Leah and I left Troy and Stacy Hadrick's Ranch, and made our way up to Sturgis in South Dakota where we visited the Blair Ranch. Blair Ranch is owned by Rich and Ed Blair and family. Ed is Stacy Hadrick's father. The Blair ranch is 30,000 acres with a 12 inch annual rainfall, (including snowfall) and running 1200 black angus cows and selling approximately 400 black angus bulls per year. The Blair family also lease some land as well. The Blairs’ practise a time fixed A.I. program where they is a two cycle mating program and after the A.I. program run clean up bulls for a 60 day mating period. Maiden heifers are mated at 14 months of age. On their leased country they run steers that are bound for the feedlot, and later on when they have reached the desirable weight they are sent to the meatworks. The Blair family purchase the steers off the ranchers that buy bulls from their stud, to enable them to collect data on the carcase from the meatworks and prove that their bulls perform with records from birth to the hook.
Blairs also perform an exceptional rotational grazing system where they move cattle every three days. The paddocks are approximately 300 acres and have at least two watering points which is supplied by a artesian bore that is pressurised, therefore no pumps are needed. Leah and I was fortunate enough to ride along and witness one of their cattle musters. After spending a couple of days on their ranch, Ed and Wanda Blair showed us through the famous Black Hills, where we stopped to do some shopping - of course for the ladies, and also some wine tasting. We also visited the museum of Rodeo 76. Later on that day we visited one of the most remarkable sites in the U.S, Mt Rushmore. I would like to thank the Blair family for their great hospitality that Leah and I received, once again a memorable trip that I will never forget. The Blairs website is www.blairbrosangus.com
Leased Land where the Blair's run their steers.
Leah, Britton, Ed and Chad at the Blair Ranch.
Mt Rushmore
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