Braunvieh and Angus/Braunvieh Hybrids can be seen grazing the rolling hills of McBee Cattle Company at Fayette, Mo. Ron and Teri McBee own and operate 1500 acres and have been in the registered seedstock business for over 30 years. Harvesting grass with cattle enables us to use the same Braunvieh purebred and fullblood females to produce both our Braunvieh seedstock and our Angus/Braunvieh Hybrid bulls and females. Being in both the registered Braunvieh business and commercial cow/ calf production lets us experience everything that our customers do.

Our commercial operation consists of 200 commercial cows, mostly Angus/Braunvieh hybrids or ½ blood Braunvieh influenced females. The purebred herd is made up of 250 registered Braunvieh females that are mated to Braunvieh bulls to make purebreds and Angus bulls to make our McBeef Builder Hybrids. Calving both spring and fall, between the Braunvieh herd and the Angus/Braunvieh Hybrid herd, we develop 100 to 125 heifers annually as well as performance measure around 120 bulls per year. Every animal, bull and female , are measured from birth to yearling for growth and ultrasounded for ribeye and marbling quality. The measurements we use are the ones that we feel are important for commercial beef producers to use to improve their bottom line. The bulls are developed on a high fiber diet with no corn, and the heifers are developed the same way on grass. We feel this is the best way to handle the cattle so they can be measured and compared in an environment similar to where they will spend the rest of their lives.

All of the pasture on the ranch is part of an intensive rotational grazing system in use year round. After extensive work in completing our corrals at ranch headquarters, the task of converting the 1500 acres to a rotational grazing operation was started in the summer of 2006. From our past experiences with Controlled Grazing in the 1980's, Intensive Grazing in the early 1990's, Management Intensive Grazing in the late 1990's and early 2000's, and lately Mob Grazing, with a grazing system in mind, the main portion of the ranch was divided into 80 paddocks with fresh water in each paddock by installing 7 miles of underground pipeline and 50 rubber tire water tanks. Around 29 miles of electric fence and 500 gates with a lane through the middle of the ranch makes handling the cowherds a one man operation.

Our grazing system allows us to keep the cattle on a higher plane of nutrition and allows us to grow more grass and stockpile fescue for winter grazing. In a normal year, around half of our cowherd receives no hay in the winter, none. Into our fourth full year in this system, it is enabling us to more accurately forage test and measure our Braunvieh and Angus/Braunvieh Hybrids in a real world environment.

Every third Saturday in April, McBee Cattle Company has their annual SELECTION DAY at the ranch, Fayette, MO. We offer 60 to 70 Braunvieh and Angus/Braunvieh Hybrid bulls and 30 to 40 Braunvieh and Angus/Braunvieh Hybrid 1st calf pairs, bred heifers and open heifers that have been developed on a fiber ration for a long productive life, evaluated for efficient production and measured for performance in large contemporary groups and offered at affordable prices. The cattle are sold in a silent auction type offering with a base price on each lot. The clip boards go up at 10:00 and start coming down at 2:00 for a more relaxed and laid back atmosphere for the cattle to be selected and bid on. On April 16, 2010, we will be holding our 8th Annual SELECTION DAY, The Real Deal.

Annually in November, McBee Cattle Company participates with 5 other Braunvieh breeders in the Annual Braunvieh Herd Builder Female Sale, held at Marshall Jct, MO. November of 2011 will be the 9th annual sale where around 70 Braunvieh and Angus/Braunvieh Hybrid lots are offered. McBee Cattle Company usually offers 12 to 15 female lots at this sale.

We also offer bulls and groups of females for sale private treaty at the ranch all year round. We do not offer bulls or first calf pairs privately until after our SELECTION DAY in April. All the good ones are here for our customers' evaluation on that day.

McBee Cattle Company has a Cooperator program for our registered customers who have purchased McBee Braunvieh or Angus/Braunvieh Hybrid genetics. Their bull calves can be developed and measured in the McBee Bull Program and merchandised through our annual SELECTION DAY Sales or privately.

Our commercial bull and female customers can market their McBee bred steer and heifer calves through the McBee Calf Roundup and some of their heifers with the McBee Gate Cut Heifer Sale. Over 17,000 calves have been sold through the Calf Roundup in 17 years. See the Calf Roundup page for information.