Surrounded by the Wildcat Bluffs andmiles of grassland, Gary Darnall’s

grandfather “proved up” in westernNebraska. That was 1892, and the cattlefamily has been there ever since. Roots in thecow-calf industry spurred their interest infeeding cattle.

“We’re a family operation,” says Gary,who manages the 20,000-head DarnallFeedlot with his son, Lane. “We’ve been herethrough the years and we enjoy what we’re doing.”

The cow herd was the sole focus of theHarrisburg, Neb., operation for more than75 years, but when Gary came back to the

ranch, he started the feedlot. The bluffsprovide a scenic backdrop for the windingdirt road that introduces visitors to theranch and leads them to the feedlot.

First feeding the ranch’s calves in the late1970s, the feedlot gradually grew withdemand for its services. The Darnalls havesaved room to expand again if necessary.

“It was a way for the ranch to expand tothe size that we could support morefamilies,” Gary says. Lane joined theoperation upon his graduation from theUniversity of Wyoming in 1986.

Though the yard has grown and became aCertified Angus Beef LLC (CAB)-licensed

feedlot in 1999, the Darnalls still maintainthe same principles it was founded on.

“Our objective here is to provide a serviceto our customer,” Gary says. “Whatever thatis or can be is what we want to do. Eachcustomer is an individual and each customerhas different wishes. They want differentthings. If we can provide that, it’s good.”

For that approach, CAB named Darnallthe Feedlot Partner of the Year for yardsgreater than 15,000 head capacity. Chosenfrom a nationwide network of licensedpartners, Gary Darnall accepted the award atthe CAB annual conference, Aug. 19, inSeattle, Wash.

Tracking trendsThrough the years, the father-son duo has

picked up on trends that helped grow thefeedlot.

One recognized trend came when CABapproached them about becoming a licensedfeedlot. The Darnalls had already beenproviding performance data back to theircustomers, but they noticed a need to conveycarcass data as well.

October 2006 ■ ANGUSJournal ■ 117

CONTINUED ON PAGE 118

@ “Our objective here is to provide a service to our customer,” says Gary Darnall (left), shown withhis son, Lane. “Whatever that is or can be is what we want to do. Each customer is an individual andeach customer has different wishes.”

At Your ServiceDarnall Feedlot gives customers what they want,

wins 2006 CAB feedlot award. Story & photos by Miranda Reiman

Darnall Feedlot

Feedlot Partner of the Year

≥15,000 head

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118 ■ ANGUSJournal ■ October 2006

“I saw it was a tool we could utilize toprovide more information back to thecustomer who wanted that information,”Lane says. “CAB has been here to help usreturn the cattle information in a neat andconcise report.”

The feedlot was one of the first to partnerwith CAB.

“It’s been one of the greatest things tohappen to us,” Gary says.

Paul Dykstra, CAB feedlot specialist, saysthe Darnalls make the relationship work.

“They are dedicated to getting informationback to their customers, and it shows,” he says.“They attract producers who want to improvetheir herds and carcass quality.”

Working through CAB, Darnall canprovide customers with annual reports thattrack their history at the feedlot.

“One of the real assets that CAB has hereis showing that progression. We’ve gotcustomers who have gotten an annual reportmaybe three, four and five times, and theysee that progression,” Gary says. “In someareas it isn’t progression, and they say, ‘Webetter do something about this.’”

The Darnalls also track progress withintheir own cattle herd.

“We look forward to that informationevery year,” says Gary, who uses the carcassdata to make culling decisions. “We’re alwaysasking ourselves what we can do in ourgenetics to improve.”

In 2004, cattle from their commercialherd won the National Angus CarcassChallenge (NACC) heifer division. The penof 40 head graded 65% Prime and CertifiedAngus Beef ® (CAB®) while a second penearned third place in the steer division.

Targeting the brandAs both feedlot owners and cow-calf

managers, the Darnalls know what kind ofcattle to target.

“All of us are in the business of trying toproduce protein for the consumer,” Garysays. “In a feedlot, performance is soimportant. In addition to having the carcasstraits, we’ve got to have performance. We’vegot to have both.”

Their herd helps them relate to customers.“When we sit down and talk to the

ranchers, we compare notes,” Gary says. “Wecompare what happened in our cow herd totheirs.”

The two-way conversations, however, startlong before the cattle enter the yard.

“Management actually starts before thecalves ever come in — helping the ownermake the decision whether it’s profitable forthem to feed their cattle,” Lane says.

Gary adds, “We want to visit with theowner. We want to know the health programon those cattle. We want to know the age ofthose calves. We want to know some of thehistory of the herd.”

Most of the cattle are retained ownership,so Gary and Lane talk with producers aboutoptions like implanting and ultrasoundscanning.

“Once we get them here, then it’s hands-on management,” Lane says.

Darnall recruits the majority of its cattlefrom areas north and west of the feedlot,primarily Montana, Wyoming and theDakotas.

“We are fortunate to be in this part of theworld where we have quality cattle that weget to feed,” Gary says. “Not only carcassquality, but performance quality.”

They take those cattle into the feedlot andtreat them right.

“Darnall is a dynamite combination of alarge feedlot and ranch, feeding good cattlethe right way,” Dykstra says. “In 2005, theywere in the top 10% of all licensed feedlotsfor acceptance into the Certified Angus Beefbrand.”

In addition to the feedlot and commercialherd, the family has a number of acres ofirrigated and dryland crops.

“We have very, very good personnel,” Lanesays. “We surround ourselves with some ofthe best people in the industry that help usdaily, and that’s how we manage everything.”

Lane supervises the personnel andinternal issues, while Gary handles themajority of the marketing and customerservice.

Together they’re committed to the samephilosophy.

“We’re interested in working with therancher to maximize his net profit when wemarket these animals,” Gary says.

Lane adds, “It’s our goal to providewhatever service our customers desire.”

@Named CAB Feedlot Partner of the Year forfeedlots with a capacity greater than 15,000head, Darnall Feedlot recruits the majority of itscattle from areas north and west of the feedlot,primarily Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas.

@ The Wildcat Bluffs provide a scenic backdrop for the winding dirt road that introduces visitors tothe ranch and leads them to the feedlot.

At Your Service CONTINUED FROM PAGE 117

Excellence Honored

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