Most ranchers have a specialty, a particular breed or trait that their ranch is known for. For some, that’s ease of calving or birth weight. For others, it’s hardiness or thriftiness. For Schurrtop Ranch, it’s feed efficiency. For over 60 years the Schurrs have been producing cattle that require less feed to gain more weight – one of the most economically valuable traits producers can select for.  

Schurrtop Ranch started in the 1960s as a small, purebred Angus seedstock operation selling bulls private treaty in Farnam, Nebraska. It has since expanded to two ranch locations that run both purebred Angus and Charolais cow herds raising bulls for commercial producers, several feedlots that take on cattle from their own ranch and those from their customers, and a row crop operation that sustains their animals. Marty Schurr, the manager of the Maywood Ranch division, believes that all of these aspects combine to form a business that’s truly one of a kind.  

Their unique blend of Charolais and Angus genetics has helped them achieve the feed efficiency traits that their ranch is known for. Why do these breeds work so well together?  

“I think that this combination makes the most consistent cross and there’s a lot of breed compatibility with the Angus beef mothering and marbling and the growth and feed efficiency of Charolais,” said Schurr.  

There’s a lot of hybrid vigor in this cross, and the genetics of the individual cattle themselves make a big difference.  

“Our Charolais cattle marble nearly as well as our Angus and our Angus have a lot more muscle, ribeye and shape to them than most.” 

Schurrtop Ranch specializes in seedstock production. Every year they market around 500 of their home-raised bulls of both breeds. Customers can make the trip twice a year for the chance to take home some Schurrtop genetics. The Schurrs sell about 200 yearling bulls annually in their March sale and another 100 coming two-year-olds in their December sale. The rest are available private treaty.  

Both breeds are in high demand. Schurr said that markets dictate as much of the price as anything else, but both breeds usually sell within a couple hundred dollars of each other. But the transaction is not the end. Customers maintain a lifelong relationship with the Schurrs.  

Marty and his brother Ryan, who manages the Farnam ranch, buy back calves sired by Schurrtop bulls to finish in their feedlots. They also work with outside feedlots like HRC Feedyard in Scott City to ensure their customers’ calves find a place.  

“If we’re not in the market for our customers calves we have a list of people that are,” said Schurr. “They’re the kind that are going to gain faster.”  

Aside from feeder cattle, there’s a big demand for the genetics. “Not just because of the feed efficiency, but because of the type and kind there’s a pretty large market for our customers’ heifer calves.” 

From the start, sires have to meet strict criteria to be considered for use. They have to be right type and rank well in muscle, structural correctness, and body shape. These traits go along with feed efficiency, which a key focus of the Schurrs. They put a lot of effort into ensuring that their sires score high in this category and rely on a variety of tools to measure this.  

“In the beginning, we would do sire progeny tests at the Great Western Beef Expo and feed them in their own pen and measure actual feed to gain. Now with technology advances and a GrowSafe feed bunk system, we won’t use a bull that hasn’t been feed efficiency tested and scored in the top of his class.”  

They’ve also been ultrasounding their sale bulls since 1988 to gain better insights into their growth and carcass traits. Thanks to all of this work, the Schurrs are able to obtain data to improve their operation and share with their customers to benefit them as well. Schurr believes that the feed efficiency of their cattle is the greatest benefit their customers enjoy. “There’s a huge dollar return to the ranch because of feed savings. No matter what the market is, that’s money that stays with the ranch.” 

While the bulls get most of the spotlight, the cows are just as important to the operation. They, like the bulls, must meet high standards to maintain their place in the herd. They all have their udders ranked the day they calve, and they have to be the right type and kind to thrive in the environment they’re raised in.  

Schurrs graze grass in the summer and run on corn stalks in the winter.  

“We don’t babysit them,” said Schurr. “We run them like our commercial customers [run their cattle] and expect them to perform that way.”  

Their 1,300 purebred cows of both breeds are superior in themselves and most are AIed with leading genetics. 

Marty, Ryan, their mother Kay (who is still involved in the operation and does all the bull sale paper transfers, billing, and mailing lists), and their three employees work tirelessly to ensure their customers receive quality genetics to better their own herds.  

“A lot of people are always trying to fix something in their herd. We’re starting with the end product because we have access to all our data. We’re just focusing on making our genetics more consistent and better each year doing what we know works.”  

And it is working. Schurrtop Ranch is now a partner of the Cargill Meats Sterling Silver program providing premium cuts of meat to restaurants. The focus here is on the Schurrtop Charolais cattle, thanks to the success they’ve enjoyed in the program. Schurrtop cattle are in high demand at both the commercial and retail levels. Schurr thinks there are several reasons for this.  

“One is the feed efficiency part. Two is we’re not using the ‘Bull of the Month Club’ so to speak. It’s our consistency in selection – way more than just EPDs. Our sires will be more consistent. We focus on a type and kind that works in our environment and stick with that. Keep making them better. The word I use is ‘doability’– they have to have the type and kind to function in our environment without a lot of extra input.” 

Indeed they do, which is reflected in every aspect of production. From calving to bull sales to feedlot finishing, Schurrtop Ranch cattle are making their mark in the beef industry. “We put our money where our mouth is,” said Schurr. “We are buying calves back because we believe in our genetics. Our number one criteria is they have to make money for our customers or it doesn’t work for any of us. We truly believe that they do.”