When talking about Angus history, the Sitz family is a big part of the story. The Montana operation is now run by the third and fourth generations, but the herd traces back to the first generation of William and Frieda Sitz, who bought their first black Angus in 1923 while living in the Sandhills of Nebraska. From this humble beginning of two Angus cows and a bull, the Sitz Angus operation now markets 900 bulls a year from southwest Montana.
After attending Colorado State University, second generation Angus breeder Bob Sitz Sr. researched finding a suitable ranch. He was convinced the future of ranching was in Montana. He found just what they wanted in southwest Montana in 1959, and Bob, along with his wife, Donna, and their young daughter, packed up and moved to the new ranch in January 1960 where they were faced with a foot of snow and below-zero temperatures.
What they did have was a good genetic base in their cattle, a vision, Bob’s knack for picking the right herd sires and a core belief that using objective measures combined with good cow sense was the future of cattle selection. Bob’s mother, Frieda, also moved to Montana to be with them, and her steadfast belief in the Angus breed served as a cornerstone for the Sitz operation.
Together, they were ready to make the ranch a success, but their hard work had just begun. They started out with 50 bred heifers, a run-down ranch, a growing young family—that would soon also include Bob Jr. and Jim—so they definitely had their work cut out for them.
Embracing performance
Bob Sr. was always looking for new technology. He embraced the idea of open AI in order to use a wider selection of bulls and to get more progeny out of certain blood lines, even if they weren’t in his own herd. Bob saw the importance of performance data from the beginning. He became actively involved in the Montana Beef Performance Association by enrolling his herd and submitting performance data. Likewise, Bob got heavily involved with the American Angus Association’s performance program, and quickly became an early adopter of all the performance methodologies as they were developed. For example, auctioneer Roger Jacobs, who has sold the Sitzes’ sale in Harrison for approximately 35 years, recalls the Sitz family was all in when EPDs first came out, while most took a wait-and-see approach.
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Bob Sr. became a member of the American Angus Association Board of Directors in 1979. This was an exciting time at the association, which included issuing the first field data “Sire Evaluation Report” and the introduction of performance registration certificates. During this time, he was also instrumental in keeping Certified Angus Beef moving forward.
The Sitz family was also always prepared to go their own way if they felt it was what was right for their commercial customers. In fact, for many years, they maintained a commercial herd in addition to the seedstock operation. Bob Sr. said it kept them grounded and in touch with their customers’ needs.
Changing the game
One of the best examples of them doing what they felt was right was when they purchased QAS Traveler 23-4 at the Treasure Chest Bull Test in 1979. Mind you, this is when the frame race was really taking off, and height was paramount in terms of selection among most elite seedstock operations. Many seedstock operations tied to the show ring would brag how big their calves’ birthweights were as it was a good indicator that the cattle would make really big mature cattle. Incorrect structure was also tolerated, as straight-shouldered, post-legged cattle were that much taller. In contrast was the bull Sitz bought, QAS Traveler 23-4, who was moderate framed, long bodied, sound as could be, and sired very moderate birthweights followed by rapid growth. However, what was truly special about Traveler at the time was his progeny grew rapidly but stopped once they reached a common-sense size. He was truly a game changer.
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The list of Sitz herdsires like QAS Traveler 23-4 reads like a who’s-who of great performance sires designed to produce bulls that will keep commercial producers in business. It really is amazing when you can list down the bulls used in one operation over the years that includes CSU Rito 4114, QAS Traveler 23-4, GDAR Rainmaker, DHD Traveler 6807, SITZ Traveler 8180, SITZ Alliance 6595, SITZ Upward 307R, SITZ Stellar 726D, SITZ Resilient 10208 and GDAR Traveler 124. There are an awful lot of operations that would be proud to have been associated with just one of those bulls during their career of breeding Angus.
Changing tides
However, the 1980s were a very trying time for the agriculture sector. Interest rates on production loans sometimes got as high as 20%, cattle prices were low, grain was low and the Sitz operation was put in survival mode. In 1989, Bob Sr. was tragically killed in a tractor accident. Faced with caring for two young sons at home, Donna sought advice from Pat Goggins and many other astute breeders on how to proceed with her operation. She thought about hiring a ranch manager but it was pointed out to her that she had two sons at home, Bob Jr. and Jim, who were capable of running the operation.
