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TK Angus

Gayle Smith
Courtesy photosTim, Sara, Kim and Rick Marlatt of TK Angus, Gordon, NE.

TK Angus of Gordon, NE has spent years carefully selecting cattle to breed and produce bulls that will lead to financial success for their commercial customers.

TK Angus is a family operation. TK stands for Tim and Kim Marlatt. The couple has two children. Rick is a sophomore majoring in pre-pharmacy at Chadron State College, while their daughter, Sara, is a freshman at Gordon High School.

The base of their family operation is basically two heifers that Tim Marlatt showed at the Nebraska State Fair back in the 1970s. “They were grand and reserve champion,” he said. “Most of our cows go back to those two heifers. Those genetics have produced a very uniform and productive herd for us.”



Tim said the heifers were purchased from Joe Giles.

“He allowed us to come in to his herd and pick some heifers out of his replacements,” he says. “Those heifers went on to do quite well for us. I am really grateful to him for allowing us to do that. After we developed our herd, he started purchasing bulls from us, and he is still one of our bull customers to this day.”



The couple weren’t always involved in producing purebred registered Angus cattle. Tim was involved in commercial cattle and is from the Woodlake area. Kim is from Gordon and her grandparents raised purebred Shorthorn. Today, the couple operate what was originally Kim’s grandparents ranch.

The couple hosts an annual bull sale that is held each year in January. This past sale, held Jan. 18, was their 22nd annual sale. “Our sale is generally made up of one-third two-year-old bulls, and two-thirds yearling bulls,” Tim said. “They are sold here at the ranch.

“Last year, we also held a mature cow dispersal, which we have held every third year,” he said. Tim added every cow five years and up was in that sale. “Angus cattle are fertile and if you don’t move them out of the system, your numbers just explode,” he says. “They are still very viable at five and other breeders will purchase them. Those cows will generate dollars for them right away.”

Tim said they have also offered some younger females for sale during the mature cow dispersal, but starting next January, he plans to offer some bred heifers during the annual bull sale.

“Typically, our market is geared to guys that are commercial operators,” Tim says. “Their market is going to be high five and low six frame cows. We try to produce cows that mirror what our customers want. We are working on mass and depth. We have also made sure that all the convenience traits, udders, fertility, and calving ease, are there.”

Tim said the cows are grazed on the ranch during most of the year.

“Our spring calving cows will be grazed on grass and cornstalks up until January. At that point, those cows come home to calve and remain here until they go to grass in the spring,” he said. “The fall-calving cows calve in August, and the calves are weaned at five and a half months. Those cows go to cornstalk fields.”

Although the Marlatts have traditionally calved in January and February, Tim said they are slowly transitioning toward fall calving.

“We have rolled two-thirds of our cows to fall calving in August and September,” he said. “The main reason is convenience. We are trying to work with Mother Nature, and not against her. We are heading to the point where we will be selling 18-month-old bulls, rather than yearling bulls in our bull sale.”

For the buyers of TK bulls, this will be a big advantage. Tim said the buyers will have the ability to come to the sale and purchase a bull with more age on him that could service more cows that first year. In turn, Tim said they will be able to grow bulls with more of their long-term use in mind. “We are not out to fatten the bulls we sell, but we do want them to be sound,” he says.

“With an early January sale, the bulls are hard and ready to service when they are turned out in the spring,” Tim continued. They develop the bulls themselves. “In the fall of the year, the bulls are turned into some irrigated grass. We keep them there until the snow flies. From that point on, they are on a ration of silage, ground hay, distillers, and corn,” he said. “After the sale, the distillers and corn is pulled from the ration. This ration has worked well for us. By the time we hold the sale, the bulls have some eye appeal, but they are ready for use in the spring.”

Tim said about 60 percent of the bulls they sell can be used on either heifers or cows.

“Most of our customers will use a bull on heifers for two or three years, then, at that time, they will be too big for heifers so they will move them over onto the mature cows,” he said. “The other 40 percent of the bulls we sell are geared to be used on cows. These bulls will produce calves with more emphasis on pay weight.”

