About V-A-L Charolais
About Us
V-A-L Charolais Ranch is one of the oldest Charolais breeders in the Northwest, and was founded in 1967 by Val & Deanie Garner with an initial foundation stock of 23 half-sister females. Our ranch is surrounded by several hundred acres of rich farmland that produces bounteous crops pf wheat, corn, alfalfa, potatoes, and onions.
How We Started
Val’s involvement in the cattle industry began in 1956 when he and his new bride started their own herd of Black Angus. They began feeding calves every fall that were in turn resold to feed yards to finish. After seeing the growth on a few Charolais steers they had purchased in 1966, Val took advantage of the Charolais influence and crossed it with his herd of Angus.
Impressed with their conformation and rugged range readiness, the following year Val purchased 23 purebred Charolais half-sister heifers. They had three bull calves at their side. Starting with a solid set of cattle and utilizing A.I., Val formed his foundation herd. After marketing those three bull calves raised from their heifers at the Western Charolais Classic in Caldwell in 1968, it took only a year for a crop of A.I. calves to come on and make a run for their money in the top selling bull market. By 1971, V-A-L Charolais Ranch had topped the bull and female sales.
Our Philosophy
We take each cow individually and evaluate her; then pick a bull that would improve on her characteristics. Our focus is on calving ease first, growth factor second, and length third. We are always trying to improve on quality. You never have the perfect genetic package. We are always striving for more. Our key to success over the past 5 decades in the purebred cattle business is that we never sold a bull that we wouldn’t want to use on our own commercial herd.