Teaming with quality ideas

Jack and June do almost everything together, using almost every relevant tool and idea to do it right. The Zimmermans, of JZ6 Ranch, Checotah, Okla., married more than 50 years ago after meeting at the University of Arizona.

They each had some cattle background, June hailing from Texas. Jack had grazed heifers on the family’s ranch northwest of Tucson, Ariz., and roped and wrestled rodeo steers. But the main Zimmerman holdings were in Illinois, so the couple’s first 20-year career was in the Quarter Horse business near Chicago.

In the mid-1970s, they took a shine to eastern Oklahoma and bought a place in 1979. June’s nursing career helped launch the start that grew to a 1,000-acre home for 180 commercial Angus cows.

“We started with some cows that were just about like everybody else’s,” Jack says. “I figured, you buy some cows and some bulls, put them together and you sell the calves. I found out in a hurry that there was a little more to the cow business than that.”

Now they work closely with Oklahoma State University (OSU) Extension and, since 2002, the genetics have come from Gardiner Angus Ranch, Ashland, Kan.

Detailed records have been the rule, going back to Jack’s first Commodore 64 computer. “I wasn’t a good enough cowboy to remember every cow,” he says.

June adds, “How else do you know what cow had what calf, especially after you get feedlot data?”

They’ve used AngusSource ^® since 2003 and feed with Buffalo (Okla.) Feeders LLC, a Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) partner yard.

“I don’t know anybody more detailed in following their cattle than June and Jack. They are some of the highest quality cattle we get,” says manager Tom Fanning.

The feedlot follows a fairly aggressive implant program that’s countered with ultrasound sorting and a precision that gets 70% to 80% Choice or better out of the Zimmerman cattle, “and zero discounts,” Fanning emphasizes.

“With the right cattle, you have to aim for the high-quality target,” he says. “The cattle need to be efficient. They need to yield and grade, and they do. It takes some effort to get zero discounts, but it’s worth it.”

The ultimate numbers come from harvest reports, such as the one on 35 steers that showed a net live premium of $104.12/head. The group had 64.8% hot yield, 31% Certified Angus Beef  ^® (CAB ^®) and CAB Prime.

The Zimmermans are happy to see cattle performance and quality setting new records each year. “It’s partly because of the better genetics,” June says. “Although you have to have the guidance, too, or you can waste that. We’re not the biggest outfit, but everyone is so willing to help us produce the best.”

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