To offer bulls with more heterosis to his commercial producers, Tim has embarked on a new venture.

“I have seen a need among my commercial producers, who have used Angus on Angus on Angus, to get some heterosis back into their commercial herd,” he said. “We are working on breeding composite bulls for our commercial customers.”

The result will provide the commercial cattlemen with seedstock that will generate better feeder cattle.

“Our goal is to provide seedstock for the commercial producer that will allow their feeder cattle to still qualify as CAB (Certified Angus Beef), but in the feedlot they will increase pay weight, and improve feed efficiency,” Tim explained.

Tim said they hope to accomplish their goal by breeding some of their purebred registered Angus cows to a purebred registered dark red Charolais bull.

“The bull we are using is not a typical Charolais,” he says. “He looks more like a darn good Red Angus.”

Tim said he did a lot of research before committing to the new venture. “When I started investigating this project, I went to the feedlot to ask them what kind of cattle they wanted,” he said. “I rode around with a feeder, and he showed me his best pen of fed cattle. They were gray with a black nose and were Charolais Angus cross feeder cattle.”

When Tim decided on Charolais, he located the bull he wanted after a lot of phone calls, internet research and travel.

“I traveled across three provinces to find this bull,” he says. “He is a purebred Charolais. He is not a percentage bull. Red Charolais are not real common in the United States. We obtained this bull out of Canada.”

When Tim started looking for a Charolais bull, he had specific qualities in mind.

“My first priority when I went looking for bulls was, first of all, color,” he said. “Then, I wanted conformation that would nicely complement the Angus we are currently breeding.”

Tim said he used the bull for the first time last summer, and is seeing the first calves this year.

“The calves look like Angus when they are born,” he said. “They are black, polled and have more butt and bone.”

Tim hopes to cross these offspring back onto Angus to produce 3/4 blood Angus, 1/4 blood Charolais bulls. Tim hopes to have some bulls from this cross on the January bull sale in about two years.

“We want to do whatever it takes to keep our commercial producers profitable,” he says. “That is our primary goal and what will keep us in business.”

TK Angus of Gordon, NE has spent years carefully selecting cattle to breed and produce bulls that will lead to financial success for their commercial customers.

TK Angus is a family operation. TK stands for Tim and Kim Marlatt. The couple has two children. Rick is a sophomore majoring in pre-pharmacy at Chadron State College, while their daughter, Sara, is a freshman at Gordon High School.

The base of their family operation is basically two heifers that Tim Marlatt showed at the Nebraska State Fair back in the 1970s. “They were grand and reserve champion,” he said. “Most of our cows go back to those two heifers. Those genetics have produced a very uniform and productive herd for us.”

Tim said the heifers were purchased from Joe Giles.

“He allowed us to come in to his herd and pick some heifers out of his replacements,” he says. “Those heifers went on to do quite well for us. I am really grateful to him for allowing us to do that. After we developed our herd, he started purchasing bulls from us, and he is still one of our bull customers to this day.”

The couple weren’t always involved in producing purebred registered Angus cattle. Tim was involved in commercial cattle and is from the Woodlake area. Kim is from Gordon and her grandparents raised purebred Shorthorn. Today, the couple operate what was originally Kim’s grandparents ranch.

The couple hosts an annual bull sale that is held each year in January. This past sale, held Jan. 18, was their 22nd annual sale. “Our sale is generally made up of one-third two-year-old bulls, and two-thirds yearling bulls,” Tim said. “They are sold here at the ranch.

“Last year, we also held a mature cow dispersal, which we have held every third year,” he said. Tim added every cow five years and up was in that sale. “Angus cattle are fertile and if you don’t move them out of the system, your numbers just explode,” he says. “They are still very viable at five and other breeders will purchase them. Those cows will generate dollars for them right away.”

Tim said they have also offered some younger females for sale during the mature cow dispersal, but starting next January, he plans to offer some bred heifers during the annual bull sale.

