Meet the Grund Family
Grund Beef Genetics
GRUND BEEF GENETICS started as commercial cow/calf operation over 52 years ago in Western KS. The Grund family understands the challenges and opportunities of running cattle in the western High Plains region. We’re always searching for cattle that can add profit to your bottom line. Our roots started in the commercial cow-calf industry and today we still run 200 head of commercial cattle alongside our registered seedstock cows. We have always believed in the use of science and research to guide our decision-making. It was early research done by the Meat Animal Research Center that led us to become strong advocates for crossbreeding in the early 1970’s. Research shows that crossbred cows have a longer more productive life while also weaning bigger calves that add more dollars.
The Goal
The goal of Grund Beef Genetics has always been to find the breeds of cattle that will add benefits to our crossbreeding model. Balancers, Gelbvieh, Sim-Angus, Red Angus and Angus are the focus at Grund Beef Genetics. The breeds we have selected are known for their mothering ability. With the incorporation of crossbreeding, we’ve been afforded the added benefits of calving ease, exceptional growth, and rock-solid carcass traits. Fertility is the key to profitability and crossbreeding Angus with maternal breeds sets our operation apart from many others. We typically only have 3-5% open cows each year!
Our operation is very similar to many commercial cattle operations. Our cows graze 10 months of the year on grass and crop residue. We focus on an artificial insemination program that allows us to breed each cow once before herd bulls are used. We run cows in large pastures using 14 acres per pair, so quality feet and structural integrity is very important.
Our Breeding Program
Our primary focus is producing high quality hybrid seedstock like Balancers and Sim-Angus. We also supply purebred Gelbvieh, Red Angus and Angus seedstock that can specifically be used in your own crossbreeding plans. We select our A.I. sires based on calving ease, good growth and top end carcass traits that are backed by a productive dam. Many of our herd sires are out of Dam of Merit females. Dam of Merit Females are the most productive Balancer/Gelbvieh cows in the breed. Only 3% of the females in the US are Dam of Merit cows. Grund Beef Genetics has been feeding out our commercial calves over the last 5 years. We recognize that performance and carcass quality are important to the feeder and packer and ultimately drives decision making at the consumer level.
"Over the last 5 years, our calves have averaged 90-95% Choice or higher on Quality Grade and 97% Yield Grade 3 or better. Many bull suppliers tell you about how their genetics will feed and grade, but very few have the data
on their calves to show you the results." -Jerry Grund
Our Mentor, Layal
We greatly value our friends, neighbors, and mentors, but our most important mentor was our dad and granddad. Layal Grund was always watching and studying the cattle industry and was an early adopter of technology. Ultrasound, Artificial Insemination, Embryo Transfer, Genotyping Bulls, mating Hybrid Bulls and performance testing were all started by Layal. We continue his work and love of the cattle industry. We are also proud to offer a yearly scholarship in memory of Layal. If you are interested in applying, click here!
