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Continuing the family tradition

Loretta Sorensen
Photo by Loretta SorensenFourth generation Shorthorn cattle producers, Cory and Melissa Schrag of Marion, SD, sell 90 percent of their cattle for seedstock. They also provide a variety of services to assist Shorthorn breeders and buyers.
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It all started in Russia – the Schrag family tradition of raising Shorthorn cattle. Fourth generation cattle breeders, Cory and Melissa Schrag of Marion, SD are continuing the tradition Cory’s father and grandfather practiced there. They say their appreciation for livestock in general has motivated them to continue the Schrag family’s tradition.

“I think it all comes down to whether or not you love to work with cattle,” Melissa says. “My maiden name was Bush and my family raised Angus. I was very involved with that and was Miss American Angus in 1993 while I was in college. It’s a lot of fun for all of us. We watch our daughter, Samantha, looking through the sale catalog and Cory’s parents were with us when she won the National Reserve Championship in Lawton, OK. We’re having fun with it.”

Ninety percent of the Schrag’s cattle are sold for seedstock and the list of show winners coming from their herd – both their own stock and those they’ve sold to other breeders – is quite lengthy. Cory’s late father, Doug, was a member of the American Shorthorn Association. As a member of the American Shorthorn Junior Association, Cory served as an ASA Australian beef ambassador and traveled to that country, where he purchased his first bull.



“I think one of the things people like about Shorthorns is that they’re so docile and easy to work with,” Cory says. “They have very good maternal strengths and they milk real well. We have cow families that we’ve developed over the past 50 years. Each line has a little bit different characteristics, but they’re all easy to maintain and handle.”

It all started in Russia – the Schrag family tradition of raising Shorthorn cattle. Fourth generation cattle breeders, Cory and Melissa Schrag of Marion, SD are continuing the tradition Cory’s father and grandfather practiced there. They say their appreciation for livestock in general has motivated them to continue the Schrag family’s tradition.



“I think it all comes down to whether or not you love to work with cattle,” Melissa says. “My maiden name was Bush and my family raised Angus. I was very involved with that and was Miss American Angus in 1993 while I was in college. It’s a lot of fun for all of us. We watch our daughter, Samantha, looking through the sale catalog and Cory’s parents were with us when she won the National Reserve Championship in Lawton, OK. We’re having fun with it.”

Ninety percent of the Schrag’s cattle are sold for seedstock and the list of show winners coming from their herd – both their own stock and those they’ve sold to other breeders – is quite lengthy. Cory’s late father, Doug, was a member of the American Shorthorn Association. As a member of the American Shorthorn Junior Association, Cory served as an ASA Australian beef ambassador and traveled to that country, where he purchased his first bull.

“I think one of the things people like about Shorthorns is that they’re so docile and easy to work with,” Cory says. “They have very good maternal strengths and they milk real well. We have cow families that we’ve developed over the past 50 years. Each line has a little bit different characteristics, but they’re all easy to maintain and handle.”

It all started in Russia – the Schrag family tradition of raising Shorthorn cattle. Fourth generation cattle breeders, Cory and Melissa Schrag of Marion, SD are continuing the tradition Cory’s father and grandfather practiced there. They say their appreciation for livestock in general has motivated them to continue the Schrag family’s tradition.

“I think it all comes down to whether or not you love to work with cattle,” Melissa says. “My maiden name was Bush and my family raised Angus. I was very involved with that and was Miss American Angus in 1993 while I was in college. It’s a lot of fun for all of us. We watch our daughter, Samantha, looking through the sale catalog and Cory’s parents were with us when she won the National Reserve Championship in Lawton, OK. We’re having fun with it.”

Ninety percent of the Schrag’s cattle are sold for seedstock and the list of show winners coming from their herd – both their own stock and those they’ve sold to other breeders – is quite lengthy. Cory’s late father, Doug, was a member of the American Shorthorn Association. As a member of the American Shorthorn Junior Association, Cory served as an ASA Australian beef ambassador and traveled to that country, where he purchased his first bull.

“I think one of the things people like about Shorthorns is that they’re so docile and easy to work with,” Cory says. “They have very good maternal strengths and they milk real well. We have cow families that we’ve developed over the past 50 years. Each line has a little bit different characteristics, but they’re all easy to maintain and handle.”

More information about the Schrags and their cattle is available at http://www.schragshorthorns.com.

This article appears in the 2009 Winter Cattle Journal, a publication of Tri-State Livestock News.