“Typically, our market is geared to guys that are commercial operators,” Tim says. “Their market is going to be high five and low six frame cows. We try to produce cows that mirror what our customers want. We are working on mass and depth. We have also made sure that all the convenience traits, udders, fertility, and calving ease, are there.”

Tim said the cows are grazed on the ranch during most of the year.

“Our spring calving cows will be grazed on grass and cornstalks up until January. At that point, those cows come home to calve and remain here until they go to grass in the spring,” he said. “The fall-calving cows calve in August, and the calves are weaned at five and a half months. Those cows go to cornstalk fields.”

Although the Marlatts have traditionally calved in January and February, Tim said they are slowly transitioning toward fall calving.

“We have rolled two-thirds of our cows to fall calving in August and September,” he said. “The main reason is convenience. We are trying to work with Mother Nature, and not against her. We are heading to the point where we will be selling 18-month-old bulls, rather than yearling bulls in our bull sale.”

For the buyers of TK bulls, this will be a big advantage. Tim said the buyers will have the ability to come to the sale and purchase a bull with more age on him that could service more cows that first year. In turn, Tim said they will be able to grow bulls with more of their long-term use in mind. “We are not out to fatten the bulls we sell, but we do want them to be sound,” he says.

“With an early January sale, the bulls are hard and ready to service when they are turned out in the spring,” Tim continued. They develop the bulls themselves. “In the fall of the year, the bulls are turned into some irrigated grass. We keep them there until the snow flies. From that point on, they are on a ration of silage, ground hay, distillers, and corn,” he said. “After the sale, the distillers and corn is pulled from the ration. This ration has worked well for us. By the time we hold the sale, the bulls have some eye appeal, but they are ready for use in the spring.”

Tim said about 60 percent of the bulls they sell can be used on either heifers or cows.

“Most of our customers will use a bull on heifers for two or three years, then, at that time, they will be too big for heifers so they will move them over onto the mature cows,” he said. “The other 40 percent of the bulls we sell are geared to be used on cows. These bulls will produce calves with more emphasis on pay weight.”

To offer bulls with more heterosis to his commercial producers, Tim has embarked on a new venture.

“I have seen a need among my commercial producers, who have used Angus on Angus on Angus, to get some heterosis back into their commercial herd,” he said. “We are working on breeding composite bulls for our commercial customers.”

The result will provide the commercial cattlemen with seedstock that will generate better feeder cattle.

“Our goal is to provide seedstock for the commercial producer that will allow their feeder cattle to still qualify as CAB (Certified Angus Beef), but in the feedlot they will increase pay weight, and improve feed efficiency,” Tim explained.

Tim said they hope to accomplish their goal by breeding some of their purebred registered Angus cows to a purebred registered dark red Charolais bull.

“The bull we are using is not a typical Charolais,” he says. “He looks more like a darn good Red Angus.”

Tim said he did a lot of research before committing to the new venture. “When I started investigating this project, I went to the feedlot to ask them what kind of cattle they wanted,” he said. “I rode around with a feeder, and he showed me his best pen of fed cattle. They were gray with a black nose and were Charolais Angus cross feeder cattle.”

When Tim decided on Charolais, he located the bull he wanted after a lot of phone calls, internet research and travel.

“I traveled across three provinces to find this bull,” he says. “He is a purebred Charolais. He is not a percentage bull. Red Charolais are not real common in the United States. We obtained this bull out of Canada.”

When Tim started looking for a Charolais bull, he had specific qualities in mind.

“My first priority when I went looking for bulls was, first of all, color,” he said. “Then, I wanted conformation that would nicely complement the Angus we are currently breeding.”

Tim said he used the bull for the first time last summer, and is seeing the first calves this year.

“The calves look like Angus when they are born,” he said. “They are black, polled and have more butt and bone.”

Tim hopes to cross these offspring back onto Angus to produce 3/4 blood Angus, 1/4 blood Charolais bulls. Tim hopes to have some bulls from this cross on the January bull sale in about two years.

