08/06/2026
And you can get it at the Trading Post and Loan!
Ribeye, marbling, and back fat measurements help us evaluate carcass-related traits while the animal is still alive. How important carcass traits are to the profitability of your program depends a great deal on how you market your calves. If, you sell weaned calves at your local sale barn, chances are carcass traits are less important to you. However, if you feed all or part of your calves and sell them on the grid, or sell beef to the end user (or think you might in the future) carcass traits are critical to how successful you will be. Nearly ten years ago, Karra and I were sitting at the dinner table enjoying a really good steak.
At the time, like much of the cattle industry, my focus was on weaning weights, yearling weights, and growth. Somewhere during that meal I looked at her and said, "You know, I've never heard anyone say, 'Look how big this ribeye is.' They always talk about tenderness and flavor."
That simple conversation changed the direction of our breeding program.
I began studying the genetics behind exceptional eating quality. Long before most cattlemen had ever heard of Wagyu, I was researching what made their beef so desirable. The more I learned, the more convinced I became that carcass quality deserved a much larger role in our breeding decisions.
Rather than changing breeds, we selectively introduced Wagyu genetics into our program. Over time, I've found that about one-eighth Wagyu is enough to make a meaningful difference in carcass quality while allowing Braunvieh to remain the foundation of the cow herd.
To me, the two breeds complement each other remarkably well. Wagyu contributes outstanding marbling and eating quality, while Braunvieh brings fertility, maternal ability, milk production, feed efficiency, structural soundness, growth, longevity, and the practical traits commercial cattlemen depend on.
At the time, I had no plans to sell beef directly to consumers.
Then, in 2021, Diamond H Ranch entered the retail beef business.
Looking back, that conversation around our dinner table became one of the most important breeding decisions we ever made. The tenderness and flavor our customers enjoy today didn't happen by accident. They are the result of breeding decisions made nearly a decade earlier.
Ultrasound data is only one piece of the puzzle, but it is an important one. It helps us identify cattle with the genetic potential to produce exceptional carcasses while they're still alive, allowing us to make better breeding decisions with every generation.
At Diamond H Ranch, we've already spent years doing the hard work. Our goal is to provide genetics that help our customers produce cattle that perform in the pasture, excel on the rail, and satisfy the people who matter most—the ones gathered around the dinner table.
Because in the end, people don't come back because the ribeye was bigger. They come back because the meal was better.
