2006 Commercial Producer of the Year
Kornfeld Ranch, Val Marie, SK

The Kornfeld Ranch at Val Marie was established 42 years ago by Werner Kornfeld and his son, Norman. Both of these men have passed on and today Doris and her two sons Glenn and Greg and grandsons (they being the 4th generation) operate the ranch. The family also consists of a daughter Gail, married to Bob Switzer and a third son Garth, who passed away in 1974 at 10 years of age.

When the ranch was purchased in the spring of 1964 it included 240 Black Angus females and 5 Black Angus herd bulls with a land base of 7171 acres. Our land base and herd has increased over the years and we will calve 800 plus Black Angus females this spring.

We market most of our calves through Mankota Stockmen’s Weigh Co. Some of our repeat buyers for many years have been Ed and Glori Dalke of High Ridge Feeders; Harry and Brenda Dalke Shannondale Farm, both of Morden, Manitoba and Gerry and Donna Smailes of Tri-County Cattle Co., Hanover, Ontario. We also use the facilities of Red Coat Feeders for backgrounding and finishing of our cattle.
We breed about 200 top end heifers every year and retain most of them in our own herd but have occasionally sold a limited number privately or at a select sale. Every spring we offer a group of replacement heifer calves for sale by private treaty.

Over the years we have used herd sires from most British breeds and numerous exotic breeds as well as rodeo type cattle. We have periodically purchased bred, short keep females. Through all of this cross-breeding program with its successes and failures our decision has been to use only Black Angus bulls and females and retain our own heifers as replacements. These are the kind of cattle that do the best job for us.

We source our herd bulls from breeders in the southwest area of our province and use only registered purebred bulls and maintain a bull battery of about 40 animals. Many factors are considered when we select our herd sires. Very careful visual inspection along with bloodline and EPD information are all part of the equation. When new blood lines are purchased these bulls are turned out with the young cows and the bulls from proven blood lines are used on the older cows.

When we select the heifer replacements for our program we choose females with quiet temperament, length and depth of body, ample hip, good hair coat, feminine appearance and uniformity. When heifers drop their first calves we will then cull for milk production, udder structure, mothering ability and in due time fertility is added to the equation. This culling procedure is on going through out the life of a cow.

We strive to develop a bull battery and a cow herd that is uniform and we continually select to improve the quality of our herd. We pay close attention to the comments we receive from the people who feed and finish our cattle as this is the most valuable information we receive.

We are very vigilant and dedicated to raising healthy cattle. Our total herd has been on a comprehensive health program (designed by Dr. Raymond Peno) for many years. Since BSE appeared on the scene we have not changed our herd health program. We grow all of our feed requirements and that is a plus factor as we know what is in every bale and where it comes from. We introduced MLS mineral to our cattle a few years ago and that has been a positive choice.

The heifers begin calving in March and we calve these females at the yard where they have access to sheds and barns. The cow herd calves in April on grass where we supplement them with hay bales and toward the end of April they are sorted and moved to summer range. We brand and vaccinate the calves about the middle of June. This task is performed the old-fashioned way using calf ropers and wrestlers. We appreciate the help of friends and family to accomplish this job.

Even though the challenges in the cattle business in recent years have been many, we still enjoy the life style of raising cattle.

We are thankful for and enjoy a newborn calf or foal, a chinook, a gentle rain, the song of a meadowlark, the wild flowers, the smell of fresh cut hay, the comradery of fellow cattle producers and most of all the peace and quiet of the prairie. These are some of the reasons we live and raise Black Angus cattle in southwest Saskatchewan.

We wish to sincerely thank Clint Smith of Breed Creek Angus for nominating us for the Commercial Producer of the Year Award and to all the directors who supported the nomination. We are very honoured and proud to receive this recognition.

Congratulations to the Kornfeld Ranch !