Episode 18: Docile Brahmans?!? with Grant and Nicole Vassberg of Kallion Farms

What happens when a breeder decides to push back against everything the cattle industry holds sacred? Grant and Nicole Vassberg of Kallion Farms have been doing exactly that with their bold approach to Brahman cattle.

For 15 years, Kallion has carried the label of “black sheep” in the Brahman world - systematically breeding away from the stereotype of wild, infertile cattle and toward docile, fertile animals that thrive on grass alone. The shift started when Grant, as a college freshman, quietly reversed his father’s breeding direction. Those same cattle went on to impress the consultants who once dismissed them.

In 2010, Kallion ran 900 head. Grant implemented a ruthless, common-sense culling program: every cow had to deliver a calf each year, problem free. He began radically reshaping the herd by rewarding the genetics that had long gone unrewarded. After five years, only 33 of the original 900 females were still in production. Today, the results are clear. Their herd is so docile that Nicole, who grew up in San Antonio with no agricultural background, can work them by herself. A stark contrast to her first experience at another ranch where she wasn’t even allowed to step out of the truck.

Traveling abroad confirmed what they suspected. While American breeders chase EPDs and show ring success, ranchers in places like Honduras are struggling with 40% calf crops from imported U.S. genetics. That realization led Grant back to the principles of Lasater, Bonsma, and Zietsman - ideas Kallion had been proving on their own pastures.

Their pursuit of functional cattle helped spark the creation of Bos Sires, a cooperative of like-minded breeders committed to genetics that perform in the real world. As Nicole puts it, their mission is about “exposing the truth of what’s going on in the industry” and “giving younger ranchers a fighting chance to build their legacy.”

Ready to challenge everything you thought you knew about cattle breeding? Subscribe now to hear more stories of ranchers returning to time-tested principles that create cattle that thrive in the real world.

Connect with Grant/Nicole and Kallion Farms:

Website: https://kallionfarms.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kallionfarms

Bos Sires: https://www.bossires.com/kallion-farms

Check out Bos Sires:

Website: https://www.bossires.com/

Bos Sires Catalog: International New Bos Sires Catalog (English)

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