Winter Cattle Journal 2025 | Bullis Creek Ranch: A Transplant from Montana to Nebraska
Bearing a name that originated in Big Sky Country, Bullis Creek Ranch moved to Wood Lake, Nebraska in 1997 when a second and third generation were joining the operation. Surrounded by rolling hills and valleys, the Cornhusker State demands a lot from these cows, and they’ve risen to every challenge so far.
When Rob Brawner looks out across Bullis Creek Ranch, the first thought that comes to mind is biblical in nature: cattle upon a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10). Bullis Creek Ranch is more than 600 miles away from its original plot in Paradise Valley, Montana. Landing in the area around 1917, the founder of Bullis Creek Ranch – Herbert Brawner – was better known as Doc for the simple fact that he was the very first veterinarian to settle in Park County. “He was also a veterinarian in the Army, and he was part of the calvary so he worked on their horses at the time,” said his grandson, Rob Brawner. “He was also in charge of Fort Yellowstone in Yellowstone National Park. My family ranched in Montana for about 80 years before it became clear we needed a change in our operation to support our family needs.”
Paradise Valley is aptly named for its picturesque views and exceptionally fertile ground. While it wasn’t necessarily an easy decision to sell the land, the economic benefits made it difficult to stay. “My parents were ready to retire and by selling the land in Montana we had enough to set them up for that and still purchase land in Nebraska to keep the ranch going,” Brawner said. “We were looking for a place with a continuous block of owned land which is how we ended up in the Sandhills of Nebraska.” Living in Cherry County, which is the largest in the state, the Brawner’s made a significant contribution to the cattle to people ratio. Today, that ratio hovers around three to one. “Cherry County is the same size as the state of Connecticut and houses some of the biggest cattle operations in the state,” Brawner said. “The place in Montana was named after John Bullis who, of course, named the creek that ran through it and so we brought that little bit of our old home to our new one by keeping the name.”
Range Cake Ranch
Pulling into the ranch today, visitors would be hard pressed to miss the Welker overhead bin. It’s a staple element of most cattle operations out in the Sandhills. “Most people refer to it as a grass and cake outfit where we harvest grass and then feed range cake to meet the extra protein needs beyond what the grass can provide,” Brawner said. “In this area, we have some of the best grass in the world from May until about the middle of July and then it’s not worth much.” Everything at Bullis Creek Ranch is range raised, which means a lot both for everyday operation and their customers. The ranch is located in what’s been dubbed the “chop hills,” so the Limousin, LimFlex and Red Angus cows have to be structurally correct or they’ll find themselves in the cull pen.
“We are a performance-oriented operation, so we pay a lot of attention to EPDs,” Brawner said. “Our cattle have to be able to travel because water can sometimes be a mile away, so structure and function are everything out here.” While emphasizing performance traits, the Brawner family also puts a lot of pressure on docility and handleability. It’s taken a lot of years and tough decisions to make a herd known far and wide for their gentle disposition. “At one time the Limousin breed was not very docile, but breeders dedicated themselves to improving that over time,” Brawner said. “International Genetic Solutions [IGS] keeps data on 18 different breeds, everything except Hereford and Angus, and within that system, Limousin is the number one breed for docility.” Raising Limousin cattle since 1971, the Brawner’s have had a lot of years to work on improving that disposition score.
Thinking back to why docility became a trait to chase after, Brawner knows it has everything to do with the family members who work right alongside him. They are the ranch employees, and he wants to protect them as much as he can. “I don’t want my family working around animals where there could be a chance of getting hurt simply because of their disposition,” Brawner said. “A lot of our customers are in the same boat where their family works the cattle and usually that involves young kids. They don’t want wild cattle either.” Bullis Creek Ranch has quickly become synonymous with gentle cattle. That’s been the case for the last 20 years and it only gets stronger with time.
“We’ve been buying cattle from Bullis Creek for at least the last 18 years,” said Bryan Taylor who runs cattle near Sparks, Nebraska, with his family. “I like the growth and calving ease that comes with the bulls Rob sends us. The docility of our cattle was something that changed when we started buying bulls from Rob.” While Taylor wasn’t exactly searching for docile cattle, he can’t complain about the results of that either. Every year he lets Brawner know what he’s trying to do with his cow herd and Bullis Creek continues to deliver. “Rob’s been very reliable over the years, and he’s always been easy to purchase bulls from,” Taylor said. “I think the last 20 something years we’ve had one wild calf that came from crossing our cows with Rob’s bulls. We’ve been very happy with how our herd has benefited first with growth and calving ease and second with the disposition changes.”
Slow and Easy Going
Easy handling cattle make for a better overall experience as a rancher but more importantly as a beef consumer. “It’s a proven fact that cattle that are nervous or have a poor disposition don’t perform on the rail as well as the docile cattle,” Brawner said. “It pays all the way around to have highly docile animals.” Since their cattle live out on the range, their disposition is yet again a benefit. Mainly using ATVs and home-grown Border Collies, Bullis Creek Ranch covers a lot of ground quickly when they’re either checking on cattle or moving from the one place to the next. “Since we’re in the Sandhills, the terrain is conducive to four-wheelers and side-by-sides,” Brawner said. “Our cows are used to it, and they know they can’t outrun a motor. When we first got here 26 years ago, very few people in the area used anything but horses. Now they’re all over out here and I think it’s just because people saw how you can work stock more efficiently that way.”
Back in Montana the terrain didn’t always lend itself to anything but horses. Evidently, moving south was subliminally strategic for implementing the use of mechanical horsepower. Add in Border Collies who love to work and Bullis Creek Ranch is truly a well-oiled machine. “We’ve been raising Border Collies since 1986; you always seem to be shorthanded on a ranch and moving cattle somewhere,” Brawner said. “A lot of people don’t understand Border Collies because they’re a fetch dog, they’re instinct is to bring livestock back towards you.” Very rarely will a Border Collie wrap their mouth around a leg or a nose. In fact, they can move most animals with just their eyes. “The neat thing about a Border Collie is they can stare a cow down and make them move whatever way they want,” Brawner said. “Once cows get used to the dogs, they basically know what to do and the dog won’t need to hardly even bark.” A lot of what Bullis Creek does is smooth and quiet movement.
Cattlemen can see that philosophy in action at the 25th annual production sale on January 27, 2025. Usually about 80 bulls sell every year with plenty more for sale through private treaty. Replacement heifers, bred heifers and some older cows are usually on the block as well. “We try to run our cattle just like our neighbors so they’re out on the range just like the commercial programs our customers are running,” Brawner said. “Our goal is that our bulls will fit right into the program they’re bought for, and they’ll thrive in that environment just like they did in ours.” Brawner keeps the bulls out on a 600-acre pasture for the winter which is full of hills. “We think there’s an advantage to buying cattle that aren’t pampered and have been raised in a tough environment,” Brawner added. “Our bulls are sold as long aged coming two-year-olds that aren’t over-fed and have never been shut up in a lot.” There’s no doubt the Sandhills can be an unforgiving place, but it certainly continues to produce high caliber cows and bulls for Bullis Creek Ranch and their customers.
For more information about the operation or to contact Brawner, visit http://www.bulliscreek.com.