Satisfied Purebred Seed Stock Producers
Longhorn Breeders Ron and Barbara Marquess
Purebred seed stock producers Ron and Barbara Marquess of Ben Wheeler, Texas were quick to recognize the value of cloning to their business.
"We're breeders first and foremost," Ron says. "But if we clone a top cow, we can mate the clones to several different bulls each breeding season to find out which bulls work best. Within a few short years we can find out what used to take a cow's entire lifetime to figure out: what bulls work best with her! From that point on we can work smarter instead of harder."
ViaGen produced these calves by cloning Delta Darlene.
Ron and Barbara have hired ViaGen to clone several of their prize longhorns, including the legendary Delta Darlene. They were so pleased with the results that cloning is now an integral part of the sales strategy at Marquess Arrow Ranch.
"The average 70"+ tip to tip cow sells in the auction ring for over $30,000," Ron says. "The same cows in the pasture will average $20,000 - $100,000 depending on how bad the owner really wants to keep them. Since many of these cows are well over 10 years old, you may be rolling the dice on getting even one calf that will turn out to be a true super longhorn. For those in the industry that don't have a 70"+ bull the odds could be even harder to match up that big investment cow."
"But what if you could buy a calf that was guaranteed to be 70" or 80" tip to tip, would you want one? What if that calf cost less than the average mature cow with 70" to 80" of horn, would you want one? What if you could own that 70" to 80" calf and have your brand on it, would you want one? What if you could have an entire herd of 70" to 80" cows with your brand on them, would you want them? Thanks to cloning, we now have the availability to offer just that to you."
For more information, visit the web site of Marquess Arrow Ranch.
Learn more about ViaGen's gene banking and cloning services.