History

Gordon Stucky knew early Angus cattle were the kind of cattle you could make a living on. In December 1976, at age 17, he traveled to the Kansas Angus Futurity in hopes of starting his registered Angus herd. A yearling heifer consigned by the Ramsey Ranch of El Dorado, Kansas, quickly caught his eye. Blackcap A127 was purchased for $350, and would become the start of Gordon's herd.

The following year, Blackcap A127 raised a bull calf sired by the immortal “Great Northern”. Gordon returned to the Kansas Angus Futurity sale, entered and sold the bull calf for $1,500. With such a high return on investment for the times, Gordon knew he was on the right track. He was convinced that the right kind of Angus held the key to his future in the cattle business.

The Stucky Ranch began in 1937, but it was Gordon's lifelong dream to build a registered Angus herd to compliment his family's existing commercial Angus herd. He started fulfilling that dream in 1976. From 1976 to 1982, approximately 200 females were purchased from sales in Kansas and the Midwest. The current Angus herd is based on several cow families from that original group, with dominance by the “Eisa Erica” family. The ranch icon female, Circle S Eisa Erica 6073 has 198 progeny recorded, and forms the nucleus for this performance oriented herd.

Currently, 450 cows are calved on the Stucky Ranch each year, with more than 200 additional calves born at cooperator herds. Approximately 250 embryos are collected from the genetically superior females annually. The number of bulls produced each year continues to grow with the use of sexed male semen in the embryo program.

Gordon has put a strong emphasis on with-in herd performance data with his genetic selections, and is also utilizing genomic technology to improve the accuracy with selection decisions. Foundation females from the past 15 years have had genomic evaluations performed to improve the accuracy of their genetic merit. Complete performance measurements are taken through yearling on every calf born, along with carcass ultrasound and disposition score. Male calves not kept for breeding bulls are banded and cull heifers are sold on the USPB grid to collect harvest carcass data. Cow herd data collected include udder score at calving, along with dam weight and body condition score at calf weaning.

Low stress handling techniques are routinely used in the management of the cowherd and growing calves. Cattle are conditioned to be worked horseback, and checked with 4-wheeler or on foot. Particular emphasis is placed on selection for breeding stock with a calm disposition.

The marketing focus concentrates on producing 14-18 month old registered Angus bulls for the commercial industry. Bulls are merchandised by auction the second Wednesday in March each year and bulls and females by private treaty sales. The ranch's profitability hinges on the ability to provide customers with animals that provide predictable genetic results, and then follow the sale with superior customer service.

The Stucky family continues to be involved in the livestock industry, local community, and church. Gordon is a past president of the American Angus Association and Kansas Angus Association. He has served in leadership roles with the Kansas Livestock Association, Farm Bureau, Extension Council, and the Beef Improvement Federation. Gordon also continues to be the chairman for the Kansas Angus Association sponsored commercial female sale at Pratt Livestock where 1000 head are offered annually from top producers of Angus genetics the first Saturday of December each year. The Stucky's are parishioners at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Kingman, with Gordon being a past chairman of the St. Patrick's School Council and the Wichita Diocesan School Council. He also served as the Building Committee chairman for the $5.4 million renovation of the Kingman St. Patrick's School which was completed in 2011.