“We want to do whatever it takes to keep our commercial producers profitable,” he says. “That is our primary goal and what will keep us in business.”

TK Angus of Gordon, NE has spent years carefully selecting cattle to breed and produce bulls that will lead to financial success for their commercial customers.

TK Angus is a family operation. TK stands for Tim and Kim Marlatt. The couple has two children. Rick is a sophomore majoring in pre-pharmacy at Chadron State College, while their daughter, Sara, is a freshman at Gordon High School.

The base of their family operation is basically two heifers that Tim Marlatt showed at the Nebraska State Fair back in the 1970s. “They were grand and reserve champion,” he said. “Most of our cows go back to those two heifers. Those genetics have produced a very uniform and productive herd for us.”

Tim said the heifers were purchased from Joe Giles.

“He allowed us to come in to his herd and pick some heifers out of his replacements,” he says. “Those heifers went on to do quite well for us. I am really grateful to him for allowing us to do that. After we developed our herd, he started purchasing bulls from us, and he is still one of our bull customers to this day.”

The couple weren’t always involved in producing purebred registered Angus cattle. Tim was involved in commercial cattle and is from the Woodlake area. Kim is from Gordon and her grandparents raised purebred Shorthorn. Today, the couple operate what was originally Kim’s grandparents ranch.

The couple hosts an annual bull sale that is held each year in January. This past sale, held Jan. 18, was their 22nd annual sale. “Our sale is generally made up of one-third two-year-old bulls, and two-thirds yearling bulls,” Tim said. “They are sold here at the ranch.

“Last year, we also held a mature cow dispersal, which we have held every third year,” he said. Tim added every cow five years and up was in that sale. “Angus cattle are fertile and if you don’t move them out of the system, your numbers just explode,” he says. “They are still very viable at five and other breeders will purchase them. Those cows will generate dollars for them right away.”

Tim said they have also offered some younger females for sale during the mature cow dispersal, but starting next January, he plans to offer some bred heifers during the annual bull sale.

“Typically, our market is geared to guys that are commercial operators,” Tim says. “Their market is going to be high five and low six frame cows. We try to produce cows that mirror what our customers want. We are working on mass and depth. We have also made sure that all the convenience traits, udders, fertility, and calving ease, are there.”

Tim said the cows are grazed on the ranch during most of the year.

“Our spring calving cows will be grazed on grass and cornstalks up until January. At that point, those cows come home to calve and remain here until they go to grass in the spring,” he said. “The fall-calving cows calve in August, and the calves are weaned at five and a half months. Those cows go to cornstalk fields.”

Although the Marlatts have traditionally calved in January and February, Tim said they are slowly transitioning toward fall calving.

“We have rolled two-thirds of our cows to fall calving in August and September,” he said. “The main reason is convenience. We are trying to work with Mother Nature, and not against her. We are heading to the point where we will be selling 18-month-old bulls, rather than yearling bulls in our bull sale.”

For the buyers of TK bulls, this will be a big advantage. Tim said the buyers will have the ability to come to the sale and purchase a bull with more age on him that could service more cows that first year. In turn, Tim said they will be able to grow bulls with more of their long-term use in mind. “We are not out to fatten the bulls we sell, but we do want them to be sound,” he says.

“With an early January sale, the bulls are hard and ready to service when they are turned out in the spring,” Tim continued. They develop the bulls themselves. “In the fall of the year, the bulls are turned into some irrigated grass. We keep them there until the snow flies. From that point on, they are on a ration of silage, ground hay, distillers, and corn,” he said. “After the sale, the distillers and corn is pulled from the ration. This ration has worked well for us. By the time we hold the sale, the bulls have some eye appeal, but they are ready for use in the spring.”

Tim said about 60 percent of the bulls they sell can be used on either heifers or cows.

“Most of our customers will use a bull on heifers for two or three years, then, at that time, they will be too big for heifers so they will move them over onto the mature cows,” he said. “The other 40 percent of the bulls we sell are geared to be used on cows. These bulls will produce calves with more emphasis on pay weight.”

