Sharp-minded but still quick with a warm smile, Dustin Frank is committed to selling seedstock that will benefit his customers’ herds and bottom lines. As a breeder, he believes in a good-footed, functional female who will thrive on grass, and bulls who will cover ground, do their job and pack on the pounds. He carries himself like a tried-and-true cattleman and has a deep understanding of genetics and industry issues.
One might assume he grew up on a family ranch and his institutional knowledge is simply due to his upbringing. But Frank hails from a row crop farm along the Front Range of Colorado. While his family had a small cattle herd, they made their living growing alfalfa, corn and sugar beets. His exposure to cattle was largely due to his mother’s insistence that he and his brother be involved in the 4-H program. Frank gives credit to 4-H and his involvement in the livestock judging program for kickstarting what has become a successful seedstock operation.
Frank went on to attend Colorado State University and traveled the country with the livestock judging team. While on the team, he was able to visit the most premier seedstock cattle operations and that’s when he knew that cattle were his future.
“During my best year of college, that’s when I knew, this is what I am going to do,” Frank told WLJ.
With the dream in place, Frank left college and began working toward acquiring the land needed to raise cattle. The urban sprawl along the Front Range didn’t provide the land opportunity for the aspiring cattleman so he set his sights on Nebraska.
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“I think it’s important for young people to understand that there’s more than one way to do this, but we focused on gathering up land first.” Frank said. “The main thing we wanted was to get a good holding of land to support what we wanted to do with the cattle business.”
Building a foundation
Armed with a Farm Service Agency (FSA) beginning farmers loan, help from his parents and their family banker, Frank acquired what is now his home place near Chappell, NE. He admits that applying for a loan with FSA can be an intimidating process, but it is well worth it. He said the programs within FSA are great for anyone wanting to become involved in agriculture, no matter the sector. The reasonable rates allow an individual to purchase a large parcel of land to get started. Frank said it is key to know what land you are going after, to have a well-thought-out plan and to be patient through the process.
After the land came the cattle. Frank knew he wanted to be heavily involved in raising seedstock bulls but wasn’t willing to overextend his finances to build a purebred cow herd.
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“We actually used a commercial cow herd to build our registered program,” he said.
Along with commercial females, Frank also purchased a few key donor cows, small groups of registered cows and a few good females at dispersal sales. Utilizing embryo transfer (ET), he started building a cow herd that could produce the kind of bulls he wanted to market. His goal over time is to have a high-quality, consistent cow herd that can allow him to cut down on ET costs. Although, he does admit the annual investment in the ET program expedited their footprint in the business and believes they would be years behind without the technology.
While building his cow herd, Frank was driving cows all over to have ET work done, until a unique opportunity to purchase a larger cattle ranch near his home place allowed him to partner with Vytelle, an in vitro fertilization (IVF) company, as a satellite location. The ranch Frank purchased had been doing extensive ET work and the facilities were ready to go.
“I’m sitting there with this amazing embryo facility wanting to do lots of ET work of my own and knowing there’s a void in the area for anybody that’s doing IVF—we’re driving a long way to get any IVF done,” Frank said. “I know I’ve got neighbors and friends and many other people in the area that need that service. So, I got ahold of the Vytelle people, and we got things set up.”
Prioritizing customers
Selling bulls private treaty, Frank had been slowly growing a loyal customer base. Seeing good results, he began putting together a catalog and sending it to those customers every year to let them know what he had available. Because this was working and he was comfortable selling cattle this way, it was his dad who finally pushed him to having a production sale. Frank told his dad he needed to have 50 bulls to host a sale, to which his dad replied, “It’s time, just do it.” His first production sale had an offering of about 40 head.
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“It’s very intimidating to take that step and get started, but as long as you’re good to your customers and you treat people well, they’re going to come reciprocate that and they’re going to take care of you as well,” he said. “You have to have a little faith that as long as you believe in what you’re doing, the customers will come.”
Not only did the customers initially come, but they also continue to return. One of his fondest memories was when his former 4-H livestock judging coach and mentor, Steve Gabel, purchased one his bulls at his 2021 bull sale.
“He called me after that and he said, ‘Man, I’m so proud of you. You always told me you were going to do this and there’s a lot of people that say they’re going to do things but don’t follow through,’” he recalled. “That meant a lot.”
Frank believes the cattle business is really the people business and taking care of his customers is his first priority, but he also believes it is equally as important that they value the genetic investment they’re making. Because he believes so strongly in what he is producing, and taking care of his customers, Frank is willing to pay half of the insurance for bull purchases made on sale day. He believes this also gives his customers confidence that not only does he believe in what he is doing but that he is willing to take the extra step.
Building a reputation
Over the last decade, Frank has not only built a successful cattle operation, but also a reputation that is expanding beyond the ranch. In the last year, Frank has judged at the National Western Stock Show, American Royal and Northern International Livestock Exposition (NILE). He explained that he tries to do a fair job when judging shows because he knows how much work goes into it. He also thinks that competition in the industry is a good thing but too often exhibitors think their competition is with the other cattle in the ring, when really it is with their own selves.
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“At the end of the day, we’re actually competing against ourselves because we’re the ones that get the cattle ready,” Frank said. “You have control over how you manage your animal and the steps that you take to prepare them, so much of the competition side of that is solely based on the way you care for them.”
Looking forward
Judging shows, selling bulls, building an empire … Frank admits that the operation is not a solo venture; his brother and parents are most definitely equal partners and often he is just the face of the operation. He also said it’s his wife, Kendra, who is the real champion.
“Without my wife, we would not have accomplished what we have over the last 10 years,” he admitted.
Navigating droughts, harsh winters and the strains that come with raising cattle, he said that being married to a strong person and having a lot of faith are vital. He praised Kendra for being a great partner and an exceptional mother.
Frank and Kendra welcomed their son, Jesse, into the world almost two years ago and Frank said it has shifted his perspective on life.
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“It’s humbling, it’s scary, it’s fun and I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” he shared. “Things have really progressed quickly in the last 11, 12 years, but having a kid changes your lens of perspective quite a bit.”
He continued, “Instead of worrying so much about the cows and this bull or that bull, all of the things that keep us up at night, I find myself thinking more about leaving him something someday that he can take and build off of and be proud of.”
Not only is planning for the future important to him for his son’s sake, but also for his customers. Frank said that over the next decade the cattle industry needs to work on the issue of congestive heart failure.
“We’re going to have to get on top of it pretty quickly to be able to stay profitable in the beef industry. And it’s something that’s within our control,” he said. “I’m no geneticist, I’m just a cattle breeder, but we are all going to have to do our part to find a solution. And this is one issue in the next 10 years I personally really want to be able to help my customers with.”
Forward thinking with people at the heart of his business, Frank and his family are sure to continue down the road of success for many years to come. With just over a decade under his belt, he speaks like a man who has been in the business for 50 years.
“When you’re getting started in the cattle business, you better have a good spouse,” he said. “You better have a good banker and strong faith too, because you’re going to need all three.”