It was decided they would have a cow sale in October of 1989 to pay off debt and get the herd to a manageable level for the family to continue the operation. The family was in rebuild mode. In the 1990s, they expanded by acquiring three new properties. This allowed them to rely less on leased ground. One of these new properties was the Dillon ranch in 1997. This gave them the ability to develop a yearling operation, which allowed their customers to purchase yearling bulls. In 1999, the Sitz family had the historic cow sale selling SITZ Everelda Entense 023—the daughter of SITZ Everelda Entense 1137—for $300,000.
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Utilizing the new technologies available, the Sitz family began pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) testing their bulls around 2000.
According to Jim, “We PAP score our cattle and have a lot of faith in the American Angus’ new PAP EPD. Obviously, low PAP cattle have a major advantage at elevation, but we also think they are healthier and perform better throughout the production cycle. Health at the feedlot is paramount, and we think feeder cattle managed correctly out of low PAP bulls have an advantage.”
Not only does the Sitz family utilize new technology—such as ultrasound and genomics—when it is developed, they also see the importance of eye appeal, functionality, fertility, performance and maternal traits—what they call “practical performance.”
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They want cattle that don’t overemphasize just one segment of the industry. It does little good for a commercial producer if they are producing great feeder cattle for the feedyards and packers, but their cows turn over too fast to be profitable. That is why the Sitzes manage their cattle as closely to their commercial customers as possible: so the performance data is meaningful. For instance, the Sitzes want cattle with explosive growth in the feedlot that will hang a profitable carcass on a grid, but for them, it needs to come out of a cow that can maintain itself grazing native range. This includes maintaining cows on just native grass and supplement tubs often until February when conditions allow.
The cows have to have great longevity, which means they are highly fertile and trouble-free in terms of feet and legs. Jim elaborated, “You can’t make excuses for your cattle, if they break down or are open in the fall, they need to go to town.”
The Sitz program is known for the uniformity and consistency of the sires, and the maternal excellence of their cow herd. Not only do they have a great reputation for selling bulls that will sire top females, but they also assist in marketing their customers’ feeder cattle. Jim is a representative of Northern Video Auction and represents about 10,000 head per year. It comes down to the old saying, “If you can sell the feeder cattle, you can sell the bulls.”
An emphasis on customer service
This is just part of the Sitz family’s focus on customer service. Auctioneer Roger Jacobs says that one of the keys to the Sitzes’ success is they know the commercial business as well as any seedstock producer, which means they are producing the right kind of bulls for their customers. It is common place now, but Sitz was one of the first to offer free delivery. Jacobs describes, “They are rightfully liked and respected and their handshake is their word.”
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Jacobs also said one thing about the Sitz family is they treat all their customers the same whether someone is looking to buy a high-priced seedstock bull or if they are a smaller rancher in Nevada. They appreciate everyone who puts their trust in them by buying their genetics.
Taking care of customers is an ever-expanding field. For instance, Jim sees this continuing to grow as new packing plants are built and specialty products are introduced. They are currently studying how they think this will impact their customers, but with history as a guide, they will have it figured out and be supplying their customers with the appropriate genetics for tomorrow’s reality.
According to Jim, family is their highest priority. They want to have the opportunity to pass the ranch onto the next generation, and nothing makes Jim and Bob Jr. prouder than to have six members of the fourth generation of the Sitz family working on the operation, with an eye towards making room for the fifth generation in the future.
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This also means ensuring stewardship of the ranch and its resources, and the family is proud that the ranch earned the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Regional Environmental Stewardship Award.
They are also committed to taking care of their customers and servicing them the best they can. The Sitz family knows that they can only be successful if their customers are successful. Of course, their primary product is genetics, but to design those genetics correctly, it takes commitment to manage the cattle in a way that is as tough or tougher than how their customers manage their herds. Their cattle are rock-footed, easy keepers and as trouble-free as possible. Most of all, they are challenged to maintain high fertility in a tough environment.
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Always forward thinking, it will be exciting to see what the next 100 years brings for Sitz Angus, and their continued contributions to the industry.
