2024 Catalog is available now!
- June 2023 Update
- March 2022 Update
As March 2022 begins, we find ourselves in yet another year where we ask ourselves “What in the world is going on?”, and “whatever happened to normal”? Around here we just shake our heads, thank God above for our blessings, and be glad we live where we live. We also want to thank those of you who have been customers in the past, those of you who took your time just to come and look, and anyone who read through our catalog. There are so many places to buy bulls these days, and we wouldn’t still be in the business nineteen years after we started without all of you.
We sincerely hope you will consider Gen X bulls. We don’t push our bulls on a hot ration. We want them to grow, have sound feet, and be in shape to handle the heat and humidity that often hits cattle at breeding time.
Selling them by private treaty offers you the unique opportunity to see where they are raised, compare them bull-to-bull, and take the time you need to make a very important business decision. Time you often don’t get at an auction.
We also want to say thank you to Will Kirwan. He is such a big help around here. Thank you to Syndicate Publishing in Gothenburg for putting together our catalog. Thank you to Kaitie Masters who takes our pictures (and displays a LOT of patience) and also to Adam Hawley for helping with photos this year.
Dr Shari Sandoz of Loup City Animal Clinic puts together our vaccination program, and is such a smart, hard working veterinarian. Thanks also to Chris Paider for giving us a hand with anything we call him for. Rick and Susan Hawley help a lot with “computer stuff”, and print the sweatshirts a lot of you are wearing.
When you are ready to purchase a bull, please consider us. We would love to show you what we have, and visit with you about what you are looking for.
Thank you!
Gene and Bryan
Playtime on the Farm by Susan Hawley
Time to run, time to laugh, time to just relish the sunshine and the breeze. Funny, those are things I took for granted as a child growing up on a farm with my siblings. I’m pretty sure it’s the same for my sons all the years they were farm boys. It wasn’t till last fall during harvest that I realized what a blessing it is for a kid to have playtime on the farm.
My 5 year old grandson Ethan came with his dad, Adam, from North Platte, for a day of combining corn. Adam quickly jumped back into the role of running a grain cart, along with his dad, Rick, while Bryan combined. Grandpa Gene would run a tractor, then pull himself into a truck and take the load of corn to the elevator. All pretty run of the mill jobs during harvest. But for Ethan, it was going from tractor to tractor to ride with everybody, and then even getting to “drive” the combine with Uncle Bryan. Ethan and I went to the Trotter elevator with Grandpa Gene, so he saw where the corn goes, and how it’s unloaded. However, I think the thing that really amazed him in the 1960s truck, was having to “roll” the window up. Not a button, but actually crank the handle around. He had never seen that before.
Eating lunch in the field was an experience, and realizing he could pee anywhere in the field was mind blowing. A couple of times he just took off running, because he could, and nobody was going to yell at him to stay off the street. He would come back from that run with the biggest smile and then take off again. Fortunately we got a four generation picture that day, because according to Ethan, “it was the best day ever!”
Last weekend, Adam brought his family to Grandpa Gene’s for playtime on the farm. A beautiful day to play hide and seek for me, Ethan and his sister Becca, who’s 2 and a half. She is as much an outdoor kid as her brother, if not more. We also hunted for kittens, we played on the merry go round, we took walks, anything to be outside.
She got to help Uncle Bryan fill the feed wagon and run the feed off for the bulls. She also helped carry the buckets of ground corn to top it off. Then encouraged the bulls to “come eat. It’s ready.” Becca knew the guys were going to take four wheelers out and check cows in the pasture. She patiently waited for them to finish lunch, then said “let’s go check cows”. After about the fourth time of saying it, she got her mom to step outside with her to wait.
We look out the window and see the little gal taking off up the driveway. Renae came back in the house to announce that Becca’s going to check cows. Well, that got the guys up out of their chairs and they all climbed on the atvs to go check cows. Becca riding with Bryan and Ethan riding with his dad. Who knew that riding through a rough pasture was so tiring? She wasn’t scared at all, but towards the end she asked Bryan to slow down. Our little cow checker fell asleep.
I wish all kids could have playtime on a farm. Running, shouting, being kids. Learning where our food comes from and how it grows and having their “best day ever!”