To offer bulls with more heterosis to his commercial producers, Tim has embarked on a new venture.

“I have seen a need among my commercial producers, who have used Angus on Angus on Angus, to get some heterosis back into their commercial herd,” he said. “We are working on breeding composite bulls for our commercial customers.”

The result will provide the commercial cattlemen with seedstock that will generate better feeder cattle.

“Our goal is to provide seedstock for the commercial producer that will allow their feeder cattle to still qualify as CAB (Certified Angus Beef), but in the feedlot they will increase pay weight, and improve feed efficiency,” Tim explained.

Tim said they hope to accomplish their goal by breeding some of their purebred registered Angus cows to a purebred registered dark red Charolais bull.

“The bull we are using is not a typical Charolais,” he says. “He looks more like a darn good Red Angus.”

Tim said he did a lot of research before committing to the new venture. “When I started investigating this project, I went to the feedlot to ask them what kind of cattle they wanted,” he said. “I rode around with a feeder, and he showed me his best pen of fed cattle. They were gray with a black nose and were Charolais Angus cross feeder cattle.”

When Tim decided on Charolais, he located the bull he wanted after a lot of phone calls, internet research and travel.

“I traveled across three provinces to find this bull,” he says. “He is a purebred Charolais. He is not a percentage bull. Red Charolais are not real common in the United States. We obtained this bull out of Canada.”

When Tim started looking for a Charolais bull, he had specific qualities in mind.

“My first priority when I went looking for bulls was, first of all, color,” he said. “Then, I wanted conformation that would nicely complement the Angus we are currently breeding.”

Tim said he used the bull for the first time last summer, and is seeing the first calves this year.

“The calves look like Angus when they are born,” he said. “They are black, polled and have more butt and bone.”

Tim hopes to cross these offspring back onto Angus to produce 3/4 blood Angus, 1/4 blood Charolais bulls. Tim hopes to have some bulls from this cross on the January bull sale in about two years.

“We want to do whatever it takes to keep our commercial producers profitable,” he says. “That is our primary goal and what will keep us in business.”

TK Angus of Gordon, NE has spent years carefully selecting cattle to breed and produce bulls that will lead to financial success for their commercial customers.

TK Angus is a family operation. TK stands for Tim and Kim Marlatt. The couple has two children. Rick is a sophomore majoring in pre-pharmacy at Chadron State College, while their daughter, Sara, is a freshman at Gordon High School.

The base of their family operation is basically two heifers that Tim Marlatt showed at the Nebraska State Fair back in the 1970s. “They were grand and reserve champion,” he said. “Most of our cows go back to those two heifers. Those genetics have produced a very uniform and productive herd for us.”

Tim said the heifers were purchased from Joe Giles.

“He allowed us to come in to his herd and pick some heifers out of his replacements,” he says. “Those heifers went on to do quite well for us. I am really grateful to him for allowing us to do that. After we developed our herd, he started purchasing bulls from us, and he is still one of our bull customers to this day.”

The couple weren’t always involved in producing purebred registered Angus cattle. Tim was involved in commercial cattle and is from the Woodlake area. Kim is from Gordon and her grandparents raised purebred Shorthorn. Today, the couple operate what was originally Kim’s grandparents ranch.

The couple hosts an annual bull sale that is held each year in January. This past sale, held Jan. 18, was their 22nd annual sale. “Our sale is generally made up of one-third two-year-old bulls, and two-thirds yearling bulls,” Tim said. “They are sold here at the ranch.

“Last year, we also held a mature cow dispersal, which we have held every third year,” he said. Tim added every cow five years and up was in that sale. “Angus cattle are fertile and if you don’t move them out of the system, your numbers just explode,” he says. “They are still very viable at five and other breeders will purchase them. Those cows will generate dollars for them right away.”

Tim said they have also offered some younger females for sale during the mature cow dispersal, but starting next January, he plans to offer some bred heifers during the annual bull sale.

