2019 Summer Tour

Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association to Host Summer Production Tour

For Immediate Release: May 1, 2019

Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association

632 Grand Canyon Drive

Madison, WI 53719

Phone: 608-228-1457

Email: [email protected]

Madison, WI: 

The Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association (WCA) will be hosting the second annual Summer Cattle Production Tour.  The tour will be held on Saturday, June 22 and feature three farms in Southwestern Wisconsin.  The goal of the tour is to fulfill the mission of the organization to promote networking of beef producers and learning from other producers.  

The first stop on the tour will be Spring Creeks Cattle Company near Wauzeka. Owned by Bob Mitchell and family, Bob started the operation by purchasing his first farm near Linden, WI in 1976 after growing up in town. In 1991, he purchased the first purebred cattle and transitioned the operation to Crawford County in the early 2000’s. The family’s 600 head seedstock and commercial cow calf operation includes Bob, his wife Rhonda and the families of their three sons, Matt, Bart and Scott. They raise Limousin, Lim-Flex, Angus and crossbred cattle with selling replacement bulls and females in addition to marketing feeder cattle. The Mitchell family all take individual roles in the operation caring for the cattle and producing feed to support the cattle operation. The operation also holds a joint production sale with Marda Angus Farms each fall since 2014 and will hold their 2nd bull sale this year.  

The second stop on the tour is Rush Creek Ranch, operated by Reid and Matt Ludlow, is located near Viroqua, WI. The operation buys extremely light weight calves throughout the Southeastern United States during the winter and contracts with other producers to precondition and graze them until spring. Reid has grown Rush Creek Ranch into an extremely intensive rotational grazing operation. Initially running cattle on 40-acre pastures, Rush Creek Ranch now runs 8 separate sets of cattle running from 600-900 head with the pastures divided into 5-acre pastures. Becoming more intense through rotational grazing has enabled Rush Creek Ranch to increase stocking density by 5% each year without adding any additional acres to their operation. The Ludlow’s have made significant investments in electric fencing to divide the pastures, water lines and tanks to best utilize the rough hills of Southwestern Wisconsin.  

The final stop will be at Woodhill Farms, also located near Viroqua, WI. Owned by Borgen and McCulloh, Woodhill Farms is an Angus seed stock operation know for performance. Majority of the income for the farm is generated from the sale of Angus bulls and breeding females. Brian McCulloh manages the operation on a day-to-day basis and has been a leader in the Angus breed, focusing on utilizing breeding objectives, EPD’s and genomics in their selections. Woodhill is also focused on forage management to improve utilization and maximize the use of the land through intensive grazing, cover crops and focused nutrition.  

The tour will also have special guest, Jennifer Houston, 2019 NCBA President.  She will provide an update on NCBA efforts in Washington D.C. on behalf of cattlemen.  Both lunch and dinner are provided on the tour.  Busses will leave from both Boscobel and Viroqua, WI and provide transportation for the day.  Registration for this one-day program and meals will be $50 for WCA members and $100 for non-members. Registration is also available online at https://www.wisconsincattlemen.com/events/summer-tour/registration. Contact WCA with questions at 608-228-1457 or [email protected].  

The Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association is a trusted leader in the Wisconsin beef industry and gives a voice to Wisconsin’s beef producers on a local, regional and national level. Cattlemen and women can count on the WCA to protect their back when it comes to legislation impacting beef farms. The association works closely with many industry partners to maintain a positive business environment for cattlemen through leadership and education. Become a member to insure a viable Wisconsin beef industry now and in the future.