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HERE TO FEED OUR COMMUNITY, STATE, NATION, AND WORLD.

Stuart Ranch cattle
Stuart Ranch cattle

HERE TO FEED OUR COMMUNITY, STATE, NATION, AND WORLD.

Cattle ranching keeps us grounded and makes us remember where we came from. It’s humbling and often grueling work, but it’s an operation we are dedicated to continuing like our ancestors before us.

Stuart Ranch cattle

The Cattle Operation

Stuart Ranch maintains two herds of commercial cows in 60 day breeding seasons. The spring cows calve February and March and the fall cows in September and October. Hereford and Baldy cows comprise the beef herd and we use Angus, Hereford and Red Angus bulls. Heifers, today, are marketed in cooperation with A Bar Ranch as replacements and steers are sold private treaty off the ranch. Fertility, longevity, and efficiency are traits we consider to be economically viable and require our cows to meet our standards. The beef herd is located in Jefferson and Stephens counties at our Waurika division.

Stuart Ranch cattle
Stuart Ranch cattle
After trying to utilize the country with a spring herd, then a fall herd, and even yearlings for several years, we had not found the best fit. The decision was made to try a different breed, known for their browsing and grazing abilities, the Corriente. The Corrientes are run together in one large herd, 700+ and rotated through the ranch. It has proven to be very effective in brush and pasture maintenance and virtually no supplemental feed cost. The breed-up they offer year-over-year has been game-changing for our operation, and their breeding capacity continues to expand. As a bonus, we can pull a few of the herd off for our team ropers to use for practice in between competitions. Not only do Corrientes help us maintain the land in Caddo in a way our previous herd could not, but we can also utilize their bulls for a cross-deal with our Herefords and Angus to produce our top-quality Stuart Ranch Meat Co. products.
The Waurika division is predominantly a mixed grass prairie with tall grasses like Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Indian Grass, and even some Eastern Gamagrass along the creeks. The plains are rolling, and the east side of the Waurika ranch has large pecans trees and hardwoods along West Mud Creek. Controlling the Mesquite invasion is a challenge. In Caddo,the country still has good native grass but the fescue has taken over many pastures. Hardwoods such as pecan and oak are dominant in the landscape. Eastern Oklahoma has a higher rainfall but all our country is Blackclay Prairie soil which poses its own set of issues.
Stuart Ranch cattle
Our Waurika herd is comprised of Herefords, Angus, and Black Baldies. These cows are the main heartbeat of our cattle operation. The cows are moderate frame and average body weight is 1100-1200 pounds. We stress fertility and maternal traits with everything we do. Cows calve in one of two sixty day calving periods; February through March and September through October. Keep reading to learn more about our spring and fall works.
Stuart Ranch cattle

The Bulls

Stuart Ranch cattle
Stuart Ranch bulls are purchased from Bradley 3 Ranch, Topp Herefords, Gardiner Angus and RA Brown Ranch.

We appreciate the efforts made by our bull producers to help us develop the best commercial herd possible.

Our Brand signifies to you, the consumer, that anything stamped with the 7S brand has our whole family and legacy standing behind it

Stuart Ranch cattle

Branding

All calves born on the Stuart Ranch will be branded around 30-60 days of age both in the spring and fall. Branding requires trust, teamwork, experience, and rhythm. Our cowboys are a mix of camp men and dayworkers, and we’re fortunate to have some of the best in the business by our side.

Our brand not only identifies our cattle and helps reduce theft, but importantly it signifies that if you, the consumer, receive our commitment to quality and integrity in how we manage our cattle and resources. Our family and legacy stand behind our brand.

We still rope and drag our calves to the fire just as it has been done for generations. It is a timeless tradition with minimum stress on the calves and it still works today.

Stuart Ranch cattle
So what does Stuart Ranch branding actually look like?

After the cowboys have penned the cows and stripped the calves, the calves are held in a separate pen where they will be let out in drafts of around 50 head. The cow boss will call out 2 men to drag and designate men to cut, vaccinate and brand. The remaining crew will flank calves in 2 separate ground crews. The draggers’ goal is to rope the two back feet, making the drag easiest on both the calves and the flankers. Through years of experience with technique and timing, the flankers hold the calves down until they are worked.

Stuart Ranch cattle
Stuart Ranch cattle
They bull calves are castrated and ear marked, and all calves are vaccinated and branded with a 7S on the left hip. Our branding protocol includes enforce 3, vision 7, an autogenous respiratory complex and multimins. With these vaccinations we prime the immune system and the intent is to prevent sickness.

It takes around half a day to brand anywhere from 150 to 200 calves. Before we let the herd loose from the pens, we spray for ticks and flies.

Just like everything we do in our operation, we try to consider the best interest of the animals, the consumer, the land, and the people that work with us.

To see what branding is like at Stuart Ranch, please check out these videos

Meat Co.

Without farmers and ranchers, our world can’t survive. Sadly, a large percentage of consumers today have no idea how their food is raised or where their food comes from. It is a privilege and an honor to help educate the consumer by sharing our story and operating with integrity and responsibility. Our mission is to provide the best tasting quality protein to the people of the United States and the world. We are committed to operating as stewards of God’s resources and strive for excellence in all things to His glory. Launching Stuart Ranch Meat Co. evolved out of the desire to provide quality meat direct to the consumer, ranch to table.

Stuart Ranch Meat Co. has bundled frozen beef products available online. Our top-quality cuts are produced from the same cattle born and raised on the ranch. Check out our online meat store now:

Stuart Ranch Meat Co.
Cattle