Customer Success Story - The Struthoff Ranch
Nestled between San Antonio and New Braunfels, Texas, Lynn Struthoff has been in the business of raising quality Texas Longhorn cattle since 1996.
Struthoff says he grew up around beef cattle, but had spent some time researching the Longhorn breed when his brother purchased a Longhorn cow for him. Lynn’s brother, Larry Struthoff, owns Broken Oak Ranch in Seguin, Texas, and uses CattleMax to manage his commercial beef cattle.
With 97 mama cows, and his four prominent herd sires Habenero, Hollywood Chex, Dixie Goer and JK Sterling, Struthoff is steadily approaching his 100 cow capacity.
“We are concentrating on being a breeder and our goal is for our herd to carry eighty percent of our breeding,” he says, “The remaining twenty percent will be made up of carefully selected brood cows and sires purchased from other outstanding programs.”
When he’s not in the pasture with his Longhorns, Lynn is involved in the commercial general contracting business, constructing restaurants, retail and medical buildings for several worldwide chains.
With a growing herd and a full-time contracting business, Struthoff needs LonghornMax to keep his records organized and save valuable time.
“With my very busy schedule, it [LonghornMax] makes it easier for me to keep my updates current,” he said.
Before hearing about LonghornMax in the Longhorn Trails magazine shortly after it was developed, Struthoff says he kept his cattle records in Excel spreadsheets.
Struthoff is currently using the data he keeps in LonghornMax to assist in making decisions to develop his breeding program.
“A feature that has been very helpful in selecting which herd sire I will use on a certain heifer or cow is the three and five generation pedigree. As a lot of my cattle go back several generations to the same gene pool, it allows me to see how the genetic will come together.”
Struthoff says that the reports LonghornMax generates can be very impressive and helpful. He suggested that others using LonghornMax should research the reporting options available, and use the custom reports to fit their specific needs.
He says they use the Breeding Report most often to keep track of calving dates.
“I print an updated report every month and laminate it so I can carry it with me when I check my cattle. It helps me monitor a cow that is due,” Struthoff says.
The Struthoff Ranch has also taken advantage of the marketing features available in LonghornMax.
“In marketing my cattle, the sale reports are a key to closing the deal,” he says.
After using the LonghornMax software for five years, Struthoff firmly believes in its record keeping capabilities.
“When I get a new breeder looking at purchasing some cattle, I always recommend purchasing LonghornMax,” Struthoff says, “I have thought about offering to include the software with the purchase of any animal. LonghornMax is a ‘must-have’ for any breeder, whether you have one or a thousand head.”
To learn more about Struthoff Ranch or to view their Texas Longhorn cattle, visit them online at www.struthoff-ranch.com.
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