Early Beginnings Of Gaffney Family Cattle
Gaffney Family Cattle was founded in 1976 as the result of Jerry and Nancy moving to Wisconsin from the Adams Brothers & Company Hereford Ranch in Kilgore, NE. In this move they brought with them 40 Horned Hereford cows and their three children Sara, Scott and Erin. The farm was set up for dairy cattle and a variety of small livestock.
The farm has been since been changed to meet the needs of a growing 160 cow beef herd. In the ‘80s Jerry and Scott also started a small herd of commercial cows as a way to diversify the operation. Currently, the commercial cow herd meets the growing needs for recipient cows with the top end of the offspring marketed in the commercial markets.
Red and White to Black
Angus began to roam the hills of the southwest Wisconsin farm in 1995. That year ALC Extra Special 504E was purchased as a herd sire. 504E was a descendant of the great Primrose Lady family. He was a cornerstone of the cow herd and the foundation of Gaffney Angus Farm. Pedigree, performance and structure are always emphasized in breeding decisions.
Management and Technology
We strive to take advantage of the latest genetics and technologies to develop our herd. AIMS software through the American Angus Association is used in order to identify value of the individual in a contemporary group. All yearling Angus heifers and bulls are ultrasound scanned for actual carcass merit that allows us to get compared nationally on our progress. Many of our bulls are sold locally however due to our nationally recognized genetic base we are increasing our market from South Dakota to Missouri. We look forward to growing the bull market as our numbers increase. In recent years, we have taken advantage of GeneStar DNA testing to begin building our own set of genetic data that will hopefully improve our ability to create genetic consistency. The DNA results have been encouraging and back up production EPDs and continue to add value to our program.
Cow Families
As our program has moved forward there is one constant. The power of FAMILY. In 2001 that became a clear focus as we partnered with Sunny Valley Farm to purchase GAR Precision 939. The purchase price of $100,000 at the time was the highest in GAR history. This Rita has had a huge genetic impact on our program and we believe her to be the best all-around daughter of the great GAR EXT 614.
In 2002 we decided in a private treaty transaction with Fairview Angus Ranch, MT to purchase our next progressive family through GAR New Design 1139. This $110,000 half interest female added the Blackcap family to our program. Her full brother GAR New Design 5050 proves the long term genetic merit of this great cow. In 2003, the decision to introduce the power genetics of GAR Precision 1559 was made. This $60,000 investment in the GAR sale through this Rita has been monumental in our program. We believe her to be the most powerful daughter of GAR Precision 1680. Her ability to translate muscle is unequalled in our program. The same year we purchased Murphy’s SVF Erroline 6M. This great Erroline sired by SVF Bandolier has proven to be one of the great descendants of the Connealy program in Nebraska.
Continuing with 2003 we purchased half interest in SVF Primrose Lady 141N. This excellent Primrose Lady added the cow family that produced the SVF Bandolier sire that has continued to grow his national appeal. 141N has produced progeny that are visually flawless with excellent growth and carcass merit.
Another Rita was added to our program in 2005, GAR 208 New Design L103, was a $43,000 half interest purchase from Sunny Valley Farm and purchased in partnership with our good friends at Pine View Angus in Iowa. This female is one of our rising stars and has the potential to be one of the best females we have ever owned. 2006 started quickly as our desire to add another powerful Rita was fulfilled with the addition of GAR Retail Product 512. This awesome individual was $80,000 partnership cow with Sunny Valley Farm. Her early progeny look very promising with a lot of production to hit the ground in 2008 and 2009.
A cow to keep an eye on is our newest donor GAR 1407 New Design 2144. Come see her and pull her pedigree and EPDs up. We think she has a bright future. This is a quick look at our genetic history but only a sample of our program and production level.
We at Gaffney Family Cattle are proud of our genetic advancements and we strive to meet the demands and needs of the purebred Angus seedstock producer and commercial cattlemen.. Visitors are always welcome to stop by and see the program at work..