Broken Box Ranch

Description

Jerry Maltby is a seedstock producer who knows that crossbreeding cattle, especially with Charolais, pays. Jerry and his wife, Sherry, own Broken Box Ranch near Williams, CA, about 60 miles north of Sacramento. Their operation, located in Colusa County, includes purebred Charolais cattle, a feedlot and conventional and organic rice production. Both active in their industry, Jerry is Colusa County Cattlemen ’s president and Sherry, who is involved in the ranch ’s recordkeeping, has been twice recognized by the Glenn-Colusa Cattlewomen as Cattlewoman of the Year Jerry ’s father started Broken Box Ranch in the 1950s with purebred Herefords. He didn ’t agree with that breed ’s decision to follow the trend to smaller-framed cattle in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, though, so he and Jerry decided to pursue a different route – crossing Charolais on their purebreds. Their first exposure to Charolais was through a beef class Jerry took at the University of California-Chico. Soon after, in 1962, they located a Charolais bull in California and began using this breed. “The following calf crops increased our weaning weights 150-plus pounds and we were sold! ” Jerry recalls. In 1963, Jerry purchased his first purebred Charolais cows. He says his goal has always been to produce seedstock bulls for the commercial industry that are easy calving with rapid growth and sire top-quality carcasses. Everything in moderation Jerry believes in moderation and listens to his commercial customers. He ’s not big on fads or certain criteria of EPDs. He prefers indexes instead. The trend to bigger cattle in the late ‘70s and ‘80s didn ’t impress him. “They got too big for us, ” he says. So he dispersed his Charolais and started an all-breeds bull test center in Oakdale in 1978. In the mid 1990s, he started building back into the Charolais business. He explains, “We use certain protocols when selecting our herd bulls. First, and foremost important, is ease of calving. Second is their offspring ’s performance: weaning, yearling, and ultrasound data on rib-eye, back fat, and marbling while maintaining a moderate frame size and proper structure. ” Broken Box ’s newest herd sire is GWM Texas Riviera. “He is the type of bull that we are looking for, ” Jerry says. “His offspring have moderate birth weights, moderate frame, with great feet and legs, and abundant thickness with lots of style. ” Jerry bills him as the “Full French calvingease outcross. ” Riviera sons selling in the recent Black Gold Bull Sale averaged $2,833; this was $400 more over last year. “Obviously the bull customers were happy with him this year, ” Jerry says. “And it ’s a dry year in California. ” He says that Riviera ’s second calf crop has been weaned and they ’re better than the first. “This Riviera bull, I don ’t care if he was black or red and white, he ’s as good a bull as I ’ve used. ” Jerry ’s ultrasound technician is also impressed with Riviera. “The Riviera bull produces some of the best rib-eye attributes I ’ve seen in the Charolais breed and any commercial program should benefit from his offspring, ” says Brett Setter of Setter Ultrasound & Angus.

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