  blizzard, we couldn't manage
                                                           pregnant.  has  input and  will say  from  it. From a weather standpoint,
                                                           On a whim,  time to time, 'I found this bull  calving like we do spreads out
                                                           we     decided I'd like for you boys to look at.'  our risk. On the commercial
                                                           let's buy one  But Brent has probably al- side, having both spring and
                                                           for our kid,  ready seen him, since he stays  fall harvests means we don't
                                                           who was not  up all night looking at cattle  have to gamble on the market
                                                           born  yet. We  on the web and in catalogs.”        just one time a year. It allows
                                                           hauled     the     Together, they manage both  our  bulls more opportunities
                                                           heifer home  registered and commercial  to breed too. Some of our bulls
                                                           and Reid was  herds comprised of purebreds  see breeding pastures three
   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25