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The Midwest Cattleman · March 31, 2022 · P18
       Miskimon Ranch Clones


            Brahman Excellence




                                            By Brenda Black
         Rick Miskimon's bent to- duce powerful, fleshy offspring  Ok., four years
      ward     beef-type     Brahman in high volume, but our main  ago. The  Miski-
      began with six embryo heifers  goal is to produce the highest  mons                traded
      with J. D. Hudgins breeding.  quality  of  'front  pasture'  cat-     Texas     mesquite
      To sire the next generation, he  tle,” Miskimon said. “The vol-       trees and sparse
      purchased the son of a nation- ume allows us to offer a wider  pastures where it
      al champion Brahman female.  range  of  females,  herd  bulls  took  15  acres per
         “That son and those six  and embryos.”                             cow in exchange
      embryo heifers are how we             Miskimon grew up in Lan- for Oklahoma na-
      got started,” Miskimon said.  caster, Tx., but his early live- tive grasses that
      “Then, I bought that champi- stock interests centered on  can sustain that
      on cow and cloned her.”            swine. “I couldn't afford a calf,  same cow with
         More than 25 years later,  so I had pigs for my FFA proj- only five acres.
      Miskimon is still benefitting  ect,” he said.  “I enjoyed gilts  With 375  in  the
      from his bold beginnings as  and breeding. My junior year  herd, the decision became  est up here with people put-
      the first to clone a Brahman  I had a gilt that was the Texas  even easier.                             ting a Brahman bull on Angus
      cow in the U.S. In 2021, MR  State Fair Grand Champion.                 Though he still devel- and making F1 Brangus.”
      Elizabeth Belle 400 became  But I just thought, if ever I  ops real estate subdivisions                         Miskimon listed sev-
      the number one progeny pro- could afford land, I would like  around Dallas, “my love is re- eral advantages derived from
      ducing Gray Brahman in  to be in the breeding stock  ally these cattle,” Miskimon  the hybrid vigor of the cross.
      the breed, according to the  business.”                               said. “Our whole family loves  “Those  F1  Brangus  do  fan-
      American  Brahman  Breeders           A  high  schooler's  dream  them, and between running  tastic in the feedlot,” he said.
      Association  (ABBA).  Sadly,  became reality times two. Mi- cows and the ET work, we do  “They make phenomenal fe-
      Elizabeth Belle was struck  skimon  became  a  real  estate  it all as a family on the ranch.” males with milk and mother-
      by lightning. But Miskimon  developer around the Dallas                 The Miskimon family has  ing ability. On Angus and Her-
      had  the  foresight  to  harvest  area and landed his own ranch  been committed to the Brah- eford, Brahman really help by
      enough embryos to establish  36 miles from downtown Dal- man breed for over 25 years.  getting a smaller calf at birth,
      her rank and see two genetic  las.                                    Brahman's well established  but a heavier calf at weaning.”
      full siblings claim the 8th and       “We were in the country by  popularity in  Texas provided            Additionally,      Miskimon
      15th slot for greatest number  10 miles when we moved out  ample opportunity and incen-                 said the tiger stripe queens of
      of progeny in 2021, right up  there,” Miskimon said. Urban  tive for getting involved with  the South and Brangus cows
      there with Belle.                  sprawl enveloped his spread  the breed. But it was the flex- toward the north live longer.
         Miskimon is not only prop- and forced his hand to sell the  ibility of all the F1 crosses off           “As  expensive  as  fertiliz-
      agating  genetics,  he  is  pur- land better suited for houses  the Brahman that sold Miski- er and weed killers are these
      posefully designing the kind  than cattle.                            mon.                              days, they'll also save you
      that work for the commercial          Rick moved with his wife          “The F1 cross with Brah- money because Brahman in-
      cattleman in a larger territory.  Sheri and their son R.J. and  man is truly one of the better  fluenced cows know how to go
         “We breed cattle to repro- daughter Elizabeth to Lane,  momma cows,” he said, “espe- out and hunt for food and will
                                                                            cially in the south on Angus,  clean up a pasture,” he said.
                                                                            Hereford, Charolais and Red  “You're getting carcass traits
                                                                            Angus. People in Oklahoma,  from  the Angus side,  but out
                                                                            Missouri or Kansas also have  in the pasture and field, you
                                                                            a great feel for how good the  get improvements from the
                                                                            Brahman cross is on English  bos indicus.”
                                                                            cattle. There's a lot more inter-    More traits from the Brah-
                                                                                                                           man breed factor
                                                                                                                           well in the Mid-
                                                                                                                           west,     including
                                                                                                                           handling       sum-
                                                                                                                           mertime heat. Mi-
                                                                                                                           skimon turns his
                                                                                                                           bulls out mid-July
                                                                                                                           and picks them up
                                                                                                                           Feb. 1.
                                                                                                                             “We end up with
                                                                                                                           summer      calves,”
                                                                                                                           he  said,  “but,  for
                                                                                                                           Brahmans,       that
                                                                                                                           is perfect. It's just
                                                                                                                           fine for them to lay
                                                                                                                           down in the sun
                                                                                                                           when it's 105º and
                                                                                                                           have a baby.  The
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