Mike Kueber’s son, Tyler, was around 10 years old when he asked for a purebred Angus to show for 4-H, and then announced that the Kueber’s would be going into the purebred Angus business. A couple of decades later, the Kueber Farms’ herd has grown from one to 100.
A third-generation farmer, Kueber never considered another line of work when he graduated from high school in 1974.
He and his wife Diane, a teacher, have two grown sons, Tyler and Dillon. The eldest, Tyler works with the cattle handling all the sales, marketing and every aspect of their bull sale every February.
In addition to cattle, their operation southwest of Killam includes farming 1,800 acres of grain.
Their embryo program is a large and growing part of the ranch with a success rate of over 50 per cent.
Rosebud is the star of their embryo program. The Kueber’s bought her as a calf 12 years ago and to date, she has 34 progenies registered with the Canadian Angus Association.
“That’s what embryo work will do, you get a lot more calves out of your best cow,” Kueber says. “Our vet fees are quite a bit higher doing this, but our calf crop is quite a bit better.”
January is a busy time on the ranch because it’s their calving season. Kueber has four cameras that allow him to keep a watchful eye on the cows and calves when he isn’t in the barn and this season he expects about 85 births.
Following the polar vortex in 2019, they expanded the size of their barn to be able to accommodate more cows and newborns during potentially dangerous calving season cold snaps.
The health of the herd is very important to Kueber. The cattle get lots of regular exercise trekking back and forth from their bedding pile out in the pasture to the yard for their feed.
He also hires a nutritionist to test the feed every year, and ensure it contains all the nutrients the cattle require. If a deficiency is found in nutrients like phosphorous or calcium, those will be added to the grain at the feed mill.
Kueber likes the Angus breed for a few different reasons.
“They’re hearty animals, they are very good mothers, their maternal instincts are very good, and of course they are in demand— everyone wants Angus meat.”
Nicole Starker Campbell
ECA Review