“Typically, our market is geared to guys that are commercial operators,” Tim says. “Their market is going to be high five and low six frame cows. We try to produce cows that mirror what our customers want. We are working on mass and depth. We have also made sure that all the convenience traits, udders, fertility, and calving ease, are there.”

Tim said the cows are grazed on the ranch during most of the year.

“Our spring calving cows will be grazed on grass and cornstalks up until January. At that point, those cows come home to calve and remain here until they go to grass in the spring,” he said. “The fall-calving cows calve in August, and the calves are weaned at five and a half months. Those cows go to cornstalk fields.”

Although the Marlatts have traditionally calved in January and February, Tim said they are slowly transitioning toward fall calving.

“We have rolled two-thirds of our cows to fall calving in August and September,” he said. “The main reason is convenience. We are trying to work with Mother Nature, and not against her. We are heading to the point where we will be selling 18-month-old bulls, rather than yearling bulls in our bull sale.”

For the buyers of TK bulls, this will be a big advantage. Tim said the buyers will have the ability to come to the sale and purchase a bull with more age on him that could service more cows that first year. In turn, Tim said they will be able to grow bulls with more of their long-term use in mind. “We are not out to fatten the bulls we sell, but we do want them to be sound,” he says.

“With an early January sale, the bulls are hard and ready to service when they are turned out in the spring,” Tim continued. They develop the bulls themselves. “In the fall of the year, the bulls are turned into some irrigated grass. We keep them there until the snow flies. From that point on, they are on a ration of silage, ground hay, distillers, and corn,” he said. “After the sale, the distillers and corn is pulled from the ration. This ration has worked well for us. By the time we hold the sale, the bulls have some eye appeal, but they are ready for use in the spring.”

Tim said about 60 percent of the bulls they sell can be used on either heifers or cows.

“Most of our customers will use a bull on heifers for two or three years, then, at that time, they will be too big for heifers so they will move them over onto the mature cows,” he said. “The other 40 percent of the bulls we sell are geared to be used on cows. These bulls will produce calves with more emphasis on pay weight.”

To offer bulls with more heterosis to his commercial producers, Tim has embarked on a new venture.

“I have seen a need among my commercial producers, who have used Angus on Angus on Angus, to get some heterosis back into their commercial herd,” he said. “We are working on breeding composite bulls for our commercial customers.”

The result will provide the commercial cattlemen with seedstock that will generate better feeder cattle.

“Our goal is to provide seedstock for the commercial producer that will allow their feeder cattle to still qualify as CAB (Certified Angus Beef), but in the feedlot they will increase pay weight, and improve feed efficiency,” Tim explained.

Tim said they hope to accomplish their goal by breeding some of their purebred registered Angus cows to a purebred registered dark red Charolais bull.

“The bull we are using is not a typical Charolais,” he says. “He looks more like a darn good Red Angus.”

Tim said he did a lot of research before committing to the new venture. “When I started investigating this project, I went to the feedlot to ask them what kind of cattle they wanted,” he said. “I rode around with a feeder, and he showed me his best pen of fed cattle. They were gray with a black nose and were Charolais Angus cross feeder cattle.”

When Tim decided on Charolais, he located the bull he wanted after a lot of phone calls, internet research and travel.

“I traveled across three provinces to find this bull,” he says. “He is a purebred Charolais. He is not a percentage bull. Red Charolais are not real common in the United States. We obtained this bull out of Canada.”

When Tim started looking for a Charolais bull, he had specific qualities in mind.

“My first priority when I went looking for bulls was, first of all, color,” he said. “Then, I wanted conformation that would nicely complement the Angus we are currently breeding.”

Tim said he used the bull for the first time last summer, and is seeing the first calves this year.

“The calves look like Angus when they are born,” he said. “They are black, polled and have more butt and bone.”

Tim hopes to cross these offspring back onto Angus to produce 3/4 blood Angus, 1/4 blood Charolais bulls. Tim hopes to have some bulls from this cross on the January bull sale in about two years.

“We want to do whatever it takes to keep our commercial producers profitable,” he says. “That is our primary goal and what will keep us in business.”